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The Girl on the Dancing Horse
The Girl on the Dancing Horse
Oct 21, 2024 1:04 AM

Author:Charlotte Dujardin

The Girl on the Dancing Horse

*THE TOP 10 BESTSELLER FROM THE MOST DECORATED BRITISH FEMALE OLYMPIAN IN HISTORY*

'Refreshingly honest [...] a highly enjoyable, fascinating read.' Horse and Hound

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"To ride into that arena, next to a sea of British flags and hear the roar of clapping and cheering, was so exciting. It's a sound I will never, ever forget."

Charlotte Dujardin and her charismatic horse Valegro burst onto the international sports scene with their record-breaking performance at the London, 2012 Olympics. The world was captivated by the young woman with the dazzling smile and her dancing horse.

But no one quite knew what it took to get there, nor how hard the path to success would be - until now. Dujardin began riding horses at the age of two, but dressage was firmly the domain of the wealthy, not the life of a girl from a middle-class family. Her parents sacrificed all and with a undeterred focus, Charlotte left school at 16 to follow her dream. When she was invited to be a groom for the British Olympian Carl Hester, she began to ride Valegro, a dark bay gelding and an unbreakable bond was formed.

This is their incredible story.

Reviews

For anyone who has followed Charlotte and Valegro’s journey — and let’s face it, who hasn’t — this refreshingly honest autobiography will prove a highly enjoyable, fascinating read.

—— Horse and Hound

Fascinating stuff - 4 Stars

—— Love It! Magazine

An emotive memoir … a powerful story

—— Harrods Magazine

Fascinating – 4 stars

—— OK!

Her long-awaited autobiography is finally here. Dressage star, Charlotte Dujardin, offers a glimpse into the magical journey that she and Valegro went on to become one of the world’s most famous duos

—— Your Horse Magazine

Fantastic autobiography

—— Essex Rider

candid and captivating memoir… written with humour and insight, this is an inspiring tale of triumph against the odds

—— Lady magazine

Two Tribes perfectly illustrates the relationship between football and society in Thatcher’s Britain with as many twists and turns off the pitch as on it…The sheer beauty of this book is its ability to take you from the stinking alleyways and crumbling terraces that were the norm for football supporters at that time to London’s West End or the drinking dens of the North West quicker than a Pat Nevin pirouette thanks to the author’s uncanny ability to depict the city he lived in and the game that he and so many like him followed religiously across a country that was on a knife edge… Two Tribes is not a Liverpool book. It’s not an Everton book either. It’s a snapshot of a time when watching football was often a matter of survival, a social history of a highly charged political tinderbox of a city which was in danger of tearing itself apart; interspersed with anecdotes of the time which were as relevant in Middlesbrough and Manchester as they were on Merseyside. And that’s what makes it so good.’

—— Matthew Crist , The Sportsman

A coruscating snapshot of football and life on Merseyside during Thatcher’s Britain.

—— The Observer - Best Sports Books of 2018

ExtraordinaryDee has an enormous aptitude for burrowing into research and then opening it out map-like over the tangible natural world… [Greenery is his] most personal and spectacular nature memoir to date.

—— Irish Independent

As rich and rewarding as spring itself, this book by one of our leading nature writers is a celebration of the temperate world’s most exciting season. It’s a multi-layered book, full of memories…science and poetry, history and humour. And great sadness too… This is a lifetime of springs recounted by a man in fall.

—— Ben Hoare , BBC Wildlife

Crammed with fascinating, horizon-expanding, life-enhancing tidbits of knowledge from a person who has spent years watching, looking, learning… Of course, as Dee fans will expect, there is blissful poetry in his proseGreenery is a portal into a deeper understanding of spring and a richer appreciation of the natural world. It is about death, life, love, planetary time: the dynamics of life on planet earth.

—— Lucy Jones , Caught by the River *Book of the Month*

Joyful... Hard to resist. Greenery is a book of hope… Each new encounter reads like a script for the very best kind of radio programme, full of insight and lightly-worn expertise.

—— Isabel Lloyd , Tablet

Dee’s writing sings… When scattered personal anecdotes finally crystallise into the recent event in Dee’s life, the heart breaks… A book best experienced like spring itself, blooming and fading at its own pace.

—— Josh Pugh Ginn , i

Tim Dee follows the wake-up call of the wild, treading the path of migrating swallows from South African shores to Scandinavia. A colourful account of spring's awakening with tales from Sámi reindeer herders also in the mix.

—— Wanderlust

Tim Dee's powers of description are masterful… This sumptuous account of spring's progress is a truly remarkable book, written with exquisite pathos.

—— Alex Roddie , Great Outdoors

Dee layers…contrasting voices to great effect. And his visual writing shows us more than a camera could

—— Lucy Ingrams , Oldie

Greenery is an anatomy of spring… the lush prose…resonate[s]… When scattered personal anecdotes finally crystallise into the recent events in Dee’s like, the heart breaks

—— Josh Pugh Ginn , UK Press Syndication

A beautiful ode to how nature can soothe and inspire hope with every step . . . this book is really special

—— Stylist

Mesmerising. It is one of the most uplifting, inspiring books that I've ever read

—— i (The paper for today)

Filled with wry humour, this is a wonderfully uplifting and touching book

—— Guardian

This is a wonderful, heart-gladdening, life-affirming read. It will make you want to walk. What a gem.

—— Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph

Luminescent. A literary phenomenon

—— Mail on Sunday

Utterly inspirational

—— The Times

The Salt Path broke my heart and put it back together again over and over. Beautiful writing, and such a sharp eye - both for nature and for people. It's hopeful and sad and honest and I LOVED it.

—— Maggie Harcourt, author of Unconventional and The Last Summer of Us

Harnesses the wildness of rock, sky and coastal walking in life-affirming prose

—— Emma Stonex , Guardian

Radiant, soaring, heartstring-tugging

—— BBC Countryfile

A remarkable account of the healing power of landscape and the resilience of the human spirit. I felt the rain on my face and heard the waves pounding on the sand.

—— Phillipa Ashley

Inspirational

—— Good Housekeeping

The Salt Path pummelled me like Atlantic winds. It carried me along on a rain-soaked, sun-burnt, despair-infused, hope-driven walk. The writing is at times raw, poetic, funny, shocking. It is consistently honest, vulnerable, clear. I finished the book reminded of the importance of really hearing people's stories, of the healing power of the natural world, and of our individual and collective now.

—— The Ecologist

A thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, strength and endurance

—— The Week

A moving true story

—— i Paper

By turns inspirational and horrifying . . . [Winn] writes with a detail and a joy that tugs at the reader, lifting this beyond a mere travel memoir and all the privations and hardship to be something truly meaningful

—— Times Higher Education

Beautiful, sad, erudite and uplifting

—— The New European

An uplifting tale

—— Cornish Times

Vivid . . .This is a book essentially about hope, but also about sheer gritty determination not to give in, to survive extreme discomfort, danger and sometimes disillusionment

—— Kibworth & District Chronicle

An inspirational true story

—— Top Sante

It's a heart-warming, heart-wrenching story, told by Raynor in vivid yet plain prose. There are so many wonderful passages

—— Church Times

Raynor's writing is beautiful. It's a heart-wrenching read at times, but you won't be able to put it down

—— Mirror

We walk with Ray and Moth every step of the way, sharing the hunger, exhaustion, blazing heat and freezing rain in an account that is both lyrical and inspirational

—— Guardian, Top 10 books about walking in Britain

An extraordinary memoir - moving, funny and uplifting

—— Open Up

An inspirational and lyrically observed memoir on the regenerative power of walking in nature, as well as a reminder that material things are much less important than we sometimes think. If you love the landscape of the British coastline and are drawn to the philosophies of mindfulness and minimalism, this is a moving and reflective book to read during a break from your everyday life

—— Gill Walker, Newham Books , Guardian

Raynor Winn's glorious memoir tells the real-life story of her hike along the South West Coast Path, which she embarked upon with her husband after they lost their home. It's raw yet uplifting - and guaranteed to inspire your next adventure

—— Huffington Post UK

A thoughtful reflection on ageing and infirmity, home and homelessness, hope and survival

—— Dr Michael Fitzpatrick , Daily Telegraph

A life-affirming story that examines grief and the power of nature

—— Liz Earle Wellbeing

Poignant . . . It's far from a book without hope, and you'll be with Raynor and Moth every step of their walk along the South West Coast Path

—— Country Walking

A heart-wrenching, inspiring tale of one couple's enduring love for each other in the face of calamity and of their accidental odyssey along England's South West Coast Path

—— Advnture

A love story of resilience and optimism, brimming with heart and humanity

—— Ruth Jones , Prima

A gripping domestic disaster story turned celebration of survival

—— Country Walking

A true story of hope in a dire situation

—— Daily Express
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