Customer Reviews

War Horse

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"War Horse" is a story of courage and endurance by horse and man, conveyed through the destruction that is war. Told from the viewpoint of the horse, the story can draw in the most reluctant reader, as children often feel more empathy for animals than people. Because of descriptions of grueling labor and unsound working conditions for the horses, the book is best directed toward fourth grade and up.

Joey, a gorgeous bay with four white stocking legs and a white cross on his forehead, is the War Horse. Albert is his 15-year-old human who trains and loves him. When his father sells the horse to the cavalry for service in World War I, Albert swears to join when he is old enough and find Joey.

The insanity of matching a cavalry of horses and riders with sabers against soldiers with rifles and machine guns has to be one of the most insane moments in war history!! One-fourth of the horses are killed in the first battle. All but two die in the next battle this cavalry faces. Joey and his equal, Topthorn, a huge black Arabian, survive, only to be taken as prisoners by the Germans.

What Joey and Topthorn face as part of the team to pull the hospital cart to the battle front over and over is made right by kind treatment their German masters give to their wounds and injuries, and treat their fatigue at the end of day. Joey's worse experience comes when he and Topthorn and others must pull the artillery. Because these soldiers are dead tired themselves and also starving, they are not as attentive to the horses.

The most horrifying scene occurs when Joey is totally alone and runs and runs from the sound of cannons until he is trapped in No Man's Land, a barren area between the French and English on one side and the Germans on the other. Two rolls of barbed wire separate the land from the trenches. Joey finds himself in this area. What transpires is an incredible and beautiful moment in the midst of an insane war.

***
SPOILER ALERT! Read no further if you don't like to know anything about a book's ending.)

Of course, you must know that Albert is re-united with Joey. How that comes about is purely contrived, but welcomed by a reader weary of the horrors of war for both man and horse.

Last week a fourth-grader asked me for a really good book to read. I showed him several. When he saw "War Horse," he wanted it at once. The next day he told me, "This is a great book." He was already half-way finished. So I went home and read my copy.

You will never look at a horse the same way again. Joey tells us about the people who tend him. Are they heavy-handed, hard, tender, kind, caring? What is it like with each type of person? What is it like to be a horse? But the best lesson is that horses are no longer used in battle (until a reader commented that horses are being used in Afghanistan! Barbarity in a barbaric place. What can one expect? Note: I'm speaking of war and war conditions, not the Afghan people or soldiers.)

In my opinion, War Horse is one of the best books I've ever read. I read it in Dutch, named `Oorlogspaard'. (I'm Dutch, sorry for grammatical mistakes). When I began to read it, I first thought it was `just' a story about a horse. How sweet. But when I got further, I saw it's kind of historical too. And that's the reason I like it so much; the whole story could be true. Other books about horses are mostly all the same; it's about a young girl (or boy) and a horse and it always has a happy end.

This book is different. It shows the first world war from an other point of view: a horse. The horse (Joey) doesn't understand that much about the war and wants to get out of it as fast as he can. He stays friendly, although the soldiers let him work very hard. War Horse is my favourite book and I think that many people would like it; it's not a story for horse-lovers only, you know.

In London on September 17, 2009, I saw the sensational and deeply moving hit play "War Horse" which was adapted from Michael Morpurgo's novel. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had in the theater, an epic theater happening, yet a drama with a very moving intimate family core story. Huge seven foot horse puppets had been constructed. They are operated by two people inside the body and one outside operating the head actions. They move exactly like real horses, sound like real horses, and very early in the play audience members come to believe in them as real horses.
The play is performed on a thrust stage with the audience flanking three sides. At various times a puppet goose on wheels delights the audience, a huge menacing tank rolls across the stage, and birds fly on tall poles. There are up to six horse puppets that appear as part of the cavalry. Sound, light, and music coalesce to create a total theater experience.
"War Horse," (1982) the novel upon which the play is based is told in the first person by the horse himself, a device that was used in "Black Beauty." Considerable changes were made in plot and dialogue to turn the novel into a theater piece. The story is a very touching one about a boy, Albert, who finds that his father, in one of his drunken bouts, has bought a colt at auction. Albert develops a deep love for the horse and raises him with great tenderness. The book starts in Devon, England before the start of World War I. The father forces Albert to train Joey to be a plough horse; again the father in a drunken state had made a bet that Joey could be a plough horse in a week.
When the war in Europe envelops England, Albert's father sells the horse to the army which needs cavalry horses. Albert is grief stricken over the loss of Joey and vows to get him back after what he thinks will be a brief war. Training for army service, Joey becomes a close friend to the bigger, stronger black stallion Topthorn. Together as close companions they go through some horrible battlefield experiences.
Captain Nicholls takes care of Joey and paints his portrait. Soon Joey and Topthorn are in the heat of battle. They fall into German hands, and are saved when they pull ambulance carts for the Germans. An old man and his daughter protect them on their farm for a time until they are taken back by the Germans to pull artillery carts. They are befriended by old Friederick. Soon they are overwhelmed by the grim battlefield conditions such as the savage barbed wire.
This novel and play are a very strong indictments of war. In World War I over six million horses died from all sorts of causes. The human death toll has been estimated at ten million. The anti-war theme is driven home more poignantly when you see the suffering of the horses on stage and on the printed page; witness man's inhumanity toward man, and man's cruelty and disdain for animals.

With the upcoming film and all the great reviews here, I decided to get a copy for myself. I'm not a stranger to reading children's books, though I must admit that I generally prefer books for a somewhat older age group. War Horse looks to be for kids about ten, though it could be enjoyed by older children as well.

It's a short book, it took me somewhat over an hour to read, though I'm a quick reader.

But my problem with the book isn't it's length, but it's somewhat even use of emotions. The story never thrilled me, it never brought tears to my eyes, it never caused any strong emotion in me. I should have been in tears as our hero loses a friend, or when we found out that he's deathly ill. I should have been excited and happy at the ending. I should have felt some strong emotion somewhere. But I didn't.

It also suffers in lack of detail and the glossing over of events. Being as short as it is, it can't be expected to go into detail, but that's part of what can make a great book great.

Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad book at all. But I don't believe it holds up well for adults. I'm glad I read the book, and if you like having read the book prior to seeing a film, I encourage it. Just don't go in with high expectations.

Again, yes, I understand this is a children's book, and as a children's book it may be a great book. But with the number of reviews out there implying that it's a great book for adults as well I thought another voice was worthwhile.

Think of it this way, your best friend is sent away to fight in World War I and there is no way of contacting him and you may never be able to see him again. In Michael Morpurgo's novel, War Horse, the author weaves a tale of friendship between a young horse and boy during the first World War. The friendship is interrupted when the boy's father, drunk yet again, sells the horse, Joey, to the army where he is trained to be a `war horse'. Joey and the companions that he meets during the war illustrate how acts of kindness and caring can help you survive the hardship of war.
Michael Morpurgo has written the story from Joey's point of view, which has given the novel strength because you hear what everyone thinks of the war including both sides as well as civilians. As Joey's experiences take him from the English side of the war to the German side, you meet the individuals from both sides and realize that none of them want to be in the war. This is illustrated by a German soldier, who everyone thinks is crazy, he tells Joey, and the other horse he cares for, "I tell you that I am the only sane man in the regiment. It's the others who are crazy, but they don't know it. They fight a war and they don't know what for. Isn't that crazy? How can one man kill another and not really know the reason why he does it, except that the other man wears a different color uniform and speaks another language? And its me they call crazy! You two are the only rational creatures I've met in this stupid war, and like me, the only reason you're here is because you were brought here. If I had the courage -- and I haven't -- we'd take off down this road and never come back."
Another important theme that is shown in the story is that friendship and individuals matter. Joey meets people from all different places, to him they are all individuals. In a scene where an English soldier and German soldier meet in `No Man's Land` they discuss how if war were decided by individuals rather than countries maybe it wouldn't drag on so long.
"In an hour, maybe, or two... we will be trying our best again each other to kill. God only knows why we do it, and I think He has maybe forgotten why.
Good-bye, Welshman. We have shown them, haven't we? We have shown them that any problem can be solved between people if only we can trust each other. That is all it needs, no?"
It is the little acts of kindness that help Joey and his friends survive the war.
This unusual story will stay with the reader long after they have turned the last page. In the author's note Michael Morpurgo writes: Some in the village, only a very few now and fewer as each year goes by, remember Joey as he was. His story is written so that neither he nor those who knew him, nor the war they lived and died in, will be forgotten. And with that I would like to say that with this novel he truly made Joey's as well as the other individuals portrayed in the books story live on. The people from the village won't be the last ones to cherish this story but are only the beginning of many who will come to know and love this story.

This has been an interesting day in that I saw the preview for the film, 'War Horse', and being so moved by that, I had to read the book. I downloaded it to my iPad and proceeded to read it in one sitting, taking time out only to eat dinner. I will not go into a lengthy review, as there are plenty of good reviews of that type already available. I will say that this book has moved me in ways that quite possibly no other book has managed previously. 'War Horse' achieves four things for me, and achieves them in a most brilliant fashion: 1) It is extremely well-written (there is something about the style that reminds me of my favourite author, Hermann Hesse), contains outstanding character development, and seamlessly incorporates the other three achievements to which I refer; 2) It speaks of the futility and madness of war, several times bringing to mind scenes from 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930); 3) It deals with horses, and while containing some elements that were difficult to read due to my all too visual mind, it is realistic yet hopeful and inspiring; 4) It is set during an historical event and is believable in its settings. I experienced every emotion while reading this, and became attached to its characters, as though they were old friends. There's not much more you can ask for from a book than that. I have a distinct feeling that this was only the first time I will have read 'War Horse', as I suspect I will revisit Joey, Albert, Topthorn and the others many more times.

This is a very exciting and touching book. It really does a great job at grabbing your attention and keeping your attention right from the beginning. Once I started reading this book I quickly felt like I was emotionally invested in the characters and the horse. Great writing style and great character development. If you enjoyed this book you will really like The Navajo (Jake & Rusty). This book takes place during WWII and is very accurate. This is a great story of two soldiers travels that intertwine some great romantic encounters throughout their journey. I think this is a must read.

In the tradition begun by Black Beauty, the hero and narrator of this story is a horse. He cares about horse things: water, grass, doing his work well, and a kind master to work for.

He does not know what the different colored uniforms mean; he does not care if the person he is working for speaks English, French or German. He does not understand the forces in the human world that compel men to fight and kill one another.

This is the story of Joey, a Thoroughbred/draft horse cross who began life working for the son of a British farmer. Young Albert copes with his difficult and drunken father by training the young horse that his father bought at auction to spite a neighbor. Under Albert's loving tutelage, Joey learns to carry a rider and pull a plow.

But when war comes, Albert's father needs the money so Joey is sold to the army. And so begins the adventure of a lifetime for Joey. That first separation from Albert is the harbinger of many partings: the fortunes and misfortunes of war sweep Joey helplessly along. He's a horse caught in a world where machines are replacing horses and bringing new horrors and perils into the world. But while cavalry charges become discredited, horses are still needed to pull the big guns, the supply wagons and the ambulances. Machines can't cope with the mud and primitive roads of the era. Horses are also still needed by farmers.

Joey's story brings to life the hardship and suffering of the estimated six million horses that were pressed into service during World War I. It's a powerful, gut wrenching story because most of those horses never made it back to their original homes.

Some people would consider WAR HORSE by Michael Morpurgo to be an anti-war story. However, I found this story to be uplifting--Joey, despite all he suffers, retains his trust and love for human beings. He doesn't understand the war or any of the causes of his suffering, but he responds to the people who treat him kindly with love and loyalty. And he meets with many people who do their best to ease his suffering and to take care of him. In humanity and horsemanship, the world is redeemed. This is a wonderful story. Highly recommended. Soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.

This book is awesome. It's also sort of sad. It's about a sleek and beautiful horse get's sold from his mother. He go's to a boy named Albert, and stays there for two years. He is treated with creulty by Albert's father, but love from Alebert himself. They name the horse Joey. But war starts and Joey is sold by Albert's cruel father to the soldiers, to go into war.
That's about all I can say. You gotta read the book! I like this book, mainly becuase it is about horses, and it is told by the horse, Joey. It's his point of view.

[Comments refer to the stage play "War Horse" by Nick Stafford, which is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo]

"War Horse" is pure story-telling, a classic tale for children but, hey, it's going to cause any adult to choke up with emotion. Think "Old Yeller," by Fred Gipson, or Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' "The Yearling."

The stage play by Nick Stafford tells the story of Joey, a horse -- half thoroughbred, half hunter -- born shortly before the outbreak of WWI, separated from his mother while still a foal, raised in the Devon countryside in England by young Albert Narracott and sold to the English cavalry to fight alongside the doughboys in France.

Saying good-bye to his beloved horse, Albert vows: "I want you to do yourself proud. You go and drive those Germans back home, and then you come home. I promise you, Joey, that we shall be together again . . . I, Albert Narracott, do solemnly swear that we shall be together again."

Although too young to enlist, Albert, 16, lies about his age and sets out to find Joey and bring the horse home to the fields of Devon.

A caveat: This paperback by Nick Stafford is the stage adaptation of the novel of the same name by Michael Morpurgo. The National Theatre in London gave the play its premier in 2007. The same production, in association with the Handspring Puppet Company, is scheduled to open at Lincoln Center in New York in the spring of 2011. Steven Spielberg is directing a movie of the book which is scheduled to premier December 2011.

With that caveat in mind, for me the question then becomes does it make sense to read the play before seeing the "War Horse" stage production or before sitting down in a dark movie theater with a box of popcorn and watching the action unfold on the big screen.

By reading the play beforehand, you'll know the story and how it ends. But it's a fantastically compelling story that has traction enough to be retold and retold without diminishing its emotional wallop.

The value of reading the play before seeing the production is that you create Joey and his world in your imagination. Seeing what you've conjured in your mind's eye and how that compares to what happens on stage or in the movie theater is, for me at least, a pleasure all in its own right. Think of reading "Lord of the Rings" and then seeing the trilogy on screen. Reading "Gone With the Wind" before watching the classic movie.

For me, reading the play or book first; seeing the movie after, enriches the entire experience. My advice, get to know Joey and his story as soon as you can; then make plans to see the play and go to the movie.

[4.5 stars]