The Seventh Horse And Other Tales (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This collection of Carrington's fiction, the most comprehensive so far, includes a novella and 18 short stories written between the late 1930s and the early '70s in French, Spanish and English. All these tales take place in fantastic, eerie landscapes and are narrated in surreal, stylized voices. Carrington (House of Fear , etc.) creates not characters and situations, but abstract concepts, which often result in stories that lack warmth and the power to engage. The effect is intellectually impressive but emotionally unsatisfying. In the pieces that do come to life, though, the abstract merges with reality in a chillingly mesmerizing blend. In "White Rabbits," after a first visit to her mysterious, leprous neighbors in New York, the narrator concludes her frightful tale: "I stumbled and ran, choking with horror; some unholy curiosity made me look over my shoulder . . . and I saw her waving . . . and as she waved . . . her fingers fell off and dropped to the ground like shooting stars." The novella "The Stone Door" is the highlight of the volume. The magically unfolding fable tells of Zacharias, a 20th century Hungarian Jew who is destined to voyage beyond the boundaries of time to the shores of ancient Mesopotamia, and open the great stone door of the mountain Kescke to release his true love. This modern fairy tale burns with the passion and purpose that is often missing in the shorter, intellectualized works. Illustrated.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Plume (October 13, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525483845
• ISBN-13: 978-0525483847
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #444,270 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A ride along the edge of reason..., January 30, 2001

By	"villette" (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews

A truly original collection of surrealist fiction with a feminist twist. Carrington's stories are dense with occultist and cabalistic symbolism which may at first appear daunting, but which also contain a strong dose of black humour that never fails to be engaging. The language itself is both beautiful and strange, and many of these stories were originally written in French and Spanish, as well as the writer's native English.

Highlights include "As they rode along the edge", "My Mother is a Cow" and the novella "The Stone Door." This fascinating collection, from an often-overlooked writer, is an essential addition to the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in feminist or surrealist literature.

2.0 out of 5 stars The Seventh Horse, August 4, 2007

By	K. Zimmerman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was looking forward to reading this after reading The Hearing Trumpet and admiring her work as a painter but found this one a little too out there and difficult to relate to.