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True Colors

Kristin Hannah
St. Martin's Press (2009)
ISBN 9780312364106
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (2/09)

“True Colors” is the first novel by Kristin Hannah that I have read even though this is the 17th book that she has written.  I chose to read this book because my mom has always been a huge fan of Hannah’s writing.  I thought that I would see what all of the fuss was about, and I am glad that I did.  I can definitely see why Hannah is a bestselling author!

The story in her newest novel centers on the Grey sisters:  Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann.  Shortly after the death of their mother in 1979, they watch their father take their mother’s horse, Clem, out of the pasture.  Winona (then age 15) thinks that their father is going to sell the horse.  When she confronts him he says that they can’t afford to feed a horse that isn’t going to get ridden.  When she offers that she will ride the horse, her father belittles her by telling her that she doesn’t have any horse sense and that there probably isn’t even a saddle that would fit her, as she is overweight.  Their father, instead, hands the lead rope to Winona’s sister Vivi Ann (then age 12.)  “From then on, jealousy had become an undercurrent, swirling beneath their lives.  But no one had seen it.  Not then, at least.” (p.8)

After the Prologue, the setting jumps ahead to the year 1992.  At this time, Winona is a lawyer, Aurora is a mother, and Vivi Ann is a barrel racer.  The bond between these three sisters is the main premise of the book.  Many circumstances come along that test this bond, including the incident 17 years prior with the father handing off the reins to the horse to Vivi Ann instead of Winona. 

The characters are very well developed and thoughts of them will remain in your mind long after you put the novel down.  The writing is emotionally captivating and the story moves along swiftly.  I am happy that I followed my mother’s recommendation to try a Kristin Hannah book and if “True Colors” is any indication of her talent, I look forward to going back and reading some of her prior releases. 

 

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