Tuesday 24 February 2009

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

The Black Stallion My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: 1941
Pages: 241

The Black Stallion was one of my favourite childhood reads. I first read it as a horse-loving 8 year old, re-read it until my Scholastic copy became dog-eared and visited with The Black & Alec again as a 40 something child at heart.

I believe this to be the premise that makes The Black Stallion a classic, a book remembered fondly from childhood days, pieces of the story remaining with you over the years, then upon re-visiting as an adult the wonder of this fantastic tale comes flooding back.

The story begins with young Alec Ramsay and the wild black stallion as the only survivors of a shipwreck. It explores the developing bond and the mutual love between boy and horse developed over weeks on a deserted island, through rescue and return to Alec's family in New York. Neighbour & former racehorse trainer Henry Daily recognizes the Black's phenomenal potential for speed, thus man and boy team up to train the spirited horse & show his talent to the world.

Walter Farley brings readers a wonderful adventure with oodles of emotion. The match race between Sun Raider, Cyclone, and the Black in the final chapter had my heart racing. A must read story of timeless magic for children & any young horse-lover.

2 comments:

  1. I love coming here and reading about everyone's favourites, so many memories come flooding back...

    The Black Stallion was one of my sister's favourite reads as a young girl. Though she had a great love for all animals, horses were her favourite; a passion she shared with our grandfather.

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  2. This was one of my very favorite books. I read a lot of books in this series.

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