In the past I have only read Poe's very popular short stories. I am sure you know the ones I mean. In fact I had never known he had actually written aIn the past I have only read Poe's very popular short stories. I am sure you know the ones I mean. In fact I had never known he had actually written anything longer until I stumbled across this book by accident one day. And after reading this I can see very clearly why he is considered one of the masters of horror. There is truly some horrible and disturbing scenes in here. The characters suffer too, especially the poor main character of Arthur Gordon. He never should have trusted his friend Augustus - not that the actual issue was caused by Augustus. But I would certainly be leary of the kind of situation that poor Arthur found himself in.
So when I first started this book I had no idea what to expect. Due to its age I had thought it would be slow or maybe hard to read. But to my utter shock I was totally drawn in. Hooked! There was actual suspense! And a huge mystery. I just had to keep reading to find out the truth about what was going on and what would happen to poor Arthur. Would he survive? Would he ever get home and off of that ship? I wanted to know!
I certainly didn't expect all of that from such an old book but there it was. More suspense in the beginning of this book than in many modern novels! And the tension was high too. Life or death. Multiple times. This is basically a disaster at sea story. Everything that can go wrong goes wrong. And the sea is trying to kill you. Man really doesn't belong out at sea when he doesn't have gills as wooden ships are way too fragile in tossing waves.
There are some ghastly scenes in here. A few of the details of those scenes totally caught me off guard. Never expected that. And then I felt how horrid that stuff actually is. Most things in books generally don't bother me at all..but these scenes I think will stick in my memory for a long time. Especially that ship that passed them by. Now that was truly clever!
I do feel the author made a few mistakes in here. Like about the tortoises. But I guess he didn't know any better. And yes there are a few tortoises in here.
So why didn't I rate this a full 5 stars? Because I feel the end of the book is weird. Its like its almost two separate books? I mean the story about Arthur Gordon continues but its almost like a totally different story? And I thought that it was out of place? It just felt so bizarre. Its almost like the beginning of a sequel. ...more
So this was the book I took with me this morning to read in the car on the way to & from the ranch. I wasn't too sure what it would be about but that So this was the book I took with me this morning to read in the car on the way to & from the ranch. I wasn't too sure what it would be about but that it was most like a classic western written in the 1850s. And in some ways that is correct. But there were quite a few unexpected things about that book that disappointed me.
First of all, reading this was almost like reading a history text. Its like the book says X character did this, this and this...than that happened. Its how it is described. Its all written in this bizarre style, similar to reading a history text. There are no actual "characters" who you get to know. The characters very rarely have dialogue. And this makes the story very dry. You cannot really get into their heads. I mean there ARE characters but its so strange, like a historical account of an incident than a novel. Its almost like nonfiction? I hope this makes sense.
I will give an example of what I mean. This is a random sentence from page 19:
"In the fall of the same year, Joaquin moved up in the northern part of the state and settled himself down with his mistress at the Sonorian Camp, a cluster of tents and cloth houses situated three miles from the city of Marysville, in Yuba County."
Another problem I had with this is the plot. The plot didn't seem to be very cohesive. It seemed to be a bunch of many random encounters (robberies, etc) that just followed one after another. There was no main goal to work towards at the end. Near the beginning the story does mention a goal of stealing horses but they do that throughout the book. Nothing seems to come from it but more random robberies and horses stolen, throats cut. This made it very difficult to read. My mind kept wondering to other things and I even found myself watching a youtube video!
Simply put, the plot bored me. Nor did any of the characters grab my attention.
But the plot is about a young man who was a decent man. And he gets falsely accused of doing things he did not do and others beat him for this. Worse, they attack his lady love. This turns him very sour and he seeks revenge against those who did it. But he doesn't stop there but becomes the leader of a huge band of thieves, stealing gold, money and horses. There is prejudice in here too for often he is seen as worthless due to his race.
And even though there is tons of deaths and battles in here, I found it very dull due to the writing style.
I do like the cover image. And what an unusual stirrup he has there! ...more
So this is apparently the third book in the series about Fury the horse. I have not read the previous ones but this works very well as a stand alone nSo this is apparently the third book in the series about Fury the horse. I have not read the previous ones but this works very well as a stand alone novel. The only real detail that seems to be missing is what state this takes place in. Due to events named at the end of the book - Operation Haylift which was a real event - the year is 1948. I will have to try and find the previous two books.
This is the story of a young boy named Joey who lives with his father Jim Newton and the foreman Pete Wilkie on a ranch. Its the type of ranch where they catch wild horses and then teach them to accept a saddle. Well young Joey has a very special black horse named Fury. And Fury is one of those rare horses where only one person can ride. But lately Fury has been escaping from his paddock and running wild up into the ridges and woods because he wants a girlfriend: a beautiful white mare.
Joey rides off to get Fury back and then he sees something that is illegal. And so he gets threatened by lumberman Mr Mark Yancey. This is not a plot secret as its written on the back of the paperback. Mr Yancey will kill Fury if anyone learns of his illegal activities.
There are certainly some dramatic moments in here, life and death situations. And yes, there are more than one. Other parts read like a family drama with arguments over various things as characters clash due to personality. Things get heated. And often characters make bad choices which lead to more problems.
And Joey does something very stupid in here that basically shocked me. How could he do that? I don't know. But I found it a tad hard to believe. I guess its due to his young age. The book never actually states his age either but I think he's in grade school. And yes he actually rides Fury up and back to school! I find that alone quite astonishing. Where does he put Fury once he arrives at school??? Does the school have a fenced pasture or a barn?
There are many characters in here including a traveling sales man who sells medicines of a very questionable nature. If you ever need a book with a conman peddler this would work well. And there is Aunt Maggie who's arrival turns the whole Broken Wheel ranch upside-down.
I found Mr Yancey to be very horrible. Its easy to hate him. And he is serious about that threat.
I do feel the story is a tad dated but it is an easy read. It gives you an idea of what life was like back then, especially with how the weather affected the people.
So many emotions while reading this nonfiction book! It made me cry and it made me laugh too. Often the very real situations in here were so zany and So many emotions while reading this nonfiction book! It made me cry and it made me laugh too. Often the very real situations in here were so zany and out there but it's what happens when your life gets taken over by a bunch of greater sandhill cranes. You certainly cannot live life the way you used to. Nope. These giant birds take over and before you know it the cops are pulling you over one day and you have to explain those 3 massive squawking creatures that are pushing their way into the front seat while trying to bite the officer. And then you go to a drive-thru and everyone is staring at you. And that is just an example of what's in here.
The most funniest one in my opinion was the crane who was raised SO super carefully by the author. He made sure this bird didn't see him. So the bird would not imprint onto a human. Because he wanted the sandhill crane to know it was a sandhill crane. And when it got old enough to be let out of the enclosure (which was for safety) where did it go? It went loudly squawking right over by his horses! It thought it was a horse!!
But I really learned a lot about sandhill cranes while reading this. Before starting this book I knew absolutely nothing about them. And since the book is written in an easy to read conversation style it was a breeze to go through it. I just loved all the personal stories. Including other people's reactions when they saw these cranes.
But the book is not all laughs and crazy stories. The author worked hard trying to save these huge birds. He studied them. He tried to find out as much as he could. What kind of land do they need? What do they eat? They prefer marshy land. And the birds do not reproduce until they are 3 or 4 years old. Some birds never find a mate and some just vanish never to be seen again... He took rides in planes to see the country from above, trying to figure out how many cranes there were.
I have seen blue herons (which many people mistake for the greater sandhill cranes) but I don't think I have ever seen a sandhill crane. Hmmm.... I recall one year I did see some long legged bird that was very mysterious and it didn't want me to see it - every time I tried to glimpse it (to get a decent look as to what it was) it would fly away. While the blue heron I saw just stood there calmly and didn't care who looked at it. I wonder if that big nervous shy bird was a sandhill crane? It was in the river...
Have you ever seen a sandhill crane?
But if you enjoy reading first person accounts of animal related stories than try this one. ...more
I remember seeing a different copy of this book back when I was a kid, with a red and white cover. I don't recall where I had seen it but that dramatiI remember seeing a different copy of this book back when I was a kid, with a red and white cover. I don't recall where I had seen it but that dramatic cover with the black wolves certainly had gotten my attention. I wasn't able to read it back then but I certainly remembered that cover image. So finally, decades later, I was able to actually read it. Truthfully I don't know if I would have been able to appreciate or fully understand this as a kid. Would I have known what a governess is? Or how about a "wold" which is from the very first paragraph? If you look wold up, it says its a "moor" but as a kid that would have been another unknown word!
So I found this story dramatic and very captivating. Its about two young girls named Bonnie and Sylvia. They are cousins and Bonnie lives in a huge mansion on a moor with doting parents and servants. She has a huge collection of toys and she is very high spirited. Her cousin in many way is the opposite, very soft spoken, nervous about new situations and wants to do the proper thing but unfortunately often she is unsure what that is. Sylvia is leaving her elderly Aunt Jane to go live with Bonnie...she is to take the train. But its the dead of winter and hungry wolves are everywhere.
The main problem in here is the fact that the parents are going on a cruise and will be leaving the two girls with the new governess, someone who they had never met before... Of course I had guessed this would be the problem right away.
As an adult I could clearly see where the problem would be in this scenario. It was obvious, so it was no shock when Miss Slighcarp started to do totally outrageous stuff.
One thing in here that did shock me was the behavior of the wolves! Never did I think they would be so totally insane and slathering at the jaws to get people (anyone mind you). Some part of me finds it hard to believe that real wolves would act this way - but I believe it was common for people to believe that wolves did this stuff. In reality their diet is mostly rodents. So in my opinion their behavior is way out there but it makes a good exciting story.
As I was reading I did have a few different ideas of how this story would end. One of my ideas turned out to be correct with many others being wrong. After reading the end it does leave me with a few minor questions. But then I do tend to think about things. A good story makes you think.
There are countless turns, twists and surprises in here. Many of the characters are very clever and they do the most stunning things. Bonnie herself can be just totally out of control outrageous, including throwing liquid into the face of an adult. She knows injustice when she sees it and she is not willing to put up with stuff. Unfortunately its not that easy to fix. And how can she get her home back??
The main characters are just so heartwarming and the bad ones are true stinkers you want to hate. They just seem to ooze some horrid oily slime from their pores! In fact as soon as I met the one I just knew he couldn't be trusted and I was right!!
And I liked Simon and his geese too.
This story kept moving at a good pace. No boring scenes at all. There are secrets to discover too. Its a grand adventure story. ...more
This turned out to be a fascinating account of how the people live on the Irish Aran Islands way back in 1907 (or should I say a bit before that as suThis turned out to be a fascinating account of how the people live on the Irish Aran Islands way back in 1907 (or should I say a bit before that as surely it takes time from manuscript to actual published book). Before I picked this up I never even heard of these islands before but I do enjoy reading these kind of stories. And even when this was written these islanders were still living very "old fashioned" compared to the rest of Ireland. These are apparently very poor islands where its often foggy and damp... I got the impression that a blue sky is rare. Rocky and surrounded by the sea. They don't seem to have any trees and most people speak Gaelic. They also use nicknames.
The thing that probably surprised me the most in here were the stories about faeries. There are folk tales in here too but many of the people in here who the author met in person had fairy encounters to share with him. And not all of these were the same. One even sounded very much like a haunted house with strange loud bangings during the night that had no source. Others told him of seeing oddly dressed figures they met on the road (ghosts??)... These people definitely believe in the supernatural. I found these tales just fascinating.
Another thing I really loved in here was about the daily life on the islands. Some of the things in here were perplexing to me. Like how they made rope out of straw. Really? I didn't know rope could be made from straw. Wouldn't it break?? They then used it to thatch the roof. Straw roofs I have seen in photos + at my local museum but I didn't know it had required rope..hmmm....
Since I am stuck on a limited diet due to food allergies I am always interested in what groups of people eat on their "native diets". I believe this book describes that very well. And it was written long enough ago that the diets were not goofed up yet my modern convenience foods as we have today. It seems they mainly ate potatoes, bread, strong tea, pork and fish. Even more fascinating was the description of one man who went away to America for twenty years and came back sick. Makes me ponder if food was related? They do have cattle but they apparently didn't eat them but sold them instead? Also mentioned was the way they ate: mainly they ate when they were hungry, often going long hours with nothing (intermittent fasting??).
The kelp harvests are mentioned along with many other seasonal things including moving the horses to another island for the summer, moving cattle + pigs on the ships, the beehive dwellings (cloghauns) are mentioned too.
One of the most startling things to me in here were the curaghs. These are the ships the locals make. They are very unusual. They are round and look very much like a half of a walnut shell! I saw pics of them online. Very amazing. I never knew a boat could have such a shape. And the sea is mentioned very often in here as the sea is part of these people's lives. Also some of the rocks are so sharp that they were slicing the bottom of the author's shoes so the locals made him some pampooties. These would be today described as "barefoot shoes" that moves and flexes with the feet so you can use your toes.
There is much more in here too including the nature of the people living there. The women wear red.
There were a few sections in here that didn't exactly interest me but all in all it was a good read. And I do think different readers will be interested in different parts of this book.
The natives in here do one very startling thing: opening the front or back door depending on where the wind was blowing from. I wonder if they do that year round?? Do they do it in winter too??? I googled and apparently snow is very rare on these islands. And often the open door serves as a clock too. They never heard of a clock we have with hands on it that tell the time. Their entire time telling is based onna entirely different idea.
Just fascinating! And did the one person really get rheumatism from the salty sea water??? Hmmm... These old ideas are just fascinating!
This was very easy to read. Its in a nice style too. No pictures in this edition but I do love the horse image on the cover.
These people live very hard lives but their island oddly enough is not their own. They had landlords and evictions too. ...more
Its very rare for me to struggle through a book that is less than 300 pages yet I definitely found myself doing that with this one. The story had starIts very rare for me to struggle through a book that is less than 300 pages yet I definitely found myself doing that with this one. The story had started out ok, with sailors on a ship that had a weird captain and there was strife among the crew but soon after that big chunks of the story went downhill. Fast. The adventure part and all forward movement in the story seemed to stop, as there were these long boring passages that went on for pages. And then I found myself not only pondering what the heck was I reading but what happened to the story. It was like the story had came to a sudden halt!
Needless to say I was not happy with that at all.
Yes, the stuff about Tahiti is mildly interesting but its not THAT interesting to carry the story. This is the first book I have read by Melville so I cannot say if he does this commonly or not? I have heard that reading his famous Moby Dick can be very difficult.
Anyway this is the story of two men. Their names are Typee and Long Ghost. Long Ghost is a doctor. The two virtually spend the entire book together, first on the ship named the Little Jule (who has that weird captain that I had mentioned earlier) and then later on the island of Tahiti. Its on Tahiti where the story goes it jerky motion, sudden stops. Truthfully its boring beyond belief. There is really no action or anything of great importance going on. Just the two men trying to survive among the natives and often taking advantage of their hospitality as they are waifs. The story includes routine things as stealing potatoes, hunting bullocks, traveling to different areas, the clothes they wear, etc. Its all rather ordinary. So do not expect any action such as gun fights, sword duels or headhunters. Instead they are either lazing around or doing some hard manual labor.
It is a true chore to read. The language is not difficult but its just incredibly dull.
I did not find anything even vaguely interesting about the two main characters. I did find that captain - Captain Guy - bizarre. I thought he was ill fitted to be a captain. And the carpenter named Beauty was a tad frightening. But these are minor characters.
The main character, Typee, actually comes off as bland. I doubt if I will remember him at all. And that is why I read this in chunks between other books. To give me a break from the boredom. And yes, it took me ten days to read this which is actually atrocious!!
Thankfully this is a library book so it will be going back to the library! This old edition does have wonderful black and white illustrations in here. But that cannot save a horrible story that literally puts you to sleep.
Generally I enjoy reading plays as I do tend to read some every so often but I just wasn't able to enjoy this book at all. And it wasn't just the langGenerally I enjoy reading plays as I do tend to read some every so often but I just wasn't able to enjoy this book at all. And it wasn't just the language but other things in these stories just annoyed me to no end. I guess I often like things to make sense and well some of the things the various characters in here did was just maddening. Maybe it's the time period these stories take place in. I don't know. But surely even back then people had common sense didn't they ?
Plus there is a real problem with a book when I found the glossary at the back of the book way more interesting than the tales themselves! But that is actually the situation I found myself in. And that is pretty bad!
First of all I found these stories very dull and boring. Not much actually seems to happen (even if stuff does happen). Like "The Rover" had a sword fight scene but it was still such a boring story that it puts you to sleep. No suspense at all. No mystery. The characters all seemed so boring that I just couldn't care about any of them at all - and the farther I got into the book the worse this got. I guess I was more invested in reading the first story (perhaps because I had hope that the book would improve but the more stories I read the more I just didn't care).
Did you ever read Shakespeare? You remember that funny language and the odd sentence structure? Well The Rover is just like that. I tried to at first read it like it was - but then when I flipped to the "explanation area" at the back of the book I found out that my idea of what the author was saying was WAY off. So yes, you need to read the stuff way at the back as you go through the story. And while The Rover was hard to read I do think it was the best story. Probably why it's named on the cover.
The second story - The Feigned Courtesans - was too similar to The Rover for me to enjoy. Both had young ladies dressing up as courtesans to get things. And in here Cornelia really had some horrid messed up ideas about love.
Basically I found myself thinking " What in the world am I reading? What is wrong with these characters?"
But in case anyone wants to know, The Rover is about two young ladies from good families who dress up as courtesans including the face masks so they can hopefully have secret meetings with the men they love. Of course these are the "wrong" men and then there are many mishaps, fights, etc.
The third story was even worse. This one truly got on my nerves. Bad. There is this landlady who had fallen on hard times because her renter is not paying her. But after talking to him a bit, somehow, he convinces her to go sell her own stuff and give him the money! Even though he owes her lots of money! And he sure is not going to pay it. This is just a wee tiny scene and the actual story is about other things but this scene alone - it drove me nuts. There is no reason for why the landlady did this. But these sort of things make it impossible for me to actually enjoy the story. I mean the renter was nit being sneaky or anything as far as I can tell. Its not like in a thriller where you have those super devious characters that can smooth talk out of anything. Not like that at all. Just in a few lines the landlady just... Switched! No reason.
Sigh....
I won't even mention the last one...
These are just bad. But the words in here are interesting. But its awful when the old words are more fascinating than the stories they come on. And why do young noble ladies want men to think they are courtesans?? Plus in here you have women marrying guys on their appearance and who they have talked to a few times but they really don't know them at all. They are total strangers. Marrying a man because he is handsome is a very bad way to pick a husband in my opinion.
Uggh. Truthfully I don't know how anyone can read these articles without being some kind of professional scientist or a math wiz or something like thaUggh. Truthfully I don't know how anyone can read these articles without being some kind of professional scientist or a math wiz or something like that. Yet the author claims he was selling one of these articles each month to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. But did anyone actually read them? Better yet did they understand them? Just because you read stories about aliens or spaceships or maybe dragons and elves doesn't mean you are going to understand this.
First of all I don't understand what is the point of these articles. They are all very dry. And I actually took notes on these too as I was reading. So I would know what to write on this review. Maybe I am not the intended audience for this but then who is? These were all published in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction so... Surely anyone who reads those should be the target? Right?
Like in article #9 he is going on about prime numbers. But why? I mean what point does a prime number serve? What good does it do to know if a number is a prime or not? I don't get it. And he doesn't say. So I am left confused. I am sure that prime numbers won't help add up my grocery bill at the supermarket or help to know if a sofa will fit into the space I have. So what good is it??
And #10 about Euclid's Fifth was just a bunch of gibberish!
He did say in #2 that he was trying to explain the universe as he sees it. And that by writing these articles he was basically teaching himself about these topics. And that even if the magazine would one day say STOP with the articles he would still write them for himself. That and he suffered insomnia (I have that problem too). The trouble is that many readers do not have the background knowledge that he has. Like I don't get why those prime numbers matter at all. And other articles seem to deal with physics which I certainly don't know about at all.
In #5 he was saying that glass rods would attract or repel. Why would glass in the shape of a rod do that?? Sounds highly suspicious.
And #6 was about if oceans other that water would be possible. He mentions a bunch of stuff in very dry details. Its like reading a dictionary. But he never mentions magma / lava. Surely an ocean of bubbling lava could be possible right? And it hardens into rock. So it has a liquid + solid forms like water. But it's not mentioned. No idea why not..
The only ones I sort of liked was #3 and #4. In #3 he was in a hotel and he was trying to write. And someone was banging on a hole in the wall..so he went out there to ask them how long they are going to be pounding on that hole in the wall. That just struct me as funny so it made me laugh. The chapter was about the Iceland Spar (crystals). I kind of liked #4 too - about the tartaric acid and the wine sludge - but I really don't understand WHY anyone cares about this sludge from wine. Or any other sludge. Why do people bother looking at the itty bitty crystals from the sludge when they dry it? Makes me think of the dry bits left at the bottom of an unwashed glass maybe? If you go wash it then there is no weird sludge... But why does anyone care about it? No idea. Its not practical.
In #8 he mentions slipping on an icy manhole cover. Yes, ice is slippery! But it was in this one where he points out that water is the only one that floats as a solid. All other solids sink when they are in their liquid form...that is a solid hunk of iron will sink if you drop it into a pool of liquid iron. So I guess water is the oddball. But I don't know if reading a long very dry, boring chapter is worth it. Because you just go to any pond or lake in the winter and there is the ice sitting on top of the water! It floats!
So unless you are some astrophysicist you may find this one to be very, very boring. Its a real struggle to get through. Not worth it in my opinion.
These topics are just not interesting. Or not to me anyway. ...more
So I had picked up this book on a wild whim some time ago and finally read it now... I already practice yoga and I am quite into nature, have connectiSo I had picked up this book on a wild whim some time ago and finally read it now... I already practice yoga and I am quite into nature, have connections with animals especially horses. This book was actually published the year I was born so I thought for sure the TM centers they mention in here - where they advise you to go to learn the Transcendental Meditation - are gone. But I just googled it and to my utter surprise these places are still around! In fact there is one located only 6 miles from me. So I guess it's still very popular even if one doesn't really hear about it much?
This book comes in three sections. The first section was definitely my favorite and I found it the most interesting. In here the author described his own experience with learning TM and he also tells some of the scientific stuff about it as well. The stories of how actual body difference shows up on medical tests, etc so its not just people's imagination.
The second section shares the experience of a few different people. I had a few problems with this area. I think its because I couldn't really relate to these people. A few were drug users and they were saying how the TM got them off of drugs as the drugs got them "high" - and I suddenly realized that I really do not comprehend what "high" is. I guess its my autism. But one lady said that the TM made her able to handle spicy foods when before it would make her sick. As someone with food issues this is indeed interesting!
The third section was kind of blah and lots of info.
But reading the first part made me realize I already do something like TM. I guess I didn't know it was TM? And maybe it explains why late at night I have so much energy and I am wide awake often? Because I am doing the TM (without a mantra) often around 3 or 4 pm? It certainly does indeed give you energy. I think I just started doing this on my own. But it certainly sounds like TM... And people around me say I am more calmer when I do have actual problems so I guess it is doing something? Of course seeing my horses helps so much too!
I guess I found the book helpful in that it made me realize that I was doing TM and meditation without really realizing that is what it was (but I had done meditation with my yoga teacher before).
Does it solve everything? I say no. I still have lots of my issues especially the medical ones. But I think it does help with one's mood.
But I don't understand why the book says you need a mantra. I seem to do this without a mantra easy enough. Its sort of like you are dozing without actually dozing. You are awake but all random thoughts pass by and then the brain goes quiet but you are not actually asleep. And then later you "wake up".
I would think people could probably learn how to do this from the book. Its easy enough. Would it fix other issues? Cannot say. But I do seem to be tolerating a few more foods, like eggs, but I don't think its related to the TM. I think its just because I had avoided them for 3 years. And it wasn't an allergy to eggs but an intolerance due to leaky gut + celiac.
I think each person would have to try it for themselves to see what it can do for them, depending on their own situation.
But I do find it refreshing and it certainly gives me energy. And my emotional reactions are less severe and they recover faster. ...more
So this was one of those books that captivated me from the very beginning and kept my attention until the very end. And while I have read a lot of horSo this was one of those books that captivated me from the very beginning and kept my attention until the very end. And while I have read a lot of horse books over the years, this one certainly stands out for some very unique situations in here. Never have I met kids that were so very clever and wise; smarter than the adults around them. And at times I just had to snicker and laugh at it as it truly was funny! And I very rarely laugh at stuff in books. But make no mistake; this is actually a very serious story.
This is set in California on a ranch. The main characters are kids: Kiko (11) and Amy (12). Kiko is part Mexican and part Native American. His father Frank works on the rich man's ranch but the rich man, Mr Richie, is mean. Amy, a blonde, has just moved to the ranch with her parents and her father is a writer. The two kids, together with the burro Sancho, get into much mischief. But the biggest mischief they do is to take and hide a mare worth a lot of money.
Why? Because otherwise Mr Richie is going to kill the colt when its born. Because poor Mia jumps the fence and has a short love affair with a young stallion from the nearby Indian reservation. And in his eyes that "ruins" the reputation of his ranch. So the kids do what they have to do.
I was very hooked while I read this. It was electrifying and thrilling. I never knew what was going to happen next. And there was various types of danger throughout the whole story. I kept wondering "are they going to get caught?" And that of course leads to the bigger question of how long can this situation carry on for? How do you continue to hide a mare and colt as the months pass? And yes people were out searching for that mare!
There were all sorts of danger in here too, from things in the environment to people searching.
But its a wonderful horse story. I am certainly glad I bought this book as I spent a wonderful day reading this while the temperature outside is freezing (it's only 9 F here).
And the author who wrote this must know horses as she mentions the loose hanging lip of a relaxed horse. So there are many wonderful equine details in here to make it very real... I also enjoyed all the vivid descriptions of nature, the scrubby hills and mountains, etc.
But best of all it surprised me a few times with laughter. The kids do such outrageous things on purpose as they outsmart the adults. Its funny. I would never dare to do anything of the sort when I was a kid.
And Kiko may be just a boy but he knows his horses. He puts the horses before himself. So does Amy. Lovely training scenes too. ...more
The main character in here, Tom Ripley, reminds me of that famous line from the first Harry Potter movie - that line about "terrible but great things"The main character in here, Tom Ripley, reminds me of that famous line from the first Harry Potter movie - that line about "terrible but great things". The owner of the wand shop was talking about Tom Riddle but it sure could have been Tom Ripley too! Only after reading this, I find myself pondering if Ripley is somehow smarter? Or did he just have super good luck? Because some people are extremely lucky you know.
I believe there is a movie based on this book but I have never seen it. So I went into reading this totally blind and I had no idea what it actually was about - except for a vague idea it was about a serial killer. And at the beginning he certainly didn't seem like one. A liar, yes. But not a killer. And he is very clever with words. He has a brilliant mind apparently. He figures things out and comes up with plans, schemes. And that is what makes this book so entertaining to read. Because you never know what he will do next.
And as the story progresses the situation gets more dire. Its like watching a train wreck. You just know its coming. And it cannot be avoided. And then you wonder "Will he get caught?"
This is spoiler free so I will not say if he does or not. But the whole story is from his viewpoint. All of his thoughts. His ideas. His deadly urges. And yes there is some blood obviously... And I am pretty sure its no secret the book is about a killer.
But the majority of the book is set in Italy. Nice descriptions of the various places there. The only thing that actually confused me reading this is the stuff about the American Express and how they would leave their luggage there or use it to ship stuff to different Italian cities. I thought American Express is a credit card? But what was it back in 1955 when this was written?? Is it the same company or are these two different companies with the same name? Its a minor point but I did find it a tad confusing.
But I was quite surprised how fascinating this story actually was! The guy is evil but brilliant...
Other major characters in here include Marge and Dickie Greenleaf. Marge is Dickie's sort of girlfriend.
Fun clever twists in here. This one is definitely worth reading! ...more
So this is the first book in this series I have ever read (even though this is book #27). I needed to read a book set in Australia for a challenge andSo this is the first book in this series I have ever read (even though this is book #27). I needed to read a book set in Australia for a challenge and I happened to have this one on hand so it was time to actually read it. And the story plot sounded so intriguing! A body left inside a meteor crater with no footprints going there! How was that even possible??? And that is what I had wanted to learn....
So I did learn the secret of how to walk without leaving footprints. Does it actually work?? No idea....
BUT...
The plot in here is, well, its bad. To be honest even after I read the final page and finished the book I had felt very confused as to why the man had been killed. I had tried to reread the final three pages but still felt puzzled. I know who the Inspector is saying the murderer is, but why? And the Inspector doesn't seem to believe the one story by the one other guy either (the "excuse" of how the man was killed) - so if the Inspector doesn't believe this well then what is the truth?? I feel I am left hanging and very confused! Isn't the purpose of these books to explain the murder in a clear fashion? But nothing is clear in here at all.
And that doesn't cover the big confusion I had about the native Aborigines in here either. My confusion was pretty bad at the beginning of the book. They were talking about "wild" ones and "semi-civilized" ones. After much reading I have figured out that the "wild" ones are the ones who still live their native lifestyle, in "huts" with fires and such. And the others are the ones who live more like the western white man in houses and wear normal clothes, etc. Or I think that is what it means. But I did find it very confusing. I will admit I never read a book that featured the Aborigines before (but I have read lots of books about the various Native American tribes before so I can sort of use that as a reference). Still there are different words and different cultures (even if both live off the land).
There was another scene in here - towards the end - that I did not understand at all.. It made no sense to me. It starts on chapter 22. Its between Tessa and Captain. I do not understand why Tessa did what she did. And its hard to like a book if there are scenes like this that seem to twist sideways and go off on some tangent that makes no sense. I realize they are Aborigines but what Tessa does is the last thing a western woman would do in that situation.
Plus it seemed I had to read 50 to 60 pages before the actual investigation started!!
So add all of these things together and I rate the book very low.
The only thing that "saves" this book (to get a 2 star rating instead of 1 star) is Mr Lamb. I loved him!! What a feisty fellow!! And yes, he is an actual sheep. ...more
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