|
Post by tinuviel on May 31, 2008 3:54:12 GMT 1
I dont know about anyone else but the 'new,modern' pony books are just not cutting for me realy. I have been thinking about why and came up with a few personal reasons.
1. They are all perfect riders,they never improve or wow people because they are perfect from the start and any fault is portrayed as the horses.
2.All their parents are suppotive AND properly knowledgable about horses....Where are the Mrs Cresswells and the Huntingdon types gone?.
3. They all want to be olympic riders or famous eventers and the whole stressfull story is about just that....they dont seem to actualy enjoy riding or have any fun riding at all.
Perhaps i have just read the bad one's but im realy not enjoying them that's for sure. What are your opinions? Have you found any good modern pony books?
|
|
|
Post by haffyfan on May 31, 2008 9:24:44 GMT 1
Generally speaking I agree with everything you say, the likes of saddle Club, Heartland, Chestnut Hill, Throughbred are IMO the worst offenders howver there is hope. Alyssa Brugmans Shelby series is ace. Tinuveil, am I right in thinking your Australian? As they are somewhat hard to get over here in UK but never fear I have a link! but I think they are readily available over there. Here's her website www.alyssabrugman.com.au/pony_books.htmand here's the link to buy her books cheaply www.bookcloseouts.com/ and search for her. Cheap post too....via Germany, which is odd as there in Canada but it was cheap so who cares!
|
|
|
Post by tinuviel on May 31, 2008 9:35:40 GMT 1
Yep im Australian.
Thanks i will definitly check her books out ;D.
|
|
|
Post by garej on May 31, 2008 16:55:52 GMT 1
Also (I am talking about the last ten years, never read anything published this century, with the exception of one book) a lot of pony books feature romance ie crush/relationship with the yard owner, boy at the yard etc.
I know that books from the 1960s-1980s featured romance (Pony Club Camp by JPT springs to mind here) but at least that was more subtly done and not a major part of the story. Whereas today, you barely go a few pages without it being mentioned. At least with "old" books, if you took the romance out it was still a decent story. Take the romance out and you are left with nothing.
If I wanted to read a romance book I would pick up a Mills & Boon book, not a pony one.
|
|
|
Post by susanb on May 31, 2008 17:15:57 GMT 1
tinuveil....you've really got something there! I hadn't thought about it before, but even the modern books I've liked, like Kim Ablon Whitney's "The Perfect Distance" are about high level competion. Now, that can be done well, and has always been a part of the pony/horse book genre (National Velvet!), but you're so correct in that it seems have BECOME the genre.
A lot of the books I read as a child, both US and UK, weren't about winning anything at all....of the books I listed of favorites on the Top 5 thread, the two I read most often and loved deeply were Tall and Proud (original UK title King Sam) by Vian Smith, which was about a retired/injured racehorse and a girl with polio recovering together, and The Secret Horse by Marion Holland, which is about two girls rescuing and hiding an abandoned, half-starved horse.....neither of these books is about competing at anything at all, they're about the love of horses!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on May 31, 2008 17:50:04 GMT 1
Tinuveil, you made some very interesting points which I had never really thought about before ie, that the girls in modern pony books are all good riders, have supportive and/or knowledgeable parents and are much more competitive. My main gripes with modern pony books were that they were too occupied with romance and were badly written and lacked good plots, and of course the pink fluffy pony book was also a no-no for me. But now that you mention these other faults I totally agree. But to be fair I think this is more true of the modern US pony book than the English ones. (apologies US forum members!) There are still some good modern UK books in which old fashioned story-lines and characters. For instance: Pat Leitch - Kestrels series. Altho written for younger children I like these (have only read the 1st 3 tho). Sally is certainly not the perfect rider, being very nervous, and the two main characters do tend to enjoy doing things with their ponies rather than just winning comps. Sandy Lane Stables books. Altho not up with the greats, these are traditional pony stories with real characters, not an Olympic Dream in sight! The girls and boys in the various books all have faults and problems to overcome. KM Peyton - Possibly the only pony author writing top class fiction at the moment. Even the books for the younger readers she has written lately (the Scruffy pony, Pony in the Dark, etc) are excellent but books like Blind Beauty and Darkling are superb, and nothing like along the lines of the American ones. The Gains series is also excellent - a historical series with a good element of horsiness thrown in) Mary Sharp - Dream pony and Second Best Pony are old fashioned type stories. Second Best manages a slight element of romance extremely well, but it is mainly about a girl learning to appreciate the good points in a nice well-schooled pony as opposed to the flashy showy pony she admires. Pamela Kavanagh - have only read The Pony Swap, but I know she has written a few others published in the US. Not sure about these but from the blurbs don't sound like the average Saddle Club/TB plot. Certainly the Pony Swap is a traditional pony story. The Eclipse series. OK so the boy is a brilliant rider, but he is more interested in helping horses than winning shows and he certainly does not have supportive parents! Lucy Daniels perfect ponies series. Much better than Animal Ark. The three books are about a girl whose mum's riding school has closed down and she is having to find homes for her three favourite ponies. Other decent modern writers (at least in the sense they write more traditional pony books) include Diane Redmond, Elizabeth Lindsay, Wendy Douthwaite and Anne Wigley, and even Peter Clover is not too bad for the younger element. Possibly the UK writer who most resembles the Americans in lots of ways is Sam Alexander, esp in the Winners and Riders series where the girls are pretty, talented riders, competitive and involved with romance. But somehow she manages to get away with it, possibly because she is a much better writer than say Bonnie Bryant, or the endless parade of ghostwriters churning out the TB series for example. Her most traditional books are the Riding School series in which the girls all have various equine-related problems to overcome. I would say that in America the 'Pony Club' books are possibly more like our traditional English stories than say TB/Saddle Club/Chestnut Hill, etc. Strangely enough there are quite a few English writers such as Pamela Kavanagh and Jenny Hughes (incidentally not too bad a writer) who are writing these rather than being published in the UK. I would be interested to hear what our American forum members think. The trouble is I think the child of today relates better to the typical modern pony book than us. Children seem much more obsessed with romance, looks, winning, etc, etc, than just having a good time which was basically what I wanted most out of childhood. (Lets face it if you were a child in the 70s and had to wear tank tops knitted by your Mum you couldnt even think about being cool ;D ) Also I think children are much more spoilt and get their own way now, so the idea of ultra-supportive parents is probably fairly realistic. Can we blame the writers who are after all out to make a living for writing what modern kids want. After all, like it or not, the Saddle Club, TB books, etc, are hugely popular with the younger reader. I wonder if the teenage horsy child of today would think just as badly of the 50s/60s/70s pony books we so love? BTW we have already had a thread about modern pony books a while back if anyone wants to go back and read it. Will find the link and shove it in here. PS sorry to go on a bit
|
|
|
Post by garej on May 31, 2008 18:44:23 GMT 1
Also the author Mary May's pony books are written in the traditional style. The earliest was published in 1996 and the latest was published in 2001, so she is definitely a modern author.
It is a shame that her books are hard to find though, but well worth it if you do come across them.
|
|
|
Post by tinuviel on Jun 1, 2008 12:03:17 GMT 1
Wow thanks for the list Claire ....Will check them all out.
|
|
|
Post by haffyfan on Jun 1, 2008 13:55:49 GMT 1
Sorry to be a pain but are books from the early to mid 90's still classes as Modern as a lot of your list is from this era Claire (and I agree with you all are pretty/very good for more recent titles)
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jun 1, 2008 16:48:01 GMT 1
No, its a good point haffyfan. I class modern as 1990s onwards as thats when the Saddle Club/TB/Heartland series began and its also when pony books began to change in character. However if you are talking post 2000 then that is going to be much harder to find any good ones. I think they have even gone downhill from Saddle Club, etc, standard! Its all unicorns and princesses and things now. But as I said on my website I dont think these are aimed at girls who have a realistic view of ponies, but those who have an image of ponies as some pretty fluffy sparkly creatures who don't poop or stand on your toe and grind it into the ground or slobber green goo all over you, or....well you get the picturel! Even the saddle club and TB books were more realistic! OK here's a challenge everyone. Lets see if we can find the best post 1999 pony book. Anything written this century can qualify. I'll start a new thread for all nominations. Just hope there are some out there!BTW here is the link for our older discussion about modern pony books: ponybooks.proboards78.com/index.cgi?board=ponybooks&action=display&thread=45
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Jun 1, 2008 21:14:01 GMT 1
:-)...Claire, I don't think you can really claim K.M. Peyton or Pat Leitch as "modern" pony book writers!!! Yes, Peyton is still writing, and Leitch was writing as recently as the 90s, but they're really writing in the same style as they were when they began (Peyton in 1948, Leitch in 1960).
Re the US Saddle Club, Thoroughbred, Saddle Club books etc....as I've said before, I defy anyone to classify them as a horse book at all.....they're Babysitter Club books with horses as fashion accessory, and I'd bet my last buck that girls who actually ride wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot lunge whip!
I'm assuming that there's at least a chance that the Pony Club books you mention are being read by riders...the books aren't sold through any normal book outlet, only through the Pony Club itself....I'm thinking that the people who are choosing which books to publish in this series a) know something about riding and caring for horses and b) grew up on the pony books of the 50s, 60s and 70s and therefore have read a few good books, and know what can be done with the genre by a competent, knowledgeable writer.
Off to your post 1999 page to see if I can offer any suggestions!
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Jun 1, 2008 21:42:52 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by trixiepony on Jun 9, 2008 11:39:53 GMT 1
Not all modern books are bad what about Alyssa Brugman's Shelby books there very good. I just got the new one Greener Pastures its very good a nice finish to my favarit modern pony book serise.
|
|
|
Post by exmoorfan on Jun 17, 2008 20:49:23 GMT 1
Hi all, Not sure if this is the right thread.? But has anyone seen the Jodon preview of her tv series .? I am disgusted by her atempts to mount the poor horse... His back must be out of line.!!!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jun 17, 2008 20:55:31 GMT 1
Oh Gawd I shudder at the thought. I havent seen it I rarely watch TV and if I saw her on it I'd make a bee-line for the off switch! She's supposed to be an experienced rider tho. Is it a horse related series or just the usual Jordan and Andre crap?
|
|
|
Post by garej on Jun 20, 2008 17:59:54 GMT 1
I am like Claire I would switch off too. So no, thankfully I have not seen it.
|
|
|
Post by darkhorse on Jun 23, 2008 12:04:27 GMT 1
I have just been reading the Polly series by Wendy Douthwaite and am pleasantly surprised by it. I haven't read any of her books before but I thought they were nice old-fashiones sort of stories. I didn't see the Jordan thing either. I just can't imagine her on a horse
|
|
|
Post by haffyfan on Jun 23, 2008 19:33:26 GMT 1
Here you go - Jordan doing dressage (not that badly at all...very nice os I must say!) Apparantly she is branching out into a clothing line too......lots of pink joddys at a guess...lovely uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rAyEnZqzkqs
|
|
|
Post by exmoorfan on Jun 23, 2008 20:23:29 GMT 1
Thanks haffy. Still not convinced..Did you see the trailer to their new show with her trying to get on her horse .? I was disgusted...Poor thing was nearly pulled off its feet and I dread to think about its back.!! :-(
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jun 24, 2008 14:07:15 GMT 1
Has anyone read any of the Pony Club Secrets books by Stacy Gregg? Just read the first one. Not too bad for a modern one altho slightly odd. There is a bit of a supernatural element in it but not done as well as the Jinny books did it. But a fair effort.
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Jun 28, 2008 19:48:09 GMT 1
I've just got two of them Claire, I'll read them tonight and see what I think.
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jun 29, 2008 11:03:53 GMT 1
I look forward to hearing your opinion on them kunuma. Saw a copy of one of Jordans pony books in the local 2nd hand bookstore and have to admit picked it up and read a little bit of it. A few things struck me. First of all they are aimed at a pretty young age group, younger than I would have thought (7-8?), and also it wasnt that bad. However I can't hear Jordan's voice in it so pretty sure they are ghostwritten (in fact sure i've read somewhere they are written to her outlines or something similar). But what worries me slightly is there is an emphasis on looking 'glam' which I think for that age is not paricularly healthy. Surely at that age you shouldnt be worrying about your looks? Unfortunately seems to be an epidemic of pre-teen pre-occupation with looks nowadays and such books encourage it. My own niece is not even 5 yet and she is already fairly interested in her appearance.
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Jun 29, 2008 13:38:19 GMT 1
Has anyone read any of the Pony Club Secrets books by Stacy Gregg? Just read the first one. Not too bad for a modern one altho slightly odd. There is a bit of a supernatural element in it but not done as well as the Jinny books did it. But a fair effort. Well first of all I am confused - are they written by an English writer pretending to be American and set in America? Or by an American writer pretending to be English and set in England. They seem to be set in some sort of hybrid place? ? I lost track of the story trying to work that out!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jul 3, 2008 21:08:39 GMT 1
Yes, that was a bit confusing (one of the oddities I mentioned!) the books are published by a UK publisher but do seem to be set in America. There does seem to be a trend for UK writers to 'Americanise' partly I suppose because of the huge popularity of Heartland series amongst the youngsters. I think its also something to do with publishing. At the mo it seems easier for the UK pony writers to be published in the US. Think Jenny Hughes, Ann Wigley, Pamela Kavangh for example, all of whom have more books published in the US by the Pony Club/Stabenfeldt publishers than here. Have just started reading Tears for a Tall Horse by Ann Wigley which is published by them in the USA (no Uk edition at all). This is definitely set in the UK but is Americanised a little. The mother is called 'mom' for example. No doubt the publishers have asked the author to do this.
|
|
|
Post by exmoorfan on Jul 4, 2008 8:46:41 GMT 1
Claire you mentioned Ghost writing here....Did I read somewhere that Jordan has a Ghost Writier for her books.? ..I presume it means someone else writes them for you.?
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jul 4, 2008 18:41:21 GMT 1
Yes, exmoorfan you are correct. Two well-known series that are partly written by ghostwriters are the Thoroughbred and Animal Ark series. Probably the majority of 'celebrity' books are too.
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Jul 12, 2008 20:26:39 GMT 1
Back to the Pony Club Secrets books. Have been doing some research and they are actually set in New Zealand! This probably explains why they seemed to be a mix of British or American but not quite either. The author is from NZ too so why are they being published by a UK publisher when our brit authors cant even get their pony books published? Read another one of the series lately. A bit better than the first and quite well written but the stuff about the wild panther/puma spoils it. Doesnt seem realistic in its behaviour. Monica Edwards did so much better with her puma in the Wild One.
|
|