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Post by Claire on Feb 1, 2014 22:31:19 GMT 1
Hi all, this month's reading circle choice is Sue's Circus Horse by Judith M Berrisford.  Discussion will take place in approx 2 weeks time. I have a spare paperback copy which I can pass on to anyone who'd like to read it. I'm toying with the idea of also doing The Ponies Next Door as an alternate - but only if a few people are interested. Let me know if you are. |
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Post by kunuma on Feb 2, 2014 17:39:20 GMT 1
I'd need to borrow both!! But can lend others in return if anyone wants a Jackie or Forest one, though don't have that forest one you mentioned Claire
PS Claire have I borrowed the Circus Horse one off you before - for some reason it is ringing the proverbial bell!!
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Post by Claire on Feb 2, 2014 19:02:38 GMT 1
PS Claire have I borrowed the Circus Horse one off you before - for some reason it is ringing the proverbial bell!! I think I lent you Ponies All Summer which is the sequel, altho I may have lent you this one as well some time. If you remember we did a challenge on here to find some books which we all thought you'd like and Ponies All Summer was I think one of those I suggested. |
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Post by Claire on Feb 2, 2014 19:02:45 GMT 1
PS Claire have I borrowed the Circus Horse one off you before - for some reason it is ringing the proverbial bell!! I think I lent you Ponies All Summer which is the sequel, altho I may have lent you this one as well some time. If you remember we did a challenge on here to find some books which we all thought you'd like and Ponies All Summer was I think one of those I suggested. |
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Post by brumby on Feb 8, 2014 4:09:47 GMT 1
Count me in Claire, I have both books so am happy to go with what ever you choose.
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Post by trixiepony on Feb 8, 2014 12:08:25 GMT 1
Reading my copy now. Fun.
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Post by Claire on Feb 8, 2014 19:57:30 GMT 1
Have added poll. Its just made me think of another gripe with the proboards upgrade. Before it kept the poll options in memory so you didnt have to keep writing them out over and over again. Now you do! Grrr!
But enough of the grousing. Brumby, I'll see how it goes. If we get another couple of people interested in doing the Ponies Next Door I'll start a thread for that too. ATM we'll concentrate on this one.
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Post by Darkhorse1 on Feb 9, 2014 17:30:33 GMT 1
Just started reading this afternoon when I had some peace with kids off my hands for a couple of hours! Enjoying it so far.
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Post by tintin on Feb 11, 2014 0:08:35 GMT 1
I enjoyed this, only the second Judith Berrisford book I have read (first was "Jackie Won a Pony") Though this is slightly less fast paced it is still pretty much 100 mph.Drops you straight in the action which continues with not much let up. Not a book for the even slightly ruminative - are they all like this?
On to "Ponies Next Door"
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Post by Claire on Feb 11, 2014 13:55:29 GMT 1
I enjoyed this, only the second Judith Berrisford book I have read (first was "Jackie Won a Pony") Though this is slightly less fast paced it is still pretty much 100 mph.Drops you straight in the action which continues with not much let up. Not a book for the even slightly ruminative - are they all like this? Lol. Pretty much. There is not a lot of introspection going on in them thats for sure. There's no denying the books are light reads but good for when you want something like that. Some are more gentler in pace than others. BTW as we now have a few people who have expressed an interest in reading The Ponies Next Door I will set up a thread for that one too. All are welcome to join in with either or both. |
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Post by Claire on Feb 25, 2014 21:17:23 GMT 1
Hi just wondering how everyone is getting on with the book? I did start reading it but with everything thats been going on with the cat in the last few days I have got distracted. I'm going to try and finish it cos its light hearted and I need cheering up.
BTW still have another spare copy if anyone wants to join in last minute.
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vera
Pony Clubber
Posts: 247
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Post by vera on Feb 26, 2014 6:58:37 GMT 1
I enjoyed it. did Judith Berrisford have athing about circuses? I liked the horse's character and the children also. And I aim to be just such a cool granny. A bit hard with them both on the mainland. It's made me want to track down a copy of Ponies All Summer because it is a nice light hearted read.
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Post by Claire on Feb 26, 2014 12:04:53 GMT 1
I'm trying to think if circuses appear in any of her other books. I do like the granny too - she's one of my fav adult characters in a horsy book. I like it when older people are portrayed in such a light, rather than just a token oldie or the cliched wise old women/man.
There's a bit that struck me as quite odd. The children have 2 ponies before Ballita which belong to Sue's older brother and sister. Sue has obviously learned to ride on them. So how come her sister has to teach her to groom Ballita? Surely she would have groomed the other 2 ponies lots of times.
have you read the 3rd in the series also Vera (Sue's TV Pony)?
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Post by trixiepony on Feb 26, 2014 12:47:45 GMT 1
I like it seems funny to get and get along with a Arab so well wen she seems such a beginner, she dusn't know about grooming and feeding.
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Post by Claire on Feb 26, 2014 13:05:03 GMT 1
I like it seems funny to get and get along with a Arab so well wen she seems such a beginner, she dusn't know about grooming and feeding. Yes Trixie and wasn't Ballita 14.2 which seems pretty big for the youngest in the family. You'd think one of the smaller ponies like Turpin would be passed to her. I don't think JMB bothers much with such 'minor' details tho lol! Its a good comfort read if you're feeling down. |
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vera
Pony Clubber
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Post by vera on Feb 27, 2014 4:16:15 GMT 1
No, I haven't read either of the other two. I just visited our local library to see if I could get a copy of The Gift wrapped Pony by Anne Farrell. Now being a local author, you would think they would keep her book on the shelves. However they had to ring up the Devonport library which had a copy in their stacks, which they will send to Rosny but I am only allowed to read it in the library. Which seems a bit weird for a book you may be able to pick up in an op shop for 50cents....OLd age leads to rambling. what I meant was that the JMB books are hard to find, apart from the Jackie ones which are in all the op shops...
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Post by Claire on Feb 27, 2014 12:08:13 GMT 1
Well Vera actually the TV Pony one is hard to find here too, its much rarer than the other two in the series. I think you'll enjoy Ponies All Summer if you liked this one.
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Post by brumby on Mar 3, 2014 22:38:09 GMT 1
I enjoyed Sue's circus horse, a simple pleasant story. As I was reading I found it refreshing for a change to read a pony story where there was no token nasty character that gave everyone grief.
Agree fabulous understanding Granny, what a nice touch!
I have the other two in the series and will look forward to reading them.
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Post by Claire on Mar 3, 2014 23:47:23 GMT 1
Finished this one. I didn't find it as enjoyable this time round as before but then that may be due to what was going on with Rosie at the time. My favourite bit is still the circus/magic act at the end when granny gets locked in the box and is wheeled swiftly off before the audience knows the trick has been mucked up! And then they have to saw her out lol.
There was actually one nasty character - the bloke in the circus who took over from the nice horse trainer and ill treated the circus horses and didnt feed them. (Sorry can't recall the names as I'm too tired). He was a bit of a cliche. (This was also a very similar plot line to another JMB book Skipper and Son, but then JMB does like to re-use her plots somewhat!)
One or two plot holes/puzzling bits in the story apart from the grooming one mentioned earlier. I couldn't understand why Sue would loan Ballita to the circus for free when she could have sold her for a lot of money to another circussy act. And surely her parents wouldn't have allowed her to in affect give away a fairly valuable horse.
But all in all a light hearted and enjoyable read. Not sure about the Lesley Atkinson illustrations, I think Geoffrey Whittam would have made a better job of it. What do other think about the illustrations?
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Post by brumby on Mar 6, 2014 6:23:16 GMT 1
You are absolutely right Claire he was a nasty piece of work. I should have been more specific I actually meant a 'bitchy' girl that causes everyone grief! Agree i was a bit puzzled about the loan of Ballita to the circus? As for the illustrations, looking back at them I think Lesley Atkinson does people much better than ponies, her ponies don't seem to have any character. Whereas Geoffrey Whittam's ponies are gorgeous  Off to read 'Ponies all summer' |
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Post by Claire on Mar 6, 2014 14:02:17 GMT 1
Ponies all Summer thankfully does have Geoffrey Whittam illustrations! The 3rd one in the series is I think Sheila Rose.
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Post by kunuma on Mar 8, 2014 11:55:31 GMT 1
Bit late to this - and still hard to find something to say as I am soooo ambivalent about Berrisford. My problem with her, is that her animals do not behave normally for animals - and though I don't mind odd human characters - the pony heroine of this book in particular is a caricature of a pony, not behaving in any way like a normal pony would, whether circus trained or not!! Her dogs are the same, they don't behave like dogs!
So I struggle to suspend disbelief throughout the book, but I didn't dislike it, just can't quite come to terms with it.
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Post by Claire on Mar 8, 2014 12:13:17 GMT 1
Interesting comments kunuma. Yes some of her animals are larger than life and not too realistic in behaviour but I suppose thats quite common in children's books. After all there are loads where animals dress up in clothes and behave like humans! I dont think she was into realism in a huge way, unlike for example the PT sisters. I just see her stories as light entertainment. Also as brumby said about the other JMB book, the children at least seem to care for their animals and treat them well, which is nice.
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Post by Darkhorse1 on Mar 9, 2014 23:36:14 GMT 1
I like the character of Ballita. Even if she is not a 'normal behaving' horse at least Judith B has given her a personality and she is not a cardboard cut out mount like you see in many pony books. I'm another fan of the granny too. I would have voted good for the book if I could log in!  |
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Post by trixiepony on Mar 18, 2014 7:58:13 GMT 1
I like it even thow the horses arn't that realistic I like that thay have there own personalities.
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Post by trixiepony on Mar 18, 2014 9:57:37 GMT 1
I had a nuther look threw the book too see if thay say how old the kids are, thay say Michael is 13 but not the girls Sue is meant to be youngest in family and Diana oldest
Michael's Turpin is meant to be a moorland pony so what 12.2hh so that sounds right for a 13 year old but a 14.2 hh Arab horse for what a 10 year old.
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korm
Stablehand
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Post by korm on Aug 28, 2014 14:33:25 GMT 1
I read this nearly 30 years ago - pretty sure I still have it somewhere! I wasn't a massive fan of JMB books as they seemed even less realistic than other pony books available at the time. The stand-out bit of conversation in the book for me was something along the lines of:
"Mummy, I've bought a horse" (Sue)
"Why that's splendid, dear" (Mummy)
Now, if (aged 10 - 12) I'd have rolled home and announced I'd bought a horse from a circus auction with my grandma, I can assure you that the last thing my mother would have thought would have been "splendid". Mute horror, closely followed by shrieking, then getting straight on the blower to my gran to give her an earful, would have been a much more likely turn of events...........
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Post by Claire on Aug 29, 2014 2:02:13 GMT 1
lol korm that has me laughing. No JMB isn't the most realistic of writers. I do like the gran's character tho having had a rather eccentric and wonderful Gran myself (tho sadly she never bought me a horse). At least JMB does offer us a few adult characters in her books, unlike many children's books of the time which were almost adult-free zones.
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