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Post by tinuviel on May 21, 2008 5:18:48 GMT 1
Excluding the PT sisters books . What is everyone's top 5 best pony books and top 5 worst pony books.
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Post by haffyfan on May 21, 2008 18:44:20 GMT 1
That's quite hard without the PT's.
1 Caroline Akrill's Eventers Trilogy (which is really 3 but you can have a three in one)
Then in no particular order maybe
Jill and The Perfect Pony Ruby Ferguson Kate and the Mystery ponies Sally fielding The Team K M Peyton Blind Beauty K M peyton
but I also really like Silver Snaffles, Jump To The Top, Black Loch (is it a pony book?), Clear Round, The Milkmans Cob and the Wendy trilogy.
Worst top prize would have to go to Mary Gervaises - A Pony For Belinda
I also didn't rate that highly Saddle Club, heartland, chestnut Hill and TB series.
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Post by kunuma on May 21, 2008 19:20:03 GMT 1
Favourites - the first five Silver Brumby books.
Least - a weird series by the aforementioned Mary Gervaise about a school and a girl called Georgie! One of the ponies is called Spot, and there is a ginger cat in it somewhere!
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Post by Claire on May 21, 2008 20:05:10 GMT 1
Black Loch (is it a pony book?) Of course its a pony book! This reminds me of the very first thread we had on the forum Will have to have a think about it without the PTs as one of my least fav books is by CPT and my 2 favs by JPT. I can't say there are many pony books I really dislike tho! BTW kunuma I LIKE the Georgie and Spot books!!!
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Post by kunuma on May 21, 2008 21:18:05 GMT 1
[ BTW kunuma I LIKE the Georgie and Spot books!!! Why?? (In 500 words or more, to be on my desk by 9a.m. tomorrow! ;D) Ooops look out - row coming up!! ;D
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Post by haffyfan on May 21, 2008 21:28:33 GMT 1
Yeah claire...explain yourself...after Belinda couldn't face the thought of tackling anything else by her...
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Post by Claire on May 21, 2008 21:54:20 GMT 1
OK will do as long as haffyfan explain why she voted dreadful for The Lyntons ;D
Actually I must admit I tried a few time to read the Georgie books by picking up the odd book here or there and couldnt really get into them but then I actually started at the beginning with the first book and read the series thru in order and they sort of grew on me, they're definitely better that way. I also like school stories and a lot of the series is set in school. I wouldnt say there are brilliant but they are proper traditional pony books.
Havent read the Belinda books so couldn't comment on them.
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Post by seahorse on May 21, 2008 22:11:06 GMT 1
hand held up gingerly I kind of like the Georgie books I have read
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Post by kunuma on May 21, 2008 22:12:56 GMT 1
I know there are schools where you can take your pony too, but that one just didn' t ring at all true! Plus the character of Georgie was very strange! I haven't read many school books I admit - (hated the real thing too much!!) - although I loved the Katy series!
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Post by haffyfan on May 21, 2008 22:15:11 GMT 1
Trebizon's good!
Just thought of another I didn't like Ponies At westways..ponies and schools just don't mix well...lol...remember trying to expalin that to my mum too.
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Post by Claire on May 21, 2008 22:18:05 GMT 1
Thanks for the solidarity seahorse...was beginning to think i was the world's only Georgie and Spot fan!
Cant say I liked school much myself (except for the 6th form which was a riot) but funnily enough loved school books. I especially loved Malory Towers and wished I could have gone there.
(apologies tinuveil for straying off topic here)
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Post by fizz on May 24, 2008 8:50:24 GMT 1
I remember the "Georgie" books. Wasn't there a well bred pony called Mademoiselle in them? I seem to remember a picture. I never liked anything about school, it was bad enough going to one let alone having to read about school in books. I remember passing on A Pony to School as I thought it was about someone taking or riding a pony to their school.
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odonna
Pony Clubber
PASSED PMBL 'C' TEST
Posts: 114
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Post by odonna on May 24, 2008 12:26:16 GMT 1
Without the Pullein-thompsons my top ones would be:
Jump to the Stars, A Dream of fair Horses, Follyfoot series, Fly-by-night and the Jill series.
Worst ones are the Saddle Clubs, Chestnut Hills and Swiss Adventure by Pat smythe. I've also read some boring old ones but can't rememeber their names!
Tinuveil you didn't say what your best and worst ones were!!
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Post by kunuma on May 24, 2008 15:19:06 GMT 1
I was so disappointed in the Pat Smythe ones, she is/was after all a real horse person, and yet the horses in her stories had no characters, and half the time not even names! Her autobiographical books are not a bit like that, the horses and their lives are described beautifully - why did she neglect the fictional ones so much I wonder
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Post by Claire on May 24, 2008 15:26:36 GMT 1
I didnt mind the 3 jays ones so much but agree that the 'adventure' series was a bit dull. Yes, kunuma am also puzzled as to the lack of character in her horses, her human characters were not badly done at all, if a bit stereotyped, but the horses barely got a mention. I wonder did she actually write them herself or were they ghostwritten, if they were done by a non horsy writer based on outlines and some technical riding info drawn up by Pat this could explain it.
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Post by susanb on May 25, 2008 4:51:10 GMT 1
I find narrowing down to top fives (or top tens or anything else) sooo difficult....not just for obvious reasons (the five you pick at any given time can depend a lot on the mood you're in!), but because it's very hard to view objectively the books I read and loved as a child with the books I've come to as an adult.
Do those books from my youth get a free pass on flaws? Am I harder on books I come to as an adult? I'm not sure, and it almost becomes an apples and oranges comparison. I really didn't like Riding with the Lyntons, because of the pony's death, and because of the acrimony that pervades almost the entire book...but would I have viewed it the same way if I'd read it as a child? The Crumb by Jean Slaughter Doty is, if anything, even more tragic, yet reading it for the first time as a child, I loved it (and still do).
Grin....all of which leads me to my two lists....one for youth...those books I read over and over again till I could quote passages by heart; and one for my maturity...those that have become favorites in the few years since I've started collecting seriously.
from my youth
Tall and Proud (original UK title King Sam) by Vian Smith The Secret Horse by Marion Holland The Sweet Running Filly by Pat Johnson and Barbara van Tuyl Dark Sunshine by Dorothy Lyons National Velvet by Enid Bagnold The Crumb by Jean Slaughter Doty King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
and of maturity
A Pony for Jean by Joanna Cannan Dark Horse of Woodfield by Florence Hightower The Far Distant Oxus by Katharine Hull and Pamela Whitlock Bright Spurs by Armine von Tempski Eventing Trilogy by Caroline Akrill Olympic Horseman by John Richard Young Jill's Gymkhana by Ruby Ferguson
Grin..I know, I went over the limit, but couldn't help myself!
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Post by tinuviel on May 25, 2008 5:35:41 GMT 1
Tinuveil you didn't say what your best and worst ones were!! I know ;D...i've been going mad on ebay lately and was 'slighly' trying to find out the ''outstanding'' and ''one's to avoid'' books lol. 1.Dream of fair horses 2.Eventers trilogy 3.First pony 4.Th luck at lonely hall-Amanda Gavin 5.Dream pony-Elinore Havers Worst: 1.TB series 2.The palamino-Virginia Vail 3.Summer of horses-Carol Fenner 4.Saddle club 5.A pony in the family-Judith.M. berrisford
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Post by cally on May 25, 2008 6:35:47 GMT 1
Hard without the P-Ts in both categories! I've tried to make mine representative- but Jill's G.khana could then be followed on by all the Jill books.
Love: They Bought Her a Pony- Joanna Cannan-( wonderful dry humour) Jill's Gymkhana- Ruby Ferguson (Witty, fast paced: would make a wonderful series for TV or film. Snappy lines_ A Pony for Jean- Joanna Cannan (Wonderful sentiment) Dream Pony- Elinore Havers (Love the characters) Jackie Won a Pony- Judith Berrisford. (I worshipped this book when a child, it was nice to read it again).
Dislike: A Pony of Your Own- Mary Gervaise (I just wanted to slap them all) Ponies in Clover- As above (As above...) Ponies Plot- C.Northcote Parkins (A STINKER- avoid like equine influenza!) 3 Js go to Town- Pat Smythe (They might as well have been riding bicycles or hobby horses for all their mounts 'personality) Horse of Fire- Pat Leitch (Don't mind the series but Jinny is insufferable in this one- needed a slap.)
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Post by cally on May 25, 2008 6:40:39 GMT 1
I should point out I generally only read UK works, and not planning to read anything a)American or b)too modern (I'll read P-Ts post 1970 (tho not on the look out for them; Riders on the March was AWFUL and the only P-T I have returned to the 2nd hand shop circuit), and maybe Patricia Leitch but not Saddle Club, Heartlands etc.
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Post by Claire on May 25, 2008 14:49:24 GMT 1
Cally you must be a pony book purist!!! ;D
susanb I like your idea of having 2 lists for your youthful and older self. Its true we do tend to hold more dearly to our hearts the books of our youth! Also your right about mood, sometimes I feel like an emotional read, other times a funny one. Then again you read a new book and think thats brilliant but its hard to relegate your old favs from the top list!
So here are mine quite loosely:
Dream of Fair Horses A Horse Called September by Anne Digby The Heron Ride by Mary Treadgold The Team A Stable for Jill (if I had to pick one!)
These have been some of my favs for a long long time. But also recently read A Pony From Tarella and Crab the Roan for the first time and loved them.
Its quite hard for me to pick worsts as I am probably less critical than you lot. I find it quite difficult to hate any pony books. I must say tho that I have tried about 6 times to get thru Gillian Baxters Tan and Tarmac and still havent got more than half way so that would have to be on the list. Yes, Saddle Club and the TB books from about 7 onwards, and I agree that the 'Family' series by JB was a bit excrutiating, methinks a failed experiment in trying to get children to learn about ponies in a story form. Also got to say I found 3 white stockings by Moyra Charlton extremely hard going tho Ive read a couple others of hers and they arent so bad.
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Post by susanb on May 25, 2008 17:19:58 GMT 1
I can see I really, really need to make a point of getting Dream Pony and A Horse Called September...they're on the lists of so many as favorite reads!!
Re the worsts....I didn't mention the TB or Saddle Club books as, really, I don't think you could count them as pony books anyway....there's such a thing as beneath contempt.
Re the Three Jays....yes, sadly, not great books. Such incredible cover art though!. You could have a fun "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" thread around that....the books/authors who had better illustrators than they deserved, those who had far worse illustrators than their work merited, and those happy marriages of great prose and great art.
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Post by Claire on May 25, 2008 17:30:10 GMT 1
I like your idea about the illustrators/authors. Why dont you start the thread?
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Post by susanb on May 25, 2008 17:38:20 GMT 1
Claire....the other thing that strikes me as I look at the books from my "mature" list is the diversity of the selections.
The only English books that came my way as a child were one's that had American paperback printings, but as an adult, thanks to the internet, I've learned about so many more books via forums like this, and thanks again to the internet, I can get hold of those books. I never had access of any kind to Australian books, but have now read and really enjoyed Joan Phipson's Good Luck to the Rider and The Boundry Riders, and have several Billabong books in my tbr pile.
The other bit of diversity is old vs. new titles....as a child, I was reading what was in print at that time, or what my library happened to have from previous generations....that's fairly limiting!. Again, it was the internet that lead me to the Dark Horse of Woodfield, and another new phenomenon, the small independant publisher reprinting older titles, that gave me access to Bright Spurs.
Variety is truely the spice of life...it's wonderful to have access to the best of all worlds....but who would have suspected that the personal pc and the world wide web would prove such a boon to pony book collectors! :-)
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Post by fizz on May 25, 2008 20:06:16 GMT 1
Top Five (in no order). Flying Changes Pancho Ribbons & Rings The Perfect Horse Black Beauty
Worst Five (in no order) Horse from Black Loch (sorry everyone) Tan & Tarmac Alison's Riding Adventure Three Jays Go To Town Any of the Jinny series
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Post by kunuma on May 25, 2008 21:24:51 GMT 1
susanb - yes, National Velvet - a true classic - can we do that as the next reading circle purrleease Claire? Interesting to see some books universally liked and some vice versa -
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Post by cally on May 26, 2008 7:57:37 GMT 1
I found National Velvet intriguing- it's actually quite a dark book, with the slaughterhouse next door etc. Though a classic, I found it a bit too grim for me.
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Post by susanb on May 27, 2008 16:41:37 GMT 1
Re National Velvet....yes, it does have dark bits, but isn't (for me) as overall dark as Black Beauty, where horses are mistreated pretty much throughout the book.
I don't believe either of those books was ever intended as a children's book, though they've been embraced by generations of children now, so they don't really fit a traditioinal "pony book" mold.
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Post by susanb on May 27, 2008 16:44:39 GMT 1
:-) Doing my top five list gave me a nudge to check (again, for the millionth time) to see if I could find a hardcover w/dj of the first American printing of Oxus in Summer...and this time I was lucky! Well, at least I hope so...placed the order on abebooks, and have confirmation that it's shipped, but I try not to get my hopes up until a book is in my hands! If it works out, that will make a matched set of the trilogy for me!!
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