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Our Horses in Egypt
Our Horses in Egypt
Dec 12, 2025 10:34 AM

Author:Rosalind Belben

Our Horses in Egypt

Philomena is requisitioned from a Dorset field in the summer of 1914, and serves with the yeomanry in Egypt and Palestine until the end of the First World War. But she doesn't come back to England: thousands of British Army horses are sold off locally. Faint news of her reaches Griselda Romney, her old owner. The impulsive Griselda, taking with her little Amabel and, of course, Nanny, sails for Egypt - to find Philomena and bring her home.

Reviews

A remarkable work of literature... If literary prizes were awarded (as they still, occasionally, are), on pure excellence of writing, Our Horses in Egypt would be sure to make Rosalind Belben a late-blooming household name

—— Jane Shilling , Sunday Telegraph

Magnificent... funny and sad, by turns elegant and terse, romantic and brisk - evocative and entirely beguiling, a wonderful novel

—— Matthew Dennison , Daily Telegraph

Profound and original

—— Independent

A most unusual, fascinating novel...gripping transcontinental adventure

—— Herald

Brilliantly brutal

—— Big Issue

Splicing tales of Griselda's mission with Philomena's wartime trials, Belben's narrative ambles along at a pace suited to the war-battered world in which it unfolds. From this sentimental premise, she carves an epic tale devoid of syrup that cuts to the heart of our relationship with other cultures and other creatures

—— Hepzibah Anderson , Bloomberg.com

The novel offers a heart-rending account of the horses' experience in the Great War... Our Horses in Egypt, a radical experiment in narrative, has a sympathetic splendour, leading the blinkered humanist imagination into the realm of creaturely experience

—— Stevie Davies , Independent

Belben does not shy away from difficult themes...In this powerful novel, Belben celebrates the gift of not forgetting with the confidence and style of a writer who deserves to be a great deal better known

—— Melissa Katsoulis , Tablet

Here is a First World War story and a love story with a difference... Rosalind Belben is as unsentimental as she is skilful. Griselda's quest is perfectly paced, and the author's default tone is restraint mixed with irony. As a result she has conjured up a novel of unexpected potency

—— Edwin Reardon , The First Post

A beautiful, descriptive and engaging read

—— Candis

I consumed it in two sittings ... for sheer escapism, Hothouse Flower will fit the bill perfectly

—— Reading Matters

Meticulously researched and emotionally powerful, this is a second novel to be proud of.

—— Emma Lee Potter , Express

Her prose is direct, undecorated, irresistibly dynamic and immensely powerful... Small Wars is at least as good as The Outcast. In fact, it is probably better, and praise doesn't come much higher

—— Sue Gaisford , Independent on Sunday

Jones writes brilliantly; you quickly inhabit Hal and Clara's world; from the dank, metallic smell of the interrogation room to the taste of White Ladies at the Limassol Club that linger long after you've reached the end

—— Claire Longrigg , Psychologies

Sadie Jones pulls no punches in her description of the savagely unsophisticated island war. An exceptional book that shudders with the weight of human responsibility

—— Kerry Fowler , Good Housekeeping

With her second novel, Sadie Jones...confirms her brilliance

—— Books Quarterly

A timely read for the end of 2009

—— Katherine Whitbourn , Daily Mail

A novel that resonates with contemporary parallels

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

Sadie Jones again pulls no punches in this strong story.

—— Sally Cousins , Sunday Telegraph

Intelligent and moving novel

—— Woman and Home

This impassioned tale is a gripping read

—— James Smart , The Guardian

Jones is fabulous...offering titbits of danger and discord, yet keeping a cool matter-of-fact tone for the big horrors

—— Sunday Times

Her second novel is a must-read; a devastating, brilliant account of what happens when everything a man believes in...begins to crumble

—— Cath Kidson Magazine

Full of danger and discord

—— Sunday Times Summer Reading
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