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Post by kunuma on May 29, 2013 18:44:39 GMT 1
OK have now read it, and felt much the same about it as I do about all his books - I find them rather depressing, and I also actually tend to feel that he is rather anti women!! The fathers in his stories are always the life savingly good guys, and the wives always useless! The daughters are always well meaning, but need to be helped out by the fathers! I wonder if he had sons and daughters??
I think as a book it is a good book, though not a good horse book, but seriously, who buys a racehorse for a girl recovering from a serious illness which damages her mobility? The bit that really spoilt it for me was the hasty gloss over of her going from needing to be led to managing him beautifully in the space between chapters!
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tamzin
Pony Clubber
Posts: 110
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Post by tamzin on May 29, 2013 19:06:02 GMT 1
Sorry for the delay in posting about T&P. I’ve been away for a few days. I really LOVE this book and I’ve given it the EXCELLENT rating which seems to be the top option. I’ve responded to Claire’s questions: Do you think there should be more about the horse and less about the illness? Definitely not. The story is a complete story about a family, a tragedy, the family’s courage and battle to overcome obstacles and the way a horse is a large part of the triumph. Without the details and knowledge about the illness and its effects, the miracle of recovery and the part played by Sam would not be appreciated. I DID not think, “Oh, this is a pony story, why can’t I read more about the pony?” How well drawn are the characters? Very well. I think Vian Smith has a gift of writing in such a way that the reader can’t help but empathize with the characters. I really liked the way that the Mum. Dad and Gail all tried to understand Sam and why he behaved as he did. Even when the Mum was scared, she was still trying to tune into Sam and work out why he did what he did. Never mind Monty Roberts, I think Vian Smith must have done his best to understand the behaviour (and cures, where appropriate) of all the horses he came into contact with. Lots of psychology in this book – for humans and a horse. BTW I really liked the fact that Sam had his own tragedy as a racehorse and needed to be accepted and given the chance to heal and recover. Also, appropriate that Sam had an injured leg. What do you feel about the parent's attitude to Gail's illness? Is it realistic? Completely authentic and realistic. Mum doesn’t want Gail to go through more pain and neither does Dad but the straight talking Dr. Craig makes him understand the need for pain if Gail is to become independent and walk again. That’s why Sam is a major part of Gail’s success and the story. Would you consider it a depressing or upbeat story? Definitely upbeat. It’s about family love, courage, triumph, success and a wonderful horse. What’s not upbeat about that! Repeating myself here, but without the tragedy, the pain, the loss, the reader can’t see the joy or appreciate the major part Sam plays. What do you feel about the dramatic ending of the book? Does it sit well with the character of the rest of the story or not? I thought this was acceptable. OK it was dramatic, but possible and believable. The fact that Gail was brave enough (and by now capable enough) to sneak out for help and that Sam played his part and didn’t make a lot of noise, but trusted Gail, all showed how far they’d both come, and that’s why I think this was a suitable ending to the book. The episode showed how each family member thought about each other and aimed to protect each other. What a great book and what a great author! P.S. I now consider myself a Vian Smith fan. Thanks very much Susan for sending the books over and to Claire for letting me join in the reading circle.
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Post by Claire on May 30, 2013 1:38:53 GMT 1
Thanks for the comments Tamzin. Glad you enjoyed the book so much. Its been a very interesting discussion as we've had such a wide variety of responses to the book.
Hmm kunuma not sure I totally agree that he is anti-woman. He does has some strong female characters. As we have mentioned Gail's mother shows incredible courage in handling Sam when she is terrified of him. And what about Brenda in Come Down the Mountain? She goes against everyone to save the old racehorse. Same with Sarah in Green Heart who goes against the whole community to help another horse. I do agree that the older wife type character in his stories is often a bit downtrodden and unassertive but the younger female characters are quite feisty.
Also as mentioned before he really gets into the heads of the teenage girls in Come Down Mountain. Surely he couldn't be so empathetic with their probs if he didnt like the female species?
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Post by kunuma on May 30, 2013 19:09:58 GMT 1
OK I admit to playing devil's advocate a bit here, as it's more interesting when people disagree - so here goes, notice it is, after all, the mother who is terrified and not the father - who is the one who buys the horse for her against mother's wishes. In several of his books, the father is the supportive one, the mother the negative one. I haven't read all of his books, but in those I have, the central character, whether male or female, always seems to have something physically wrong with them, and so apparently need their father to help out. They are interesting books about family dynamics - it's just that the dynamics seem very similar across the board - the dad is always the hero! I guess I prefer books in which the teen manages all by themself!
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Post by Claire on May 30, 2013 21:06:11 GMT 1
Yeah I agree in a lot of cases in his books the father is more of a mover and shaker than the mother but I think this reflects family dynamics of the time, maybe even still of the present day in a lot of cases. Mothers would be more cautious and conservative, and fathers made most of the decisions. It was certainly the case in my family.
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Post by susanb on May 30, 2013 21:18:17 GMT 1
I don't think I'd be crazy about a book in which a child has to face polio alone I do like books where kids are self sufficient and resourceful, but some things really require a helping hand from parents, and life-threatening disease definitely meets that threshold. The parents and their struggles to help their daughter help herself are a favorite part of this book for me!
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Post by darkhorse on May 30, 2013 22:20:57 GMT 1
My parents were the same Claire. My mother would not do anything without consulting my dad. It was conditioned into wives to defer to husbands. Now its the other way round
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Post by fizz on May 31, 2013 12:30:20 GMT 1
Same in my family. I don't think my Mother did much independently while I was growing up. she had no money of her own, Dad paid everything by accounts & food was delivered. She just cooked & cleaned (we did have a cleaner for a bit). In fact she had a pretty grim life; my Dad drank a lot & didn't manage money, I am sure she would have been able to budget better. He gave her £10 a week pocket money. This was the 1960s-70s, thank goodness times have changed.
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Post by kunuma on May 31, 2013 18:58:36 GMT 1
Perhaps my feelings about family orientated books as against ones where family are absent or not involved with the horses (more usual in PT ones) are a result of my not having grown up in the normal two parent family - I suppose I find the idea of relying on parents for anything fairly unusual! As VS was a father, no doubt he was the helpful sort, especially when it came to the horses. ;D However I do still wonder why all his young characters had something wrong with them!
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Post by Claire on May 31, 2013 19:47:48 GMT 1
However I do still wonder why all his young characters had something wrong with them! As I said elsewhere I wonder if it was something to do with the fact he had a speech impediment as a child and perhaps knew what it was like to be a bit different to normal. Not sure what the speech impediment was as I haven't been able to find anything further on the matter.
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Post by foxglove on Jun 6, 2013 15:40:07 GMT 1
I really enjoyed the book and like the fact that it's unusual and can't really be compared to many others.
I have a degree in Biology which included a module on infectious diseases, and I realised when reading T&P that I actually knew very little about polio. I recall my mum (born in the 50s) describing a boy at her school crippled by it, and the very real everyday fear that it inspired.
I don't really remember the ending; the standout scenes for me were the painful recovery and and the mother's nervous interaction with the horse. All very well written.
I still haven't read Come Down The Mountain, so look forward to that.
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