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Post by Claire on Dec 5, 2020 18:09:07 GMT 1
Hi all, apologies for the delay in setting up, have been a bit under the weather. Our Christmas/Winter group read this year is Black Fury by Peggie Cannam, a story about a boy and a horse with a Christmas/snowy backdrop. The book is quite easy to find in the UK and USA. If anyone can't get hold of it I can lend my copy. Discussion will start around 26th December onwards.
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Post by darkhorse on Dec 11, 2020 18:51:32 GMT 1
I have the book on order from Santa. So I will join in after Christmas day.
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Post by susanb on Dec 13, 2020 11:51:44 GMT 1
I read it in one sitting yesterday and really enjoyed it ...looking forward to our post-Christmas discussion!
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Post by Claire on Dec 13, 2020 18:13:09 GMT 1
Hi Susan, glad you enjoyed it. I've started reading it now so I can be finished it in case anyone would like to borrow my copy.
We can start a discussion sooner than the 26th if a few people finish before then, just remember to put a 'spoiler' notice at the top of your post.
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Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2020 22:09:54 GMT 1
Hi all, has anyone, other than Susan and myself read this yet? If so did you enjoy it? DId you think it was a goods choice for a Christmas read? I'll be adding my comments tomorrow. Oh and don't forget to vote also.
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Post by darkhorse on Jan 1, 2021 13:13:18 GMT 1
Just finished it. Voted good. I thought in some ways it was a very good Christmas read, especially as it started on one Christmas and ended at the next. However, it was possibly a bit dark and downbeat, although it does have a very happy ending.
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Post by sarah on Jan 2, 2021 9:27:20 GMT 1
Still trying to dig out my copy. Will make a concerted effort to find it today! I remember enjoying well enough although not read it for years.
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Post by Claire on Jan 2, 2021 16:37:18 GMT 1
I thought it was a good read and a fairly good Christmas choice - as Darkhorse said, it spanned a year with a Christmas on either side and it also had the ubiquitous snow! I also thought it had a slight fairytale/Cinderella type quality with The Aunt as the Wicked Stepmother and Shillagh as the prize instead of the Prince! I did find it quite slow to get started and it was fairly downbeat for a lot of that time. It did tug at the emotional heart strings, with Nick beng a very sympathetic character. The Aunt was a truly horrible person who only ever showed Nick any care when she thought she had injured him and was in danger of being prosecuted. Nice ending, with a slight twist to it. Gypsies appeared but were presented as both good and bad. Always earns a bonus point for me when they aren't just portrayed with the usual cliched eye!
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Post by darkhorse on Jan 2, 2021 22:39:28 GMT 1
His Aunt was really horrible. What about when she wanted his dog to have puppies so she could get the money for them even though the vet had warned them against breeding from her? And the Uncle was totally spineless, letting her abuse her nephew like that. Did we ever have a top 10 of horrible characters? I'm sure she would have been up there.
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Post by susanb on Jan 4, 2021 21:48:55 GMT 1
There were a lot of truly terrible people for just one kid's life! The aunt, the uncle and Shillagh's owner! The good ones were really good though....I loved how the owner's wife drover all over the countryside trying to track Shillagh down, and that the lady gypsy had held onto the horse, knowing that Nick loved her.
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Post by Claire on Jan 5, 2021 13:15:15 GMT 1
Yes I agree the evil was balanced by the good. Nick seemed to inspire a lot of love in others. I actually thought the owners wife (forgot her name at the minute) would adopt him.
I also liked the realism in the book, it didn't go down the unlikely (but often trod) route of having Nick magically transform Shillagh into a gentle loving horse almost immediately because of some 'special connection' or 'special way with horses' - indeed he gets badly kicked by her. I think all in all the book is something of a hidden gem and I do think Peggy Cannam is a little under-rated as an author of pony books. I think Triple Bar is one of the best of all the 'pony viewpoint' Black Beauty-style stories and her two pony/school stories are pretty good examples of that sub-genre.
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Post by trixiepony on Jan 10, 2021 11:37:25 GMT 1
sounds fun I may see if I can find a copy.
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