1999 non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit: An American Legend is a non-fiction book written by Laura Hillenbrand, published in 1999. The book is a biography of the Thoroughbred racehorse Seabiscuit. It won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and was adapted as a feature film in 2003. It has also been published under the title Seabiscuit: The True Story of Three Men and a Racehorse. The author has been praised for her ability to convey a sense of historical times.[1] The 2003 film Seabiscuit was adapted from the book.
Reception
Seabiscuit: An American Legend enjoyed near universal acclaim, with most praise centering on the compelling nature of the story and expert storytelling of Hillenbrand, who had done much research. Praising her accounts of the races, the Sports Illustrated writer Ron Fimrite said, "She writes about the confusion, turbulence and artistry of a race with the same grasp of sound and movement that Whitney Balliett brings to jazz in his 'New Yorker' profiles [...] no mean accomplishment."[2] The Economist found "the research is meticulous, the writing elegant and concise, so that every page transports you back to the period,"[3] and Jim Squires of the New York Times likewise called her research "meticulous."[4] Newsweek noted that "what chiefly distinguishes this account is the straightforward pleasure Hillenbrand takes in the accomplishments of her heroes, two-footed and four-footed alike."[5] People magazine said that "Hillenbrand's jargon-free language makes the races--and the period--exhilarating."[6] More conservatively, Karen Valby with Entertainment Weekly found "Hillenbrand's account ... saddled by loosely connected anecdotes and confused scene-setting," finally giving the book a grade of a "B".[7] William Nack, the author of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, stated: "You had clearly created a world, and you had done so with a distinctly lyrical feel and touch."[8]
