Velvet Brown is the center of the novel from beginning to end. Her story presents the central themes: the joy of the struggle, the disillusionment after success. Countering these themes is that of contentment with everyday activities, especially with the ties of family and friends.

Velvet's best friend and coach, Mi Taylor, knows much about the wider world, including the world of racing, and he is unpretentious, considerate, and caring. From the beginning, he shows no biases against Velvet as a rider; he does not have to be persuaded that a female can do what a male can do. His role echoes that of his father, who coached Velvet's mother twenty years before when she swam the English Channel.

Araminty, Velvet's mother, has a character as solid as her huge frame. Unwavering in her affections, she sets the rules for the governing of the...