tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64598934386934407802024-03-05T22:22:02.559+00:00Pullein-Thompson pony books and morepullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-10403281375773538462023-06-06T15:38:00.002+01:002023-07-23T16:32:24.333+01:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Six Ponies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgID9E_gzfmQQ9KYe9ktERCaWbIMlct0ISRxYiP4UNWjXznkWUT4D5STopuRecACMRvMMRQe8n-9VnBEXkhcbqSGM4j8F0attxN_rJFGnjYkdUdVGwWYlVFA5wFsCWS_6tXyIT8aMsaWEs/s1600-h/SixPoniesfb.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214476354139866946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgID9E_gzfmQQ9KYe9ktERCaWbIMlct0ISRxYiP4UNWjXznkWUT4D5STopuRecACMRvMMRQe8n-9VnBEXkhcbqSGM4j8F0attxN_rJFGnjYkdUdVGwWYlVFA5wFsCWS_6tXyIT8aMsaWEs/s200/SixPoniesfb.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Six Ponies </span>is this week's book. It has a special place in many people's hearts: firstly it is Josephine's first book (published in 1946) and secondly it is the first in the ever popular West Barsetshire series, or more commonly known as the "Noel and Henry" series. For this reason I have labelled as both.<br>
<br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Six Ponies</span> is a rather long book, and when Collins republished it under their Pony Library series, and also Armada and Swift, they cut it quite significantly. Consequently, until recently, a first edition with full text and original illustration had been quite hard and expensive. Fortunately, Fidra Books in 2007 in their wisdom have republished it in it's entirety. In 2019 Jane Badger also released it in it's entirety meaning that now everyone can have a full story at a reasonable price.<br>
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The edition I have used in this review is the Fidra one (the one with the blue border). If anyone is unfamiliar with Fidra's style, they always have some sort of introduction, where possible, it is written by the author. Sadly due to Josephine's ill health she could not complete one, although she has written one for Fidra's other works: <span style="font-style: italic;">We Met Our Cousins</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">London Pride</span> (by their mother: Joanna Cannan). So before the main story there is a short biography by Vanessa Robertson (owner of Fidra) and an article about the "Noel and Henry" series by Jane Badger (of Jane Badger books).<br>
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I will deal with the article first, then the story.<br>
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The article begins with a bit of social history about riding in the 1920's and the 1930's, useful as most people reading any P-T books (and even some of Joanna Cannan's books) will be unfamiliar with "backwards" seat, as they have never seen it. This is often referred to in the P-T's early works, particularly Josephine's. It also details many influential books, particularly <span style="font-style: italic;">Equitation</span>, a book by Henry Wynmalen (ironically enough they appeared an 1941 edition of <span style="font-style: italic;">Riding Magazine</span> describing a pony called Cocktail which Henry Wynmalen also wrote an article comparing the car and the horse). This book greatly influenced the P-T sisters.<br>
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The article goes on to describe the book's characters, not only their riding but also their temperament. Not just in <span style="font-style: italic;">Six Ponies</span>, but throughout the whole series.<br>
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It also compares other well known books, and also the schooling side of things: Josephine's books are (with a couple of exceptions) famous for being instructional. Jane comments:<br>
<br>
"<span style="font-style: italic;">However, although pony books can easily turn into didactic tomes (J M Berrisford's A Pony In The Family bieng an example of the didactic unrelieved by either humour or plot) there is more than enough wit and character in the Noel and Henry books to make them eminently readable: we can appreciate Noel's improvement without understanding precisely how she does it.</span>"<br>
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The entire article can be found on Jane's website (link on the right if viewing this on a PC or tablet). <br>
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The blurb reads (of the Fidra Books edition):-<br>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">When six members of the West Barsetshire Pony Club each take on the chall</span><span style="font-style: italic;">enge</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> o</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9AQtIu_r3Uyms4uL5lWFPXhvKuA1sMT6mIuus-FM24XxFPaDB2Mh4WC03ckDzWLmOU1Ca5byHnUygDPhK37C3Yc6DDYC567rkQS06tNcsouTXrsASE2lYtNyBRGwU4IpGlOZCjgYCcA/s1600-h/sixponiesjpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214484476453765394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9AQtIu_r3Uyms4uL5lWFPXhvKuA1sMT6mIuus-FM24XxFPaDB2Mh4WC03ckDzWLmOU1Ca5byHnUygDPhK37C3Yc6DDYC567rkQS06tNcsouTXrsASE2lYtNyBRGwU4IpGlOZCjgYCcA/s200/sixponiesjpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;"></a><span style="font-style: italic;">f </span><span style="font-style: italic;">breaking in a New Forest Pony they have little idea of what they will encounter. They hav</span><span style="font-style: italic;">e to teach them to wear a saddle and bri</span><span style="font-style: italic;">dle, to carry a rider, to jump fences and behave quietly in traffic. Then, they have to ride them in a competition to see who has done the best.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Who will do the best? June Cresswell who has an expensive pony and rides in every competition: John who has no-one to help him; the Radcliffes who shout and quarrel and live in the whirl of their huge family; Susan who has a groom and hardly looks after her pony herself; or shy, dreamy Noel?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">The first book in Josephine Pullein-Thompson's series about the West Barsetshire Pony Club, Six Ponies introduces some of her most memorable characters and brilliantly captures the highs and lows of schooling a young pony.</span><br>
<br>
and the Armada (second image) edition's blurb reads:-<br>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Six New Forest ponies to break in and school with a year to do it in! The members of the Pony Club can hardly believe their luck when Major Holbrooke chooses them for the job. </span><br>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Besides the excitement of gymkhanas, rallies and paperchases, this is an added challenge. Will they have enough spirit and determination to tackle it? Their enthusiasm sometimes wears think with bolting ponies, refusals and even broken bones.</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Yet by the year's end, the children have gained the upper hand, and their six perfectly-schooled ponies are the envy of all! </span><br>
<br>
The other books in the Noel and Henry/West Barsetshire Pony Club series are: <span id="txt34"><span class="textregion3">T<span style="font-style: italic;">he Radney Riding Club, Pony Club Team, One Day Event</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Club Camp</span>. The books </span></span><span id="txt36"><span class="textregion37"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Club Cup</span>,<br>
<span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Club Challenge</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Club Trek</span> do not belong to this series: instead they belong to a different Pony Club (see Woodbury Pony Club tag).<br>
<br>
</span></span><span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2"></span><br>
<span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2">This book was Josephine's first solo book and is widely regarded to be one of her best.</span><br>
<span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2">It's good that the publishers have decided to republish it again, this one is in it's entirety, as unfortunately all paperback editions prior to this were drastically cut. Who can argue when the only other way to get the full story, was to purchase a first edition, which is considerably more expensive than this one.</span><br>
<span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2">It's the story of 6 children who are given 6 young ponies to train, with a competition at the end to see who has trained them the best. The author is well known for combining training instructions, with stories about ponies, and this one does not disappoint. The trials and tribulations of training youngsters is a key part to the story, but there are some incidents there to give some humour (such as when the pony steals the apples off the greengrocer's cart).</span><div><br></div><div>That's not to say that the characters do not have their faults. The first Pony Club Rally (which sets the scene) the children are useless. When they are told that six ponies are to broken in by members of the Pony Club there is much criticism of each other (both by members and their mothers) over who is going to ruin their pony. This turns quite catty at times. It makes not the easiest of reading for some people. </div><div><br></div><div>
<span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2">Although originally written over 50 years ago, it's appeal has not been lost, and should be on every pony mad girl's shelf, and every collector should have one on their shelf. Even if you aren't a pony mad girl (or a parent of one), it is written so wonderfully well that an adult who likes to train ponies should read this, although it is meant as a story the quality is so excellent it could be used as a training aid!</span><br>
<span class="extra" id="fl363ab4f1-e6d8-43ba-a8a4-86db517216c2">This book also has an introduction which covers the rest of the series, and details about the characters and the background to the book. An excellent read, and should be considered a great classic.</span><br><div><span class="extra"><br></span></div><div><span class="extra">The ending is somewhat bittersweet but generally satisfying. I recommend getting an copy of this book, preferably the full text. </span></div><div><span class="extra"><br></span></div></div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-36143983200868452662021-09-20T02:05:00.000+01:002021-09-20T02:05:52.375+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - The Pony Test<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8gmb5P71YQSCxwjRCPekTxdERxEv6kDCpbjDSifTpM0FHmyPtVCjDPRs80ERu1Xuz5aRSMkX3NWvP3f-ehO5jhoMxq5rpf8-76vzy2bO5AuiV9bL5RO58JlyQ4Vgc9lXfqu1OETyu_E/s1600-h/theponytestcpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258628954358408914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8gmb5P71YQSCxwjRCPekTxdERxEv6kDCpbjDSifTpM0FHmyPtVCjDPRs80ERu1Xuz5aRSMkX3NWvP3f-ehO5jhoMxq5rpf8-76vzy2bO5AuiV9bL5RO58JlyQ4Vgc9lXfqu1OETyu_E/s200/theponytestcpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;"></a>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.<br>
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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.<br>
<br>
The blurb reads:-<br>
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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.<br>
<br>
<br>
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.<div><br></div><div>It is a moral tale that proves a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Sophy gets a bit too carried away by the test which has disastrous results. It shows a more depth than previous books and what one wouldn't expect from a short story. Sophy gets nerves and fails the test. But there is more to the story than that and you will have to read it for yourself. </div><div><br></div><div>It's a good moralistic tale for a pony mad youngster and not terribly expensive when found. It's a little simple for the average adult but overall a decent yarn.</div><div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvyQWbW1QxrWw1vABq6xoeC0HVPT-Vcg1cTJ-LVnQEvttbJtg17KSHAxGBQk0cneA3p51jmpuw62pPWqagoXvR22FGsnVjju3lFhIWDGVG47RdEyx3qgmgS4WN-MtOAuQb5shi-CRsKs/s1600/theponytestill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvyQWbW1QxrWw1vABq6xoeC0HVPT-Vcg1cTJ-LVnQEvttbJtg17KSHAxGBQk0cneA3p51jmpuw62pPWqagoXvR22FGsnVjju3lFhIWDGVG47RdEyx3qgmgS4WN-MtOAuQb5shi-CRsKs/s320/theponytestill.jpg" width="320"></a></div></div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-19833982114478854492021-09-15T03:12:00.000+01:002021-09-15T03:12:37.813+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - The Pony Picnic<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrzi671DiJjKWGrhK6d5Toix2K9Stg8ebA1cjUh8WJjwnK0wGwesGERRbRWS1IYqa8GVa6Gc7y0YQYvSID-Jjj1DEggrvqe-l5_remJv4FUarA3zrtsv3iDzP16bi3hom7SyZ5jNhMQs/s1600-h/theponypicniccpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258629639878505138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrzi671DiJjKWGrhK6d5Toix2K9Stg8ebA1cjUh8WJjwnK0wGwesGERRbRWS1IYqa8GVa6Gc7y0YQYvSID-Jjj1DEggrvqe-l5_remJv4FUarA3zrtsv3iDzP16bi3hom7SyZ5jNhMQs/s200/theponypicniccpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;"></a>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.<br>
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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.<br>
<br>
The blurb reads:-<br>
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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.<br>
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However, by the end of the day everyone is very grateful indeed for Sophy was so well prepared...<br>
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The book is illustrated. It is illustrated by Gilly Markew. In the book there is a mixture of black and white illustrations. <div><br></div><div>The book starts with Sophy getting very excited over a pony picnic and as the blurb suggests she packs a rucksack. It is interesting from these health and safety pov days as everything would be essential and unlike in the story Sophy wouldn't be laughed at. In the UK today there is a health and safety side of things with all matters equine - and not so equine - risk assessed. But this book was published in the 1990s where it was not so health and safety.</div><div><br></div><div>But forget about the health and safety. Sophy has to deal with sadness - albeit brief - in this book. It's a more rounded book than the previous one.</div><div><br></div><div>I think that the average youngster would enjoy this book. It's not deep enough - or long enough- for the average older/adult reader though the signs are there. Personally speaking the Sophy series aren't my favourite but I am not the target audience. </div><div><div><br></div><div><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02lN3HR6lLG3QXt3zCFlI9eVMCEq6Kz3Eh5SB_BbJSoOFt7soRTwa37ukTjqekMlBixLUFDOYCaQM51fwHGJDfuwRBc0Nx7sUFiqWMgl4nsANnptCstpj92ntzZSKxMnfWAkBXm_zahQ/s1600/theponypicnicill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02lN3HR6lLG3QXt3zCFlI9eVMCEq6Kz3Eh5SB_BbJSoOFt7soRTwa37ukTjqekMlBixLUFDOYCaQM51fwHGJDfuwRBc0Nx7sUFiqWMgl4nsANnptCstpj92ntzZSKxMnfWAkBXm_zahQ/s320/theponypicnicill.jpg" width="320"></a></div></div></div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-16310890835283974032021-06-28T19:51:00.000+01:002021-06-28T19:51:04.185+01:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Black Swift<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqydcvRJ7eAgNykGVFiKOHTfI4A9QPY0S2-xtNyAUfrnZxGK2MvNmLhVu5lCGSiFgGiLtu4lTULvRRrT6h9D9dMVA_GtIOnn0Gfnm0UXh3pE36QeXhqlEKBI81v3k5nZFhXTwVylnINg/s1600-h/blackswiftjpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237855041697199122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqydcvRJ7eAgNykGVFiKOHTfI4A9QPY0S2-xtNyAUfrnZxGK2MvNmLhVu5lCGSiFgGiLtu4lTULvRRrT6h9D9dMVA_GtIOnn0Gfnm0UXh3pE36QeXhqlEKBI81v3k5nZFhXTwVylnINg/s200/blackswiftjpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;"></a>Black Swift is this week's book. It was first published in 1991, and was the penultimate book she wrote.<br>
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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.<br>
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The blurb reads:-<br>
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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.<br>
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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.<div><br></div><div>Now I am not a big lover of pony point of view books as they seem to follow the Black Beauty stereotype. But I needn't have worried here. It follows the fortunes of Black Swift a mare during the English Civil War. Now living in Wales my school years history teaching were full of Welsh history and more modern history such as the Second World War and the Cold War. I am, it has said to be said a little bit lacking in the knowledge of the English Civil War. So I cannot comment on how accurate the portrayal of the War is in this book. </div><div><br></div><div>It touches on the horrors of the war without being too bloody/violent. Certainly nothing to frighten you. But that doesn't glorify or gloss over the harsh reality: in the book both people and horses die. </div><div><br></div><div>There is plenty of action in this book as barely a page goes by without some let alone a chapter. Though the main focus is on Black Swift it doesnt mean that the human characters are left out. Indeed, without giving too much of the story away they are indeed central.</div><div><br></div><div>All in all a satisfying book and the length is just right. I didnt get bored. The ending is somewhat bittersweet but satisfactory. If you're like me and don't generally like pony point of view books then I would highly recommend it. You might be surprised. If you like history too then it's a bonus. I think that to make what could be a borefest into an engaging and exciting book is down to Josephine herself as any of the lesser authors couldn't rise up to the challenge. The plot is generally quite good too.</div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-4516953373992827842019-09-30T02:28:00.001+01:002019-09-30T02:28:40.255+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - The Horse Sale<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscCYHTnje5C0ryGEt9UjEags3CBITGAB1tIpNxE7l9cNqDBlZ-e9ZCv6XTjP4H4hxHzv642ua5GQR03N59jS51k-aKp65WH97NLvbnC4SOgnYIYkMit09uVujKXtiXf4TqbFNBWEoOfY/s1600-h/thehorsesalecpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261404580818483650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscCYHTnje5C0ryGEt9UjEags3CBITGAB1tIpNxE7l9cNqDBlZ-e9ZCv6XTjP4H4hxHzv642ua5GQR03N59jS51k-aKp65WH97NLvbnC4SOgnYIYkMit09uVujKXtiXf4TqbFNBWEoOfY/s200/thehorsesalecpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 129px;" /></a>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.<br />
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The blurb reads:-<br />
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HORSE SALE: April 20th: Wetford Market.<br />
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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?<br />
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"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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-68360755793954973782018-06-30T21:14:00.002+01:002018-06-30T21:14:24.388+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - We Rode To The Sea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxpYR426QxkJPaplIkYjjSaOcB-0O0Hb8QErvn6snn5kmR9x4j6TsHGod6DbH3yV8qDPN86HzCJxJAbCLAavV-jbr7LPcdsxn3QOdJmQkWfBjdmtF65tvEIeazZ0TAOJZtSdCed1nXL8/s1600-h/werodetotheseacpt1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237839867860303858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxpYR426QxkJPaplIkYjjSaOcB-0O0Hb8QErvn6snn5kmR9x4j6TsHGod6DbH3yV8qDPN86HzCJxJAbCLAavV-jbr7LPcdsxn3QOdJmQkWfBjdmtF65tvEIeazZ0TAOJZtSdCed1nXL8/s200/werodetotheseacpt1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">We Rode To The Sea</span> is this week's book. It is Christine's first solo book, and was first published in 1948; two years after <span style="font-style: italic;">It Began With Picotee</span>.<br />
<br />
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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Wish For A Pony</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Summer of the Great Secret</span> 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.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the blurb reads:-<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">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.</span><br />
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If you had not guessed, this book is set primarily in Scotland, a theme similarly replicated in her mother's book <span style="font-style: italic;">We Met Our Cousins </span>(first published in 1937). Interestingly, all editions bar this one and the more commonly seen first edition, have an rather interesting introduction, which reads:-<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"Come on," I cried with mad impatience. "What did you see?"</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYURHHubw_lJZe9bo4ByOo2XWG9ltpPoeGURFS39WMTdENoEhRuTSqX43pzzPYlcHo30B2EcbbG6Kon5HxNP0qr9NdcNukvLg56qKjjgnDtC_uFsGmMapHoZDB150uVLY_AVpAtMBZYk/s1600-h/werodetotheseacpt.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-style: italic;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237847104674399986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYURHHubw_lJZe9bo4ByOo2XWG9ltpPoeGURFS39WMTdENoEhRuTSqX43pzzPYlcHo30B2EcbbG6Kon5HxNP0qr9NdcNukvLg56qKjjgnDtC_uFsGmMapHoZDB150uVLY_AVpAtMBZYk/s200/werodetotheseacpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"I saw," said Duncan slowly, "two Germans riding two horses - our horses - Harvester and Landslide. Now can you understand my rage?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Christine Pullein-Thompson</span><br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-19443982762172395032013-07-07T18:43:00.000+01:002013-07-07T18:43:29.337+01:00REVIEW: Heroines on Horseback - Jane Badger<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ex-F4BZhL._SY445_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ex-F4BZhL._SY445_.jpg" width="230" /></a>Heroines on Horseback is a book by Jane Badger. It was first published in 2013 by Girls Gone By. <br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
<br />
<i>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.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>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. </i><br />
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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.<br />
<br />
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.<br /><br />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.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />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). <br />
<br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!) <br />
<br />
http://www.ponybooksales.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=5145&keyword=badger,+jane&searchby=author&offset=0&fs=1<br />
<br />
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. pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-43144287022100652612012-02-11T16:17:00.001+00:002012-02-11T16:26:43.518+00:00Review: CHRISTINE - The Best Pony For Me!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsP7PHJR5nH004fnfNLIQgfX7Z_YIB8LqSyLthqUBj0lPFpEckb_eUdmyccCGqxtSm_vSHapnWk_kZqSVKHuEMahmIOCurebBlRAtx6vALwkuf6qfYU8Qe_M1MY1UjIZVLGnoVfY0mxoM/s1600-h/thebestponyformecpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258628256241047250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsP7PHJR5nH004fnfNLIQgfX7Z_YIB8LqSyLthqUBj0lPFpEckb_eUdmyccCGqxtSm_vSHapnWk_kZqSVKHuEMahmIOCurebBlRAtx6vALwkuf6qfYU8Qe_M1MY1UjIZVLGnoVfY0mxoM/s200/thebestponyformecpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>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?</i><br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDVjWCDGfgz7OjgqZoWqZTbXQy-SXHzQd252OM68-TPP-IJ3qhoVvSlnyVFylWnEkNswT6Pwk-_Z-I_aNk3oSFCh9Ugw8ch1xdM0Kr1WqebrY-taPLwmv0-zoXJufkvs4tLVkoKiHxpE/s1600/thebestponyformeill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDVjWCDGfgz7OjgqZoWqZTbXQy-SXHzQd252OM68-TPP-IJ3qhoVvSlnyVFylWnEkNswT6Pwk-_Z-I_aNk3oSFCh9Ugw8ch1xdM0Kr1WqebrY-taPLwmv0-zoXJufkvs4tLVkoKiHxpE/s320/thebestponyformeill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-55630947680825607442012-02-04T20:20:00.002+00:002012-02-04T20:23:20.201+00:00Review: CHRISTINE - I Want That Pony!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRbB_qy8WbL6jjcOf2HuT-BuaAWNNfRCKA9bsvLw1DNRPDhoSg1uE-fEI_6EAd1v1TPZW3wi9dS_OZeWOHODzkbE3yAfbTfTLYz0402RjiPlfuTWOCRbDarXfcBk4FOGhyphenhyphenBaDN-ThjrA/s1600-h/iwantthatponycpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237810967159209506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRbB_qy8WbL6jjcOf2HuT-BuaAWNNfRCKA9bsvLw1DNRPDhoSg1uE-fEI_6EAd1v1TPZW3wi9dS_OZeWOHODzkbE3yAfbTfTLYz0402RjiPlfuTWOCRbDarXfcBk4FOGhyphenhyphenBaDN-ThjrA/s200/iwantthatponycpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><i>I Want That Pony!</i> is the first in the book in the Sophy series. It was first published in 1993, making it one of the last books she wrote. It is also quite a hard to find book, and is the hardest to find in the series.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
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<i>Sophy is desperate to own Flash, the pony that lives down the lane. But Flash already has an owner: he belongs to Alison, who loves her pony very much, and would never dream of selling him. Who will win the battle over Flash?</i><br />
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<br />
Sophy is the ultimate 8 year old dream, although pony less, she is inevitably pony mad. She thinks she has it all, a pony who loves her, although she has it all spoilt by Alison, Flash's true owner. Because of this I think it is more aimed at the average 8 year old who wants to read it alone rather than the pony book buying adult or the pony book collector.<br />
<br />
Like the Candy series, there is not much depth to the characters due to the short nature of the story. We do see a bit more character in the main person than in the Candy series, but not enough to go into deep depths. A lot of it is due to the short nature of the books, and consequently of the series in general.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I find this book hard to review. Why? Because of the ending. It feels like Sophy is being rewarded for doing bad things i.e. lying to her parents and also feeding another pony, which is an ultimate no-no. She gets rewarded by having riding lessons, rather than being left to stew and reflect of her own actions. <br />
<br />
Unlike the Candy series, there is a moralistic point of view across this book, and the whole of the series in general. However unlike the Candy series there is an enemy in the form of Alison, Flash's true owner, and without giving the book away (or indeed the series), there is an enemy throughout subsequent books.<br />
<br />
I apologise somewhat for making comparisons with the Candy series, but I found this hard to review. I find that comparison with the Candy series an direct, fair and accurate one, because they are both more firmly aimed at the same market ie children and not adults. They are both aimed at the 8 year old. <br />
<br />
<br />
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. I find Gilly Markew's illustrations nicely drawn, well thought out and relevant to the bits of the story she is trying to portray. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuts0qmS7uzogGxQdixEj_H6KInKCHwZ-hSiv7VTTR_MbadluWDFvgUeUFVnNxTo5KM9FEx3l0zs1SB1HfssMioY1hJ8b-6-GzS23TkNA0dPmHlcolO72LPBCnep7BxDvXlxDOyvRORk/s1600/iwantthatponyill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuts0qmS7uzogGxQdixEj_H6KInKCHwZ-hSiv7VTTR_MbadluWDFvgUeUFVnNxTo5KM9FEx3l0zs1SB1HfssMioY1hJ8b-6-GzS23TkNA0dPmHlcolO72LPBCnep7BxDvXlxDOyvRORk/s320/iwantthatponyill.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-2822464779896102162011-12-10T19:18:00.000+00:002011-12-10T19:18:35.379+00:00Review: CHRISTINE - Sundance Saves The Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIoNO_KmJNP0fKHUCUkBRNJ3cV_qKgIVGALervHvNspWhjnuzAf19atORwxf0EQ_6NQNDeNGLD6riAqvy-mhsXQCdK6hFk3WNFkt7R_oMSRAa9N1eAa_ixqcdiV7lFS9t4wWBP1SqHmY/s1600-h/sundancesavesthedaycpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255926882483876066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIoNO_KmJNP0fKHUCUkBRNJ3cV_qKgIVGALervHvNspWhjnuzAf19atORwxf0EQ_6NQNDeNGLD6riAqvy-mhsXQCdK6hFk3WNFkt7R_oMSRAa9N1eAa_ixqcdiV7lFS9t4wWBP1SqHmY/s200/sundancesavesthedaycpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>Sundance Saves the Day is this week's book. It is one of Christine's latter books, as it was first published in 1997. It is not generally well known about, as it was sold only by Julip.<br />
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Julip is a model horse company, which has been going since 1945. (That is a year before the Pullein-Thompsons first published It Began with Pictoee). The first Julips were made out of leather, however in the 1950s, they changed their method to making horses out of latex. (Yes, Julips are always referred to as horses). In 1989, Julip started a new series called "Horse of The Year", which was made out of plastic, and these are the sorts of horses featured on the cover. In the 1990s, Julip must have asked Christine to write a book featuring the then current range, hence why Sundance Saves The Day exists. For those of you unfamiliar with the names of the horses: Sundance is the palomino on the cover, Jigsaw is the skewbald (brown and white) and Midnight is the black on the cover. There is a another horse which is not pictured which is featured, called Silver Cloud, which is a a grey horse (pictured below).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/garej/model%20horse/julip/HOTY/Horse/IMAG0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/garej/model%20horse/julip/HOTY/Horse/IMAG0035.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Julip have never sold their horses in major stores; though they had a store in London until 1996. They also must have sold horses in Hamleys and Harrods at one point: there are horses which come with special rugs emblazoning the company about. Until a couple of years ago, the on<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5MMV73SVr3VNO-W9Rlj2-Hyj1t48_jg37D_t9XrP4CBsug6aXQaySYX45nr0ZisDH0KFlmqWyPTRHp2WinSDGP-t0PUHVJX6G9sp7alMHSc6LJdmILiKcI-gNt00qQDVn2QFnGRr0Y/s1600-h/sundancesavesthedaycptadvert.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255930652871291186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Y5MMV73SVr3VNO-W9Rlj2-Hyj1t48_jg37D_t9XrP4CBsug6aXQaySYX45nr0ZisDH0KFlmqWyPTRHp2WinSDGP-t0PUHVJX6G9sp7alMHSc6LJdmILiKcI-gNt00qQDVn2QFnGRr0Y/s200/sundancesavesthedaycptadvert.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>ly way to get Julip horses (and other stuff they used to sell, such as grooming kits for real horses, jodhpurs and even riding hats) was to order through a catalogue. So really, this accounts for it being quite a rareish book, because unless you happen to have a Julip catalogue, you wouldnt know about this. Here is an example of the advert.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the book. The blurb reads:-<br />
<br />
<i>'Suddenly the others were all around Mandy and Midnight, throwing themselves off their mounts and saying things like "Oh no! How could it happen?" And, "Why didn't you see the hole?" And, "Is he going to be all right?" And, "What about you Mandy?" And Midnight was standing with his head down, a pathetic object who held up his poor, right foreleg as though it were broken.</i><br />
<i>"I think we need a vet," suggested Jack in a sombre voice.</i><br />
<i>"We're not having him shot, even if it is broken," cried Nicky, "Because breaks can be mended. We all know that."</i><br />
<i>Now they were all suddenly deadly calm, while their horses blew through their noses and warm steam rose from their backs.....'</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Sundance, Jigsaw, Midnight and Silver Cloud arrive with their riders Sarah, Jack, Mandy and Nicky to take part on a 20 mile sponsored ride. They have all worked hard finding sponsors and they are raising money for needy children in faraway lands. Spirits are high. But after a few miles their adventures begin. Enthusiasm and excitement turn to panic and disappointment and a long gruelling day lies ahead.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>The characters in this book are based on the Julip model ponies and their riders.</i><br />
<br />
Firstly, whoever wrote this blurb is obviously not knowledgeable: Julips regardless of their size are <span style="font-weight: bold;">never</span> referred to as ponies.<br />
<br />
The subject of sponsored pony rides has never been a popular one: I can only think of one other example which is Bobbie's Sponsored Ride by Justine Furminger. This book is aimed at a much younger audience than many of CPT's book, though it is meant for older readers than the Candy or Sophy series. I would suggest an 9-12 year old.<br />
<br />
Though it is hardly one of CPT's best, all the blame must not be put on CPT however. The names are a bit clunky in places. However as CPT did not choose the names, but instead she based it on the (then) current Julip range. It is worth pointing out that all the characters (horses and people) with the exception of <span class="Normal-C0">Mrs Spencer, Mrs Walker and Desmond were available to buy from Julip. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Normal-C0">Like the Candy series, or rather specifically Candy Stops A Train, there are no anti heroes, no real enemies. However unlike the Candy series there is drama, though it is not a great deal of depth. However Sundance Saves The Day is hardly one of CPT's lengthier reads: it only totals 92 pages.</span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0">For me it didnt set the world on fire, it is a pleasant enough read, but the lack of depth meant that there was no real warmness to the characters. This story didnt make me warm to them, I didnt really care. Midnight has an accident during the story (the single most important bit of drama to the story, which is given away by the blurb), I didnt show great empathy for the characters. Because it is a younger children's story I just knew that everything would be alright. Because CPT doesnt do death (DPT did) and because of the age range I knew Midnight would survive. Death is always harrowing in pony books, and because of this, it is never tackled in this age range. Quite rightly it should be harrowing, but I feel that (aside from the fact that CPT doesnt do </span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0">death) CPT felt it was too much for the age range the book was aimed at to take it all in. Pony books at this age range are still supposed to encourage you with adventure, not the nitty gritty of life. But that is all very well the single pivotal episode of this story was tinged with "we know that everything is going to be alright and Midnight will be not shot". </span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0">Everything does flow along nicely though, and with the exception of the naming issue, is hardly jerky. In short, it is a inoffensive story, which is in the middle. Not one of CPT's worst books, but certainly not the best. Hats off it must be said to CPT, who has tackled, in what must be said a valiant effort a subject which is hardly written about much; that is the sponsored ride. It is also must be commended for having the spirit to tackle characters and ponies which she hasnt had to make up herself, in essence they were given on a plate, because she had to deal with characters and concepts which werent her own. I am not entirely sure whether or not that made CPT's life easier or harder. But commendation has to be said for Julip's owner for at the time, for getting a worthwhile and highly talented writer, rather than a writer who I feel would not be up to the job because they wouldnt have had the sheer scope and history that CPT has (the only other author I feel would be up to the job - with the exception of DPT and JPT - is K M Peyton). For that has to be a high recommendation, rather than the owner going for a more modern and less than capable author. Pony books were going strong, and the amount of pony book author still around at the time was more numerous than today. </span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0"></span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Normal-C0">It is illustrated by Mark Smallman. The illustrations are possibly the worst out of all the CPT books, they are rough outlines. Consquently there are not much style and substance to them at all. They are simply lines, in some ways glorified stickmen. They are IMO, slapdash and a little amateurish.Not the best illustration to grace a pony book. </span>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-52600173374721705652011-11-19T17:15:00.002+00:002011-12-03T19:47:30.582+00:00Review: CHRISTINE - Candy Goes To The Gymkhana<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJbsO7OMFuXPaY_mVE-Ps96Wg_3NL_RjcCPEsVSZFv_-EJZErXiKbE3jfERGchP5oe9kPRVmCjz-ctwXzUx3PM6zxQ9AtPEOyMqM37Q8GpLt0WrWmZKkFYWILviJAciesJ70LxLGwdQo/s1600-h/candygoestothegymkhanacpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237807742060818898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJbsO7OMFuXPaY_mVE-Ps96Wg_3NL_RjcCPEsVSZFv_-EJZErXiKbE3jfERGchP5oe9kPRVmCjz-ctwXzUx3PM6zxQ9AtPEOyMqM37Q8GpLt0WrWmZKkFYWILviJAciesJ70LxLGwdQo/s200/candygoestothegymkhanacpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Candy Goes To the Gymkhana</span> is part of the Candy series. It is not to be confused with Pony seekers series by Diana, which is sometimes called the Candy series.<br />
<br />
It was first published in 1989 and are aimed at a much younger age group than the majority of Christine's books. Consequently, there are not many pages. There is no definitive start to the series, so it does not matter which one you read first: the other is <span style="font-style: italic;">Candy Stops A Train</span>.<br />
<br />
It is illustrated however, by Gavin Rowe. <br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
<br />
<i>When they hard that there is going to be a local gymkhana, the Fraser children decide to enter their pony, Candy. They spend the next few weeks preparing for their events.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>On the great day they set out with high hopes of winning. But they soon find out that winning isn't everything...</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Like <i>Candy Stops a Train</i>, the biggest drawback is the lack of depth to the characters due to lack of pages. However there is slightly more emotion, and an enemy of sorts, so you get a more in depth perspective of the family's life. The situation is more believable than<i> Candy Stops a Train</i>, and for me, a more enjoyable read.<br />
<br />
Though the main focus is the day out in the gymkhana, at least with this one you do a more satisfying story, as there is sufficient build up to the main day as well, and a better build up in general than a simple lack of depth story as I felt <i>Candy Stops A Train</i> was. <br />
<br />
Again, it's not one of CPT's best, although it is perfectly acceptable for an average 8 year old. As an adult, though it is generally better and more believable than <i>Candy Stops A Train</i>, the sheer lack of depth to the story (due to lack of pages) means it is highly unlikely to appeal to the average person. Best left as a set completer (i.e. you want every single CPT pony story going) rather than an integral part of the collection. <br />
<br />
As for the illustrations, despite it being published in the same year, Paperbird (the publishers) have decided to go with another illustrator: Gavin Rowe. The illustrations I feel are not as good as Terry Gabbey's, they seem more scruffy and rough edged somehow. Whereas there are none that could be called spectacularly bad, and they all fit nicely, when compared to Terry Gabbey's they all lack that final spit and polish. Perhaps it is to do with Gavin Rowe's style, which is slightly different to Terry Gabbey's. But that is all subjective.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-29722297447627484052011-11-12T19:50:00.001+00:002011-11-12T19:51:25.846+00:00Review: CHRISTINE - Candy Stops A Train<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdglf2qHHxXPTdrTHGmTKXwmYYmNi1HYu2LQciPB0Ju7Qkd3o1Nzw7JeWRPhZo1XSktAkhXPKV_cWhZ9uP5IhsPK7LueyzO0R9KdUqbGde5wGbQ_UOuyihpL4eCFeeVgqzTSJh7NfqsuA/s1600-h/candystopsatraincpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255935525283236466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdglf2qHHxXPTdrTHGmTKXwmYYmNi1HYu2LQciPB0Ju7Qkd3o1Nzw7JeWRPhZo1XSktAkhXPKV_cWhZ9uP5IhsPK7LueyzO0R9KdUqbGde5wGbQ_UOuyihpL4eCFeeVgqzTSJh7NfqsuA/s200/candystopsatraincpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Candy Stops A Train</span> is part of the Candy series. It is not to be confused with Pony Seekers series by Diana, which is sometimes called the Candy series.<br />
<br />
It was first published in 1989 and are aimed at a much younger age group than the majority of Christine's books. Consequently, there are not many pages. There is no definitive start to the series, so it does not matter which one you read first: the other is <span style="font-style: italic;">Candy Goes To The Gymkhana</span>.<br />
<br />
This book is illustrated by a Terry Gabbey. <br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
<br />
<i>When Liz, Neil and Vicky Fraser discover that the family pony, Candy, is missing from her paddock, little do they know what a frantic race against time lies in store for them...</i><br />
<br />
There is a reference in this book to <i>Good Riding</i>, a non fictional work which is conveniently written by Christine. <br />
<i></i><br />
<br />
As for the book, well it doesn't set the world on fire. Christine wrote much later in her life stories for younger children (the pony book series <i>Sophy; </i>the non pony series <i>Ben </i>are two examples), and none were a huge hit.<i> </i>The lack of pages means that there is a lack of depth into the characters. There is no readily identifiable characters, no anti heroes, or people you want to throttle which are found in most of her other books. The characters here seem to have no faults other than Mrs Fraser, who lack of concern about her children's safety (considering the children are hardly old enough to be left alone), means that she leaves them alone. But that is often a cliché of pony books, that the children can have an adventure without needing the parents, who often disappear in the first few pages, or are absent entirely from the book. There is a brief appearance of a Mrs Simpkins, but to be honest the character is unimportant to the story, and so makes no difference to whether or not she was in it. The children seem to get on very nicely, with no outright displays of emotion, other than slight concern for their lost pony's whereabouts. <br />
<br />
Still, it is a uncomplicated tale, which will appeal to most children. If you are looking for an ideal tale to read to your 8 year old, then you cant go far wrong with this offering. It's a more traditional tale, and not an expensive one either. It does make a change than modern fantasy based offerings. If you are an adult collector, then it's not too much of a hardship leaving this off your shelves, and going with Christine's other more older (both in terms of when she wrote and what age range) tales, which are more likely to enthral you. <br />
<br />
The illustrations by Terry Gabbey are all very nicely painted, and clearly has a keen eye for horses. Yes they are not in the league of the greats, such as Lionel Edwards, Anne Bullen or Sheila Rose, but fit the story well, and on the whole, well executed.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-61670543199655499452011-09-09T20:35:00.003+01:002011-09-16T20:07:13.904+01:00Review: ALL THREE - Fair Girls and Grey Horses<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYLSIqErjn1ZCkjhTPAZytQyzs6ri3oW8gm9SoIFs9nHNJHlTfIp3qPNJbBTZuHFeOUbxdxSdUlbVLlonUq7_7DRGli9GLTjm7pFeJqSqnM_nZYOaJYJrr89973oaFXyFreBC9T8u3hs/s1600-h/fairgirlsandgreyhorsespt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261574337360667074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYLSIqErjn1ZCkjhTPAZytQyzs6ri3oW8gm9SoIFs9nHNJHlTfIp3qPNJbBTZuHFeOUbxdxSdUlbVLlonUq7_7DRGli9GLTjm7pFeJqSqnM_nZYOaJYJrr89973oaFXyFreBC9T8u3hs/s200/fairgirlsandgreyhorsespt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 132px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Fair Girls and Grey Horses: Memories of a country childhood</span> is really their second collective work, as the first was <span style="font-style: italic;">It Began with Picotee</span>. However, unlike <span style="font-style: italic;">It Began With Picotee</span>, this is an non fictional work. It is actually an autobiography, with all 3 sisters contributing to every chapter. This is actually a different style to<span style="font-style: italic;"> It Began With Picotee</span>, which works much better I think. However, it does lead to some duplication.<br />
<br />
It was first published in 1996, 50 years after the publication of <span style="font-style: italic;">It Began with Picotee</span>. The scan is of an paperback edition, which has the same cover as the hardback edition. There is also a large type edition and an audio book version (sadly, not read out by the sisters).<br />
<br />
This book is not aimed at children, more like adult collectors or people have who have read their books as a child and are now grown up. It is not illustrated. <br />
<br />
The blurb reads:-<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">'Are your twins normal?' Mrs Pullein-Thompson was asked. 'Good God, I hope not,' she retorted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The twins were Diana and Christine who, with their elder sister Josephine, have written 150 books, which have sold in millions around the world. Now, over 50 years after the publication of their first book, It Began with Picotee, the sisters have jointly written about their extraordinary childhood with lovable but often unreliable animals and unforgettable humans.</span><br />
<br />
It also mentions quite frequently their brother Denis Cannan, and their father, Cappy, of which little is known about, at least in comparison to the sisters (and their mother). It begins with some family history.<br />
<br />
Although not meant to be funny, there are some. One particular incident is when Josephine writes "<span style="font-style: italic;">He also had an embarrassing habit of knocking the hats off men who failed to remove them for the National Anthem</span>" when talking about how Cappy was fiercely patriotic. Also they (the sisters) had euphemisms brought by their Victorian Nana, and the confusions/chaos it sometimes caused led to some amusing incidents.<br />
<br />
There are a few adult references, but not as much as the non pony work, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Place With Two Faces</span> (Josephine), but the general tone would make it boring for children. There are some incidents about animals (not necessarily about horses) which provide some amusement. Some events which happened in their life did actually appear in their (or their mother's) books, though the names had been changed.<br />
<br />
Three are also some sample of poems which have yet to appear in any other book, which gives a fascinating insight into their fruitful literary career, especially as most of them were written before the publication of <span style="font-style: italic;">It Began With Picotee</span>. There are also some photos of their childhood.<br />
<br />
In some ways, it shows (despite their lack of formal education) the forward-thinking of their Mamma (Joanna Cannan). Although she did send them to school at some point, she insisted that they only attended half a day, because she "believed children should enjoy their childhood", a fact that is sadly lacking these days.<br />
<br />
All in all, a humorous book, and completely utterly enjoyable. However for me, the greatest disappointment was the fact that there was not a complete bibliography of their works included. Admittedly, Christine did write several books after this was first published. You notice to the right there is the link to the Wikipedia article which has all the books listed, but that was done by me, following many hours of research. If that was included, it would have made my life much easier. Completely and utterly fascinating, though sadly there is not much about the riding school that they owned.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-92130689394496022992009-12-05T23:30:00.006+00:002011-05-30T21:02:53.017+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - Riding<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Riding is a rather strange book. Not only because it is not very well known:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3n4zu5pxiw5K54K_71ZRbTrTHyEyiTkplOxazM_I_eWoNd0K_49lkaHPvGq5B9QtedezsTEkFcqJQDEye7iJ7Ncv_-QFb4SN9_Ls-6MYdlsfV-guCsA2I7SdbNcdjRDK2UvumOyeqSg/s1600-h/ridingchristinekeir.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3n4zu5pxiw5K54K_71ZRbTrTHyEyiTkplOxazM_I_eWoNd0K_49lkaHPvGq5B9QtedezsTEkFcqJQDEye7iJ7Ncv_-QFb4SN9_Ls-6MYdlsfV-guCsA2I7SdbNcdjRDK2UvumOyeqSg/s200/ridingchristinekeir.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237800031812501810" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> but it is one of two books that Christine wrote under the pseudonym of Christine Keir. There seems to be no logical reason for that (unlike The Impossible Horse). It is part of the Granada Guides series, which according to the blurb "</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">...are an invaluable series of compact reference books, perfect for the bookshelf or pocket. Each handy volume contains the latest expert information on its subject, together with explanatory diagrams, brilliant colour illustrations, and a comprehensive index.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This book was first published in 1983. However, what I don't get is that if (according to Granada Publishing) it contains "the latest expert information" is why they didn't credit Christine under her proper name. After all, if you got this in the 1980s, you would be wondering who the hell Christine Keir was. Christine wrote 4 books on Riding under her proper name, so it is not like she had not got any experience on the subject (this is, of course, excluding any non fictional information in her anthologies or any others published prior to this one).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Anyway, I will leave that for now and concentrate on the actual book.This book is perhaps better suited to someone who wants an light read or is somewhat of a novice. A lot of novice books are aimed at children which makes them in turn somewhat babyish. This one is not, which does make it accessible to both adults, and fairly older children (8+).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Still it manages to pack a few things in it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The first chapter (though they aren't clearly named as chapter) details Riding Through the Ages (an mini historical guide), Knights In Shining Armour, The Great Riding Schools (mainly about the Spanish Riding School of Vienna), Horses In War and Peace (mainly about army horses) and finally Horses In The Modern World (basically about what horses are used for today).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The second chapter details Learning To Ride (basically what to wear, how to make friends with a pony and making sure that you learn to ride at a riding school), Mounting and Dismounting (obvious!), The Seat and The Hands (basically how to sit correctly and how the reins correctly), The Aids (how they are used and what they are), The Paces (how the horse moves, and what they are called), Controlling a Difficult Horses (basically what to do, and what is considered difficult).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The third, albeit short, is called Showjumping. Basically it details what is showjumping (competitive wise), Some Common Faults (refusing, and what causes it) and finally Courses and Fences (what they are, and different types).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The fourth is details Hacking Out (hand signals etc), Care Of The Countryside (things like opening and shutting gates, don't ride on farmer's crops) and finally Trekking (group trekking, specifically at a trekking centre).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The fifth details Riding and Pony Clubs (basically a overview of them).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The sixth details Competitions and Sport. Specific sections cover details of what are Dressage, Show Jumping, Cross Country, Showing, Gymkhanas, Long Distance and Trail Riding, Polo, Hunting and finally Racing.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The seventh (and final chapter) is a short one on Famous Horses and Riders.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The book isn't too bad: like I previously said it's basic (only 64 pages in total) so there is not a great deal of detail but covers quite a lot of ground. Although published over 20 years ago, most of the information is still pretty accurate. The (now what are considered to be) inaccuracies are that it states that an elastic under the chin strap will keep an riding helmet in place (all modern ones and even ones bought brand new in the 1990s have a fixed 3 point headpiece which is definitely more secure than an elastic strap). Also I suspect that the number of branches and members of the Pony Club has changed since the quotes that are given in this book.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Also, on a sports kind of view, the hunting is definitely out of date (since the ban a couple of years ago in the UK, it has radically changed) and in eventing, the road and tracks section is no longer performed to the same extent (if at all, most major events have now abandoned this).</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The pictures are a bit old fashioned, basically they still convey the point they are illustrating, but with some dodgy clothing, and in the case of the ridden shots, the hat either have no chinstrap or just an elastic one. But if you can ignore this, it still remains a perfectly sound, worthwhile book. Unlike most books of the time, the Famous Riders sections is about great ones like Napoleon, and not "current" riders (for the time) who these days would be totally lost on a modern pony audience. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">A book which basically mainly still does what it says on the tin.</span>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-23439880611158027042009-12-05T23:03:00.003+00:002009-12-05T23:09:12.024+00:00Dear Spammerand anyone else who is interested in posting silly comments.<br /><br />This blog comments are moderated! No amount of advertising for medication for problems with the "downstairs department", cheap boots (which are probably bootleg), cheap dvds (again bootleg), comments in a foreign language will ever be posted. And no, posting 3 times (or more) will not make me change my mind! So scoot, & find some easier target!<br /><br /><br /><br />Apologies, for my genuine readers, but the amount of "spam" comments has been getting a little out of hand lately. I welcome genuine comments, even if a) your English is not brilliant and b) it is only short.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-16170386164708652922009-09-26T20:06:00.001+01:002009-09-26T20:06:01.450+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - Pony Parade<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJzffWq1Af1clxbEY4pVA-KhsGzierDdOnQqU9bERfJD7uz2G2nU2WnLJA9u7QMlgmArj6E9y5uoGSUHAOAqg5PfWoX8oZCMe6bKXdY9BBtk0q0_O2wcp5tgE2H7Yd93qi0d2xcpzeyM/s1600-h/ponyparadecpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJzffWq1Af1clxbEY4pVA-KhsGzierDdOnQqU9bERfJD7uz2G2nU2WnLJA9u7QMlgmArj6E9y5uoGSUHAOAqg5PfWoX8oZCMe6bKXdY9BBtk0q0_O2wcp5tgE2H7Yd93qi0d2xcpzeyM/s200/ponyparadecpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198827757420359890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Parade</span> is another one that strictly does not fit the blog: it is an anthology. It contains a combination of non fiction and fiction stories/extracts. However, as it is one of the few anthologies I do have, I will include it.<br /><br />One of these extracts is from their mother's book: <span style="font-style: italic;">A Pony For Jean</span>. Considered by many to be one that defined the pony book genre, it is the archetypical pony story.<br /><br />The second is an extract (and slightly humorous) about a show ring. Personally I found it ok, but if you aren't interested in that it can be boring.<br /><br />The third is an short piece about choosing a (pony) name.<br /><br />The fourth is about caring for a pony - not very interesting if you don't want a pony. Generally not out of date except for the odd mention of ton (as in weight) which most people use kilos these days and oats (which are seldom used these days).<br /><br />The fifth and best part of this is a short <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol</span> story. Because of this it has a <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol</span> tag. That is, provided you like the <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol</span> series. It is entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol Ends A Racket</span>.<br /><br />The rest of the extracts are:- an poem about a rocking horse; about horse colours; strange pony actions; about horses in the First World War (by Diana, taken from <span style="font-style: italic;">Black Princess</span>); about how a team trained for the Prince Phillip Cup; how to sit properly (by Josephine); pair driving; a poem about a pretend horse; about possibly curing rearers; a horse themed dictionary/definition; British ponies; how to draw horses; an article which features exploits of a sister trying to care for her sister's ponies - in letter form (by Christine); two poems about olden days horses; an article about a Przewalskii horse working down a coal mine; making a dressage arena (by Josephine); an "Did You Know" article; an article about horse doping in the show ring and finally an poem about an abandoned stable.<br /><br />As far as anthologies go it isn't a bad one. The star turn is the brand new <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol</span> story. However as far as anthologies go, they generally have a shortcoming: they never have the full story. As for this one, generally the only bit that lets it down is the bits about schooling/pony care, the pony mining article (there are no coal mines these days that use ponies) and the doping article. Mainly because security is so tight than compared to 1978 (which this was first published) and people today don't know who Harvey Smith is.<br /><br />Still, it's not an expensive buy, and worth getting for the <span style="font-style: italic;">Pony Patrol</span> story alone.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-25886151716687693432009-09-19T16:20:00.002+01:002011-09-23T21:45:21.681+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - Follyfoot Pony Quiz Book<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkoz4zs2y4b1S_XYYMgqo9KuEVls7XQIo__w51BU2-4KLEdGgcRfLI0RfXmlEXp4FNlcodHQlczbA_LPD6LAYUCAgOcC-eTfDxMaFHlrfKKDvXNQkq_4-fVZyLBheWQuIxB7SNjQrUkk/s1600-h/follyfootponyquizbookcpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198769470419185842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkoz4zs2y4b1S_XYYMgqo9KuEVls7XQIo__w51BU2-4KLEdGgcRfLI0RfXmlEXp4FNlcodHQlczbA_LPD6LAYUCAgOcC-eTfDxMaFHlrfKKDvXNQkq_4-fVZyLBheWQuIxB7SNjQrUkk/s200/follyfootponyquizbookcpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>I am going to break with tradition there: my blog is mainly for reviewing (and providing further information) about the P-T's (pony) fictional works.<br />
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However as I love Follyfoot, I bought this. I agonised over where or not to put this in the Christine section on the bookshelf or the Follyfoot section. I eventually decided on the Christine section and here's why :-<br />
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Firstly, and this is the main reason: there is very little Follyfoot in it. Granted Christine may not have had the time or the inclination to watch Follyfoot, but at least a brief outline of the main characters should have been sent to her. The only bits which are Follyfoot is the title, and the two pictures of Dora (the main character in the series) on the cover.<br />
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Granted, there are a couple of exceptions to that though. They are:-<br />
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Page 50. In each sentence there is an odd one out.<br />
<ul><li>Number one is this: Monica Dickens, Mary O'Hara, Enid Bagnold, Esther Rantzen (Esther Rantzen is the odd one out btw, because the rest are pony authors).<br />
</li>
<li>Number 3 is this: Wish for A Pony, Alice In Wonderland, Follyfoot, I Wanted A Pony (Alice in Wonderland is the odd one out: the rest are pony books)</li>
<li>Number 12: Dora, Paul, Callie, Christine (Christine is technically the odd one out - but only just. Paul is a character mentioned in Cobbler's Dream and the first edition of Follyfoot, but the character is named Steve in the TV series. Both Dora and Callie are characters in the books and TV series)</li>
</ul>Page 51. This is a true or false game; and the sole mention is number 5.<br />
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<ul><li>Monica Edwards wrote Follyfoot (False: it was Monica Dickens)</li>
</ul><br />
Page 52. Match up the name so "famous" people. One answer is Monica Dickens.<br />
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That is about it out of 81 puzzle and 5 crosswords. I feel much more could have been done to incorporate Follyfoot, for example there are tales of things going wrong, and the quiz part is to say what went wrong. I feel that in those situations it would have been best to incorporate the main Follyfoot characters. Also, the "true or false" quiz, it would have been nice to make it solely Follyfoot only.<br />
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However, when in 1974 (when this was first published) this was quite a decent book, if you forget the lack of Follyfoot element.<br />
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These days it is not. In some ways it is dated, because these days people who dont know who Pat Smythe, Marion Mould etc are. There are a lot of Follyfoot fans on the internet, and those who aren't interested in horse/pony care are liable to be bored.<br />
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So, if you are an Follyfoot fan, don't feel guilty about leaving this off your shelf. It's best (either from a P-T or a Follyfoot of view) as an set completer.<br />
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This also rather interestingly contains drawings by her daughter (Charlotte Popescu).pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-88210784160912042872009-09-05T16:43:00.008+01:002011-09-24T16:22:05.664+01:00Review: CHRISTINE - Little Black Pony<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2boDHIFdazGYLIYEuUSddM81Mov870Rl3Kz5OC4UuN5cvaKz1Ib5LC7Dp1FM6caCG7WqMB7iIn5YaE8NX-MvPa50dJKMlX0eDOOGd93uUqPB5a2oqQds6g3fSdqA5JTWH1GV-ZAHDBQ/s1600-h/littleblackponycpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198776243582611650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2boDHIFdazGYLIYEuUSddM81Mov870Rl3Kz5OC4UuN5cvaKz1Ib5LC7Dp1FM6caCG7WqMB7iIn5YaE8NX-MvPa50dJKMlX0eDOOGd93uUqPB5a2oqQds6g3fSdqA5JTWH1GV-ZAHDBQ/s200/littleblackponycpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Little Black Pony</span> is a book meant for younger readers, the same age group as the Sophy series. It is illustrated: by an Lynette Hemmant.<br />
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It is also hard to find, as is <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Cow</span> (a non pony work) which has a similar cover and is in the same series & has the same publisher. However, I suspect this is due to the fact that it was purely meant for children's primary schools (as opposed to being available in all good book shops) because all copies that turn up are either ex-school or ex-library. The one pictured came from a school. I also remember at primary school reading a Hamish Hamilton Gazelle book (but not this one).<br />
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Because of the fact it is meant for younger children (Hamish Hamilton, the publishers say on the back it is a "complete story for the <span style="font-weight: bold;">very</span> young". It also does not contain a blurb, however, I have written one of my own.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">It is a story about a family of 3 children. They hear a noise in the garden, which turns out to be a pony. They want to keep him, but what happens when they find the real owner?</span><br />
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It is an odd one to place. This book was originally published in 1967, and these says the formal tone and language used sounds rather stuffy and old fashioned. Consequently, because of it's short nature and it's hard to find availability, it is not popular with collectors. This makes it not very valuable, if you can get hold of it.<br />
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If you can get past the formal/stuffy nature of the book, it is not a bad short story. It still retains the quality of her other books, however it is a lot better in nature than the Sophy books (and far more realistic). The children and the pony are believable, though the ending is not, and it is nice to see a kind owner of an "lost" horse rather than a cruel one, which happens in some of Christine's later stories (<span style="font-style: italic;">A Pony In Distress</span> for example.).<br />
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Spoiler: complete story.<br />
<span style="color: white;"><br style="color: #6fa8dc;" /><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> </span><span style="color: white;">The children are playing in the nursery when they hear a noise. They wonder what it is and look out: it is a pony. They rush down and tell their mother. She and their father get hold of the pony, and put it in the stable, which they conveniently have. The children want to keep it because they have no pets, and they always wanted one. The parents are not too sure: they buy some hay and straw, and call out the vet because it is sick. Fortunately it is not too sick. The next day, they trace the owner, who explains that it keeps on coming there because she used to live there. She says that they can keep it, because she has outgrown the pony. She has a new one and nobody rides it any more. She refuses the money the children's parents offer her.</span><br />
</span><br />
It's an easy short story, that is perhaps not a delight, but a good read. It's just a shame that it is hard to place. It's hard to give a complete review, without giving away the full story, but I have included a short synopsis for those who want to know what it is about (highlight white space).pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-48133520992779305192008-12-06T18:14:00.000+00:002008-12-06T18:14:00.146+00:00Review: JOSEPHINE - How Horses Are Trained<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqi5JYfPY_D93FSkM2OP7nPfan9PnWkPt3U1T6RqsGindZO9eG9PJ94MkYMFMVW25vNk68j_QDDHA4ZFgESRn8YQdHzAwcZT-Ncs1StSQT12katT3LEGt-AOb1YRyLLQkjTzPmml2g9Qw/s1600-h/howhorsesaretrainedjpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqi5JYfPY_D93FSkM2OP7nPfan9PnWkPt3U1T6RqsGindZO9eG9PJ94MkYMFMVW25vNk68j_QDDHA4ZFgESRn8YQdHzAwcZT-Ncs1StSQT12katT3LEGt-AOb1YRyLLQkjTzPmml2g9Qw/s200/howhorsesaretrainedjpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238151506465010338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">How Horses are Trained</span> is this week's book. It was first published in 1961 and is a non fictional work.<br /><br />The blurb reads:-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Josephine Pullein-Thompson, famous for her books on riding, explains the basic training of all riding horses and then deals with the specialists - from show jumper to pit pony. There is a chapter on how horses were trained in the past and one of advice to would-be-trainers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Written in comprehensive language it will be of interest to all who wish to know what lies behind the accomplished performances of race horse, circus pony or show jumper.</span><br /><br />This book is part of the "How" series and this series includes such titles as "<span style="font-style: italic;">How We Weigh and Measure</span>" and "<span style="font-style: italic;">How A Book Is Made</span>".<br /><br />Curiously, this book has a list of acknowledgements, of which one is a Mr. Dennis Far, who is her sister Diana's late husband.<br /><br />The first chapter is entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">"The Trainer"</span>, which deals with the history of training horses from early Stone Age to the (at the time) present.<br /><br />The second chapter is called <span style="font-style: italic;">"The Kindergarten"</span>, which deals with the training and handling of youngsters from a foal to early riding years (generally 4-5 years). It also deals with, albeit briefly, abandoned methods, such as the use of dumb jockeys.<br /><br />The third chapter is called<span style="font-style: italic;"> "The General Certificate of Education"</span> which details with basic schooling (regardless of the discipline or job the horse is used). This includes some basic dressage such as a turn on the forehand, the rein back, and the half pass. It also deals with some basic faults.<br /><br />The fourth chapter is entitled<span style="font-style: italic;"> "Jumping Lessons"</span>. It deals with jumping, right from the extreme basics of teaching a horse to jump, to basic jumping.<br /><br />The fifth chapter is called <span style="font-style: italic;">"The Stars"</span>. This deals with the various roles of the horse. The first part is called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Showjumper</span>, and this deals with what sort of horse is best for jumping (competitively), and also how at the time, show jumping has changed.<br />The second part details <span style="font-style: italic;">The Competitive and High School Horse</span> (basically the Dressage Horse). This details the various competitions that are (or were; there are more out now) available and what sort of horse is both conformationally and temperamentally suited to dressage. It also says about various movements requited (which have not been previously been discussed) at each level.<br />The third part details <span style="font-style: italic;">The Event Horse</span>, and the sort of things you need for such a horse. This is slightly out of date as it says that a horse needs to do the road and tracks and steeplechase sections of a three day event. Very few events (and certainly not the major ones) have this section these days, as in the past few years it has been phased out. It also details with a minimum weight a horse must carry (11 stone 11 pounds for men, and 11 stone for women). which was phased out in the 1990s.<br /><br />The sixth chapter is entitled<span style="font-style: italic;"> "More Stars"</span>, which is basically a follow on to the previous chapter.<br />The first part is called <span style="font-style: italic;">Race Horse</span>, which details with early training methods (1600-1700) and the type of horses that were around then. It then details with more up to date training methods too, from early training to a two year old. I'm not too sure how accurate it is, as like Eventing, the training of racehorses has changed over the years.<br />The next part deals with<span style="font-style: italic;"> Polo Ponies</span>, from a short basic history, to the training and the sort of pony that is useful.<br />The next part deals with<span style="font-style: italic;"> Show Horses-Hacks</span>, from the brief history of them (mainly to do with Rotten Row) to what is needed for a Show Hack as opposed to a "working" Hack.<br />The next part details with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Show Hunters</span>, and what details it, and what is required of it (basically a well behaved type that the judge finds easy to ride).<br />The next part details <span style="font-style: italic;">Show Ponies</span>. Basically set out as above, but the pony must be suitable for a child to ride. Instead of the judge riding it, they give shows, so must be well behaved.<br />The next part deals with <span style="font-style: italic;">Gymkhana Ponies</span>. Basically it details what sort of pony temperamentally and in terms of speed is needed, rather than actual games.<br />The next part details the <span style="font-style: italic;">Circus Horse</span>. This is out of date as there are few circuses that use animals (and consequently very few Circus Horses) but it is interesting from a historical point of view.<br /><br />The seventh chapter is entitled "<span style="font-style: italic;">The Workers</span>". The first part is called Riding School Horses. This details (albeit briefly) about what sort of pony that is needs, and basically what a good riding school should do.<br />The next part deals with <span style="font-style: italic;">Pit Ponies</span>. Basically, like Circus Horses, this is out of date, as there are no Pit Ponies in the UK. Again, this is interesting from an historical point of view.<br />The next part deals with the <span style="font-style: italic;">Police Horse</span>. I suspect that has hardly changed, as the ideal police horse has to be unphased by smoke, cars backfiring etc. It details with the extra things that are generally not taught to horses, and what sort of horse is suitable.<br /><br />The eighth (and penultimate) chapter is called <span style="font-style: italic;">"How Horses Were Trained"</span>. This details with the history from the early Greeks (aroundd 400-350 years B.C.) to (at the time) present day. It also details (albeit briefly) on how the Romans, Saxonse etc had an influence on the (British) way horses/ponies were handled and ridden. It is interestign to deals. It also details, again, briefly, about the former roles of the hores as (save for show purposes) horse are not used for pulling mail coaches and for ploughing.<br /><br />The nineth (and final) chapter is called <span style="font-style: italic;">"Advice to Would-Be Trainers"</span>. This details with what people should have (in terms of experience) before breaking a horse or pony. It also details do's and dont's.<br /><br />There are also a couple of photos/drawings included in this book, one of Josephine riding a horse called Rosebay.<br /><br />This book on the whole is still basically sound, though a little bit dated in places. A lot of it is due to changing attitudes and methods over the years, for example join up. For me, it was disappointing that it did not cover Western Riding. It is perhaps best used as an informal guide, with more up-to-date information out there. Of course this is terribly subjective, even horse care books written in the 1980s are how out of date. This fortunately on the whole has not dated as much when compared to other books that were around in the 1960s. The easy readability of this, though meant to be an instructional book, is not dull or boring, but is largely down to Josephine herself. This is because generally (her fictional) book are full of knowledge and are a wealth of information, but you get so absorbed in her story, that you hardly notice that you are getting a lesson too. Though the language in some places is a little old fashioned the book is still readable. Had it been written by a less able writer, then this book would have been better off on the history shelves.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-15219695314512235932008-11-08T18:04:00.000+00:002008-11-08T18:04:00.930+00:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Proud Riders<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcpwcxLSuyLzmnnJ91v_GrevsHoWY_cOMSbmvhSYSoMqhmXE0TZKX9arRCITZhVf3lLuwp_jJWblcDEfD5njpvavrMcdJabW4VcfG9H_TmSk8CJEfzAk26BojG0qg9rauJyUV5SDo9vk/s1600-h/proudridersjpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcpwcxLSuyLzmnnJ91v_GrevsHoWY_cOMSbmvhSYSoMqhmXE0TZKX9arRCITZhVf3lLuwp_jJWblcDEfD5njpvavrMcdJabW4VcfG9H_TmSk8CJEfzAk26BojG0qg9rauJyUV5SDo9vk/s200/proudridersjpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238152912953926930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Proud Riders</span> is this week's book. It was first published in 1973, and really is an anthology, the extracts are chosen by Josephine, rather than written by.<br /><br />The blurb reads:-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A superb book for everyone interested in horses, a collection of stories and verses, fact and fiction, about horses and ponies and their riders at work; in the wild and at play, all over the world. Josephine Pullein-Thompson, famous for her own stories about horse, has brought together writing from all sorts of authors, who include Shakespeare and Tolstoy, Mark Twain and John Betjeman, Siegfried Sassoon and W H Hudson, Gordon Richards and Conan Doyle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The book is illustrated by two sections of photographs which add another dimension to the whole theme of horses and their riders and their place in life.</span><br /><br />The first extract is from <span style="font-style: italic;">More Ponies for Jean</span> by Joanna Cannan, the second is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Roughing It</span> by Mark Twain, the third is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Bengal Lancer</span> by F. Yeats-Brown, the fourth is <span style="font-style: italic;">Memoirs of a fox-hunting man</span> by Siegfried Sassoon, the fifth is a poem by John Betjeman, the sixth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Sir Nigel</span> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seventh is from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Travels of Marco Polo</span> by Marco Polo, the eighth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Animal Stories</span> by Ruth Manning-Sanders, the ninth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">True Stories About Horses</span> by Lilian Gask, the tenth is a poem called <span style="font-style: italic;">Equestrian Courtship</span> by Thomas Hood, the eleventh is from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Galloway Childhood</span> by Ian Niall, the twelfth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Horse</span> by Seigfried Stander, the next one is a song called <span style="font-style: italic;">A Cowboy's Life</span> by Anon., the fourteenth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Far Away and Long Ago</span> by W.H. Hudson, the fifteenth is a rather long poem from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Collected Verse of A.B.Paterson</span>, the sixteenth is from<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sporting Print</span> by G. March-Phillips, the seventeenth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">My Story</span> by Gordon Richards, the eighteenth is a rather long poem called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Worn-Out Pony</span> by Anon., the nineteenth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Unvarnished West</span> by J.M. Pollock, the twentieth is from <span style="font-style: italic;">Strider</span> by Leo Tolstoy and the final bit is a poem from <span style="font-style: italic;">Venus and Adonis</span> by Shakespeare.<br /><br />It also begins with an introduction by Josephine Pullein-Thompson.<br /><br />The quality varies. Some are quite enjoyable, others are not. I really enjoyed the extract from <span style="font-style: italic;">More Ponies For Jean</span> by Joanna Cannan and also <span style="font-style: italic;">Memoirs of a fox-hunting man</span> by Siegfried Sassoon. Some of the extracts include different styles of riding (such as Western) which some people. Also, An African Foal (from The Horse by Siegfried Stander) deals with another country (and continent) entirely, which again is not for everyone.<br /><br />Of course this is all subjective, of course people will enjoy bits that others won't. But at least this (apart from the cover) does not date, the trouble is that with some anthologies (particularly by Christine) is that they include references to famous horse riders of the day, or horse care which is now out of date. But anthologies are a subject of love or hate themselves, some people hate them, some people love them. Personally I am in the hate category. But on the other hand, if you hate a book at least you are stuck with only one chapter rather than wasting a whole chapter.<br /><br />Still, at least the quality of the extracts Josephine has chosen are of high quality and this is one of the better anthologies out there. Some anthologies do contain poor quality extracts, and this one does not. The best thing is if you find a cheap copy is to try it yourself.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-90461962043679829072008-09-13T17:43:00.004+01:002008-09-13T18:17:51.485+01:00Non pony works and more<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVgQEH28Po3Ku1hmMKFPh9BDlFROQyKCLKUsDPVVmk9iVLQfc4U2XXW_hsGFPLjfz_JJ8MUtc4uvzQipSTI0H6p027BidP8_azUreYDTEAVL2M-aSEx5lRkxNyToqLAZ9utlyw0E4N74/s1600-h/nooneathomecpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVgQEH28Po3Ku1hmMKFPh9BDlFROQyKCLKUsDPVVmk9iVLQfc4U2XXW_hsGFPLjfz_JJ8MUtc4uvzQipSTI0H6p027BidP8_azUreYDTEAVL2M-aSEx5lRkxNyToqLAZ9utlyw0E4N74/s200/nooneathomecpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245552452987017618" border="0" /></a>I finally found Josephine's <span style="font-style: italic;">They Died In The Spring</span>, so that means that I should be able to do it. I badly behind. My original plan was to do all of Josephine's at the end of the year, but it looks unlikely. This blog is very time consuming - the main problem is that I have to read the books.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I lost my cat, and that messed things up. Mainly to do with concentration.<br /><br />I have also decided (at some point, I need to do the pony books) to do the non pony books. Josephine I have already covered: she only wrote one, which is <span style="font-style: italic;">A Place With Two Faces</span>. Christine was (not surprisingly) the most prolific: she wrote 30 non pony books. There is a possibility of her writing another: amazon list one, which is not listed on the British Library's catalogue. Certainly none have shown up to date. Diana wrote 9 books (three under her married name of Diana Farr), though I had only 7 on my want list. This is because two of them are political related (one of those is an autobiography) and frankly it bores me to tears. Even worse than <span style="font-style: italic;">The Pennyfields</span>, I think.<br /><br />I have 17 of Christine's books on my want list (excluding the one that may not exist) and 6 of Diana's. The majority of Christine's seem to be written in the 1960s and the same goes for Diana.<br /><br />One of (Christine's) I got was this week: <span style="font-style: italic;">No-One At Home</span>. It was written in the 1960s, though I got an 1976 reprint. Nothing wrong with that: except it clearly states that it was made from recycled paper. I thought that recycled paper books began in the 1990s: clearly not. Obviously Hamish Hamilton started to be environmentally aware, which was quite remarkable for the time, as all their (the PT's I mean) other pony works did not come from recycled paper which date from around the same time. I have seen on pony books "war economy standard" on books dating from WW2, but I thought that meant it was from lesser quality paper, and lower print runs.<br /><br />Anyway, that turned out rather interesting. Generally, CPT's non pony work tend to be for an younger age, I have 3 in front of me. <span style="font-style: italic;">No-One At Home</span> states it is for "<span style="font-style: italic;">about six to about nine years of age</span>" and <span style="font-style: italic;">Giles And The Greyhound</span> states it is "<span style="font-style: italic;">ideal for the 7- to 10-year-old</span>". <span style="font-style: italic;">The Boys From the Cafe</span> has no age range stated, though I suspect (though not having read it) it is for the 7 to 10 years range. I have no idea about Diana's works, though I suspect <span style="font-style: italic;">Choosing </span>(published under her married name) is for adults.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-67567099848812599362008-08-09T18:52:00.007+01:002011-09-16T20:49:38.737+01:00Review: JOSEPHINE - A Place With Two Faces<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizR8-3EDID1Of-2dKY9Unwi8muZ42s9uAIkCZ4SVu-EG7dMVS6YDkNeBGIMLVGiB1EDz1LcDAPmwYpgpzix_llx54xLQWHyaEUDMArWnHxeOL452Tp5L8cGUn61We07sr-qdu4j2uLIzY/s1600-h/aplacewithtwofacesjpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232577566668160882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizR8-3EDID1Of-2dKY9Unwi8muZ42s9uAIkCZ4SVu-EG7dMVS6YDkNeBGIMLVGiB1EDz1LcDAPmwYpgpzix_llx54xLQWHyaEUDMArWnHxeOL452Tp5L8cGUn61We07sr-qdu4j2uLIzY/s200/aplacewithtwofacesjpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>OK I am cheating here. First of all I have misplaced <span style="font-style: italic;">They Died In the Spring</span>, hence the lack of updates because I cant continue with the (Chief) Inspector Flecker series until I find it. Because of the rarity of the series I cant borrow/buy another one easily. If I don't find it soon, I will find another Josephine book.<br />
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Secondly, recently I have decided to purchase all of Christine's and Diana's non (fictional) pony works, and therefore I will be reviewing them at a later date. I want to get review the pony books first. Also, because of the rarity (in comparison) of their non-pony works, I need the complete series.<br />
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Because I touched on <span style="font-style: italic;">A Place With Two Faces </span>before in a previous post, I have now decided to give it a proper review. All 3 sisters decided to publish under a different name (Diana published 3 books under her married name - Farr and Christine published 2 books under the (possible) pseudonym of Christine Keir). This book fades into some relative obscurity, mainly because it is hard to find, and not many people are aware that she wrote it. I was pointed out last year to a book called Who's Who, which lists many notable people, and in it, it has a complete bibliography of her works. (Diana is not listed, however her brother Denis Cannan is.) If you are interested in reading it, it is to be found in your reference section of your local library, however many libraries subscribe to Know UK. In Know UK, you can search Who's Who. Go to your local council's website and they will tell if you if you can access KnowUK. You do need to be a member of your local library, as Know UK does require you to enter your library card number.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">A Place With Two Faces </span>is quite a departure from her usual style. I am not sure why she wrote it under a pseudonym, maybe because she was so well known for her pony books during the 1970s (this one was published in 1972) that she did not decide to confuse parents as this is definitely not for children. Or alternatively, if she did not want to write any more of this style or it flopped (perhaps it wasnt a best seller due to it's rarity) then nobody would know who Josephine Mann was (or rather is). Or maybe, because it is such a wild departure that she wanted to distant herself, and her way was writing it under a pseudonym. You decide.<br />
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I say it is not for children, as it is described as gothic terror novel; certainly it is not "cosy" reading and it is definitely not instructive. It has drug and sex references for a start: though it does not go into great detail, they arent subjects for horsey loving kids. The religion Wicca is quite a predominent feature in the book, although it is not shoved down your neck. The blurb (of the first image) reads:-<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">'Darksome Night and shining Moon,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">East then, South then West then North,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Hearken to the witches' run,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Hear I come to call thee forth -</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Earth and Water Air and Fire...'</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Fleeing from a broken romance, Jenny Maxwell came to Kilruthan in search of work and an escape from here past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">The large double-house set on the edge of the moors offered her a fresh start, and Mrs. Shaw, an eccentric author, seemed a hospitable employer. But from the moment she entered the house she was struck by the ominous echoes of fear that haunted every room. Strange accidents began to occur and she realised, with horror, that someone or something was out to kill her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Caught in Kilruthan's web of evil, Jenny found herself witness to a witches' </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcXvDDOqg62ULkbe98hk3xbnCv0UPAzR1nbpHYiIADCp2Z5AVxqUA3ey3c6rd0NS0YvskMOPrPPO1UbbNHcFxwo2RpfA5z16ZdSpEVkPs6G-thz0m6kt_x6g7377mrnQ5qqsbIYoWFRE/s1600-h/aplacewithtwofacesjpt1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247838377876464274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcXvDDOqg62ULkbe98hk3xbnCv0UPAzR1nbpHYiIADCp2Z5AVxqUA3ey3c6rd0NS0YvskMOPrPPO1UbbNHcFxwo2RpfA5z16ZdSpEVkPs6G-thz0m6kt_x6g7377mrnQ5qqsbIYoWFRE/s200/aplacewithtwofacesjpt1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">ritual </span><span style="font-style: italic;">and a black dance of death - a devil's dance which was to end in a sacred offering. And well she knew, with terror in her heart, that she was to be the sacrifice.</span><br />
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and the other blurb (second image) reads:-<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Darksome Night and shining Moon,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">East then, South then West then North,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Hearken to the witches' run,</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Hear I come to call thee forth -</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Earth and Water Air and Fire...'</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">A broken romance had brought Jenny Maxwell to Kilruthan on the edge of the moor. Here she would forget the hurt she suffered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">But from the moment she entered the house she was struck with fear. Strange accidents began to occur and she realized, with mounting horror, the something or someone wanted her dead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Caught in an ominous web of evil, Jenny found herself witness to a witches ritual and a black dance of death - a devil's dance that could only end with Jenny herself as the sacred offering!</span><br />
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Both editions are not illustrated. <br />
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Firstly, I know nothing about the religion Wicca, so I dont know how true or not true it portrays the religion. But looking from the Wikipedia article, it appears some aspects are true.<br />
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In addition to the sex and drug references there is a death at the end of the book of one of the characters, which is highly unusual, as Diana was the one that used to do death in her books, Josephine as far as I am aware of (bear in mind I havent read all her books) doesnt do "death". There is also a romance in it too.<br />
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I found this book strangely enjoyable. I certainly forgot it was Josephine who wrote it about a quarter of the way through: however you could tell it was written by a decent author. Maybe if you are used to books by other gothic authors such as Anne Rice (this book also pre-dates any of Anne's works) then you may find not quite up to her standard, but if you want a cosy and loving read, then this is not for you. I found it quite chilling in places.<br />
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Still it is worth noting that there is more to the P-Ts than pony books. I have yet to experience either Diana's or Christine's non pony books, but they do come from good writing stock: Joanna (their mother) wrote more novels (including detective) than pony books. I have yet to read them either: but from what I know, they dont feature horses/ponies at all.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-78588487645791399762008-06-28T18:10:00.003+01:002009-12-06T10:26:27.453+00:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Gin and Murder<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJS-jHdN1IfAn0GxvYfn2dfQQbTq5_ykRj8OgTDaYGmOldtlXVu7CrH8MTpjPD2P9CX2H4P3l-NvL6riA3RSGD8zN4QkOZ9I-6LLSfyxpaE5MwQilQw19QERvHs-jUtqJzE80737n9gs/s1600-h/ginandmurderjpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJS-jHdN1IfAn0GxvYfn2dfQQbTq5_ykRj8OgTDaYGmOldtlXVu7CrH8MTpjPD2P9CX2H4P3l-NvL6riA3RSGD8zN4QkOZ9I-6LLSfyxpaE5MwQilQw19QERvHs-jUtqJzE80737n9gs/s200/ginandmurderjpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217017544304325922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Gin and Murder</span> is the first one of a series of books. They are less well known than many of her works: though they are horse related, the horses are less of an key element to the books. They are aimed at adults: in fact they are murder mystery books. Josephine is following in the steps of her mother, who was alive when this was published. This book is dedicated to her.<br /><br />It was first published in 1959, though the image shown is a 1990 reprint. All 3 books are quite hard to find, though not as hard as <span style="font-style: italic;">Mystery On the Moor</span>. The "Linford Mystery Library" editions are easier to find than the first, however they are in large print, making them quite bulky. However they are complete and unabridged, so you do not miss out on any story.<br /><br />I have added it into 2 series: the series should really be called "(Chief) Inspector Flecker", as he is the character that appears throughout the whole series, and quite a key. However, because of the relative obscurity of the books, it may not be obvious to people, and therefore I am also adding a "Adult Murder Mystery" tag, which makes more sense.<br /><br />The blurb reads:-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When Guy Vickers died after Commander Chadwick's cocktail party, murder was the last thing suspected by East Wintshire. Murder was something one read about in the Sunday newspapers; it just didn't happen to people like them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">But murder it was. And when Inspector Hollis of the County Police began his rather ham-handed investigations, he found plenty of motives concealed behind those conventional façades.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It took a second murder to stampede the Chief Constable into sending for help from Scotland Yard, and when help came in the person of Chief Inspector James Flecker, he began to wonder whether it had been a wise move...<br /><br /></span><span>The horse element is somewhat lesser than her horse books. It is mainly confined to the fact that the book is set against a hunting background. Part of the book dwells on the party of the hunting franiterny, and the politics of the hunt. Apart from a couple of visits to the kennels by James Flecker, and a somewhat minimally detailed hunting day, there isn't much horse related. The majority of the story is taken up by Inspector Hollis' and later Chief Inspector James Flecker's investigations.<br /><br />Although it is meant for adults, it could be read by older teenagers too. There is a small amount of swearing here and there, so it would definitely not be suitable for children. Also, one of the characters in the book drinks a lot, and therefore it makes it also unsuitable for young teenagers.<br />If you do not like hunting or want more horses, then perhaps this is not the book for you: then you are better off with Josephine's other (fictional) works.<br /><br />The books is not too graphic: to be honest, Josephine's other adult book: <span style="font-style: italic;">A Place With Two Faces</span> (written under the pseudonym of Josephine Mann) is more so. But then again, that is a different genre: that is a gothic terror novel. If you dont like hearing (in graphic detail) about how the person died, worry not, apart from the cause of death, there is very little detail about the two people die.<br /><br />I do not know if this is a good or bad murder mystery book: to be honest, I have yet to read any other murder mystery book. Although her mother (Joanna Cannan) was famous for writing detective novels (<a href="http://www.ruemorguepress.com/authors/cannan.html">Rue Morgue Press</a> compare to her to other famous authors at the time, including a friend, Georgette Heyer), it is probably a decent one. Joanna Cannan herself wrote one book which is along the lines of this (having a horsey background I mean) which is <span style="font-style: italic;">Murder Included</span>, which I will review at a later date.<br /><br />The characters are well thought out, and the situation is believable. It is neither a heavy read or a light one, it falls in the middle. The action flows along nicely, though the plot is not over complicated. For me personally, I was put off in detective/murder novels because I was worried about the plot and the book being very complicated, and therefore hard to follow, worry not. This is not the case.<br /><br />Still it has a decent enough ending, and everything is nicely sown up, though the ending has a slight twist in it. Enough to keep most people amused, and perhaps not for everyone, but if you can get past the lack of horses. It is enough to keep people who are perhaps interested in murder mysteries but not horses happy. Quite a good book in all, and a decent enough departure from Josephine's usual style.<br /></span>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-52101332751388601042008-06-07T20:22:00.008+01:002011-09-16T21:34:07.731+01:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Plenty Of Ponies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwDdnIh-8OhyLGHqxhmeW6JYyGUxc5os22g_kY_Gyb1Y3gelMqlzQgmKkWBLWNF4VD6JrWFpAtX0WUCX7ESgBZ7YznBFH20ZplIHfOqSOdQf_ORj5LYkZ34BgADLVX1D6vqEFFil31dE/s1600-h/plentyofponiesjpt1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279354072805321810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwDdnIh-8OhyLGHqxhmeW6JYyGUxc5os22g_kY_Gyb1Y3gelMqlzQgmKkWBLWNF4VD6JrWFpAtX0WUCX7ESgBZ7YznBFH20ZplIHfOqSOdQf_ORj5LYkZ34BgADLVX1D6vqEFFil31dE/s200/plentyofponiesjpt1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 126px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">This week's book is </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">Plenty Of Ponies</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">. It was first published in 1949, making it one of Josephine's earlier books (in fact it was her third book that she published).<br />
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The blurb reads (first picture):-<br />
</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
'Quite frankly, I don't think much of you Esmonds' said the colonel. 'You've got some of the nicest ponies in this Pony Club, but you don't seem to take any trouble.'<br />
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The Christmas holidays promise wonderful adventures for the five Esmonds - but somehow they always end up in disgrace. They let The Turk gallop through hounds, October has run riot in Mr. Simpson's garden - and now they've brought chaos to the Pony Club rally.<br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">However, there's still the Children's Meet, and the Esmonds are determined to redeem themselves - and give the colonel the shock of his life....<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvVt3AT9zoLugWUA2iWdxn3PAQbNATkRP4m4HJw2kZy5pAmhnrPXYtITAtGU0NOiAH_ae8i0MBki_ZSoWtV9fedXCkkOFuKN45Bitb7K4s9xR7AiJo6z518xexS5xrPiZ5nXYUUZqQmc/s1600-h/plentyofponiesjpt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279355587935254098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvVt3AT9zoLugWUA2iWdxn3PAQbNATkRP4m4HJw2kZy5pAmhnrPXYtITAtGU0NOiAH_ae8i0MBki_ZSoWtV9fedXCkkOFuKN45Bitb7K4s9xR7AiJo6z518xexS5xrPiZ5nXYUUZqQmc/s200/plentyofponiesjpt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 125px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">The second scan is of a Collins Pony Library edition, which does not contain a b</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;">lurb. However both editions contains illustrations. The Collins Pony Library edition are credited to Anne Bullen, which are presumably the same ones as the first edition. The other one (a White Lion edition) does not credit the illustrator, but they are the same ones as in the Collins Pony Library edition (and presumably, by Anne Bullen). The cover has been done by someone else, however.<br />
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The book starts out with Professor Esmond pointing out their bad points, of which they decide to "improve their characters". However things do not go</span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"> to plan, even when hunting on Boxing Day the Master gets cross and a Colonel Howard tells them off.<br />
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This book is somewhat slightly stuffy, these days people do not think of "improving their characters". However there is a great deal of (mis)adventures to be read in this book, and this makes up for it. Granted, there aren't so many horse filled incidents until near the end, but the relationship of the children is enough to keep you occupied. Perhaps this is not the ideal book to start off with if you have not read Josephine's books before, as this is not her best work. However, it must be remembered that it is an early work of hers, and that is the reason why.<br />
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In some ways that old fashionedness sticks out, there is talk of brandy when someone is ill/has an accident, which is not used today in quite the same way (and certainly not given to children) and also of liver pills (which are not used these days either). Also there are frequent mentions of servants and gardeners, which (unless you are very rich) people don't have these days. Also when there is talk of hanging, it also dates it, as we don't have hanging anymore.<br />
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It is a book I am not particularly fond of, but if you can get past the old fashionedness of it, it is not too bad. Like <span style="font-style: italic;">All Change/The Hidden Horse</span>, the ponies are a secondary element to this book.</span>pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459893438693440780.post-20398806824580893122008-06-01T10:21:00.004+01:002008-06-01T10:47:13.061+01:00Review: JOSEPHINE - Save The Ponies!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiG7RCnstQMbfxLYEUrMOqUSkNGiID0-82Q6-vqz1bxc_yyoNCdoBennQER9XWTRr8YFHG9SWIDS5cMCnYIELRqRzMRDf7YyRIYMHhUnl2zcCKRuCOMzkugeqcbw3WofraZjNyPw4BfKs/s1600-h/savetheponiesjpt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiG7RCnstQMbfxLYEUrMOqUSkNGiID0-82Q6-vqz1bxc_yyoNCdoBennQER9XWTRr8YFHG9SWIDS5cMCnYIELRqRzMRDf7YyRIYMHhUnl2zcCKRuCOMzkugeqcbw3WofraZjNyPw4BfKs/s200/savetheponiesjpt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206841357167009858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Save The Ponies</span> is this week's book. It was first published in 1984, making this one of Josephine's later books.<br /><br />The blurb reads:-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It all began when Mandy, Kate, Jeremy and Fergus met Nico and Sophia on the Greek Island where they were spending their holidays. Together they discover that a horse dealer from Athens is illegally buying up the island ponies to use them in a circus. Even Nico's beloved pony, Vrondi, is in danger.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In desperation, the children embark on a dramatic rescue attempt. They set off on a daring bare-back ride through the mountains determined on one thing - at all costs they must save the ponies!</span><br /><br />A couple of notes: this is probably one of two pony books set in Greece; the other is <span style="font-style: italic;">Penny and Pegasus</span> by Primrose Cumming and both authors were British. Secondly, there is an exact titled book by Gillian Baxter, however the Gillian Baxter one pre-dates this, as it was first published in 1971. If you do not own this book, please double check that you are getting the right one. Thirdly this reminds me of a book by her sister Christine called <span style="font-style: italic;">Stolen Ponies</span>, which was published in 1957.<br /><br />This book starts by Kate and Jeremy being bored, having being made to go with two people (Mandy and Fergus) who they aren't really friends with. They all decide to go for a beach walk (they are already at the island) where they meet Sophia and Nico. They tell them about a pony race happening tomorrow.<br /><br />They all attend the race, which is rather crude by British standards. But the excitement makes up for it. They find some ponies to hire and it is during these rides that they find out that the ponies are being sold to a circus. But the ponies are involved in a sinister plot and that is where a plan of action comes along.<br /><br />I felt that this was an ok effort. This is one of Josephine's adventure effort, it is not to bad as far as her stories goes. It is a pleasant, light red, however the unusual location gives it an added in-depth which is missing from other book. However if it is was not there it would not be as strong. The greatest strength really in this book is the detail of the difference of cultures and the way in life, as far as ponies are treated and people's attitude. But as this is supposed to be a pony book, it is a great shame.pullein-thompson-archivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06875692220143559727noreply@blogger.com1