Review | ‘A Horse in My Suitcase’ by John Holman

John Holman may not have hauled an actual horse in his suitcase when he emigrated from Bowshots Farm in England to Australia in 1969, but he did carry the memory of horses, his extended family, and a very particular landscape that was on the brink of change as he departed. Through his delightful memoir, A Horse in my Suitcase, Holman recollects in vivid detail his childhood and early adolescence in southern England, an indelible place he deeply loved and can never entirely leave behind. This memoir is full of hilarious anecdotes and family lore, plus some remarkable photographs of a bygone era. 

This capsule review originally appeared in the California Review of Books.

Brian Tanguay also did an interview with author John Holman, which you can read here. 

Holman was scheduled to sign A Horse in My Suitcase this Saturday, but had to cancel the appearance. The book remains available at Tecolote Bookstore, 1470 E. Valley Rd. #52, Montecito.

Editor’s Note: This article was revised on August 22 to state the author is not able to appear for the book signing on August 26.