The cast of characters includes a rapper, a Wal-Mart checker, rich owners, trainers, a wannabe jockey and one horse masseur. Not content to tell the story of one horse-breeding family in say, Virginia, Smiley takes a look at the horse-obsessed in New York, Florida, Maryland, Chicago, New Orleans, California, Texas and France. The 561-page novel is the current selection of The Chronicle/BayTV Book Club. The author plays out their lives over a year, beginning in November 1997, the day after the Breeder's Cup at Hollywood Park. Also six horses and one know-it-all Jack Russell terrier named Eileen. Smiley has populated "Horse Heaven" (Knopf $26) with about 40 of those. Then there were all the others, not consistently identifiable." There are the jittery ones, he says, the ones he wants to kick just to get them out of his way, and there are the peaceful ones, those who, "whatever they did, even if they smacked you a good one, it wasn't scary at all, but just what you deserved. While hiding out from his trainer one day, Justa Bob, the wise and patient former race horse and a central character in Jane Smiley's new book, reflects upon humans. from the point of view of the horses.'' Jerry Telfer/The Chronicle Facebook Twitter Email Jane Smiley, author of ``Horse Heaven'': ``It was wonderful fun and very liberating to write.
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