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Post by Claire on Jan 30, 2009 22:30:55 GMT 1
Well I like Sue-Elaine, Konstanze however I think wasnt that impressed but we both loved Sweet Rock. Blind Beauty is fab! Naughty hubby hope you severely punish him ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Claire on Mar 10, 2009 11:27:06 GMT 1
Well I am about to continue with my Jinny fest after having a break to read other stuff. Onto The Magic Pony now. I really feel I should review the books but can't decide whether to review some of the books separately or do the whole series, which may make more sense but be too much to fit in one review!
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Post by kunuma on Mar 10, 2009 20:15:59 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Mar 10, 2009 20:22:08 GMT 1
Wow! Do you think when she grew up she also married Ken?
I always thought the books would have made a good TV series.
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Post by Claire on Mar 13, 2009 11:00:36 GMT 1
I have got to disagree with everything you say about Jinny konstanze. I actually think she is pretty good at organising. Just reading The Magic Pony at the mo and she manages to both rescue an ill treated pony and help an old gypsy woman to 'escape' from hospital so she can die in peace in her beloved hills. I think that apart from Dream of Fair Horses the Jinny books are Pat Leitch's finest hour. I know they are not to everyones taste but they are extremely well-written, insightful and deal with important and deep issue, so they can hardly be called codswallop.
I know that Jinny is not as likeable a character as most pony book heroines, which I think is why some people find it hard to identify with her. She is selish, self-absorbed, over emotional, illogical. In short A TYPICAL TEENAGER! (Apologies to our younger forum members you are not typical teenagers you are much too nice!) If I look back I can honestly say that I was a lot like Jinny at that age too and so were many of us if we will admit it. OK maybe there are some paragons around, but I did stuff at that age I am now ashamed of. I had tantrums and did selfish things then regretted them just as Jinny did. It is part of growing up. I feel that this desire to create a real flawed character, rather than a nicey-nice likeable one as in so many pony books, was a bold and brilliant stroke on Patrica Leitch's part. The fact that Jinny is underneath it all a decent girl whose heart is in the right place is so true of many teenagers. She shows tremedous courage at times and does face up to her faults in most of the books.
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Post by zoe on Mar 13, 2009 18:39:40 GMT 1
Umm I was going to say you'd been a bit harsh about poor Jinny, Konstanze, but it's dissappeared!! I know,,,you've changed your mind and now love her!?
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Post by kunuma on Mar 13, 2009 20:04:27 GMT 1
Whoa, there is literary criticism, and then there is rudeness, I do not know if Patricia Leitch is still alive or not, but even so, I am pleased that post has gone. Now who among us doesn't identify, even slightly, with the first time Jinny saw Shantih. Claire can you possibly scan the bit in For love of a Horse - the bit in the circus that starts with that lovely description of Shantih, and ends with her father thinking that she would always allow herself to love too deeply, and always suffer for it. And while you are at the scanner, the last few paragraphs of Horse in a Million?
Ah... teenage years, when you love with a passion and think you can change the world, much more fun than middle age, when you still love with the same passion, but realise the world changes you!
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Post by Claire on Mar 13, 2009 21:12:12 GMT 1
Kunuma give me a while to get sorted and I will see what I can do altho cant put a lot up in case the copyright fairy is flitting around ;D konstanze I was just trying to point out, mayvbe badly, that liking the books or not is IMHO more of an emotional reponse people have to the character of Jinny than the actual standard of writing. I have read some badly written stinkers in my time but surely no-one could accuse PL of that crime But yes I do understand that Jinny is a hard character to like on the surface. Let me know how the penance goes ;D
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Post by kunuma on Mar 13, 2009 21:36:30 GMT 1
Oh bother, I never thought about that - it's only a couple of paragraphs- but don't get into trouble over it, we'll just have to make people reread the books! ;D
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Post by zoe on Mar 13, 2009 21:57:42 GMT 1
What does IMHO mean?
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Post by Claire on Mar 13, 2009 22:03:06 GMT 1
IMHO - in my humble opinion.
Not that it is very humble actually ;D ;D ;D
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Post by zoe on Mar 13, 2009 22:19:09 GMT 1
Thank you. When I read your posts dissecting books I realise why my marks in english were'nt as good as I wanted, you def have a gift for it. I must start my read of the Jinny books - back to ebay I guess to locate them!!! Edited to say I hope Jinny and Ken did get married after the series ended. ;D
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Post by Claire on Mar 14, 2009 18:18:55 GMT 1
Konstanze sorry if I came across as angry. I wasn't angry. I have enough real life probs to get upset about someone criticising an imaginary character! I just thought the criticism was a bit harsh and wanted to redress the balance, and you have agreed so now we are all happy! I hope Actually I DO prefer Janet and some other of PL's characters to Jinny, believe it or not. They are much more likeable people, But that is just the character, not the books themselves, I still think the Jinny books are amongst her finest works.
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Post by tinuviel on Mar 16, 2009 12:43:21 GMT 1
Jinny was human. More human than most other pony book characters. How many people have you met that,don't listen,are annoying,self absorbed......but ultimately good people...
That is Jinny,punch worthy At times,but in the end,just a naive young girl who loves her horse and wants what is best for them, both.
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kleo
Stablehand
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Post by kleo on Mar 19, 2009 6:22:33 GMT 1
Hi guys. Found your forum while looking for a fan mail addy for Patricia Leitch, couldnt resist joining in.
For the record, Shantih is a MARE.
I still adore the Jinny books. Im re reading them now and I always find them fun. Patricia was heavily into the alternative cultures, that is the reason for Kens character and the fantasy aspects of the books. I'm still eating it up and Im no 14 yr old....
All you Jinny haters sound like Clare Burnley!
I think Jinny is responsable for my love of arabs. At 14 I inherited a mad arab mare from my Dad and I swear, she acted just like Shantih every day of her life. She's a mellowed out mum now, had 3 foals.
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Post by Claire on Mar 19, 2009 10:23:23 GMT 1
Hi Kleo and welcome Clare Burnley was ghastly wasn't she? I'm sure nobody on here is as bad as her ;D Actually it has got me thinking. Jinny could be irritating but in the books there was often some really awful characters who made her faults seem quite trivial - which they were really. If we compare her to Clare B or Kit and her step parents in Ride Like the Wind, she stands up well as a person. There is also Petra whose smugness is FAR more irritating than Jinny's behaviour. As tinuveil said Jinny is human and it is Pat Leitch's desire to show her as a real warts n all human at the risk of alienating some readers that makes these books special. SHe uses other devises to make us empathise with Jinny such as the contrast of the truly awful characters and the overwhelming courage which Jinny often shows.
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Post by zoe on Mar 19, 2009 10:57:01 GMT 1
Hi Kleo
I love Ken's character and I still remember doing an essay at school about a book we had read in class, I must have been reading a Jinny book at the same time as when my essay came back marked it was covered in big question marks - by mistake I had wrote about Ken being in the school story insted of the actual character! My teacher must have thought I was mad!! haha
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Post by kunuma on Mar 19, 2009 19:26:23 GMT 1
Yay, another Jinny fan - hi Kleo. Does Patricia Leitch have a fan club then?? I'm curious to know if Shantih was inspired by a real life Arab mare ( I'm convinced she was a Crabbet!!)
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lily
Pony Trekker
Posts: 60
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Post by lily on Mar 19, 2009 23:20:26 GMT 1
Oh I don't think anyone could take offence at Kleo's remarks. They're accompanied by an exclamation mark so we know she's joking.
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kleo
Stablehand
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Post by kleo on Mar 20, 2009 3:49:39 GMT 1
Whoa Hi all! How great to be on a forum where people actually reply...Ive been on other forums where people take so long to chat you wonder why they started it!
HiYa Claire! Of course I was kidding...But I have met plenty of 'Burnleys' in the horse world. I think she was supposed to be impossible to believe, but sadly I do. You raise great points. For those exact reasons, I loved Jinny. I had a hard time empathizing with the Saddle Club girls....Never seen a place like Pine Hollow (is that what its called?) and doubt I ever will. I was always an imperfect tomboy struggling to stay on my arab...I also draw and get into the celtic and hindi cultures, so it was all good!
Hey Zoe. I think I was always a bit in love with Ken...Would you believe its my husbands name? No, had no effect on me at all!
Hi Kunama! LOVE that name...Another great character! My stallion looks like Baringa, or at least, I like to think so! I never did find a fan adress, but Im still researching, so I'll let you know if I do.
Konstanze, Clare Burnley is a toffy girl who seems way too posh for herself. She's incredibly narrow minded. I dont believe I said anything 'crude' and it seems that you were the only one who didnt catch on to the joke. Sorry if I managed to offend you, but I guess we have different definitions of crude.
By the way, can you please define 'old hag' and 'young'.....Im scared about turning 30, not far off.
Lily, Cheers love. Of course it was all in fun!
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Post by Claire on Mar 20, 2009 11:39:22 GMT 1
Kleo dont worry we know it was in fun! BTW I would define you as young whereas I am rapidly approaching old hag status ;D Actually I remember being quite depressed when I was about to turn 30 but to be honest I had loads of fun in my 30s so I wouldnt worry. Hey all why dont we start a Pat Leitch fan club? Or a pony book fan club for that matter? I think I have a free domain name on my web package so we could use that for a new website! Also it may give us some sort of 'offical standing' if we wanted to write to authors, etc. Or maybe we could have a Pat Leitch website even...? What do people think? Or am I being a complete anorack here
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Post by kunuma on Mar 20, 2009 23:10:25 GMT 1
;D Now there's a thought for a thread, which pony book characters the pmbl members resemble, don't think I'd dare!! ;DThough I must admit that where the log in names are pony breeds I already have an automatic character connection in my head, with exmoorfan it is Lorna Doone, and with haffyfan it is of course Heidi! (Nothing wrong with plaits haffy, but look out for those goats!) And while I am making dubious but, to me, completely logical, character connections, I have decided that Jinny's soulmate would be Anne Shirley! Now that isn't what I came on to say, which was that I think a Pat Leitch fan site/club would be a great idea! Claire, you do all the hard work, and I'll read it!!
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kleo
Stablehand
Posts: 20
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Post by kleo on Mar 21, 2009 3:22:25 GMT 1
Ok good, Im happy to be a youngster, *phew!*
I was hoping to actually get some fan mail to Patricia - you know, let her know that far away in Aus there is a real live Jinny.....First chance I got, I dyed my hair red!
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Post by konstanze on Apr 21, 2009 14:25:32 GMT 1
Well I like Sue-Elaine, Konstanze however I think wasnt that impressed but we both loved Sweet Rock. Blind Beauty is fab! Naughty hubby hope you severely punish him ;D ;D ;D Wrong, Claire. I love Sue-Elaine. I love all GB' books for older readers. Just wanted to straighten the record.
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Post by Claire on Apr 21, 2009 19:42:59 GMT 1
Oops I stand corrected I thought you had said you didnt like it somewhere. I am probably getting mixed up with someone else it wont be the first time ;D
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Post by shayney on Mar 7, 2010 15:56:01 GMT 1
You lot have got me desperate to read the Jinny books again! I read the first book when I was 11 (omg 28 years ago!!!) and fell in love with them. My collection were so worn from re-reading that I had to buy plastic covers for them! I'm sure my love of Scotland and Arabs stemmed from the Jinny books. I have a chesnut hanoverian now - not quite Shantih!
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Post by trixiepony on Mar 8, 2010 1:38:16 GMT 1
I think we are all in the club if you start one Claire, Jinnys is cute even if she is annoying at times I always loved that she was a artist.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2010 8:54:21 GMT 1
Sorry but I'm not a fan of the Jinny series, I've read quite a few of them now and they just don't do it for me. I'd much rather read Patricia Leitch's other books which I enjoy
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Post by foxglove on Mar 8, 2010 16:35:58 GMT 1
It's been really interesting reading all your opinions on here. I loved the Jinny books since picking out Horse of Fire in the library when I was 9 or 10 due to the cover (the only illustrated one in the series, very striking I thought). I loved the slightly mystical element to them, and the vivid scenery. I recall thinking that nothing, literally nothing, could be cooler than having red hair that matched your horse (mine is boring brown), your horse living in a field next to your big amazing house that you could see from your window, and riding it to school in the mornings and for a canter on the moors or beach in the evenings. I desperately wanted to be an arty type, but was sadly not gifted in this area (although I did eventually scrape a C in GCSE Art). Her life seemed very free of restrictions, but at the same time more intense.
It has been intriguing to read how people have not engaged with Jinny as a character. I liked her and wanted to be more like her, whilst intrinsically recognising that she might perhaps have been quite a rubbish friend. I've always been tidy and organised, great at letter-writing and a bit of a girly-swot, so perhaps would have found Jinny annoying sometimes. Initially I remember not liking The Summer Riders, but in the end I think it was my favourite of the series as the message of friendship and loyalty was very strong and she was really made to realise how privileged her life was. A lot of the girls Jinny meets are rather interesting; Nick with the divorcing parents having to sell her beloved Brandon and how she deals with it (keeps her emotions private, in contrast to Jinny), Kat whose perfect life turns out to be a sham (always thought the story of how her parents weren't actually relatives and didn't like her was rather chilling) and even Clare Burnley redeems herself in Running Wild by asking after her horse when she takes a fall; she was a product of a horrible toff upbringing I think.
The books certainly made me love Arabs, and I fulfilled a lifetime ambition by riding one when on holiday in Jordan last year. A bit different to your average riding school cob! I haven't ever read any of Leitch's other books, but am aiming to soon. How on earth is her surname pronounced, by the way?
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Post by Claire on Mar 9, 2010 13:09:54 GMT 1
I don't think there has been another set of pony books which have caused so many conflicting opinions and emotions as the Jinny series! I am sure you will enjoy the other Pat Leitch books too foxglove, in particular A Dream of Fair Horses which must be a contender for the best pony book of all time!
Ooh I am so jealous of you riding an Arab in Jordan. I love arabs too but I have never had the chance to ride one.
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