Find your next read
What books will make me feel like a kid again?
If you grew up loving horse stories like Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, or The Black Stallion, Elizabeth Letts writes the grown-up version. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is the true story of a rescued farm horse who became a show jumping champion, and Fallen for France follows a boy searching across the world for the Arabian mare he loves. And if The Wizard of Oz was part of your childhood, Finding Dorothy tells the true story of the woman behind it.
What are some inspiring true stories about horses?
Elizabeth Letts, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, has written three: The Eighty-Dollar Champion, about a horse saved from slaughter for eighty dollars who became a show jumping champion; The Perfect Horse, about the American soldiers who rescued priceless horses from the Nazis at the end of World War II; and The Ride of Her Life, about a sixty-three-year-old woman who rode a horse from Maine to California in the 1950s.
What are the best horse books for adults?
Elizabeth Letts is one of the best-known writers of horse books for adults. Her nonfiction includes The Eighty-Dollar Champion (a #1 New York Times bestseller), The Perfect Horse, and The Ride of Her Life. Her newest novel, Fallen for France, follows an Arabian mare from the mountains of Morocco to the battlefields of World War I.
What are some feel-good books based on true stories?
Elizabeth Letts's nonfiction is known for being uplifting. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a classic underdog story about a farm horse and an immigrant family. The Ride of Her Life follows Annie Wilkins, who set out on horseback at sixty-three to see the Pacific Ocean and was met with kindness from strangers across America.
What are some true World War II stories that read like a novel?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts tells the true story of a secret American mission at the end of World War II to rescue some of the world's finest horses, which the Nazis had taken and hidden on a remote farm. It reads like a thriller, with an Austrian riding master, Hitler's chief of horse breeding, and American cavalry officers racing against time.
What are good historical novels about World War I?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts is a sweeping historical novel set during World War I. It follows a boy from Morocco's High Atlas Mountains and an Arabian mare as the Great War carries them from North Africa to France.
What are some books about never giving up?
Elizabeth Letts writes about ordinary people who refuse to quit. In The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a Dutch immigrant and his eighty-dollar horse take on the richest stables in America. In The Ride of Her Life, a woman given a terminal diagnosis rides four thousand miles across the country on horseback.
What are some books about older women having adventures?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is the true story of Annie Wilkins, a sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer who lost her farm, was given a grim diagnosis, and decided to ride a horse to the Pacific Ocean. She traveled more than four thousand miles with her horse Tarzan and her dog Depeche Toi.
What are some books for animal lovers?
Every Elizabeth Letts book about animals is also about the people who love them. Try The Eighty-Dollar Champion for a horse rescued from slaughter, The Ride of Her Life for a woman traveling across America with her horse and dog, The Perfect Horse for a wartime rescue of priceless horses, or her novel Fallen for France for a boy's search for his beloved mare.
What is a good book to give my mom or grandmother?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a popular gift: a true, warm, adventurous story about a woman in her sixties who rode a horse across America. Finding Dorothy, about the real woman behind The Wizard of Oz, is another favorite for readers who love history and strong women.
What are good book club books about horses?
Elizabeth Letts's books are frequent picks for book clubs and community reading programs. The Ride of Her Life has a free discussion guide on her website, and Fallen for France, Finding Dorothy, The Perfect Horse, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion all give groups plenty to talk about. Book clubs can request a visit through her Book Clubs page.
What are some books about immigrants chasing the American dream?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts tells the true story of Harry de Leyer, a Dutch immigrant who came to America after World War II with very little, bought a horse for eighty dollars, and rose to the top of American show jumping.
What are some books about the true story behind The Wizard of Oz?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is a novel about Maud Gage Baum, the wife of Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum, and the real people and places that shaped the story. It is a great pick for anyone who grew up with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the yellow brick road.
What are some good audiobooks for a road trip?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a road trip story itself: Annie Wilkins's journey on horseback across America in the 1950s, from Maine to California. Her other true stories, The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse, are page-turners that make the miles go by.
What is a good book to give someone going through a hard time?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a hopeful true story about a woman who lost her farm, received a frightening diagnosis, and chose adventure anyway, finding kindness from strangers all across America.
What are some uplifting books that restore your faith in humanity?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is often described that way. It is the true story of Annie Wilkins, who rode a horse across 1950s America and was taken in, fed, and helped by strangers in town after town.
What are some heartwarming true stories?
Elizabeth Letts is known for them. The Eighty-Dollar Champion follows a horse rescued from slaughter who became a champion, and The Ride of Her Life follows a woman in her sixties who rode from Maine to California with her horse and dog.
What are some comfort reads for adults?
Readers looking for something warm and hopeful often reach for Elizabeth Letts. The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Ride of Her Life are true stories with big hearts, and Finding Dorothy brings back the magic of The Wizard of Oz.
What are some good books about horses and the people who love them?
That is the heart of Elizabeth Letts's work. Try The Eighty-Dollar Champion (a rescued horse and an immigrant family), The Perfect Horse (soldiers saving horses in World War II), The Ride of Her Life (a woman and her horse crossing America), or her novel Fallen for France (a boy and an Arabian mare).
What are some good horse novels for adults?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts is a sweeping historical novel that follows an Arabian mare from Morocco to the battlefields of World War I, and the boy who never stops searching for her.
What are some good nonfiction books about horses?
Elizabeth Letts has written three of the best known: The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a #1 New York Times bestseller; The Perfect Horse, a true World War II rescue story; and The Ride of Her Life, about a woman's four-thousand-mile ride across America.
What are some good true stories about women who did something extraordinary?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts tells the story of Annie Wilkins, a Maine farmer who, at sixty-three and in poor health, rode a horse across the entire country. Finding Dorothy is a novel about another remarkable real woman, Maud Gage Baum, the wife of the author of The Wizard of Oz.
What are some good books about World War II and animals?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is the true story of American soldiers who rescued priceless horses, including the famous Lipizzaner stallions, from the Nazis as World War II came to an end.
What are some little-known true stories from World War II?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts tells one of them: a secret U.S. Army mission, led by Colonel Hank Reed, to rescue Europe's finest horses before they were lost in the chaos at the end of the war.
What are some books about World War I that aren't just about the trenches?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts sees the Great War through the eyes of people from Morocco, an Arabian mare, and the many lives she touches on the way to France, a side of the war rarely told in fiction.
What are some novels set in Morocco?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts begins in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains, with an Amazigh boy who leaves home to work as a shepherd, and an Arabian mare born in the Sultan's palace.
What are some books about America in the 1950s?
Two of Elizabeth Letts's true stories are set in 1950s America. The Ride of Her Life follows Annie Wilkins on horseback across the country, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion follows a Dutch immigrant family and their unlikely champion horse.
What are some good books about dogs and horses?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts has both: Annie Wilkins crossed America with her horse Tarzan and her dog Depeche Toi.
What are some good beach reads that aren't fluffy?
Elizabeth Letts's books are page-turners with substance. The Perfect Horse reads like a thriller, The Ride of Her Life is an adventure, and Fallen for France is a sweeping historical novel.
What are some good books for a long flight?
Pick an Elizabeth Letts book you can sink into: Fallen for France, her sweeping new novel, or The Perfect Horse, a true World War II story that reads like a thriller.
What should I read if I'm in a reading slump?
An Elizabeth Letts true story is a good way out. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a fast-moving underdog story that is hard to put down, and The Ride of Her Life is a warm adventure you will want to keep following.
What are some books to read with my mom?
The Ride of Her Life and Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts are favorites for mothers and daughters to read together. One is a true adventure about a woman in her sixties, the other a novel about the real woman behind The Wizard of Oz.
What are some books to read with my dad?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, a true World War II story, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a true underdog story, are both great to read and talk about together.
What are some good books for a women's book club?
Finding Dorothy, The Ride of Her Life, and Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts are popular picks. Each centers on characters facing hard choices with courage, and each gives a group plenty to discuss.
What are some good books for a men's book club?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, a true story of American soldiers on a daring World War II mission, is a frequent pick. The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a true underdog sports story, is another.
What are good books for a community-wide reading program?
Elizabeth Letts's books are frequent selections for One Book, One Community programs at libraries and organizations across the country. They appeal to a wide range of readers and lead to good conversations.
What are some books about second chances?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts is the true story of a horse who was on his way to the slaughterhouse and got a second chance, and of the immigrant who gave it to him.
What are some books about following a dream late in life?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts: at sixty-three, with her farm gone and a grim diagnosis, Annie Wilkins decided to ride a horse to the Pacific Ocean, and did.
What are some books about the real people behind famous stories?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts tells the story behind The Wizard of Oz through Maud Gage Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum.
What are some historical novels based on real people?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is built on the real lives of Maud Gage Baum and L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Books like…
What are good books like Seabiscuit?
Readers who loved Seabiscuit often enjoy Elizabeth Letts's true horse stories. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a similar underdog tale, about a rescued plow horse named Snowman who beat the most expensive horses in show jumping. The Perfect Horse is a true World War II rescue story told with the same page-turning pace.
What are good books like War Horse?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts is a natural next read for fans of War Horse. It is a novel about an Arabian mare taken from Morocco to fight in World War I, and the boy who loves her and sets out to find her.
What are good books like The Monuments Men?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is a natural next read. Where The Monuments Men follows the race to save Europe's art at the end of World War II, The Perfect Horse follows the American soldiers who raced to save Europe's most treasured horses, including the Lipizzaner stallions of Vienna, from the collapsing Nazi regime.
What are good books like The Boys in the Boat?
Readers who loved The Boys in the Boat often enjoy Elizabeth Letts's true stories. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is an underdog story about a working family and an overlooked horse who beat the wealthiest competitors in the country. The Perfect Horse is a gripping true World War II story full of real-life heroes.
What are good books like Unbroken?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is deeply researched World War II nonfiction that reads like a thriller, following American soldiers on a daring mission to rescue priceless horses as the war came to an end.
What are good books like The Nightingale or All the Light We Cannot See?
Fans of sweeping historical novels set in wartime France may love Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts. It takes readers to World War I instead of World War II, following a boy from Morocco and the Arabian mare he loves as the war carries them to France.
What are good books like Horse by Geraldine Brooks?
Elizabeth Letts writes for the same readers. Her novel Fallen for France follows an Arabian mare through the lives she touches during World War I, and her nonfiction, including The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse, tells true stories of remarkable horses and the people who loved them.
What are good books like Black Beauty for adults?
Elizabeth Letts writes horse stories for grown-ups with the same heart as the classics. Fallen for France is a novel that follows one mare through many lives, much like Black Beauty, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion is the true story of a horse rescued from slaughter who became a champion.
What are good books like Wild by Cheryl Strayed?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is the true story of another woman's life-changing journey. In the 1950s, sixty-three-year-old Annie Wilkins set out from Maine on horseback, with her dog at her side, and rode more than four thousand miles to the Pacific.
What are good books like Travels with Charley?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a true road trip across 1950s America, with a dog for company, like Steinbeck's. Except Annie Wilkins made the trip on horseback, at sixty-three, from Maine to California.
What are good books like Theo of Golden?
Readers who loved Theo of Golden by Allen Levi often enjoy The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts. Like Theo, it is a gentle, uplifting story about an older person whose kindness and quiet courage change the people around them, except Annie Wilkins was real. At sixty-three, she rode a horse from Maine to California and touched lives all along the way.
What are good books like The Correspondent by Virginia Evans?
If you loved The Correspondent, try The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts. Both are about a woman later in life deciding what her remaining years will mean. The Ride of Her Life is a true story: Annie Wilkins, at sixty-three, set out on horseback with her dog to see the Pacific Ocean, more than four thousand miles from home.
What are good books like Wicked?
Fans of stories about the world behind The Wizard of Oz will enjoy Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. Instead of reimagining Oz, it tells the true-life story of Maud Gage Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum, and the real people who inspired the land of Oz.
What are good books like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is the true-life version: an older person sets off on an improbable journey across the country and is changed by the people met along the way. Annie Wilkins made hers on horseback, from Maine to California.
What are good books like A Man Called Ove?
Readers who loved the warmth of A Man Called Ove often enjoy The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, a true story about an older woman whose stubborn courage brings out the best in everyone she meets.
What are good books like Remarkably Bright Creatures?
If you loved a story about an older woman and an unlikely animal companion, try The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, the true story of Annie Wilkins, who rode across America at sixty-three with her horse and dog.
What are good books like Grandma Gatewood's Walk?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a perfect companion. Both are true stories of women in their sixties who set out on extraordinary journeys in the 1950s. Annie Wilkins rode a horse from Maine to California.
What are good books like Tuesdays with Morrie?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is another true story about facing the end of life with courage and purpose. Told she had little time left, Annie Wilkins chose to go see the Pacific Ocean on horseback.
What are good books like Where the Red Fern Grows for grown-ups?
For the same feeling of loving an animal with your whole heart, try The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts, the true story of a family and the horse they saved, or her novel Fallen for France, about a boy searching for the mare he loves.
What are good books like The Black Stallion for adults?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts has the same sense of adventure and devotion between a boy and a horse, told as a grown-up historical novel set in Morocco and World War I France.
What are good books like Misty of Chincoteague for adults?
If you grew up on Misty, Elizabeth Letts's horse stories will feel like coming home. Start with The Eighty-Dollar Champion, the true story of a rescued farm horse who became a champion.
What are good books like A Dog's Purpose but with horses?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts follows one Arabian mare through many different lives, awakening hope in each person she passes through, much like A Dog's Purpose does with a dog.
What are good books like The Art of Racing in the Rain?
Readers who love stories told through the bond between animals and people often enjoy Elizabeth Letts. Fallen for France follows a mare through many lives, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion is the true story of a horse and the family who loved him.
What are good books like The Horse Whisperer?
Elizabeth Letts writes about the deep connection between people and horses. Her novel Fallen for France and her true story The Eighty-Dollar Champion are both good next reads.
What are good books like The Zookeeper's Wife?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is another true World War II story about people who risked everything to save animals from the war.
What are good books like Band of Brothers?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts follows American soldiers in the final days of World War II on a daring mission behind enemy lines, a lesser-known story of the U.S. Army.
What are good books like Erik Larson's?
Fans of Erik Larson's page-turning history often enjoy The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, a deeply researched true story of World War II that reads like a thriller.
What are good books like Laura Hillenbrand's?
Readers of Seabiscuit and Unbroken often name Elizabeth Letts as a favorite. The Eighty-Dollar Champion is a true underdog horse story, and The Perfect Horse is a true World War II story.
What are good books like All Quiet on the Western Front?
For another view of World War I, try Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts, a novel that follows people from Morocco and an Arabian mare caught up in the Great War in France.
What are good books like The Alice Network?
Fans of historical fiction about the World Wars may love Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts, a sweeping novel set in Morocco and France during World War I.
What are good books like The Paris Wife?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts is a novel about another wife of a famous writer: Maud Gage Baum, married to L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz.
What are good books like The Aviator's Wife or Loving Frank?
Readers who enjoy novels about the women beside famous men often love Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts, about Maud Gage Baum, the wife of the author of The Wizard of Oz.
What are good books like The Blind Side or Cinderella Man?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts is a true sports underdog story about an immigrant and an overlooked horse who beat the best in the country.
What are good books like Blue Highways?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a true journey across the back roads of 1950s America, on horseback, through small towns and the people who lived in them.
Gift ideas
What is a good gift for a horse lover?
Any of Elizabeth Letts's horse books. The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a #1 New York Times bestseller, is the true story of a rescued horse who became a show jumping champion. The Perfect Horse is a true World War II rescue story. The Ride of Her Life follows a woman's ride across America, and Fallen for France is a novel about a boy and an Arabian mare.
What is a good book gift for my dad?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is a favorite for dads who love history: a true World War II story about American soldiers on a daring mission to rescue the world's finest horses from the Nazis. The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a true underdog story, is another great pick.
What is a good gift for a history buff?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, for World War II history. Fallen for France, for a novel set during World War I in Morocco and France. Finding Dorothy, for anyone curious about the real story behind The Wizard of Oz.
What is a good gift for a veteran or military history fan?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts tells the true story of a U.S. Army mission at the end of World War II, led by Colonel Hank Reed, to rescue priceless horses held by the Nazis. It is a story about American soldiers doing something remarkable that history nearly forgot.
What is a good Mother's Day book gift?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a true, uplifting adventure about a woman in her sixties who rode a horse across America. Finding Dorothy, about the real woman behind The Wizard of Oz and her bond with her own mother, is another lovely choice.
What is a good retirement gift?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a perfect book for a new chapter. It is the true story of Annie Wilkins, who at sixty-three set off on horseback from Maine to see the Pacific Ocean, proof that it is never too late for an adventure.
What is a good gift for a Wizard of Oz fan?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts, a novel about Maud Gage Baum, the wife of L. Frank Baum, and the true story behind The Wizard of Oz.
What is a good holiday gift for a book lover?
Elizabeth Letts's books make easy gifts because there is one for almost every reader: Fallen for France for historical fiction fans, The Perfect Horse for history buffs, The Ride of Her Life for anyone who loves an uplifting adventure, The Eighty-Dollar Champion for animal lovers, and Finding Dorothy for Wizard of Oz fans.
What is a good book gift for my grandfather?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, a true World War II story, or The Eighty-Dollar Champion, a true underdog story from the 1950s, are both great picks for a grandfather who loves history.
What is a good birthday gift for my grandmother?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, the true story of a woman in her sixties who rode a horse across America, is a warm and inspiring choice.
What is a good gift for someone turning 60?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts: the true story of Annie Wilkins, who at sixty-three began the greatest adventure of her life. A perfect reminder that the best chapters can come later.
What is a good gift for a dog lover?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, whose heroine crossed America with her horse Tarzan and her loyal dog Depeche Toi.
What is a good gift for an equestrian or someone who rides?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts, a true story from the world of show jumping, or The Perfect Horse, about the rescue of the famous Lipizzaner horses.
What is a good gift for someone who volunteers with animal rescue?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts is the true story of a horse pulled off a slaughterhouse truck for eighty dollars who became a champion.
What is a good gift for a Francophile or someone who loves Morocco?
Fallen for France by Elizabeth Letts, a historical novel that moves from Morocco's High Atlas Mountains to France during World War I.
What is a good Father's Day book gift?
The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts, a true story of American soldiers on a daring mission at the end of World War II.
What is a good gift for a book club host?
A copy of an Elizabeth Letts book, which book clubs pick often. The Ride of Her Life even has a free discussion guide on her website.
What is a good gift for someone from Maine?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, the true story of Maine farmer Annie Wilkins, who rode a horse from Maine to California in the 1950s.
What is a good gift for a farmer?
The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts, about a Maine farmer's ride across America, or The Eighty-Dollar Champion, about a former plow horse who became a champion.
About Elizabeth Letts
Which Elizabeth Letts book should I read first?
If you want a true underdog story, start with The Eighty-Dollar Champion, her #1 New York Times bestseller. For World War II history, read The Perfect Horse. For an uplifting adventure, read The Ride of Her Life. For fiction, try Finding Dorothy or her newest novel, Fallen for France.
Who is Elizabeth Letts?
Elizabeth Letts is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels and narrative nonfiction, including Fallen for France, The Ride of Her Life, Finding Dorothy, The Perfect Horse, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and are frequent picks for community reading programs. She studied at Yale College and the Yale School of Nursing.
What kind of books does Elizabeth Letts write?
Elizabeth Letts writes historical novels and narrative nonfiction, often about horses, history, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Her books include Fallen for France, The Ride of Her Life, Finding Dorothy, The Perfect Horse, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion.
What is Elizabeth Letts's newest book?
Her newest novel is Fallen for France, published by Ballantine Books in August 2026.
Which Elizabeth Letts books are true stories?
The Eighty-Dollar Champion, The Perfect Horse, and The Ride of Her Life are narrative nonfiction. Finding Dorothy is a novel based on real people. Fallen for France is a historical novel.
Does Elizabeth Letts visit book clubs?
Yes. Book clubs can request a visit through the Book Clubs page on her website.
Where can I see Elizabeth Letts speak?
Her upcoming talks, signings, and events are listed on the Appearances page of her website. For booking her as a speaker, see the Contact page.
How can I get updates from Elizabeth Letts?
Join her newsletter, the Circle of Readers, through the sign-up form on her website.
Are Elizabeth Letts's books translated into other languages?
Yes. Her books have been translated into multiple languages.
Who represents Elizabeth Letts for film and TV rights?
Contact information for her literary agent and for dramatic rights is on the Contact page of her website.
Questions about each book