Month: September 2018

by Jean Slaughter Doty

Nice horse story. Especially because it did something unexpected. It\’s about a middle-school girl who works at a horse stable in order to get riding lessons. Eventually she becomes good enough to be asked to ride some of the horses for exercise, and she goes along to shows to help the younger riders. There\’s a plain brown horse at the stable who came in looking underfed and ordinary. They feed him up and hope to sell him off soon. He starts jumping fences- nothing holds him in anywhere, which exasperates the staff until they just start ignoring him- letting him roam at will around the property. He has an odd, uncomfortable stride, so nobody really wants to ride him. One day the main character is asked to ride him, accompanying another kid on a fox hunt- this boy got injured and can\’t play soccer anymore, his mother is desperate to get him interested in something else and puts him on a horse to go along with a newly-reinstalled hunt in the area. Stuff happens, the two kids get separated from the rest of the hunt, end up following just the huntmaster over rough terrain and frightening jumps- and everyone finds out what a spectacular jumper the brown horse is. I was happily surprised to find myself reading a foxhunting episode in the middle of a story about horse shows, and wondered if the horse would now follow hounds. But his talent being discovered, the stable owners decided to enter him in jumping competitions- with our main girl riding him. He starts to get attention and accolades, and she fears he will soon be sold. Until things take a turn for the worst at the biggest competition she\’s ever been in. I like stories that surprise me, even though this one is simply told and there isn\’t a lot of character development. It was a fine read.

Rating: 3/5                158 pages, 1983

by Dodie Smith

Note: there are spoilers in this post.

This book was a slight disappointment to me. I’d heard so much about it, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. For one thing, the main character is older than I had thought, but sounds (and is treated by others) as if she’s younger. It’s about a poor family that lives in a rundown castle (with a house partly built inside its courtyard) in the English countryside. It’s so dilapidated they live in it rent-free (kind of by accident, but then the lenient terms are extended). The narrator is teenage Cassandra, who aims to practice her writing skills by “capturing” the people and surroundings in her journal. This may sound strange, but her voice reminded me of Anne Frank. I did like how she frequently re-imagined scenes or tried to picture future encounters with people- so true to life.

Her father was once a famed author, but has suffered from writer’s block for over a decade and appears to do nothing. The rest of the family feels they have no skills to earn a living- they are practically supported by charitably distant neighbors and their orphaned serving boy who does all he can for them with little regard or reward. They’re wondering where their next crust of bread will come from when two wealthy American brothers inherit the estate next door (their opinion of Americans, based solely on knowing these two men, was amusing). Older sister immediately sets her sights on one of them, determined to marry and get them out of poverty. Cassandra herself has feelings for the same man, but squelches them in light of helping her sister. I did like her descriptions, and events take quite a few interesting turns- especially concerning the servant boy, Stephen- but I didn’t anticipate that this whole story would be about relationships, nor the nasty turn some of the characters would take in order to get their own way. I found the character of the step-mother interesting- although supportive of the father to a fault, she was an intriguing free-spirited woman, posed for artists to earn some money, usually had something interesting to say- but there wasn’t quite enough of her in the story. And I liked Stephen, but felt bad how poorly the family treated him.

I was baffled by the father. I didn’t understand his behavior, and started to think- as the family does- that he suffered from mental illness. The idea that he was a genius and must be coddled and excused in spite of his erratic and sometimes violent actions started to wear on me. By far one of the most interesting parts of the novel is near the end, when Cassandra and her brother try to force him to write by locking him up in an old tower on the hill. I was confused at the outcome, and the sparse descriptions of his prior book and supposed plans for the new one, don’t help any. (His parenting abilities made me think of The Glass Castle, ha). After that the story quickly fell flat- I didn’t really like the ending. I suppose it was rather realistic, but the sudden turn some characters took- who they had a fancy for- not who you thought all the time you were reading- really annoyed me.

I’m glad I finally read this book but I don’t think I’ll keep it. However, it’s a favorite with a lot of other readers (see below)!

Rating: 3/5
343 pages, 1948

by Gerald Durrell

I didn\’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two books in the Corfu Trilogy, and unlike most readers I am more interested in the descriptions of Durrell\’s activities collecting animals rather than the doings of people, so. It\’s another collection of stories from the time his family lived on a small Greek island, when he was between the ages of eight and ten, I think. Most of the time he spends wandering the island, wading the lagoon and lake, searching for insects, reptiles, birds and the like to observe their habits and if he can, catch them to take home for his growing collection. In particular he has a pet owl and acquires several new, voraciously hungry owlets, has a variety of snakes, frogs and toads and one wonderful hoopoe- a bird he rescued from a hunter. The incident with the buried puppies was familiar to me, I think because I saw it represented in the film beforehand. Being a fishkeeper myself, I really liked reading about when he caught several brightly-colored gobies during the mating season, installed them in his aquarium, and watched them lay and hatch eggs. There\’s also a lively battle between a mantis stalking a moth, who is in turn stalked by a fat gecko, when a centipede also goes after the moth- and they are all at the last moment accosted by a hungry toad- to Gerry\’s indignant consternation (even though the toad itself is one of his pets).

But to me it seemed like the incidents involving people populated this book more than in others. His family is interesting and their endless rotation of visitors equally so. A lot of the characters are very unique and colorful, let\’s say- and the family\’s reaction to them is too. They argue a lot- in very amusing conversations- I can\’t help but wonder now how much of that is accurate, and how much a bit embellished. And while it might seem that the characterizations are a bit flat- mother is always in the kitchen or planning new, lavish meals, his sister is exasperated over boys or involved in sewing, decorating and making sarcastic remarks, his older brothers immersed in their individual interests- firearms and literary pursuits- I remind myself that it\’s also depicted through the eyes of a child. Of course a ten-year-old who spends they day tramping the island through hot fields and olive groves, coming home hungry, might well think his mother\’s chief importance in life is to provide great food! Many of the jokes and comments (by visitors and family alike) are a bit scandalous or definitely sexist in nature- especially when it comes from Captain Creech- you think young Gerry doesn\’t comprehend it all, but he thinks it mighty funny regardless.

Note: the cover image I chose here is from the audiobook version. I read a paperbound copy, but I just liked this cover better than the one in hand.

Rating: 3/5            pages,

DISCLAIMER:

All books reviewed on this site are owned by me, or borrowed from the public library. Exceptions are a very occasional review copy sent to me by a publisher or author, as noted. Receiving a book does not influence my opinion or evaluation of it

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