Young Lara lives in Russia at the beginning of the 1900’s and she is being groomed to take over her family’s kennel. Her family has been breeding Borzois, russian hunting hounds, for Count Voronstov for generation’s. Her father doesn’t want her to take over the kennel and when her baby brother is born he declares that Lara will follow her mothers footsteps and become a seamstress. Lara is devastated, she has always felt connected to the dogs and has a special gift for understanding them. Lara becomes increasingly sure of her special gift and going against her father's wishes, Lara risks everything to prove to her family that she should be the kennel steward. 

Lara’s Gift is a sweet and beautiful novel. Although it leans towards a younger audience I think it can be enjoyed as a simple short read by anyone. O’Brien’s scene descriptions are truly breathtaking, the way she describes the beauty of Russian wilderness and the luxury of the palaces and estates is amazing. The story itself is very sweet and slightly sad as Lara constantly feels like her father is choosing her new brother over her. I definitely recommend checking this out if you're looking for a beautiful, quick read.