Another Classic

Hey, guys!

Since the last review I wrote was for The Call of the Wild by Jack London and I had mentioned that it was similar to another classic work of literature, I thought that I would write a review for Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.

Short summary: The Call of the Wild but with horses. Okay, it's not as funny the second time, but it's still true. I'll bet that all this literature about animals being traded between various owners (some of them cruel) was a comment on animal cruelty at the time and the basic spirit of animals and the connections they share with their owners.

Black Beauty is a novel about a horse named Black Beauty for a) his dark fur, and b) his elegant and graceful demeanor. Black Beauty is sold between several humans, some of which treat him cruelly (like Buck in The Call of the Wild). In these cases, he is poorly fed and neglected until his suffering is recognized by another human. In other cases, Black Beauty forms deep bonds with his caregiver and is willing to put his life on the line for his master when he knows that his master would do the same for him.

It has been a while since I've read the book, but I remember a couple of his friends: a Shetland pony and another horse named Ginger. The part that these two play in the story is to contrast their situations and to emphasize the cruel nature of humans in certain cases.

I will say that to those animal lovers out there, this book does get sad in some places, and often it is very difficult to read because of the suffering that Black Beauty and his friends endure. But it is also a very good read for animal lovers.

If I recall correctly, I had to read this book twice because it was one of those classics that called out to me as a kid, but didn't quite keep my mind from wandering while I was reading it. I may have started out with a picture book of this story in elementary school. There was plenty of text, but I think that the pretty pictures may have distracted me just a bit. But like I said: elementary school. And short attention span.

I know that this review was pretty short, but I am still working on Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick. I am past the halfway point with that book, and it is getting really good. You can expect a review for this book in the near future, so keep an eye out. Until next time!

Happy reading!