Unbreakable

July 1, 2019
British sports journalist Askwith (Feet in the Clouds) traces the inspiring, heartbreaking story of Czech countess Lata Brandisová (1895–1981) in this rousing account. Born in 1895 into privilege on a family estate in what is now the Czech Republic, the shy, modest Brandisova grew into an expert horse rider as the Habsburg empire collapsed and Nazism spread throughout Europe. She battled chauvinism to become the first woman to participate in the grueling four-mile steeplechase horse race, the Grand Pardubice, displaying defiance and moral courage as she swept herself and her grieving country to victory over the Third Reich in 1937. Driven by pride as much as fearlessness, Brandisová demonstrated an unconquerable spirit, “the same brave, loyal spirit that animates the great heart of a horse.” Once WWII started, however, she endured repressive Nazi and Communist regimes that confiscated the family lands. In 1948, Brandisová moved with her two sisters to a tiny, tumbledown cottage, where she suffered hunger, poverty, and obscurity until her death. Askwith rescues her remarkable, forgotten story through dogged detective work and lyrical prose. This is an intense roller coaster from start to finish.

July 15, 2019
Biography of a Czech countess who "confront[ed] the warrior-athletes of the Third Reich in a sporting contest so extreme in its dangers that some would question its right to be called sport." Askwith (People Power, 2018, etc.) does admirable literary detective work in unearthing the remarkable story of Countess Lata Brandisová (1895-1981), whose early life coincided with an era of glittering aristocratic privilege followed by the catastrophic destruction brought on by World War I. Hailing from a large noble family with Austrian roots in a sprawling inherited estate in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), Lata was mostly home-schooled and largely "ungovernable." With her siblings, she ran wild throughout the estate grounds, and she was passionate about the horses acquired by her father, a former cavalry officer who had "limited cash but plenty of dash." Bohemian hunters were famous for their riding prowess, and many of the huntsmen were actually English expatriates who competed in the reckless steeplechase, a sport whose premier event was the Grand Pardubice. Yet the privilege to ride in it--or folly for the horses, 29 of which have died during over the past 145 years--fell to the men, at least until World War I shook up the "inertia of the age." Despite the abolishment of aristocratic titles and the breakup of her family's inherited lands, Lata grew in confidence and applied for an amateur jockey license in 1927. At the same time, her cousin was elected to the Prague Jockey Club and introduced her to her first equine partner, and she ran her first Grand Pardubice, with disastrous results. Askwith depicts suspensefully Lata's amazing mettle and perseverance over the next few years despite the notorious difficulty of the race. In 1937, riding against the Nazi-owned top-of-the-line horses ("Himmler's Cavalry"), Lata won, to the astonishment of 40,000 spectators "mad with joy." Thanks to this intrepid author, Lata Brandisová re-enters the hall of champions to inspire those who come after her.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 1, 2019
In a follow-up to Today We Die a Little! (2016), about the legendary Czech Olympic runner Emil Z�topek, Askwith recounts the life story of another Czech athlete, equestrian trailblazer Lata Brandisov� (1895-1981). While she is relatively unknown, even in her own country, her life story is both compelling and heartbreaking. Brandisov� grew up in a world of aristocracy but lived in poverty most of her adult life. She defied gender norms to compete numerous times in the dangerous cross-country steeplechase race, the Velk� Pardubick�, or Grand Pardubice. In 1937, before a crowd of 40,000, she became the only woman to win the event, riding to victory on her beloved golden Kinsky mare, Norma. Together they bested a field of men that included several SS officers. Askwith, working with limited resources, admittedly speculates about some details and personal relationships, but he does a masterful job of setting Brandisov�'s story in the context of the world-changing events (WWII, the rise and fall of fascism and communism) that shaped her life. A significant contribution to international-sports and steeplechase history, this is a moving, well-told account of a courageous heroine devoted to God, family, country, and her horses.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)