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Post by Claire on Dec 20, 2018 1:40:27 GMT 1
Hi all our Christmas/early winter read is Pony and Trap by Kathleen Mackenzie. Not particularly Christmassy but it's set in winter and has the obligatory snow! (nice wintry looking dustwrapper too - tho sadly my copy doesn't have it) Open to discussion as soon as anyone is ready but please mention at the beginning of your post if it has spoilers.
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Post by Claire on Jan 4, 2019 21:35:32 GMT 1
Just wondering if anyone has read the book yet?
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Post by brumby on Jan 6, 2019 4:34:26 GMT 1
Weird I just typed a reply and it just vanished!
Yes I have read it, been waiting for the discussion to begin although it seems ages since I read it, am presently rereading Harry Potter.
I can't decided whether to give it good or very good (somewhere in between)
Good story, likeable characters, enjoyable read.
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Post by garej on Jan 7, 2019 15:03:33 GMT 1
I am waiting for it to arrive in the post Claire.
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Post by Claire on Jan 8, 2019 22:40:35 GMT 1
Oh good that you're joining in Garej. I am half way through it. I stupidly left the book behind when I went to visit family over Christmas so I'm behind. But as it's set in January onwards it's probably fitting we read and discuss the book in January rather than over Christmas.
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Post by susanb on Jan 10, 2019 20:44:15 GMT 1
Just finished.....I was running a bit behind myself, so glad everyone else was in the same boat
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Post by Claire on Jan 10, 2019 21:04:17 GMT 1
Yet another children's story where the parents go off for over a year and leave their kids to a long suffering relation to look after! Did parents really do that back in the day, or is it just a fictional device to get rid of boring/overbearing parents...? I can't imagine being a mother and leaving my kids behind for months/years to be with the husband. Surely most mothers would rather it was the other way round!
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Post by susanb on Jan 11, 2019 1:34:07 GMT 1
I know, I thought that too.
You know, that plot device (if it is one) doesn't turn up in US books. Here the mother is dead which, with the father working, leaves the kids to get up to everything they couldn't do with a parent's watchful eye on them.
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Post by Claire on Jan 15, 2019 22:48:48 GMT 1
I enjoyed the book, nice undemanding read, a few cliches thrown in such as gypsies, rescues, horse doping and also bogs were mentioned though mercifully no-one fell in one! The gypsies were at least not portrayed as thieves and villains, although I found the constant references to their dirty clothes, bedding, etc (and even fleas!) rather distasteful. The characters in this book are quite 'normal' compared to some of the rather disturbed chracters in some of the author's books. I always like brother and sister books as they bring back my childhood getting up to escapades (some horsy) with my brother. I like that Tamsin as a girl has rather the upper hand in this story due to her brother recovering from an illness which makes her the more independant one, but even if he were fully fit, it seems clear she has the get up and go in the family. Some nice interludes featuring wildlife also add extra interest for animal lovers.
One of the very few pony stories to feature driving, which I must admit I always fancied but never tried. I would have liked to have seen the pony Black-boy (did the farmer pinch him from Jill...?)given a bit more of a character and I thought the donkey Balaam was wasted, he seemed a promising equine character and could have added some humourous moments, but he sadly faded out of the story quite soon.
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Post by darkhorse on Jan 23, 2019 22:19:48 GMT 1
Nice easy read. Not much of a plot, more a series of episodes, most of which have been done many times before but the winter setting made it a bit more out of the ordinary. I agree it was good to see the female character more assertive, decisive and risk-taking than the boy. I also cringed at the flea reference, we get so used to our world of political correctedness that sometimes these older books can send up some discomforting moments. But if I'd read that as a child I wouldn't have blinked an eyelid!
I voted good.
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Post by tintin on Jan 28, 2019 16:53:09 GMT 1
I LOVED this, but perhaps because it was the right thing at the right time. Yes cliched, but it did them with verve and style and made me happy. 4 pushing 5 for me. Made me want to read more works by the same author. Not too keen on the illustrations though
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Post by Claire on Jan 28, 2019 19:41:07 GMT 1
Glad you enjoyed the book Tintin, it's one of my favourites by the author. Some of her books are rather odd with some pretty messed up characters but others, like this one, are nice enjoyable undemanding reads. If you liked this one you'll probably also enjoy The Pageant, The Cave in the Cliff (not much horse content hwoever) and any from the Pentires series. Prize Pony is a good read but has a bit of a dark/more serious tone to it.
Any more comments please? We've had a lot of voters (seems like everyone enjoyed the book) but not many comments, so wondering what everyone else liked about the story.
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Post by tintin on Jan 31, 2019 17:51:54 GMT 1
My Dad loved this too
An unusual and interesting feature of the book were the episodes with the brother and the gamekeeper which were entertaining, well described and informative
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Post by Claire on Feb 4, 2019 1:25:45 GMT 1
An unusual and interesting feature of the book were the episodes with the brother and the gamekeeper which were entertaining, well described and informative Yes I really enjoyed the wildlife-watching parts too.
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