the Sage By Nature blog

“The way people treat animals is a pretty good guide to character” says Peter Behrens, author of “The Law of Dreams”.

A strong horse theme runs throughout this book, and it serves as a guide to unraveling the complexities of many of the characters. While the book’s focus is not on horses as with my other Sage Book Picks, I put it here for a couple of reasons. First, it shines some light on horse-human relationships from a different angle, and secondly, it is March after all and approaching St. Patrick’s Day – so a book set in Ireland just seemed appropriate…Of course, the book caught my eye with a beautiful picture of a horse gracing its cover, so if you can find the hard cover with that picture you will enjoy it even more.

A Hungry Heart Can Carry You Like The Back of A Horse

The fictional story begins in 1846 famine-ravaged Ireland and follows the travels and trials of a young boy named Fergus from Ireland, into London, Wales, and beyond. Horses and a lot of humans are disposable in this time and era, and they are often just a means to an end. Cruelty is the menu special of the day with prejudice served up for dessert. The book is a tough read at times, especially if you are a gentle soul, but as with most things worth having, and finishing, it is worth devouring to the end.

You come away from the book with a strong hunger to keep moving towards something. The law of dreams tells you to do just that: keep moving. If a dirt poor Irish boy can lose everything (which was close to nothing to begin with), have barely anything to eat at times except turnip scraps and an occasional unlucky songbird or hare, how can you personally not rise above whatever is going on in your life right now and keep moving forward, towards your goals and dreams?

And remember to be kind to your fellow souls in this world, both horse and human. There is unfortunately no famine of cruelty and heartache in the world, and wouldn’t we all rather feast on the rewards of better relationships with animals and people alike?

For More Information:

Peter Behren’s website
The Great Irish Famine

To buy the book:

Peter is currently working on a sequel to The Law of Dreams. He can also be found at the following event in Blue Hill, ME on March 21st, 2009:
A Terrible Beauty: Ireland in the words of Peter Behrens & music of Paul Sullivan
Emlen Hall, The Bay School, Blue Hill ME, 7:30pm March 21st
for tickets & info: www.rivermusic.com

If you like books with a Celtic or Irish flair, with a dose of horse, then try the authors below:

Diana Gabaldon
Jules Watson

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