Horse by Geraldine Brooks

This beautifully written novel is about so much more than just a horse. It's a wonderful book that follows several plot lines that are all magically connected. The main story takes place just prior to the Civil War in Kentucky where a Jarrett, an enslaved groomer, trains a thoroughbred named Darley (later became Lexington). Over Lexington's life, a painter named Thomas Scott creates several portraits of the horse, and these works of art move throughout the novel into different hands. 

There's also a more current storyline about Theo, a young Black PhD candidate at Georgetown who happens to pull an old painting out of a pile of trash. It just happens to be a portrait of a horse.

And there's an art dealer in the 50's who's cleaning woman brings her a painting of a horse. 

But the novel is also about race - how slaves were bought and sold, just like horses. And how today we still are plagued with racial issues and the mistreatment of minorities. This is a must read book. - June