The Economist reviews "Blood-Horses," by John Jeremiah Sullivan, and "A Year at the Races," by Jane Smiley. Its correspondent's preference is for "Blood-Horses," which does have some charm, but I thought "A Year at the Races" a better book. Written in Smiley's fluid storytelling style, it's a quirky, satisfying memoir of horse ownership, while "Blood-Horses" too often reads as an earnest research report coupled to a sentimental father-and-son relationship story.

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