Publisher: Scholastic
Publishing Year: 1982
Rating: 4/5
It is 1914, and Joey, a farm horse, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of World War I on the Western Front. When Joey is dragged away, his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he is forced to leave behind. In the army the beautiful red-bay horse is trained to charge the enemy, drag heavy artillery and carry wounded soldiers not much older than Albert off the battlefields. Amongst the clamoring of guns, and while plodding through the cold mud, Joey wonders if the war will ever end. And if it does, will he ever find Albert again?
Review:
The biggest problem I had going into this book was its length. Its shorter than any book I've read in years. Despite that I know its been adapted into a movie and has become popular so I decided to give it a chance and I am so glad that I did. I got more emotional over this book than most. Not to say its up there with an Ellen Hopkins novel but it did unexpectedly tug at my heartstrings. Then again I love animals so maybe I'm a tad biased.
The setting also appealed to me, there is no genre I love more than historical fiction and thanks to this novel I saw a side of WWI that I had never considered. In my history classes we discussed the artillery and evolution of weapons but the use of horses was never brought up.
It was throughly engaging and due to its shorter length there was never a dull moment. The plot was continously moving forward and before I knew it I had finished the book. It ended in a satisfying way for me, although with a twinge of sadness. This is one I'd recommend to anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to read and just needs a little fix. Perfect to read in a doctors office or on a lunch break. No hidden symbolism or deep meaning that makes you question everything. Just a good book.
No comments:
Post a Comment