The Pony Test is the third book in the Sophy series. It was first published in 1997, making it one of the last books she wrote.
Because of the short nature of the series (there are only about 46 pages) and the fact it is aimed at young children than most of Christine's books, there is a great difficulty in reviewing this book without giving away the story.
The blurb reads:-
Sophy is about to take her D Test, the first test after joining the Pony Club. She wants to be better than anyone else, so she chooses some big thick books from the library and learns all about diseases and different saddles. However, when the day for the test arrives, nothing goes quite to plan.
The book is illustrated. It is illustrated by Gilly Markew, and an example of an illustration is below. In the book there is a mixture of black and white illustrations.
Monday, 20 September 2021
Review: CHRISTINE - The Pony Test
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 02:05 0 comments
Labels: 1990s books, Christine, Gilly Markew (Illustrated By), Review, Sophy
Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Review: CHRISTINE - The Pony Picnic
The Pony Picnic is the fourth and final book in the Sophy series. It was first published in 1998, making it one of the last books she wrote.
Because of the short nature of the series (there are only about 46 pages) and the fact it is aimed at young children than most of Christine's books, there is a great difficulty in reviewing this book without giving away the story.
The blurb reads:-
Sophy is really looking forward to the pony picnic. She collects lot of important things she may need for the trip. But when she gets to the riding school the other riders, especially her rival Claire, makes fun of her overflowing rucksack.
However, by the end of the day everyone is very grateful indeed for Sophy was so well prepared...
The book is illustrated. It is illustrated by Gilly Markew. In the book there is a mixture of black and white illustrations.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 03:12 0 comments
Labels: 1990s books, Christine, Gilly Markew (Illustrated By), Review, Sophy
Monday, 28 June 2021
Review: JOSEPHINE - Black Swift
Black Swift is this week's book. It was first published in 1991, and was the penultimate book she wrote.
The title causes some confusion, despite it's name it has nothing to do with the Black Beauty's relatives books which were published in the 1970s and 1980s. It has yet to be republished, so can only be found in this edition. However, like the Black Beauty's relatives books, it is told in the same style, which may or may not be a problem, depending if you like it or not.
The blurb reads:-
Born at Radstock Castle during the Civil War, Black Swift is the fastest filly in Sir Thomas Wakefield's stable. Taller and stronger then any horse in England, she is the first new breed with which her owner hopes to repair his battered fortunes. But before she can be put to the test, Black Swift is stolen by Bernard, Sir Thomas's younger son, and taken to the heart of the battlefield.
Written by the famous pony novelist, Josephine Pullein-Thompson this book brilliantly evokes the wild and lawless time that followed the war as well as the great spirit of hope that it brought forth.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 19:51 0 comments
Labels: 1990s books, Josephine, Review
Monday, 30 September 2019
Review: CHRISTINE - The Horse Sale
The Horse Sale was first published in 1960, the same year as Ride By Night. The image to the left is of the first edition, which contains lovely drawings by Sheila Rose. This cover by many is considered to be one of the finest covers that Christine's ever had. Although it has been republished, to me, the two subsequent republications are not as good as this one.
The blurb reads:-
HORSE SALE: April 20th: Wetford Market.
What was the real meaning of this notice and who was going to be affected by it? Olga found to her horror that her beloved gelding Crusoe would have to go; how could she live without him? And the Riding School decided to send it's newest horse, Jupiter. But apart from the inevitable buying and selling what was special about this sale on April 20th? What it to be a day only of broken hearts and empty paddocks?
"Everyone seems to be here," thought Olga, as she gazed at Crusoe for what was probably the last time. And everybody was there - some to buy, some to sell and some to watch. And the outcome...Well Christine Pullein-Thompson surprises us all at the last moment, and you are sure to be amazed at what happens at the end of that extraordinary day.
It is told from the perspective of several characters all of which are going to be heavily effected by the sale. The majority of the characters do not want the sale as the effects are negative on their lives. But Christine has done a few characters whose sale is a positive one. It's a wonderful telling of yin and yang for every negative there is a positive.
There's 12 chapters in my edition which is the first edition. The first chapter sets out the characters of the story which is well written and sets the scene. The majority of the story is all about the preparation of the characters for the sale which is as equally well written. The last few chapters are taken up with the sale and it's effects on the characters concerned both during and after the sale.
It's one of Christine's best works. It's one that explores relationships both horse and human but mostly human. Like all good books everything works out ok in the end but not in a predictable way. The only thing that dates it is one character tries to sell a fridge these days it wouldn't work as due to the way modern life is people wouldn't survive without at the very least a fridge. But we can forgive this little foible.
If you aren't bothered about edition this book isnt terribly hard to find. I urge you to try and read this for the description of characters makes it well worth reading.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 02:28 0 comments
Labels: 1960s books, Christine, Review, Sheila Rose (illustrated by)
Saturday, 30 June 2018
Review: CHRISTINE - We Rode To The Sea
We Rode To The Sea is this week's book. It is Christine's first solo book, and was first published in 1948; two years after It Began With Picotee.
The red bound cover is rather a strange one, it is an Collins Crown Library edition. Nobody quite knows it's origin, but it is the only P-T book to have this treatment. Monica Edwards' books Wish For A Pony and The Summer of the Great Secret have these editions. However, this one is dated 1949, the same as the regular first edition. I thought it may be because it originally cost a crown, but my mother says that it would have been an extremely expensive book so that theory is out of the window. Especially considering that Britain had only just come out of the second world war only 3 years ago, and was still on rationing. One theory is that it was a cheap edition of the first edition. I cant tell you how much this originally cost, as mine has been price clipped.
Anyway, the blurb reads:-
The scatterbrained MacGregors set out with five horses and a dog for a riding tour in the Highlands. They lose maps, money and tempers and become involved in a chase after two prisoners. They camp in the glens, eat oatcakes in crofters' kitchens, and at last, coming down the trees, they see the open sea.
If you had not guessed, this book is set primarily in Scotland, a theme similarly replicated in her mother's book We Met Our Cousins (first published in 1937). Interestingly, all editions bar this one and the more commonly seen first edition, have an rather interesting introduction, which reads:-
"Come on," I cried with mad impatience. "What did you see?"
"I saw," said Duncan slowly, "two Germans riding two horses - our horses - Harvester and Landslide. Now can you understand my rage?"
The Macgregors were on a riding tour in the highlands. The war was just over; but food was rationed and escaped German prisoners lurked in the hills. Seven pounds was enough for a holiday for four people, a dog and five horses in those far off years when a loaf of bread could be bought for twopence three farthings. But Alister's wallet vanished and the map was lost and all their watches shopped, while the Macgregors pursued the Germans from glen to glen until they met at last, face to fact on the cliffs above the sea.
This was my first book. Life was different when I wrote it. Horses still travelled on trains in special trucks, and the carriages were full of soldiers and sailors and nearly everything was rationed. It is the book which made my name. I hope you enjoy it.
Christine Pullein-Thompson
It is the only P-T book (and certainly the only Christine one) that features an introduction. Even the Collins Pony Library edition (second picture) features that.
This is a general adventure rather like the later Ride By Night. It's told from the prospective of Hughneena Macgregor. They certainly seem patriotic with references to Scotland a lot throughout the book, with the term "By the blighted hopes of Scotland" used a lot. It's perhaps the least horsey of CPT's books save her non horsey ones.
Despite this I enjoyed it. The Macgregors have a lot of misfortune including as the blurb suggested losing maps. It's an enjoyable read despite the lack of horsey action. What got me is the wonderful description of the Highlands despite never visited I felt as though I was there. This is due to the PTs excellent writing. Despite everything going wrong I never felt frustrated. This is a excellent read which I never found boring and would recommend to a modern reader. The only thing that dates it is the fact that horses travel by train in the beginning of the book. This is never done these days and thanks to Doctor Beeching there are fewer railway stations than the time that CPT was writing. If you don't like general horsey adventures and generally avoid this I urge you to read this: you may be pleasantly surprised.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 21:14 1 comments
Labels: 1940s books, Christine, Review
Sunday, 7 July 2013
REVIEW: Heroines on Horseback - Jane Badger
Heroines on Horseback is a book by Jane Badger. It was first published in 2013 by Girls Gone By.
The blurb reads:-
The pony book galloped onto the children's book scene with a flick of its rosetted bridle, and has remained a fixture ever since. Brave girls and nervous ones, scruffy ponies and ornaments of the show ring cantered through pony tale after pony tale, all fallen upon by an audience desperate to read anything that reflected their own passion for the pony.
Heroines on Horseback looks at the pony book from its beginning in the 1920s and 1930s to the glory days of the 1940s and 50s and beyond. The pony book expert Jane Badger writes about the lives and contribution of noted exponents, including Primrose Cumming, Monica Edwards, Patricia Leitch, Ruby Ferguson and the Pullein-Thompson sisters, as well as providing a wide-ranging view of the genre as a whole, its themes and developments, illustrators and short stories.
This book has a chapter devoted to the Pullein-Thompson sisters hence why it is on this blog. However I am not going to focus solely on the PT chapter, but a review of the book in general.
This book is ideal for anyone who is interested in the history of the
pony book as it covers everything from the early days to the hey days of
the pony book of the 1960s and the 1970s. It also covers major
illustrators of the pony books. The book is also aimed at adults who
want to relive their pony book days. It also covers British authors,
which is not surprising as the author is based in the UK. However that's
not to mean that the non UK authors are excluded, Elyne Mitchell (an
Australian author) does get a mention.
I found it interesting and
it gave a quick summary of some of the books without giving the plot
away. The author has a knack of keeping the author interested without
making the subject into a boring tome - something which could be easily
done. The only downside is that it skimmed through the more modern stuff
(1990s onwards), briefly giving them a mention. I felt as though they
werent given the same time to the book. Perhaps the author simply ran
out of room - after all you cant fit everything into a book. Though
admittedly there are new pony authors coming out all the time. The major
authors (Pullein-Thompsons, K M Peyton) are covered along with lesser
authors such as Patience McElwee (though like modern books they arent
all covered). Judith M Berrisford (who wrote the longest running pony
book series) is another author who is barely covered. However the author
has a superb website which is full of biographical information of many
authors - I suspect that she didnt want to reiterate what is available
essentially for free thus making the book redundant.
The Pullein-Thompson chapter is very informative and full of a wealth of information about the sister, including little known gems. It focuses on their works up until 1970, which means that later books such as the later Phantom Horse series, A Job With Horses (Josephine) are largely forgotten about. It also contains a review of the Black Beauty Family's series by Susanna Forest (author of If Wishes Were Horses).
It makes you want to buy many authors that you missed out as the author of the book has a knack of describing hidden gems.
There
was a couple of things that I didnt like. Personally I didnt like the
yellow on the front cover, I felt cream or something more neutral would
have been more appropriate. Also I didnt like the fact that covers of
pony book depicted internally where in black and white - I would prefer
them in colour. I suspect that both decisions were taken by the
publisher rather than the author however. The black and white does fit
in however with the illustrations, of which they are plenty and
sympathetically chosen to display what the author is trying to convey.
Similarly the quotes of the various pony books are well chosen and fit
with what the author is trying to convey well.
It is a well written book and definitely worth the money paid for it. Despite my criticisms, I highly recommend it. Heroines on Horseback is available through Amazon, abebooks, Girls Gone By, Waterstones (at least online, I dont know about their physical stores) as well as through the author's own website (link below). If you order through Jane herself she will sign it for you at no extra cost. (Mine is!)
http://www.ponybooksales.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=5145&keyword=badger,+jane&searchby=author&offset=0&fs=1
An interesting personal note is that I am mentioned in the acknowledgement section by name. Obviously I am not going to put my real name on a public blog, but my initials are DH. If you own such a copy you will work it out yourself.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 18:43 0 comments
Labels: 2010s works, Adult, Anne Bullen (Illustrated By), Christine, Diana, Gillian Baxter, Joanna Cannan, Josephine, Non fictional works, Non PT works, Review
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Review: CHRISTINE - The Best Pony For Me!
The Best Pony For Me! is the second book in the Sophy series. It was first published in 1995, making it one of the last books she wrote.
Because of the short nature of the series (there are only about 46 pages) and the fact it is aimed at young children than most of Christine's books, there is a great difficulty in reviewing this book without giving away the story.
The blurb reads:-
When Sophie hears about the Horse Show, she begs to be allowed to ride Honey Bee, the best pony in the riding school. But instead of Honey Bee she is given a dull old plodder called Mousie. Sophie desperately wants to win first prize - but how can Mousie ever help her to achieve her dream?
Again, like The Doping Affair (to be covered at a later date), there is a spelling mistake, the blurb spells it Sophie, however for the rest of the series and internally, this book is spelt Sophy. This is the hardback edition, I do not know if it was correct for the paperback edition.
But anyway back to the story. To be honest, I much preffered this to I Want That Pony! It begins to show a little bit more of a human side, and less cardboard cut out person. Though there are still limitations due to the short nature of the book, so we still don't see a great deal of depth to the characters. We are introduced to Claire, Sophy's enemy, and we get to see Mrs Mills, an riding school owner, both of which appear in subsequent books. Tabby, a kitten who we were introduced to in the previous book has now grown up to become a cat, proving that is there some sort of time line in the books, which the Candy series was lacking.
To be honest, there is a moralistic side to this tale. Sophy wins through because she puts in the practice and has determination. Which is I feel is what Christine is trying to portray. I feel as though she is making a good effort, but to be honest the "always be good" attitude is side tracking from this book. I dont feel it is strictly necessary, and to be honest is not included in her earlier books. In some ways it could be considered preaching, and preaching is not something which is great in a pony book. It doesnt stick in the back of your throat like The Boy Who Came To Stay (DPT) does, but it is not a great quality in a pony book. But DPT was after all, writing for a religious publisher.
I don't think this is Christine's greatest series. I think this was sold on the fact "because it's CPT and her books always sell" rather than it's merit. But after all, it is a brave effort because in the St James Guide To Children's Writers (1999; fifth edition) she did admit that she felt out of touch with teenagers and that is why she wrote for younger children in her latter years. Rather than admit defeat and stop writing she simply changed her format. Which proved that CPT knew her market well, and hence we have these books today.
The book is illustrated. It is illustrated by Peter Clover, and an example of an illustration is below. In the book there is a mixture of black and white illustrations.
Posted by pullein-thompson-archive at 16:17 0 comments
Labels: 1990s books, Christine, Peter Clover (Illustrated By), Review, Sophy