Post by Claire on Nov 10, 2007 21:40:57 GMT 1
PONY FROM FIRE by SHEILA CHAPMAN
Edition reviewed - first edition
(Contains plot spoilers)
SUMMARY
Yoland is a promising young rider. Along with her older brother and sister, John and Pippin, she shows the ponies from her father's succesful yard. Then one day at a show she has a terrible accident. She is left in a coma and upon awakening has lost her memory. Not only is the accident forgotten but also her brothers sister and parents. Upon returning home she feels at once strangely drawn to the horses whilst at the same time being inexplicably afraid of them. The rest of the family decide not to tell her about the accident so she does not understand her fear. Eventually she is persuaded to ride again and her father buys her a very quiet pony called Zarak whom she hacks about quietly. But just as she seems to be getting over her fear even more tragedy strikes as her mother falls ill and dies. She is sent to her aunt’s home near the sea to recuperate and makes a friend called Jane. Jane is much more sympathetic to her fear than her family and in time helps her to start jumping again. But once back home without Janes support her fear overtakes her again. At the same time her father buys a new pony called Firecat. He is wild and vicious but he thinks he may be able to cure him and sell him on. However he seems untameable and her father thinks he will have to be shot.
Then events take an unexpected turn when a fire strikes in the stable. Yoland battles through the flames to rescue the horses. She then comes to Firecat and conqering her fear of the wild pony also sets him free despite being badly burned. In that moment a bond is formed between the pair and when Yoland has recovered she realises that Firecat though still vicious with everyone else has formed an attachment to her. Her father seeing this gives her an ultimatum: if she schools Firecat he will not be shot. Terrified of riding the pony, Yoland however cannot see him die and starts to ride him. One day she falls off him and bumps her head and after this her memory starts to come back and her father tells her the truth about the accident. But although this seems to help her in her recovery she still refuses to jump the pony in a show. He is then sold and she is heartbroken, after having grown fond of him. But then she meets him again at a show with his new owner. The pony has reverted back to his old ways and Yoland knows the only way to save him is to jump him at the show. Though terrifed of jumping him, she manages it. As a reward for finally overcoming her fear Yoland’s father buys the pony back and gives him to her and the pair are re-united joyfully. And to make her happiness complete her friend Jane has moved into a house nearby so she will be able to see her every day.
CHARACTERS
YOLAND - MAIN CHARACTER
PIPPIN - HER OLDER SISTER
JOHN - HER OLDER BROTHER
FIRECAT – THE WILD PONY YOLAND GROWS TO LOVE
MR. CLARK – YOLAND’S AWFUL FATHER
JANE – YOLAND’S FRIEND
REVIEW
This is a strange book and I found it quite hard to write a review of it!
Upon reading a bare plot summary of this book it seems to be the usual plot line of Girl has accident, loses nerve, regains nerve with help of pony, seen in such books as Patricia Leitch’s Afraid to Ride. However reading the book revealed it to be one of the strangest and darkest pony books I have ever read. Most pony books are real comfort reading, although it must be said that many of Christine and Diana Pullein-Thompson’s stories have dark elements (The Hidden Horse and The Secret Dog and Ponies in the Forest possibly being the darkest) and as a genre pony books do not shy away from many of the harsher realities of life.
This book however overflows with those harsh realities. I feel the book is terribly dark for the younger reader. Even at my advanced age I found it quite unsettling!
The beginning of the novel starts like a typical pony book with a family of children attending a horse show. But very soon we realise that this book is anything but typical as we experience the girl’s terrible accident and horrifying consequences.
After her accident Yoland can’t remember anything that has happened and her family do not enlighten her. Yoland consequently ‘lives in a world of fear’ afraid of horses, of the girls at school, of life in general and because the cause of this fear has been kept from her she doesn’t understand it has a reason but thinks it is some flaw in herself. But what struck me the most was the amazingly unsympathetic attitude of those around her. The girls at school play mean tricks on her. Her brother teases her unmercifully about her fear and her father is impatient with it. In a scene I found quite unpleasant Yoland is faced with a runaway pony coming straight towards her. Her father seeing what is happening shouts at her to “stop that pony at once and pull yourself together.” Afterwards when she has managed the feat, he seems ostensibly sympathetic towards her but admits he would have been cross with her if she hadn’t stopped the pony. He is later even more unfeeling when he gives her the ultimatum of ‘ride Firecat or he dies’ and then despite her overcoming her fear and riding Firecat and falling in love with him he takes the pony away from her because she will not jump him. This unpleasant atmosphere is further heightened by the constant bickering of John and Pippin, which unlike the squabbling of most families in children’s books seem to contain a real streak of nastiness in it. And if this is not enough for the poor girl to endure after plucking up her courage enough to start riding on a quiet pony she is subjected to another horrific ordeal on a bolting horse, and then the tragedy of her mother’s death.
When Yoland is shipped off to her Aunt’s to recuperate the reader breathes a sigh of relief. The contrast between this place and her new home is overwhelming. Her Aunt and Uncle aren’t mentioned much but it is stressed that Yoland likes them and it is “no real hardship for her to say goodbye to her father.” And Jane, the girl Yoland meets whilst staying there is favourably compared to Pippin, the only other girl of the same age in the book. Here, away from her unpleasant family and the constant pressure they put on her and with someone sympathetic to her fears, Yoland begins to blossom. Unfortunately for Yoland this is just a brief interlude in her dark world and she is soon surrounded once more by fear and unpleasantness.
Although I remain puzzled as to why the author wanted a children’s book to be so dark in tone it does show a rather daring departure from the normal children’s book of the day and does attempt an exploration of the depth of fear a person can feel.
And being so sorry for Yoland, we do feel a very strong empathy to the character which gives the story rather more emotional impact than it could otherwise have. The writing also seems to show a pyschological insight into Yoland’s problems. We feel that the author is telling us that Yoland’s fear cannot be conquered until she can confront the truth – the basis of course of Freudian psycho-analysis. In keeping the accident from her her family have caused Yoland to blame herself for her fear instead of circumstances (and of course their incredily unfeeling attitude does not help.) It is only when she falls off Firecat and bumps her head that the memories of the accident start to come back to her and her father tells her the truth. It is from then on that she really starts to overcome her fear. Whereas in a more conventional pony book it would be the bond between her and Firecat which conquered her terror here it is a mixture of both the pony and learning the truth. Cleverly the author merges both so that it is through Firecat that she falls off bumps her head and subsequently finds out about the accident. Of course it is through the pony that the final barrier is crossed as she finally lays to rest her fear of jumping in order to save the pony.
The conventional ending of the book sits rather uncomfortably with the rest and feels rather contrived. Although it is nice that Yoland is rewarded for everything she has gone through you can’t help think that in giving her back Firecat her father is acting uncharacteristically kindly!
I am still now undecided about how I feel about this book. Although it is not a conventional perhaps in some ways not even particularly enjoyable pony book, it does grip you and involve you deeply with the main character. And it is not a book which you will soon forget. If you want a challenging thought provoking read this book is for you but if you want comfort and entertainment turn instead to Jackie or Jill!
I would rate it as 2 horseshoes (FAIR)
Edition reviewed - first edition
(Contains plot spoilers)
SUMMARY
Yoland is a promising young rider. Along with her older brother and sister, John and Pippin, she shows the ponies from her father's succesful yard. Then one day at a show she has a terrible accident. She is left in a coma and upon awakening has lost her memory. Not only is the accident forgotten but also her brothers sister and parents. Upon returning home she feels at once strangely drawn to the horses whilst at the same time being inexplicably afraid of them. The rest of the family decide not to tell her about the accident so she does not understand her fear. Eventually she is persuaded to ride again and her father buys her a very quiet pony called Zarak whom she hacks about quietly. But just as she seems to be getting over her fear even more tragedy strikes as her mother falls ill and dies. She is sent to her aunt’s home near the sea to recuperate and makes a friend called Jane. Jane is much more sympathetic to her fear than her family and in time helps her to start jumping again. But once back home without Janes support her fear overtakes her again. At the same time her father buys a new pony called Firecat. He is wild and vicious but he thinks he may be able to cure him and sell him on. However he seems untameable and her father thinks he will have to be shot.
Then events take an unexpected turn when a fire strikes in the stable. Yoland battles through the flames to rescue the horses. She then comes to Firecat and conqering her fear of the wild pony also sets him free despite being badly burned. In that moment a bond is formed between the pair and when Yoland has recovered she realises that Firecat though still vicious with everyone else has formed an attachment to her. Her father seeing this gives her an ultimatum: if she schools Firecat he will not be shot. Terrified of riding the pony, Yoland however cannot see him die and starts to ride him. One day she falls off him and bumps her head and after this her memory starts to come back and her father tells her the truth about the accident. But although this seems to help her in her recovery she still refuses to jump the pony in a show. He is then sold and she is heartbroken, after having grown fond of him. But then she meets him again at a show with his new owner. The pony has reverted back to his old ways and Yoland knows the only way to save him is to jump him at the show. Though terrifed of jumping him, she manages it. As a reward for finally overcoming her fear Yoland’s father buys the pony back and gives him to her and the pair are re-united joyfully. And to make her happiness complete her friend Jane has moved into a house nearby so she will be able to see her every day.
CHARACTERS
YOLAND - MAIN CHARACTER
PIPPIN - HER OLDER SISTER
JOHN - HER OLDER BROTHER
FIRECAT – THE WILD PONY YOLAND GROWS TO LOVE
MR. CLARK – YOLAND’S AWFUL FATHER
JANE – YOLAND’S FRIEND
REVIEW
This is a strange book and I found it quite hard to write a review of it!
Upon reading a bare plot summary of this book it seems to be the usual plot line of Girl has accident, loses nerve, regains nerve with help of pony, seen in such books as Patricia Leitch’s Afraid to Ride. However reading the book revealed it to be one of the strangest and darkest pony books I have ever read. Most pony books are real comfort reading, although it must be said that many of Christine and Diana Pullein-Thompson’s stories have dark elements (The Hidden Horse and The Secret Dog and Ponies in the Forest possibly being the darkest) and as a genre pony books do not shy away from many of the harsher realities of life.
This book however overflows with those harsh realities. I feel the book is terribly dark for the younger reader. Even at my advanced age I found it quite unsettling!
The beginning of the novel starts like a typical pony book with a family of children attending a horse show. But very soon we realise that this book is anything but typical as we experience the girl’s terrible accident and horrifying consequences.
After her accident Yoland can’t remember anything that has happened and her family do not enlighten her. Yoland consequently ‘lives in a world of fear’ afraid of horses, of the girls at school, of life in general and because the cause of this fear has been kept from her she doesn’t understand it has a reason but thinks it is some flaw in herself. But what struck me the most was the amazingly unsympathetic attitude of those around her. The girls at school play mean tricks on her. Her brother teases her unmercifully about her fear and her father is impatient with it. In a scene I found quite unpleasant Yoland is faced with a runaway pony coming straight towards her. Her father seeing what is happening shouts at her to “stop that pony at once and pull yourself together.” Afterwards when she has managed the feat, he seems ostensibly sympathetic towards her but admits he would have been cross with her if she hadn’t stopped the pony. He is later even more unfeeling when he gives her the ultimatum of ‘ride Firecat or he dies’ and then despite her overcoming her fear and riding Firecat and falling in love with him he takes the pony away from her because she will not jump him. This unpleasant atmosphere is further heightened by the constant bickering of John and Pippin, which unlike the squabbling of most families in children’s books seem to contain a real streak of nastiness in it. And if this is not enough for the poor girl to endure after plucking up her courage enough to start riding on a quiet pony she is subjected to another horrific ordeal on a bolting horse, and then the tragedy of her mother’s death.
When Yoland is shipped off to her Aunt’s to recuperate the reader breathes a sigh of relief. The contrast between this place and her new home is overwhelming. Her Aunt and Uncle aren’t mentioned much but it is stressed that Yoland likes them and it is “no real hardship for her to say goodbye to her father.” And Jane, the girl Yoland meets whilst staying there is favourably compared to Pippin, the only other girl of the same age in the book. Here, away from her unpleasant family and the constant pressure they put on her and with someone sympathetic to her fears, Yoland begins to blossom. Unfortunately for Yoland this is just a brief interlude in her dark world and she is soon surrounded once more by fear and unpleasantness.
Although I remain puzzled as to why the author wanted a children’s book to be so dark in tone it does show a rather daring departure from the normal children’s book of the day and does attempt an exploration of the depth of fear a person can feel.
And being so sorry for Yoland, we do feel a very strong empathy to the character which gives the story rather more emotional impact than it could otherwise have. The writing also seems to show a pyschological insight into Yoland’s problems. We feel that the author is telling us that Yoland’s fear cannot be conquered until she can confront the truth – the basis of course of Freudian psycho-analysis. In keeping the accident from her her family have caused Yoland to blame herself for her fear instead of circumstances (and of course their incredily unfeeling attitude does not help.) It is only when she falls off Firecat and bumps her head that the memories of the accident start to come back to her and her father tells her the truth. It is from then on that she really starts to overcome her fear. Whereas in a more conventional pony book it would be the bond between her and Firecat which conquered her terror here it is a mixture of both the pony and learning the truth. Cleverly the author merges both so that it is through Firecat that she falls off bumps her head and subsequently finds out about the accident. Of course it is through the pony that the final barrier is crossed as she finally lays to rest her fear of jumping in order to save the pony.
The conventional ending of the book sits rather uncomfortably with the rest and feels rather contrived. Although it is nice that Yoland is rewarded for everything she has gone through you can’t help think that in giving her back Firecat her father is acting uncharacteristically kindly!
I am still now undecided about how I feel about this book. Although it is not a conventional perhaps in some ways not even particularly enjoyable pony book, it does grip you and involve you deeply with the main character. And it is not a book which you will soon forget. If you want a challenging thought provoking read this book is for you but if you want comfort and entertainment turn instead to Jackie or Jill!
I would rate it as 2 horseshoes (FAIR)