Post by Claire on Mar 11, 2010 20:24:27 GMT 1
THE GREEN HORSE TRILOGY by ISOLDE PULLUM
Published 2001, 2004, 2006 by Stabenfeldt, USA.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Jenna – teenage girl who loves horses
Angie – Jenna’s mum
Dave – Jenna's dad
James – Jenna’s boyfriend
Steve – 20 year old racehorse trainer wannabe
Mr Penrose – elderly neighbour
Mr. Tufty – elderly pony who came with the hotel
Gold – Jenna’s thoroughbred horse
SUMMARY
The trilogy is made up of 3 books:
1) GREEN HORSE HOTEL
2) GREEN HORSE WINTER
3) GREEN HORSE SUMMER
At the start of the first book Jenna and her family have moved from London to the countryside where Angie and Dave are trying to make a go of running a hotel. Jenna only has an elderly pony named Mr. Tufty to ride. She soon becomes involved with James and Alice, two teemagers who are staying at the hotel, Mr Penrose an elderly neighbour who used to work there and is always hinting at supernatural goings on there, and the gorgeous Steve, a young man who owns two racehorses. Each of the books combines a supernatural mystery with a real life one. There are also subplots involving Jenna getting a horse of her own, a thoroughbred named Gold, and training him, and a love triangle between Jenna, James and Steve.
REVIEW
This trilogy is a series of modern horse stories from a British author, but published in the USA. Although modern, it is better than the average book of the sort, yet it does suffer to some extent from the usual pitfalls of the modern pony book.
The three books in the series are all lively and very easy to read, quite well-written with believable characters. The mysteries keep you guessing and are reasonably down to earth, with none of the more unbelievable Famous Five type scenarios which can plague children’s adventure stories. The supernatural element, which is becoming almost a pre-requisite in the modern pony story, is well done and subtle and blends fairly well into the rest of the action. It is not too overpowering and does not feel ‘tacked-on’ which I find are two common problems with fantasy in modern pony stories. The real life mysteries and the supernatural puzzles conjoin together and overlap well.
The main horsy characters, Mr. Tufty and Gold are quite well-drawn and not two dimensional (although some of the minor ones are). There is also enough horsy action to satisfy most readers, it feels integral to the story rather than just a backdrop. And you do feel Jenna cares about her horses.
However, on the downside is the romance element, which to my mind is too obtrusive and is not very subtly handled. The relationship between the 14-15 year old Jenna and the twenty something Steve is a bit creepy. Its not that it’s unnatural for a girl to have a crush on an older man (and that part is well-done and believable) but what is a bit unsettling is that Steve also seems to share the attraction. Although actually nothing goes on between them, I would not feel this appropriate for a young child to read about. In fact there are two other adult males in the books who also seem attracted to Jenna too!
On a similar theme, there also seems to be too much attention paid to Jenna’s looks. The author always seems to be harping on about how pretty she is, she has all the men around her in thrall to her! Although to be fair to her, Jenna herself is not obsessed with her looks, it is more the narrative. I know there is a trend nowadays to emphasise that being feminine and pretty is not incompatible with being horsy, but I think the point is pressed too hard here. At the same time she is also one of those insufferable 'natural riders' which seem to crop up a lot in pony books, although she has barely ridden except for a few riding lessons and plodding around on an elderly pony she is soon managing thoroughbred racehorses with ease! I actually think young readers would be able to identify with Jenna better if she were more normal looking and was not such a great rider. At times she does come across as having too much and not appreciating it! I find the heroine of the author's other pony book, Brazen Horse, more sympathetic in that she worries about her weight and has problems controlling her horse.
The constant change of view-point in the narrative is also a little jarring, everyone seems to get a look-in. Even the horses’ thoughts and opinions are - rather bizarrely - explored!
Another annoyance (which is probably editorial in nature as I have noticed it in a few American published British-set books) is the Americanisation of the language. Vacation is used instead of holiday, Mom instead of Mum, etc. To be fair it is not too bad, certainly not as horrendous as the British-set pony book I read a while back where the money was in dollars not pounds! But it is a slight irritation and I feel it is patronising to the young American readers who surely have the sense to realise that people talk differently in England!
However on balance, the book has more good points than bad, and if you can overlook the rather overpowering romance elements and the creepy older man thing, the stories are definitely worth reading.
I would rate the series as 3 horseshoes
Published 2001, 2004, 2006 by Stabenfeldt, USA.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
Jenna – teenage girl who loves horses
Angie – Jenna’s mum
Dave – Jenna's dad
James – Jenna’s boyfriend
Steve – 20 year old racehorse trainer wannabe
Mr Penrose – elderly neighbour
Mr. Tufty – elderly pony who came with the hotel
Gold – Jenna’s thoroughbred horse
SUMMARY
The trilogy is made up of 3 books:
1) GREEN HORSE HOTEL
2) GREEN HORSE WINTER
3) GREEN HORSE SUMMER
At the start of the first book Jenna and her family have moved from London to the countryside where Angie and Dave are trying to make a go of running a hotel. Jenna only has an elderly pony named Mr. Tufty to ride. She soon becomes involved with James and Alice, two teemagers who are staying at the hotel, Mr Penrose an elderly neighbour who used to work there and is always hinting at supernatural goings on there, and the gorgeous Steve, a young man who owns two racehorses. Each of the books combines a supernatural mystery with a real life one. There are also subplots involving Jenna getting a horse of her own, a thoroughbred named Gold, and training him, and a love triangle between Jenna, James and Steve.
REVIEW
This trilogy is a series of modern horse stories from a British author, but published in the USA. Although modern, it is better than the average book of the sort, yet it does suffer to some extent from the usual pitfalls of the modern pony book.
The three books in the series are all lively and very easy to read, quite well-written with believable characters. The mysteries keep you guessing and are reasonably down to earth, with none of the more unbelievable Famous Five type scenarios which can plague children’s adventure stories. The supernatural element, which is becoming almost a pre-requisite in the modern pony story, is well done and subtle and blends fairly well into the rest of the action. It is not too overpowering and does not feel ‘tacked-on’ which I find are two common problems with fantasy in modern pony stories. The real life mysteries and the supernatural puzzles conjoin together and overlap well.
The main horsy characters, Mr. Tufty and Gold are quite well-drawn and not two dimensional (although some of the minor ones are). There is also enough horsy action to satisfy most readers, it feels integral to the story rather than just a backdrop. And you do feel Jenna cares about her horses.
However, on the downside is the romance element, which to my mind is too obtrusive and is not very subtly handled. The relationship between the 14-15 year old Jenna and the twenty something Steve is a bit creepy. Its not that it’s unnatural for a girl to have a crush on an older man (and that part is well-done and believable) but what is a bit unsettling is that Steve also seems to share the attraction. Although actually nothing goes on between them, I would not feel this appropriate for a young child to read about. In fact there are two other adult males in the books who also seem attracted to Jenna too!
On a similar theme, there also seems to be too much attention paid to Jenna’s looks. The author always seems to be harping on about how pretty she is, she has all the men around her in thrall to her! Although to be fair to her, Jenna herself is not obsessed with her looks, it is more the narrative. I know there is a trend nowadays to emphasise that being feminine and pretty is not incompatible with being horsy, but I think the point is pressed too hard here. At the same time she is also one of those insufferable 'natural riders' which seem to crop up a lot in pony books, although she has barely ridden except for a few riding lessons and plodding around on an elderly pony she is soon managing thoroughbred racehorses with ease! I actually think young readers would be able to identify with Jenna better if she were more normal looking and was not such a great rider. At times she does come across as having too much and not appreciating it! I find the heroine of the author's other pony book, Brazen Horse, more sympathetic in that she worries about her weight and has problems controlling her horse.
The constant change of view-point in the narrative is also a little jarring, everyone seems to get a look-in. Even the horses’ thoughts and opinions are - rather bizarrely - explored!
Another annoyance (which is probably editorial in nature as I have noticed it in a few American published British-set books) is the Americanisation of the language. Vacation is used instead of holiday, Mom instead of Mum, etc. To be fair it is not too bad, certainly not as horrendous as the British-set pony book I read a while back where the money was in dollars not pounds! But it is a slight irritation and I feel it is patronising to the young American readers who surely have the sense to realise that people talk differently in England!
However on balance, the book has more good points than bad, and if you can overlook the rather overpowering romance elements and the creepy older man thing, the stories are definitely worth reading.
I would rate the series as 3 horseshoes
Surely it is interesting and educational for children to read about other countries and cultures? I liked reading the Black Stallion and Flicka books when I was a child because they were set in America not in spite of it. 
