Description: Praise for Rough Magic A National Bestseller A BuzzFeed Book Club Pick A Real Simple Best Book of the Year One of Esquire ''s Best Nonfiction Books of the Year An American Booksellers Association Indie Next Pick An Official Junior Library Guild Selection Special Jury Mention in the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition Awards Short-listed for the Steppes Travel Adventure Travel Book of the Year Award Electric Literature , 1 of the 15 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year "If you like your memoirs to revolve around singular experiences, Lara Prior-Palmer''s Rough Magic delivers." --John Williams, The New York Times "An inspirational tale of struggle--dehydration, injury and isolation--ultimately overcome through grit and sheer willpower." --Thomas Gebremedhin, Wall Street Journal Magazine "This is no fresh-forged mythic hero, but rather a young woman who''s still doubting, still equivocating about her right to seek greatness . . . To her credit, the heroine of this story never claims to be flawless, nor even to be a heroine. Ultimately, the book lingers in the mind partly for its fearless prose and partly for its refusal to obey that tired old victorious arc of the journey narrative. Prior-Palmer both embraces the race and disavows it. She pulls back to observe the minutiae of the moment, the marmot holes that riddle the steppe and the infinite, individual blades of grass that paint it green. She offers no easy morals on these dual modes of life and of narrative . . . As Prior-Palmer senses on her journey, reconciling the wisdom of the everyday with the instinct for timelessness and mythmaking is a life''s work--work to which Rough Magic is an engaging guide." --Ellie Robbins, The Washington Post "Excellent prose and rigorous honesty . . . An unusual pleasure to read . . . Prior-Palmer writes with a dash and boldness few writers possess; her language seems sui generis . . . Her narrative alchemy is remarkable; in every chapter, she turns boredom to suspense and back again. The Derby is at once heart-stoppingly close and a miserable slog to which we already know the ending. That shifting--heroism to comedy, glamour to stinking holes in the ground--creates a tension far more interesting than the question of who''s going to win the race, or how." --Lily Meyer, NPR "Her book about the iconic horse race blends humor with a sense of enchantment and wildness . . . Join her for the race of a lifetime." --Jen Rose Smith, Cond Nast Traveler "Think the next Educated or Wild . Palmer''s memoir of beating the odds to become a horse champion is an inspiring saga of perseverance--and a classic underdog tale." -- Entertainment Weekly "In this sensual, spiritual memoir, Prior-Palmer recounts her grueling journey through immense physical hardship, and her surprising transformation from underdog to champion." --Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire "The author''s writing is joyful. She has a quick, dry wit . . . As she writes, her thinking about life and relationships shines through . . . Rough Magic: Riding the World''s Loneliest Horse Race is an honest book and readers are privileged to witness the author maturing as the pages turn. This is Prior-Palmer''s first book. I hope it is not her last." --Joan Kletzker, The Missourian "The author''s prose is poetic, and while the race and Mongolian landscape are conjured beautifully and intensely, the book''s emotional impact lies in the nuanced portrait of its subject searching for answers beyond the life she''s lived so far." --David Canfield, Entertainment Weekly "What unfolds, Cheryl Strayed-like, is her thrilling gallop to the finish line." -- O, The Oprah Magazine "In her stylish, thrilling memoir, Rough Magic , Prior-Palmer charts the grueling physical and mental race and shows how she embraced her ambition to become the first female winner." --Elizabeth Sile, Real Simple " Rough Magic succeeds on its realness and Prior-Palmer''s unsparing analysis of herself and the scene . . . Even in the down moments, when one of her ponies is temporarily injured and she''s struggling, the fast-paced book is lyrical and full of tight, action-packed sentences. It reads like it came bursting out of her." --Heather Hansman, Outside "An instant classic memoir . . . With whip-smart sass and achingly beautiful observations on life, Prior-Palmer easily breaks us in as she canters across the wild verdant steppes of Mongolia, where the vastness is matched only by the author''s unbridled spirit of adventure. We''re reminded that despite battling bone-deep fatigue in sweat-soaked clothes, we too have what it takes to stay upright--no matter how many times we may get knocked down." --Lauren Matison, Shape "An astonishing and hair-raising memoir that you, too, will race to finish." -- Newsweek "Taking off on a horse into the Mongolian Steppe sounds like the bracing inverse to an overpopulated, busy urban life, but having the skills and grit to pull it off is another thing entirely. Lara Prior-Palmer attempted the Mongol Derby not really knowing what she was getting into; she ended it knowing much more about herself, and a race champion besides." --Estelle Tang, Elle "It feels so tired to call a book inspiring, but that''s exactly what Rough Magic is . . . Thanks to Lara''s uncanny ability to make the reader feel like they''re in this race with her, you''ll be captivated from start to finish--and find yourself missing the book when it''s over." --Mehera Bonner, Cosmopolitan "This riveting memoir recounts the author''s extraordinary experience completing--and becoming the first woman to win and the youngest person to finish--the world''s longest horse race." --Caroline Rogers, Southern Living "Forthcoming, perceptive and humorous . . . Prior-Palmer''s account of her race across the Mongolian steppe is consistently joyful. It reminds us that joy can encompass chronic stomach pain, jammed thumbs, soaked jodhpurs, lost maps, angry boys throwing stones and the brutal tedium of 1000 kilometers on horseback . . . Her gleeful words alone are worth the ride." --Morgan Hunter Thomas, Ms. "Charming, self-aware, and mercifully devoid of clichs, it''s just the sort of breezy travel memoir we''ve been looking for." --Lale Arikoglu, Cond Nast Traveler "First-time author Prior-Palmer transforms from hopeless 19-year-old underdog into surprising champion of the grueling 2013 Mongol Derby in this exhilarating, visceral account of her attempt to win a 1,000-kilometer horse race across the Mongolian countryside . . . Filled with soulful self-reflection and race detail, this fast-paced page-turner is a thrill ride from start to finish." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] stunning debut memoir. . . . [Prior-Palmer''s] tale could be pulled from the pages of a Hollywood script, with its sweeping, scenic descriptions of the Mongolian steppe and the allies and fierce competitors who emerge among the unique cast of characters . . . Rough Magic is a true page-turner, told in gorgeous, descriptive prose that readers will tear through like the ponies racing across the plain." --Becky Libourel Diamond, BookPage (starred review) "Regardless of her ability as a storyteller, Lara Prior-Palmer would have always had an incredible story to tell: as the youngest person to finish--not to mention the first woman to win--''the world''s longest, toughest horse race,'' the ten-day Mongol Derby, hers would be a memorable memoir no matter what. Luckily for us, Prior-Palmer turned out to have a voice almost as unique as the race she won, which is organized based on the messenger system used by Genghis Khan, in which Mongol horses are ridden across the forbidding Mongolian steppe in arduous relays. At once humble and humorous, Prior-Palmer benefits--as both writer and rider--from not quite grasping the enormity of her aspirations, and pulls off a victory (and story) for the ages." --Jonny Diamond, Literary Hub , 1 of Our 50 Favorite Books of the Year "Page by page, Prior-Palmer tunes us in, slows us down to her speed, to pony paces, and we begin to attend to the present moment just as she does . . . At every turn, Prior-Palmer''s writing is brilliant and clear-eyed and demonstrates more wisdom than any philosopher''s theories . . . Presenting such an awe-inspiring page-turning narrative that plumbs the depths of all that''s to be found in the present moment--the body, mind, and soul--while dissembling one''s own ego with tender rigor is Rough Magic ''s finest achievement. Lara Prior-Palmer is a writer to watch." --Abby Travis, San Francisco Chronicle "A gripping, self-searching, triumphant debut memoir . . . The winning vulnerability on display . . . throughout this exceptional coming-of-age tale keeps the pages turning and the reader rooting for this unlikely heroine . . . A breathtaking ride." --Kathleen Rooney, Star-Tribune (Minneapolis) " Rough Magic doesn''t just describe one triumph: it constitutes another, and in a whole new territory." --Mekiya Walters, The Arkansas International "We are all lucky she did write it, because it''s the rare read that offers what Rough Magic does: a type of pure exhilaration, the kind that snakes through your body in moments both still and hurried. Reading it is a visceral, sensorily charged experience; a, yes, rough an

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