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Wild Horses of the Summer Sun: A Memoir of Iceland Kindle Edition

by Tory Bilski (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 256 ratings
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A wondrous story of adventure and friendship featuring a group of women who ride Icelandic horses.

"Blame it or praise it, there is no denying the wild horse in us."--Virgina Woolf

Each June, Tory Bilski meets up with fellow women travelers in Reykjavik where they head to northern Iceland, near the Greenland Sea. They escape their ordinary lives to live an extraordinary one at a horse farm perched at the edge of the world. If only for a short while.

When they first came to Thingeyrar, these women were strangers to one another. The only thing they had in common was their passion for Icelandic horses. However, over the years, their relationships with each other deepens, growing older together and keeping each other young. Combining the self-discovery Eat, Pray, Love, the sense of place of Under the Tuscan Sun, and the danger of Wild, Wild Horses of the Summer Sun revels in Tory's quest for the "wild" inside her.

These women leave behind the usual troubles at home: illnesses, aging parents, troubled teenagers, financial worries--and embrace their desire for adventure. Buoyed by their friendships with each other and their growing attachments and bonds with the otherworldly horses they ride, the warmth of Thingeyrar's midnight sun carries these women through the rest of the year's trials and travails.

Filled with adventure and fresh humor, as well as an incredible portrait of Iceland and its remarkable equines, Wild Horses of the Summer Sun will enthrall and delight not just horse lovers, but those of us who yearn for a little more wild in everyday life.
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  1. Print length
    244 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pegasus Books
  5. Publication date
    May 7, 2019
  6. File size
    33636 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

wild horses, summer sun, tory bilski, pegasus books

wild horses, summer sun, tory bilski, pegasus books

wild horses, summer sun, tory bilski, pegasus books

“Bilksi is undoubtedly enamored of the horses, a breed protected by law in Iceland for more than a thousand years, closely watching their actions and recounting their travels together with an almost mystical admiration. But she also closely observes her travel companions, these women with travails both everyday and extraordinary, whose adventures form the core of this rapturous travelogue.” —Booklist

“When you’ve got friendship, a must-see global destination, and wild horses, what more is there to ask for?” —Bustle

“Bilski weaves a narrative of horses and friendship in windswept Iceland in this transportive memoir. Those with adventurous spirits and healthy amounts of wanderlust will devour this charming memoir.” —Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When you’ve got friendship, a must-see global destination, and wild horses, what more is there to ask for?" — Bustle

"Bilksi is undoubtedly enamored of the horses, a breed protected by law in Iceland for more than a thousand years, closely watching their actions and recounting their travels together with an almost mystical admiration. But she also closely observes her travel companions, these women with travails both everyday and extraordinary, whose adventures form the core of this rapturous travelogue." — Booklist

"This charming saga of Icelandic cross-country riding has a little of everything—wild tales of mad gallops, centuries of the island's history and personal stories of redemption and revitalization. It made me want to take my turn there!" -- Wendy WIlliams, author of 'The Horse: The Epic History of Our Noble Companion'

"Bilski weaves a narrative of horses and friendship in windswept Iceland in this transportive memoir. Those with adventurous spirits and healthy amounts of wanderlust will devour this charming memoir." — Publishers Weekly

“Tory Bilski’s witty memoir of her annual 'horse sabbaticals' to Iceland will open up an entirely new side of this scenic travel destination for you.” — sheknows.com "19 Books That Will Take You on the Vacation You Can’t Actually Go On"

"Delving into notions of freedom, independence, expression, nature and adventure, Wild Horses of the Summer Sun is a magical, thought-provoking memoir.” — TravelMag

From the Author

I began thinking about writing down my Iceland experiences in the summer of 2012. I was sick that year and could not make my annual trip to Iceland. I was extremely disappointed and pined for the place. Out of that longing, I started writing down some of the more amusing travel tales about our group in Iceland, our adventures and misadventures. I decided I would start a blog as a way of sharing these stories with friends. After a while, I opened it up to the public and people from all over the world responded. They related to the major themes of the blog: the beauty of Iceland, the horses, and traveling with friends. But many women also expressed how they used to ride when they were young girls and they remembered the sense of freedom it gave them. Most of these conversations were from Euro/Western countries, but many were also from non-western countries. It struck me that the language and love of horses, and the remembered freedom, was universal.  

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KGJTBS5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books (May 7, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 7, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 33636 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 256 ratings

About the author

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Tory Bilski

Tory Bilski

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Tory Bilski is a travel writer based in Connecticut. She writes primarily about Iceland – its people, horses, and history. In 2013, she created an award-winning blog, Icelandica, featuring tales of adventure (and misadventure) with a group of fellow women travelers in Iceland. She has recently written for Atlas Obscura, Hartford Courant, Roads & Kingdoms, Iceland Review, and others. In the more distant past, she published short stories in literary journals: Kenyon Review, Black Warrior Review, 13th Moon. She is inexplicably drawn to old Norse and Anglo-Saxon history and pretends not to believe that it’s due to very exciting past life experiences.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
256 global ratings
Beautiful story of one womans adventures in Iceland
4 Stars
Beautiful story of one womans adventures in Iceland
Happy Nonfiction November! I was saving this memoir for this month so I can spotlight this unique story. Tory Bilski wrote this book about her amazing Iceland adventures. As I was reading her story I was thinking it must be both fun and fulfilling to write a book about what your passionate about. Tory and a group of women get together almost every year for 11 years to escape to northern Iceland. The opportunity to ride Icelandic horses and spend time on the farm building friendships and creating lifelong memories. The descriptions of the beautiful horses, the landscape, the food, at times I could almost close my eyes and picture what it must have been like. To be able to have such a fun adventure planned every year and to get the opportunity to do what you love is inspiring. The story made me think of a close friend who loves to hike, and takes many trips exploring all different mountains. To get outside with the warm sun on your head and the hard soil underneath must bring such pleasure. If you love to travel, are outdoorsy, adventurous or even just love horses I think this would be a great book for you to read!
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Top reviews from the United States

JBT
5.0 out of 5 stars Joyful Journeys
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
The pleasure of travel to new places is always enhanced by an inward journey. Tory Bilski's "Wild Horses of the Summer Sun," is a tale of both, travel to an exotic and then uncommon destination as well as the subtext of what she shares about her personal life, concerns universal to us all. Her narrative is about her many journeys to Iceland to ride horses. While she falls for the sport, the country's unique landscape and weather, she forges long-term relationships with other women also there to ride horses. Their ponies carry them through fields, along trails and the coast of Northern Iceland, and near fjords and glaciers. They ride horses that swim across a lake on a foggy day, and strive to achieve the perfect "tolt" or natural gait during seasonal long days lit by the summer sun. The ponies of Iceland are full-grown horses but smaller in stature, bred to be be tough, adaptable and resilient much like Bilski and her adventure-loving colleagues, who ride during yearly trips that span more than a decade. Bilski's luminous writing is amusing, brilliant in nuanced detail of the natural beauty of the Icelandic landscape, and skillful in retelling of its rich folklore. The story is interwoven with her astute observations on life- dealing with care of aging parents, fretting over difficult communication with her children, and truisms about grief, love and envy. The adventure is about finding joy and allowing yourself to go to that place.
8 people found this helpful
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Bijou Baby
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Writing -- Engaging Story
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Tory is a fine writer. She had me on the first line. The rest of the book had me searching flights to Iceland. I can relate to horse riding experience and admire her courage. Traveling with others can be a challenge. Tory exposes her success and realization. Buy this book.
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E. Rivett
4.0 out of 5 stars Human and equine tales
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2020
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Nicely narrated story about Iceland and the group of ladies who had the wonderful pleasure of traveling there year after year.
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Janet from Colorado
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2022
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This book was the perfect summer read while I traveled in Iceland June 2022. I was entertained and informed about Icelandic horses and history at the same time. The ladies' relationship dynamics added some intrigue and fun. The story could be made into a fun summer movie.
You can't help falling in love with Icelandic horses...they are truly special! Just the right size, beautiful flowing manes, friendly and easy to ride. Wish some were nearby in western Colorado where I live.
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TinaStella
5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Icelandic Horses…
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2022
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The stories in this book are my dreams in print! I have two Icelandic horses, love riding them and dream of going to Iceland to witness and experience the Icelandic elements—all of them! Fun/easy to read and I literally felt sad when I came to the end of the book—wanted them to go on with their trips forever! Well done—I would HIGHLY recommend!
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Jane Lion
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed!
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
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A relaxing nice read. Not sure some of the longing riding passages are very meaningful to non riders. But all in all, a lovely tale of a magical and time.
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Venessa Eisenman
5.0 out of 5 stars So much more than a travel book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
Wild Horses is a wonderful ode to Iceland - both the landscape and the people. The book is also an ode to friendship and what it means to be a woman navigating middle-age, family obligations, and female relationships.
As someone who also loves the wild landscapes of Iceland, I was touched by how well Tory understands the nuances of the island. She captures to the peculiarities of the environment, the culture, the food, the horses and so much more - all with an attention to detail that signals that she is not a simple tourist.
In the last part of the memoir, Tory longs to know if she left her "imprint on the history of the land the way it ... left its imprint on (her)." I think, if nothing else, her book is proof enough that she has left her fingerprint on the psyche of the island.
2 people found this helpful
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Robbin
5.0 out of 5 stars This book has everything.
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
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I really enjoyed this book, it was a page turner.. it had travel adventure, animal love, chick lit. Intrigue him women’s bonding issues, very down to earth.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Every time I crack this book open, is like I am stepping off the airplane landed in Mystical Iceland
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
I read a lot, in two languages (Russian and English). I can count how many books I've read more than once in my life: exactly two. The first one is by Sholokhov "And quiet Flows the Don" in original tongue, and second by Tory "Wild Horses of the Summer Sun". I can't get enough of the book, I look forward to reading it like I look forward to a trip to a magical place, such as Iceland. And while most of us have been grounded for the last two years, every time I opened this book, it was like I was stepping off the plane in Reykjavik. The language is so descriptive that it feels like you are there, touching the horse, smelling the hotdog, and feeling the wind. I was so excited when I followed the author and seen two books on her page until I realized that the second was a version in German. I hope Tory has some other work on places and things she feels passionate about and can share it with her readers.
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