Stable Weight

I thought this was a brave, insightful and beautifully crafted memoir.

The story of the author's life and the insight she has gained through therapy and her interactions with the horses at her riding lessons are spun together like an intricate spider web. Each chapter, centered around a lesson learned from a particular horse, stands alone as a wedge of the web, but the work as a whole is woven together with a few continuous threads that bring the piece full circle.

The descriptive language used in this book is exquisite. The author is an artist and her words are her paint brush. She is able to paint a vivid image of the characters, both human and animal, the locations and the raw emotions she experienced. As a reader I felt like I got to know each character and was able to put myself in the author's shoes to see through her eyes and feel what she felt.

I found the author's self-awareness and the candid way she writes about her self-discovery inspirational. I could see this book being beneficial for anyone who has ever struggled with perfectionism, anxiety, depression and/or an eating disorder. In sharing her experience and insight, the author gives anyone going through similar struggles the same reassuring message given to her by her dad over the phone while she was in the psych ward: "I just want to tell you that I get it. I know what it's like. I've been through it, and you'll get through it, too".

I thought this was a brave, insightful and beautifully crafted memoir.

The story of the author's life and the insight she has gained through therapy and her interactions with the horses at her riding lessons are spun together like an intricate spider web. Each chapter, centered around a lesson learned from a particular horse, stands alone as a wedge of the web, but the work as a whole is woven together with a few continuous threads that bring the piece full circle.

The descriptive language used in this book is exquisite. The author is an artist and her words are her paint brush. She is able to paint a vivid image of the characters, both human and animal, the locations and the raw emotions she experienced. As a reader I felt like I got to know each character and was able to put myself in the author's shoes to see through her eyes and feel what she felt.

I found the author's self-awareness and the candid way she writes about her self-descovery inspirational. I could see this book being beneficial for anyone who has ever struggled with anxiety, depression and/or an eating disorder. In sharing her experience and insight, the author gives anyone going through similar struggles the same reassuring message given to her by her dad over the phone while she was in the psychiatric ward: "I just want to tell you that I get it. I know what it's like. I've been through it, and you'll get through it, too. You’ll be ok.”

Going into this memoir, I didn't realize that the author lived on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, right where I currently live and work. Even if I didn't know the area Whalen wrote about, I would need little imagination to see it in my mind, as she wonderfully describes the locations, her experiences, and the amazing horses with which she creates a bond.

Perhaps this book hit me harder as I have suffered from several of the same things Whalen has, but this memoir makes sure that the reader knows they are not alone and that they can get through the struggles they are currently facing. Readers from many different backgrounds can find something within Whalen's writing to relate to, whether it be the obsession with perfection, the effects of anxiety and depression, the struggles of an eating disorder, the joy of bonding with a horse, or simply a love of reading good memoirs.

A beautifully written and put together memoir. It chronicles the author’s recovery from an eating disorder and how horses helped her to heal. The writing was stunning and pulled the story together. The author was brutally honest, no stone left unturned, so we get a real eye-opening account of her life and illness. Although tough to read in parts, it was inspiring, showing how with the help of a therapist and horses they were able to bring themselves back from the brink. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book!

Lisa Whalen suffered from depression and an eating disorder until she sought professional help. Writing this book became part of the healing process and her love for horses helped her recognise similarities between their behaviour and her own struggles. I don’t have a disorder but reading her story has made me reflect on my own life, personality and behaviours in certain situations.
As a horse lover/owner I know how powerful the relationship between horse and rider/handler can be. It is an area where you never stop learning and every horse is different. Also every rider knows what it’s like to fall and the physical/mental side effects which go with it.
I agree with Lisa’s comment “if that riding had taught me anything, it was how dangerous rigid expectations could be. I’d accept today’s gift and be grateful”. This is something we all need to be reminded of in or outside of horses.
I was interested to learn about Freytag’s Pyramid and it prompted me to research more information.
This great read was well written, interesting, honest and should be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free prepublication advanced review digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55592918-stable-weight

Formatting issues, which I tried to ignore while reading.

Got this to read to my children who love horses. It was very well written. They really enjoyed it. Definitely worth a read