Friday, February 17, 2012

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo


I have this uncontrollable habit when I see a movie trailer to go online and see if it's a book.  If the film is adapted from a book, I then proceed to add it to my list of books to read and only when I read the book in full can I see the movie.  It's like a little rule I have with myself.  I've broken it a once or twice but after doing so with Atonement by Ian McEwan, I've learned my lesson. 
            If you read my review about The Book Thief, you know I love to learn and read about war and so this book was right up my alley.  After seeing the War Horse movie trailer, between the epic music and looks of beautiful storytelling, I knew I had to read this book.  It took a while to get a hold of…5 weeks on hold at the library!  Finally I got my hands on it and was surprised to find out it was a very thin book.  I finished reading it in 2 days!
            The story centers around a horse named Joey who is taken away from his best friend and owner, Albert, to join the war.  The story then goes to follow Joey through the war, watching people and horses die around him and hoping to someday find Albert.  The story is not written in 3rd person but in 1st so the reader sees right into Joey’s mind.  The reader is able see his attachment to not just people but other horses around him.  The reader is also able to grow attached to Joey and realize that the war wasn’t just hard on humans but on the animals involved as well.  This is another tear jerk-er.  The ending was beautiful.
            This time I am finding it hard to find a fault in this novel.  I’m going to go with my gut and just stick with no obvious faults.  This was a great read and I can’t wait to see the movie!

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