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• Brilliant, Morpurgo weaves history within this fictional work and brings it back to life. This book really pulls on the heart strings and plays emotional chess with the story line. A horse is sold at auction to a drunken farmer who needs a plough horse. I felt sorry for this farmer who was maimed in the war and had come back damaged physically and emotionally. his loyal wife although a strength to him berates him but they keep teh horse. Their son Albert dedicates himself training the horse whom he names Joey. Albert and Joey's bond is unbreakable adn Morpurgo portrays this as he goes on to write about Joey being sold off to teh army so that Albert's dad can repay a debt. Joey adn Albert although apart face many trials through teh war but eventually their paths are crossed and they meet up again.

  5.00 out of 5

  rata

• This book was great. It told the story of World War 2 with the horse as the narrator. Unlike many other war books, this one had a happy ending.

  5.00 out of 5

  debra.giannone

• Joey remembers with terror the day that when he "was not yet six month old, a gangling, leggy colt who had never been farther than a few feet from &#91;his&#93; mother" was taken to a horse sale to be purchased by a mean old drunken farmer who had made a bet. But when he meets the farmer's son Albert, things take an altogether pleasant turn, as the boy takes an immediately liking for our equine narrator and the two become fast friends. But the Great War is looming, and Albert's father, who is running out of cash, is forced to sell Joey to the army to keep the farm afloat one day, which is how Joey suddenly becomes a war horse. He is trained and prepared for combat and then thrown into the most wretched battle sites, with machine guns and giant craters felling almost everything in sight, the cold and mud weakening men and horses alike, and his riders falling one by one. Soon Joey is taken on by the medical unit to help carry the countless dead, dying and wounded. Through it all, Joey encounters all the many facets of humans in the most inhumane of circumstances. But Joey is a very special horse, and there are plenty of men and children alike who are willing to go to great lengths to ensure his wellbeing. I found it impossible to put this little 165 page book down and read right through to the incredibly touching ending, which had me reaching for tissues to wipe the tears away. This book probably owes a lot to it's forebear [Black Beauty], but here the narrative seems much tighter and more intimate somehow. This is a novel that should not be missed for the great message of hope against all the odds and ugliness of war it conveys. Morpurgo says he was inspired to write this story because of an old dusty portrait of a horse which has always hung on the wall of the village hall. On the picture's bronze frame are the following words: <b>"Joey. Painted by Captain James Nicholls, Autumn 1914."</b>Many thanks to Kerry (avatiakh) for recommending it.

  5.00 out of 5

  Smiler69

• Having seen the stage production of this book on the West End (London's answer to Broadway, darling!) I already had a hunch that I might just love it. I had never read any of Morpurgo's work, although I understand that he is quite a prolific childrens' writer, but I feel like I could sit down and read everything this man has written. I was struck by how well he combined things that some children will absolutely love reading about (namely animals, or more specifically, horses) with things that older children probably need to be reading about (war, presented realistically and not glamourised). Using an equine perspective, rather than a human one, worked tremendously well and I think it would have been a mistake to try to tell the story from Albert, the boy's, perspective. An absolute must-read - I wish I'd discovered this earlier!

  5.00 out of 5

  pokarekareana

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