Synopsis
Fourteen stories of horse racing spotlight the works of Beryl Markham, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.P. Marquand, Sherwood Anderson, and John Galsworthy
Reviews
YA-- Horse lovers and racing fans will enjoy this collection of 14 stories chosen by an outstanding writer as well as a champion rider, but it should also interest other short-story readers since the race track, the betting tables, and the stables attract a fascinating cross-section of high and low life, sharpsters, and splendid rogues. The arcane vocabulary and the track lingo, some of which is outdated by today's standards, flavor the stories and heighten their spirit of adventure, mystery, or humor. Included are selections by Conan Doyle, Beryl Markham, Edgar Wallace, and Dick Francis.
- Mary T. Gerrity, Queen Anne School, Upper Marlboro, MD
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
This 14-story collection of horseracing stories by British and American writers will provide pleasant reading for fans of the "sport of kings." Represented here are such familiar names as Arthur Conan Doyle ("Silver Blaze," the story in which Sherlock Holmes makes his famous pronouncement about "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"), Edgar Wallace ("The Coop," in which the prolific mystery writer's series character, race track tout Educated Evans, turns a surprise profit) and Sherwood Anderson ("I'm a Fool," the first-person narrative of a young man trapped in his own deceit, entertaining despite its outdated racial attitudes). Francis, as might be expected, has a bit of crime at the heart of his "Carrot for a Chestnut," a story of the fixing of a race with an O. Henryish twist. Welcome ( Grand National ) spins a tale of the unlikely racing triumph of an Oxford student over his untrustworthy best friend in "A Glass of Port with the Proctor." The volume opens with Richard Findlay's "The Dream," a nicely done tale of premonition and disaster, and closes with E. de Somerville and Martin Ross's "The Bagman's Pony," an offbeat, amusing story of a race against the clock in Colonial India.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The editors have compiled 14 British and American horseracing stories from the famous (Hemingway, Conan Doyle, Sherwood Anderson), the obscure (Colin Davy, Molly Keane, Richard Findlay), themselves, and others. Particularly well crafted are Beryl Markham's "The Splendid Outcast" and Welcome's "A Glass of Port with the Proctor." Conan Doyle and J.P. Marquand provide mysteries; others create slice-of-life vignettes, some with a moral. Many contain British colloquialisms and settings; none are little girl horse stories. Recommended for libraries with strong short story collections.
- Susan Hamburger, Virginia State Lib. & Archives, Richmond
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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