The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans (Corgi, £599 in UK)

Reading the cover blurb, and knowing quite well that this book has sold zillions of copies in hardback (well, two million, to…

Reading the cover blurb, and knowing quite well that this book has sold zillions of copies in hardback (well, two million, to be precise), one is inclined to suspect that Nicholas Evans purposely assembled all the ingredients for a potential bestseller - glamorous, tough career woman who edits a fashion magazine in New York, handsome cowboy from a happy home in tranquil Montana, topped them off with a layer of spectacularly sugary icing, namely, a road accident involving a teenage girl and a horse, and sat back to watch the dollars roll in, not to mention the offers for the film rights. But when you start to read, you're so busy turning pages and weeping that you don't have time to be cynical. Evans certainly knows how to tell a story and anybody who has ever had dealings with teenage girls and their horses will chortle at how accurately he captures their bizarre, almost flirtatious relationships. Definitely one for the beach this summer.

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace

Arminta Wallace is a former Irish Times journalist