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Post by Claire on Mar 9, 2009 21:10:47 GMT 1
Latest book on discussion is book 4 in the Noel & Henry series, One Day Event by JPT In this epsiode of the series, the Major has been involved in an accident and the pony club members arrive at Folly Court to help look after the horses. As usual they are in despair over their riding so the Major instead of convalescing and much to the horror of his wife, organises a cross country course...
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Post by darkhorse on Mar 9, 2009 21:27:54 GMT 1
Thanks for starting the thread. I feel rather embarassed now as I forgot what I was going to say about it but I have voted!
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Post by kunuma on Mar 10, 2009 20:19:08 GMT 1
I'm going to reread it tonight, because I forget which bits come in which book of the series! I'm not sure it isn't harder doing a series when you are slightly senile! Perhaps I should go back to Beatrix Potter?
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Post by Claire on Mar 11, 2009 13:39:12 GMT 1
My favourite bit in the book is where the Pony Club members are looking after the horses at Folly Court. What a dream come true to be let loose on all those fab horses! I really envied them! Its nice that they all pull together to help the Major in exchange for all the help he has given them over the years. Another interesting bit of the book is the swap over so to speak in character of Christopher and June. Christopher takes over the mantle of the know-it-all rider who doesn't want to learn. Does the major say something along the lines that Christopher has got a little natural ability and found it easy to ride so it has gone to his head (or am I imagining this ;D ) June however actually starts to take an interest in learning and she eventually goes against her mother and sides with the major as she hopes to turn her show pony into a eventer. Why did JP make Christopher the villain of the piece? Was it to show that anyone no matter how set in their ways (ie June) was irredeemable if they decided they wanted to learn? If so JP had to have someone else to take Junes place and that was Christopher. I suppose none of the other characters would have fitted the bill as they were either major characters whose characters traits were already well known or who had already (in the case of John) had their faults cured. So without being a new character in, Christopher was the obvious choice. It also shows that JPT's characters did not all remain static but changed for the better or worse. Altho Chris is irritating, it does set him up to provide a lot of humour in the last book in the series, Pony Club Camp. Again the instruction is excellent from the lungeing to the cross country training. JPT really makes it seem interesting. I certainly agree that trotting without stirrups gives you a much better (and more secure) seat after being forced to do loads of it at the riding school I went to many moons ago. Perhaps doesn't quite have the humour of some of the other books, altho once again the Major provides some laugh, esp with his refusal to convalesce quietly. I like the bit where his wife tells him he can't run the course and he says the alternative is to get up one of the quieter hunt horses and hack it! After that she gives in, threatening him with the doctor if he 'so much as looks at a hunt horse.' He really is the typical British slightly eccentric upper class guy Some new characters appear too, Marion and her sister and their pony Crusoe, and Gay. Altho Gay is the only one to become a major character in the next book.
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Post by fizz on Mar 16, 2009 10:13:27 GMT 1
For me this book seems to lack something, & I cannot put my finger on quite what is missing. I read the Collins edition that has no illustrations & I first read it when I was about 13; I think at that age illustrations are important & I have always been a visual person.
I think that if any thing there is too much technical stuff in the book, all that riding without stirrups & dressage seats. Henry & Noel become a bit too smug and fanatical for me. Reading it made me less inclined to do any schooling as they seemed to goody, goody & obsessed. I also think it lacks some of the lightness & humour of the others in the series.
The interesting part is the change around in characterisation of Christopher & June. I was disappointed that June didn't appear in the final book of the series and I wonder what happened to her.
Some bits are far fetched, Noel getting the Anglo Arabs to school & being able to keep one and the Major's quick recovery from the train crash.
It does not have the tight plot of the others in the series. I still give it good though.
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Post by darkhorse on Mar 22, 2009 16:16:02 GMT 1
I agree with those who say the book lacks the humour of the others in the series. As Claire says it does have some light-hearted moments but overall it is not as funny. I don't like the character of Christopher in this book. I agree that he was changed on purpose to provide a 'baddie' character but to me the change from his previous self...who incidentally was a character I really liked...to this one seems too radical and abrupt. I also think it changes the atmosphere of the book as he is unpleasant without much humour, where June and her mother were unpleasant but quite funny. I do like June's change of character however. This seems more realistic and less abrupt.
For me, I like the technical sections, possibly because I enjoyed jumping and cross country a lot as a child and I find it interesting. But still for me, this and Radney Riding Club are the weakest ones in the series. However they are still better than most pony books so don't lynch me anyone ;D
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Post by tinuviel on Mar 25, 2009 10:57:56 GMT 1
Oooh one of my favorite of the series. Will type a long drawn out response later when i don't have kids annoying me . Funniest part....Mrs H saying ''as far as i can make out the whole pony club is in perpetual despair....Major H ''well,personally i should like a few people who aren't in despair,just to make it a little cheerful. (or something like that lol).
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Post by Claire on Mar 31, 2009 13:31:47 GMT 1
I actually think Christophers character is quite funny in a way, although more so in the last book in the series when JPT really pokes fun at him. I must agree tho he is also bloomin irritating. Yes tinuveil it would be interesting to note all the funny bits. Even tho I think it has less than say Pony Club Camp or Team it is still a laugh a minute compared to Christine's gloomy offerings! Going to set up 'Camp' now if you will pardon the pun but feel free to still post here, or indeed on any of the Noel and Henry threads. Theres no time limit! ;D
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Post by kunuma on Mar 31, 2009 19:07:25 GMT 1
Claire said >>It also shows that JPT's characters did not all remain static but changed for the better or worse. <<<< I know now why Jill and Jackie stayed the same age! I think characters growing up/older, is when the problems come - especially when you read a series all at once, because they grow up under your nose so to speak, and change too quickly. Must be a permanent problem for writers of childrens' books in a series. I often find I liked a character better when he/she was younger - possibly because as they get older they start to have the sort of problems that I am reading the book to forget about!! (If anyone wants an extreme example - try the Pine Hollow series!) The only one I can think of off hand who didn't change that way was the heroine in the Phantom Horse series, her brother was the one who grew up - and not for the better!
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Post by Claire on Mar 31, 2009 19:30:59 GMT 1
The only one I can think of off hand who didn't change that way was the heroine in the Phantom Horse series, her brother was the one who grew up - and not for the better! Oh yes, that was Angus wasn't it and didn't he want to swap his horse for a motorbike and it ended up going for meat or something equally unsavoury. (Havent read them for a while) I actually quite like it when the characters grow up and change. You obviously have a Peter Pan fixation kunuma ;D ;D ;D There is one problem tho with such a thing happening (and i am sure garej or haffy or jane or someone has mentioned it on their blog at some point) and that is the characters eventually get too old for the readers the books are aimed at. This is no doubt why Jackie stayed the same and could explain the new younger characters in JPT's Moors series. I think the prime example of this is the Harry Potter series which started as a nice slightly scary read for 10 year olds and ended up in the last couple of books as really dark adult fantasy. Oops got little off the point. Need to be spanked by Mickey. Ooh-er...
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Post by kunuma on Mar 31, 2009 21:31:26 GMT 1
Just call me Tinkerbell! ;D
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Post by tinuviel on Oct 19, 2009 22:54:42 GMT 1
I know this is finished,i hope it's ok if i still respond. This is my favorite of the series,the pony club running Folly court is every horse loving child's (or adults) dream and i think that is what endears it to me so much. I am actually in the minority but i love the change in Christopher,i used to ride with a boy who went trough the exact same change as he aged so it makes it real to me. I also think he is a hilarious ''bad'' character and is as funny as he is annoying. As usual my fave person in this book is Major H, every time he tells the members to ''use your brains'' i chuckle . I actually think this book has a lot of humour in it,from Nanny thinking the Lithuanians will steel the silver to Noel getting angry at the Major for saying she is to temperamental for one day events. In all i love this book and always get excited when i finish Radney so i can start reading it again lol.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2011 13:05:28 GMT 1
I really enjoyed this one. I too like the way June started to grow up and change for the better.
Christopher I could have just slapped but interesting to see him change for the worse.
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Post by foxglove on Oct 13, 2011 15:59:40 GMT 1
I read Christopher's change of character as being rather hormonal- teenage boys can be infuriatingly smug and cocky. Wasn't he the eldest of 3 brothers? I enjoyed the book, but found the rosette-lusting finale a bit mechanical and predictable.
I think Trappist is a truly awful name for a pony. Tranquil and Truant are pretty rubbish too.
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Post by fizz on Oct 13, 2011 18:37:59 GMT 1
Is Trappist named for the monks that don't speak? Perhaps he lost his whinny being hobdayed? Did they do it then?
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