📖 Blog Tour ~ The Spirit of the Horse by Pam Billinge

 

Thrilled to host today's blog tour stop

Blackbird Books
16 March 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

The Spirit of the Horse is about following dreams, finding your truth and how much stronger joy can be when we learn to interconnect with all that is.

Sequel to The Spell of the Horse. Pam continues her exploration into the true nature of horses, their power to heal and the spiritual dynamic between human and horse.

‘When Pam follows her dream to a farmhouse with five acres in northern France, she is able to live alongside her horses for the first time. Here, in the heart of nature, deeper insights are revealed into the healing connection between horse and human and the incredible power of presence to transform. Might it be that learning to honour and communicate with another species helps us to reframe the way we perceive each other, as well as how we might see ourselves?

📖 My thoughts...

We learn so much from the way we interact with animals, their connection and in particular with horses, is what makes this such a special memoir. Author, Pam Billinge once again shares her experiences as she works with people who sometimes don't even know they need help, and by using her herd of very intuitive horses, she allows a profound closeness to develop using the instinctive nature of the horse to pick out those who are troubled. 

The book is divided into short chapters which make dipping into and out of the memoir such a joy to read especially as we learn the stories, sometimes of an individual, and sometimes from a group of people, all of whom have chosen to work with Pam in a professional capacity. I enjoyed reading through the case studies and marveled at how the horses helped in so many different circumstances.

I read this author's first memoir, The Spell of the Horse, and was impressed, not just by the calm way that Pam interacts with people, but also of her special connection with her horses which comes across in the joyful way she brings each to life on the page.  The Spirit of the Horse, however, is not just a series of case studies but is also about how the author searches within her own life experiences to find personal fulfillment and shows that sometimes the journey itself can prove therapeutic. 

I've always loved the gentle spirit of horses, there's something about the intelligent understanding in their eyes, and the quiet dignity of their presence, which draws me towards them. That the author has an infinity with these gentle creatures is without question, and sharing her undeniable skill, love and understanding with a wider audience is what makes this memoir something special.

About the Author

Pam Billinge is a therapist, coach and author who specialises in embodied horse-led learning. This unique approach relies entirely on the emergent relational process between horse and human. At her bases in the UK and in France, Pam supports people of all nationalities, ages and walks of life with their personal and professional development. Through her workshops and her writing Pam wishes to share the healing wisdom of horses whilst advancing the cause of this sometimes much-misunderstood species. She hopes also through her work to reconnect us with the natural world from which we are too often separated.

Twitter @pam_billinge

@Blackbird_Bks

The ebook is £3.99 and available on

Amazon smarturl.it/spirithorse

iBooks https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1550335216 [US link..]

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-spirit-of-the-horse

Review ~ A House Divided by Margaret Skea

Sanderling Books
2015

Eleven years on from the Massacre of Annock, the Cunninghame / Montgomerie truce is fragile.For the Munro family, living in hiding under assumed names, these are dangerous times.

While Munro risks his life daily in the service of the French King, the spectre of discovery by William Cunninghame haunts his wife Kate. Her fears for their children and her absent husband realized as William’s desire for revenge tears their world apart.

A sweeping tale of compassion and cruelty, treachery and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of feuding clans, the French Wars of Religion, and the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597.

I’ve always had a passion for Scottish history and my interest in this author’s work came about when I saw her debut book, Turn of the Tide, featured on the Alan Titchmarsh The People's Novelist competition back in 2011.  I then went on to discover this talented author for myself.

Keeping the stability whilst at the same time driving forward the focus of a continued story is not an easy accomplishment and there have been many sequels which have disappointed me when the follow on story lets itself down, but not so with A House Divided which takes up the story of the feuding Cunninghames and the Montgomeries in an altogether more detailed way.

When the story begins the fragile balance between the two clans is as delicate as ever, old grievances never to be forgotten lie dormant for a while, but there is never anything more than an uneasy peace between them, and the shadows and deceptions which irretrievably bind them together will always be at the forefront of any adventurous action.

As always, the history and the politics of sixteenth century Scotland is both scrupulously researched and intelligently written. Gradually, as the story unfolds, the perilous intrigue starts to emphasise just what a treacherous time this was, not just being part of a feudal system, which was scary enough, but also to be an intelligent woman, fighting for a place in a predominantly male world, was a dangerous risk. Skilful capability, whilst undoubtedly a gift, could, at this time in Scottish history,  all too easily result in superstition, gossip and undeniable treachery. 

There is no doubt that the author has a fine way with words and her ability as a story teller, particularly of historical fiction, I think,  is now firmly established.

I really enjoyed this sequel and hope that the author has more historical fiction planned for the future.


Best read with ....fresh caught herring, tangy with herbs and a tankard of small ale...

About the Author

Margaret Skea grew up in Ulster at the height of the 'Troubles', but now lives with her husband in the Scottish Borders. 

Visit the author's Website

Follow on Twitter @margaretskea1

You can read guest posts by the author here... and here

My thanks to the author for sharing this story with me and also to the publishers Sanderling Books  for  providing an e-copy of this book. 

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Review ~ The Daughter of the House by Rosie Thomas

Harper Collins
30 July 2015

Meeting up again with Devil and Eliza Wix, from The Illusionists is a real treat, although to be honest you don't need to have read this one, before starting Daughter of the House, but, as with any sequel, it's nice, but not essential, to know what's gone on before.

The story opens in 1910, and focuses on Zenobia, the eponymous Daughter of the House, known to family and friends as Nancy. She is endowed with a rare gift of being able to see visions, small snippets of the past or the future, which Nancy refers to as 'The Uncanny'.  When her unusual skill is spotted by a talented medium, Nancy sees a way to lift her family from their impoverished state and uses her gift to ensure the stability of the family's down at heel theatre, the Palmyra, which featured so prominently in The Illusionists.

The story captures perfectly the momentous changes that were occurring during the early part of the twentieth century. The Great War had changed the status quo, and women were determined to have their voices heard, and Nancy is no exception. Struggling against the constraints of society, Nancy is determined to be independent but her unique gift acts as both a challenge and a curse

The story draws you in from the beginning with an array of characters that are both exhilarating and exasperating in equal measure. Nancy's character is particularly well done and, I think, typifies what life was like for a generation of young people, and young women in particular, who were striving to build a world away from the terrors of the First World War. The gay young things of the roaring twenties, and flirty thirties, come alive in so many ways, from the gin infused gaiety of country house parties, to the lively strength of the suffragist movement. And yet, in contrast is the unbearable collective sadness  caused by the death of so many young men during the war, and of the desperate lengths that people went to in order to make contact with their loved ones beyond the grave.

All these strands combine to make this a memorable story and one that stays with you long after the last page is turned.

About the Author

Rosie Thomas talks about The Daughter of the House here

My thanks to Harper Collins for my review copy of this book.

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