Sunday, December 11, 2011

WAR HORSE by Michael Morpurgo

No way am I going to see the movie recently made based on this book - I'll definitely cry.  I bought the paperback thinking I could read it tissue-free.  Nope. 

Set during World War I, Joey, the farm horse, tells his story.  He was acquired by a farmer and treated poorly until the farmer's son, Albert, took over his care.  The two became inseparable.  Albert was furious when his father sold Joey to be used by the military, and he swore to join the war effort as soon as he could and find his loyal friend.

Joey tells of working as a war horse pulling ambulance wagons and wagons loaded with shells and carrying soldiers into battle as part of the cavalry.  The first officer treated him kindly, but this wasn't always the case.  Joey and a companion horse named Topthorn worked tirelessly for both the English and the Germans depending on where the winds of war took them.

Joey's story is an amazing one filled with happiness, pain, and tragedy.  WAR HORSE should appeal to a wide-range of readers, but be sure to have a tissue or at least your sleeve handy.

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