Book synopsis: Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. As a young colt he is free to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. But when his owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labour and cruelty. Bravely he works as hard as he can, suffering at the hands of men who treat animals badly. But Black Beauty has an unbreakable spirit and will, and is determined to survive...
This may be my favourite book of all time. The picture above is the copy of the book that I have had since I was a child, and to say that I have 're-read' this book would be an understatement. The poor thing is literally falling apart, but I simply cannot bear to part with it or try to fix it in any way. The amount of time I have spent re-reading this book is so special to me and I truly believe that it was this book that made me see animals as individuals, rather than objects.
The book was written by Anna Sewell in the 1800, so it does detail practise that are somewhat outdated. However, it is also based in a time where using horses for transport was the norm, and therefore the treatment and cruelty to horses was also a large part of daily life. Sewell goes into great detail about the hardships and creulty that Black Beauty faces throughout his life and from all sorts of people, from the butlers who own him to the cab drivers who steer him. But the story also discusses times in Black Beauty's life where he was treated with love and kindness, and again from all sorts of different people, from stable hands to young girls who ride him. He falls in love, has fears and dreams, and he is written in such an intimate way that you believe that Black Beauty is a real person.
The story is all written from the point of view of Black Beauty, in the first person, and so we are able to read what he is thinking and feeling at each stage of his life. It is written exactly how I imagine a horse would speak - he starts the story as a foal, not really knowing what people are or what their relationship to him is, and as he grows older and deals with different people and does different jobs for them, he learns about how people speak and behave and how this all directly relates to him as a horse. I really do believe that it was this sort of insight into the mind of an animal that made me, even as a child, start to wonder about what other animals experience. Did my cat think of me a certain way? Did my hamster view me in a different way? Even now I wonder what the squirrels outside of my house must think of me when I run past them each day. I also think that it is this viewpoint which has made this book so well loved over the years, and is quite the staple within children's literature. The book itself teaches lessons on kindness, empathy and compassion, whilst also showing first hand how a person's actions can impact on the thoughts and feelings on an animal.
The book also deals a lot with the welfare of horses, and it is believed that Sewell wrote this book after witnessing how cart-drawing horses were treated in London during the 1800s. The story goes into detail about how cruel some people can be to animals, including how cruel some owners were to Black Beauty and the things that they subjected him to all in the name of 'presentation'. But I think that's why the book has stood the test of time so well - not a lot has changed. Horses are still used to pull carriages - from Dublin, to New York, to London - and horses are still viewed as working animals. Their entire purpose is to pull heavy things or to help us humans get somewhere. Now I have to say that welfare standards for horses are improving, and I do truly believe that people who own horses now, do truly love their horses and own them because they love them, not just because the horse can do things for them. But this book helps to highlight that there are still bad people out there, who won't care about the needs or the welfare of a horse, and the lengths that this can go to. I won't spoil too much but there is one scene in particular which is heart-breaking and shocking, but could all have been avoided had Black Beauty's owner simply removed stones from his hooves.
Now I admit that I may be a bit biased, as this book is so special to me, but I think if you have any interest in animals at all then you should definitely read this book. As I say, it is aimed mostly at children, so there is nothing overly graphic or vulgar within it, but it does deal with some very real world issues that are still apparent today in our treatment of horses and other equines in general. I will also say that this book does have a very happy ending too, so there is no fear about anything too bad happening to Black Beauty whilst you read. You can tell that a lot of thought, heart and passion went into creating this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in animals.
Overall: 10/10. A wonderful story with some very powerful lessons within it. Perfect for children or adults.
T xxx
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