Our Horses in Egypt

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Description

A historical novel about horses in the First World War (in Egypt and Palestine) this is an astonishing literary tour-de-force. Philomena is requisitioned from a Dorset field in the summer of 1914, and serves with the yeomanry in Egypt and Palestine until the end of the First World War. But she doesn't come back to England- thousands of British Army horses are sold off locally. Faint news of her reaches Griselda Romney, her old owner. The impulsive Griselda, taking with her little Amabel and, of course, Nanny, sails for Egypt - to find Philomena and bring her home.

Reviews

A remarkable work of literature... If literary prizes were awarded (as they still, occasionally, are), on pure excellence of writing, Our Horses in Egypt would be sure to make Rosalind Belben a late-blooming household name -- Jane Shilling * Sunday Telegraph *
Magnificent... funny and sad, by turns elegant and terse, romantic and brisk - evocative and entirely beguiling, a wonderful novel -- Matthew Dennison * Daily Telegraph *
Profound and original * Independent *
A most unusual, fascinating novel...gripping transcontinental adventure * Herald *
Brilliantly brutal * Big Issue *
Splicing tales of Griselda's mission with Philomena's wartime trials, Belben's narrative ambles along at a pace suited to the war-battered world in which it unfolds. From this sentimental premise, she carves an epic tale devoid of syrup that cuts to the heart of our relationship with other cultures and other creatures -- Hepzibah Anderson * Bloomberg.com *
The novel offers a heart-rending account of the horses' experience in the Great War... Our Horses in Egypt, a radical experiment in narrative, has a sympathetic splendour, leading the blinkered humanist imagination into the realm of creaturely experience -- Stevie Davies * Independent *
Belben does not shy away from difficult themes...In this powerful novel, Belben celebrates the gift of not forgetting with the confidence and style of a writer who deserves to be a great deal better known -- Melissa Katsoulis * Tablet *
Here is a First World War story and a love story with a difference... Rosalind Belben is as unsentimental as she is skilful. Griselda's quest is perfectly paced, and the author's default tone is restraint mixed with irony. As a result she has conjured up a novel of unexpected potency -- Edwin Reardon * The First Post *

Author Bio

Rosalind Belben's work has been consistently admired. Her previous novels include Hound Music, Choosing Spectacles, Is Beauty Good and Dreaming of Dead People. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.