Post by Claire on Jul 15, 2008 16:54:00 GMT 1
MIG O’THE MOOR by NANCY CAFFREY
EDITION REVIEWED: 1ST EDITION 1953 DUTTON & CO
(PIC TO BE ADDED WHEN I CAN GET PHOTOBUCKET TO WORK!)
MAIN CHARACTERS
Danny O’Hara – a young American boy
Shawn – an Irish ex-pat now living in America where he works as a horse dealer and trainer. Friend of Danny
Mike O’Hara – Danny’s father. A superb rider and trainer.
Bobby – Stableboy and enemy of Danny
Mig – Mysterious horse from Ireland whom Danny falls in love with
SUMMARY
Shawn is across in his Irish homeland, looking for horses to take back to the states where he sells them for a good profit. He is out in a pony and trap one evening with his two brothers Pat and Joe when the three encounter a ghostly horse on the moor. Shawn is entranced by the superb power and grace of the animal and vows to have him if the horse be flesh and blood and not ghost! He is directed to Old Moira, a mysterious old woman in the nearby village who tells him he can have the horse who is called Mig o’the Moor, but that the animal will not allow anyone but an Irishman to ride him. Overjoyed, Shawn ships the horse back to America. But there the animal loses condition and seems listless and no-body will buy him.
Then one day Danny O’Hara appears and sees Mig. Danny is an unhappy boy who is afraid of horses. This perhaps wouldn’t be a problem in a normal family but he comes from a long line of superb horsemen of Irish descent and his father who runs a training establishment is ashamed of him. But Mig and Danny seem to bond and soon the horse is helping Danny overcome his fears. Danny and Shawn concoct a daring plan to show Danny’s father that the boy is not a coward and make him proud of the boy. Can they pull it off, and what will happen when the mystery of Mig is finally revealed?
REVIEW
Nancy Caffrey is an American author. Possibly not a well-known author in the UK, probably because her books are very hard to find and usually very expensive to buy. As it is unlikely many people have read the book I will not reveal any key plot points of the story, which will necessarily make the review shorter than normal (was that a sigh of relief I heard?)
This is an excellent story and unlike many of the author’s books is aimed at an older readership, making it particularly good reading for adults. The adult characters in the book are very important, and this is not just a book about a boy’s relationship with a horse but about the relationships of the grown-ups with him also. It has some quirky humour also, mainly seen in the character of Shawn, which will bring a smile to the older reader.
As with many American pony books, the main character is a boy. I quite enjoy such books and don’t think that it makes it any harder for a female reader to identify with the character. However the fact that he is a boy does make his problem – the fact that he is afraid of horses – more overwhelming for him than if he was a girl, as boys, especially in those days, are expected to be more fearless than girls. So the plot and character development work much better than if it were a female lead character.
In a number of her books, Nancy Caffrey has explored the character of the nervous or unconfident child and how the relationship with a horse has helped them overcome this. It is a theme that has been dealt with in many pony books, but in this particular story it is given an added dimension by the slightly supernatural mysterious element which centres upon the horse Mig o’the Moor.
The book contrasts two worlds. It begins in Ireland where the atmosphere is immediately slightly fey. The mists are swirling, the talk is of ghosts and the ‘little people’ and into this backdrop appears the magnificent but mysterious horse Mig. Then we jump to the USA and the very down-to-earth world of horse training and dealing. As the story progresses in this section of the book we at times forget that there is a mysterious element lurking beneath the traditional plot-line of Danny’s relationship with the horse. But all the while the myths and legends of the characters’ Irish homeland are working beneath the surface, occaisionally glimpsed, but not really revealed until the very end of the book where the mystery of the horse is solved in a touching and emotional finale.
This seamless combination of the two worlds means that unlike some pony pooks (particularly modern ones) which seem to shoe-horn a mystical element into their story, both the elements of reality and mysticism work very well together in this book. This is similar to the way that the legends and magical occurances fit into the Jinny books by Patricia Leitch. You will enjoy this story if you like this type of thing but even if you are not ‘into’ fantasy stories, that particular aspect of this book is subtle enough not to put you off. There is still a great traditional pony story waiting for you here with lots of riding and training and other horsy stuff!
Although there are many elements making up this story, at the heart of it is the relationship of boy and horse. I feel that pony stories always work better when there is a close bond between the main character and their horse or pony, as it gives the reader a more emotional response to the book and also adds more tension and importance to events which may threaten the relationship. It is also nice to read books where the hero/heroine shows genuine affection for their horse and does not just treat them like a furry bicycle or winning machine.
In summary this book has something for everyone. There is a touching relationship between boy and horse. There is the exploration of complex human relationships and emotions. The world of training and competing is dealt with realistically but at the same time there is a slight supernatural element which takes the story out of the ordinary. I think that whatever type of pony/horse book you prefer, you will enjoy this great story!
I would rate this book as 5 horseshoes
EDITION REVIEWED: 1ST EDITION 1953 DUTTON & CO
(PIC TO BE ADDED WHEN I CAN GET PHOTOBUCKET TO WORK!)
MAIN CHARACTERS
Danny O’Hara – a young American boy
Shawn – an Irish ex-pat now living in America where he works as a horse dealer and trainer. Friend of Danny
Mike O’Hara – Danny’s father. A superb rider and trainer.
Bobby – Stableboy and enemy of Danny
Mig – Mysterious horse from Ireland whom Danny falls in love with
SUMMARY
Shawn is across in his Irish homeland, looking for horses to take back to the states where he sells them for a good profit. He is out in a pony and trap one evening with his two brothers Pat and Joe when the three encounter a ghostly horse on the moor. Shawn is entranced by the superb power and grace of the animal and vows to have him if the horse be flesh and blood and not ghost! He is directed to Old Moira, a mysterious old woman in the nearby village who tells him he can have the horse who is called Mig o’the Moor, but that the animal will not allow anyone but an Irishman to ride him. Overjoyed, Shawn ships the horse back to America. But there the animal loses condition and seems listless and no-body will buy him.
Then one day Danny O’Hara appears and sees Mig. Danny is an unhappy boy who is afraid of horses. This perhaps wouldn’t be a problem in a normal family but he comes from a long line of superb horsemen of Irish descent and his father who runs a training establishment is ashamed of him. But Mig and Danny seem to bond and soon the horse is helping Danny overcome his fears. Danny and Shawn concoct a daring plan to show Danny’s father that the boy is not a coward and make him proud of the boy. Can they pull it off, and what will happen when the mystery of Mig is finally revealed?
REVIEW
Nancy Caffrey is an American author. Possibly not a well-known author in the UK, probably because her books are very hard to find and usually very expensive to buy. As it is unlikely many people have read the book I will not reveal any key plot points of the story, which will necessarily make the review shorter than normal (was that a sigh of relief I heard?)
This is an excellent story and unlike many of the author’s books is aimed at an older readership, making it particularly good reading for adults. The adult characters in the book are very important, and this is not just a book about a boy’s relationship with a horse but about the relationships of the grown-ups with him also. It has some quirky humour also, mainly seen in the character of Shawn, which will bring a smile to the older reader.
As with many American pony books, the main character is a boy. I quite enjoy such books and don’t think that it makes it any harder for a female reader to identify with the character. However the fact that he is a boy does make his problem – the fact that he is afraid of horses – more overwhelming for him than if he was a girl, as boys, especially in those days, are expected to be more fearless than girls. So the plot and character development work much better than if it were a female lead character.
In a number of her books, Nancy Caffrey has explored the character of the nervous or unconfident child and how the relationship with a horse has helped them overcome this. It is a theme that has been dealt with in many pony books, but in this particular story it is given an added dimension by the slightly supernatural mysterious element which centres upon the horse Mig o’the Moor.
The book contrasts two worlds. It begins in Ireland where the atmosphere is immediately slightly fey. The mists are swirling, the talk is of ghosts and the ‘little people’ and into this backdrop appears the magnificent but mysterious horse Mig. Then we jump to the USA and the very down-to-earth world of horse training and dealing. As the story progresses in this section of the book we at times forget that there is a mysterious element lurking beneath the traditional plot-line of Danny’s relationship with the horse. But all the while the myths and legends of the characters’ Irish homeland are working beneath the surface, occaisionally glimpsed, but not really revealed until the very end of the book where the mystery of the horse is solved in a touching and emotional finale.
This seamless combination of the two worlds means that unlike some pony pooks (particularly modern ones) which seem to shoe-horn a mystical element into their story, both the elements of reality and mysticism work very well together in this book. This is similar to the way that the legends and magical occurances fit into the Jinny books by Patricia Leitch. You will enjoy this story if you like this type of thing but even if you are not ‘into’ fantasy stories, that particular aspect of this book is subtle enough not to put you off. There is still a great traditional pony story waiting for you here with lots of riding and training and other horsy stuff!
Although there are many elements making up this story, at the heart of it is the relationship of boy and horse. I feel that pony stories always work better when there is a close bond between the main character and their horse or pony, as it gives the reader a more emotional response to the book and also adds more tension and importance to events which may threaten the relationship. It is also nice to read books where the hero/heroine shows genuine affection for their horse and does not just treat them like a furry bicycle or winning machine.
In summary this book has something for everyone. There is a touching relationship between boy and horse. There is the exploration of complex human relationships and emotions. The world of training and competing is dealt with realistically but at the same time there is a slight supernatural element which takes the story out of the ordinary. I think that whatever type of pony/horse book you prefer, you will enjoy this great story!
I would rate this book as 5 horseshoes