Post by tintin on Apr 2, 2013 20:27:00 GMT 1
This is a very hard book to review.
It forms part of a body of 129 books (It is No.88) featuring the three central characters - Stevie, Carol and Lisa who all belong to the same Saddle Club based at their local stables in Virginia.
I'll start with the positives. These are three believeable young girls and the book flows well. It is,however, far more a book about friendship and growing up than about riding and horses. As such the book has positive messages.
The story is that a new rider, Tiffani, arrives at the Pine Hollow Stables from Tenessee. She is a side saddle rider which causes a flurry of interest. She is also very charming, ladylike and chic. Stevie becomes extremely jealous and tries to emulate her. Unfortunately Stevie is naturally outspoken, a practical joker and careless of her appearance. Ms Bryant deserves full marks here because Tiffani is a genuinely likeable young lady, it would have been too easy to make her a cardboard villain purely to act as a foil for Stevie. There are some good messages about being your self and having a go at new things. All works out well in the end.
Now to the less good side. The book was extremely sketchy about side saddle. About the only worthwhile thing you would come away knowing is that the rider requires the use of a stick to compensate her for not having a leg at one side. The pommels, the most important part of the saddle for the rider are described extremely sketchily. At one point Tiffani takes part in a session without stirrups with the astride riders. Work without stirrups in side saddle is different in character and purpose from astride and cannot be sustained for such long periods, also the stirrup needs to be completely removed from the saddle. None of this is explained and it might have been better to have left the subject alone entirely.
Also the stables has a large supply of side saddles in various sizes that just happen to be ready and available for use. This i not really credible. Obtaining saddles to fit an individual horse is not that easy. It is also almost impossible to believe that they would have lain around unused or unsold.
There is a great deal of discussion of dismounted couture in the book which to my untrained eye appears OK, however, incredibly here is little no mention of any habit for Tiffani. Surely the riding habit is one of the most distinctive parts of side saddle? It would also fit into the whole jealousy plot line very well. From the riding point of view the safety aspect of the apron is surely of interest?
This sort of takes me along to my second major criticism. I looked into these books a bit before daring to write this review and these girls are supposed to be 12. They seem much more like 14-15 year olds - though perhaps the books are cunningly marketed at 12 year olds who want to be 15.
I have given the book 3 - good - because it is well written and, looking at reviews on Amazon is loved by people who do not seem to be natural readers who love and identify with the characters and enter into their world, which is surely a very good thing.
I suppose on balance what I am saying is that if you want a book for a young girl who is a reluctant reader and which leaves her in safe moral hands - buy it, BUT if she has a real curiosity about side saddle DO N'T - the poor girl will be badly short changed.
It forms part of a body of 129 books (It is No.88) featuring the three central characters - Stevie, Carol and Lisa who all belong to the same Saddle Club based at their local stables in Virginia.
I'll start with the positives. These are three believeable young girls and the book flows well. It is,however, far more a book about friendship and growing up than about riding and horses. As such the book has positive messages.
The story is that a new rider, Tiffani, arrives at the Pine Hollow Stables from Tenessee. She is a side saddle rider which causes a flurry of interest. She is also very charming, ladylike and chic. Stevie becomes extremely jealous and tries to emulate her. Unfortunately Stevie is naturally outspoken, a practical joker and careless of her appearance. Ms Bryant deserves full marks here because Tiffani is a genuinely likeable young lady, it would have been too easy to make her a cardboard villain purely to act as a foil for Stevie. There are some good messages about being your self and having a go at new things. All works out well in the end.
Now to the less good side. The book was extremely sketchy about side saddle. About the only worthwhile thing you would come away knowing is that the rider requires the use of a stick to compensate her for not having a leg at one side. The pommels, the most important part of the saddle for the rider are described extremely sketchily. At one point Tiffani takes part in a session without stirrups with the astride riders. Work without stirrups in side saddle is different in character and purpose from astride and cannot be sustained for such long periods, also the stirrup needs to be completely removed from the saddle. None of this is explained and it might have been better to have left the subject alone entirely.
Also the stables has a large supply of side saddles in various sizes that just happen to be ready and available for use. This i not really credible. Obtaining saddles to fit an individual horse is not that easy. It is also almost impossible to believe that they would have lain around unused or unsold.
There is a great deal of discussion of dismounted couture in the book which to my untrained eye appears OK, however, incredibly here is little no mention of any habit for Tiffani. Surely the riding habit is one of the most distinctive parts of side saddle? It would also fit into the whole jealousy plot line very well. From the riding point of view the safety aspect of the apron is surely of interest?
This sort of takes me along to my second major criticism. I looked into these books a bit before daring to write this review and these girls are supposed to be 12. They seem much more like 14-15 year olds - though perhaps the books are cunningly marketed at 12 year olds who want to be 15.
I have given the book 3 - good - because it is well written and, looking at reviews on Amazon is loved by people who do not seem to be natural readers who love and identify with the characters and enter into their world, which is surely a very good thing.
I suppose on balance what I am saying is that if you want a book for a young girl who is a reluctant reader and which leaves her in safe moral hands - buy it, BUT if she has a real curiosity about side saddle DO N'T - the poor girl will be badly short changed.