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Title details for The Last Wild Horses by Maja Lunde - Wait list

The Last Wild Horses

A Novel

by Maja Lunde
Karen Gundersen
Audiobook
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Translated into 36 languages, winner of the Norwegian Bookseller's Prize, and the most successful Norwegian author of her generation, Maja Lunde returns with a heart-wrenching tale, set in the distant past and the dystopian future, about extinction and survival, family and hope.

Mikhail lives in Russia in 1881. When a skeleton of a rare wild horse is brought to him, the zoologist plans an expedition to Mongolia to find the fabled Przewalski horse, a journey that tests not only his physicality, but his heart.In 1992, Karin, alongside her troubled son Mathias and several Przewalski horses, travels to Mongolia to re-introduce the magnificent horses to their native land. The veterinarian has dedicated her life to saving the breed from extinction, prioritizing the wild horses, even over her own son.

Europe's future is uncertain in 2064, but Eva is willing to sacrifice nearly everything to hold onto her family's farm. Her teenage daughter implores Eva to leave the farm and Norway, but a pregnant wild mare Eva is tending is about to foal. Then, a young woman named Louise unexpectedly arrives on the farm, with mysterious intentions that will either bring them all together, or devastate them one by one.

Spanning continents and centuries, The Last Wild Horses is a powerful tale of survival and connection—of humans, animals, and the indestructible bonds that unite us all.

Translated from the Norwegian by Diane Oatley

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    February 15, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780062951441
      • File size: 434969 KB
      • Duration: 15:06:11

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 20, 2021
      Like Lunde’s The History of Bees, her stellar latest hinges on a threatened species, this time the takhi, a rare ancient breed of horses. In 1880 St. Petersburg, a colleague brings zoologist Mikhail Kovrov the skull and hide of what looks like a takhi, which is believed to be extinct. Kovrov leaves his comfortable urban life to travel with animal-capture expert Wilhelm Wolff to Mongolia, where the remains were found, with a plan to bring living takhis to Europe to preserve their bloodline. Though they succeed in capturing the horses, Kovrov’s time with the passionate, fearless Wolff throws his beliefs about his identity and future into crisis. A century later, German veterinarian Karin realizes her longtime dream of flying a group of European-born takhis back to Mongolia to reestablish them in the wild. Joining her on the expedition is her son, Mathias, a heroin addict in unsteady recovery who hopes to win the love his mother has never seemed able to express. In 2064 Norway, Eve and her teenage daughter, Isa, inhabit the dystopia caused by climate change. Isa wants to join migrants seeking a more sustainable habitat, while Eve is determined to stay at the family’s defunct wild animal park to take care of its takhi, one of the world’s last, and her foal. Each of the segments are brilliantly complex, and they conclude with satisfying revelations. Throughout, Lunde delivers a perfect blend of gripping human stories, historical and scientific fact, and speculative elements. This standout should win her wider attention in the U.S.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Karen Gundersen, Christa Lewis, B.J. Harrison, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, and Rob Shapiro narrate this audiobook composed of one connected story set in varying timelines. Harrison narrates as Mikhail, a zoologist in the 1800s who discovers an extinct breed of Mongolian horse. Harrison handles the era's dialogue deftly. Lewis portrays Karin, a vet who, in 1992, brings the now thriving horses back to Mongolia. Her accent work is immersive. Gundersen portrays Eva, a climate survivor in the 2060s who is responsible for the last in the line of these majestic creatures. Listeners will weep as she grapples with the meaning of survival. Shapiro narrates the final chapter as Karin's son, tying up the audiobook with heart and gravitas. A.R.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2022

      The three storylines of this novel all share the characters' desire to save the last wild horses, the fabled Przewalski horse. Ranging from the distant past to a dystopian future, it weaves together the animals' struggle for survival with the stories of the humans trying to save them. In the first story, set in the late 1800s, Russian Mikhail travels to Mongolia to find the near extinct horses. In 1992, Karin and her drug addicted son, Mathias, travel to Mongolia with a herd of the horses in hope of saving the species. Finally, in 2064, Eva and her daughter work to save the last pregnant mare of the species. Each beautifully written story is different, but all share humanity's struggle for survival and connection. VERDICT The full cast of narrators brings the beauty of Lunde's (The End of the Ocean) novel to life in a moving performance.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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