National Velvet (Flare Original Novel)

Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: "National Velvet" is the story of the literaly ugly duckling of the Brown family. Velvet has three older sisters (Edwina, Meredith, and Malvolia) and a younger brother named Donald. her mother, Arminity, swam the English Channel as a young girl, and has the opinion that none of her daughters should be weak characters.Mi Taylor, her father's hired hand becomes Velvet's coach (as his father was to Arminity)when Velvet inherits five horses and then wins a Piebald carthorse in a village raffle.
When Mi and Velvet see how well the Piebald can jump, Velvet decides to enter him in the Grand Nationals. Velvet dresses as a boy(no girls were allowed to compete)and rides in the Nationals.
This book was really good- it showed how a person can do almost anything if they set their mind to it!

Rating:
Summary: A Priceless Slice of Time
Review: Forget Elizabeth Taylor and her impossibly gorgeous wide mauve eyes. Forget Mickey Rooney. "National Velvet" has nothing to do with Hollywood, and everything to do with a microcosm of time, England between the Wars, in a working-class society that no longer exists.

The Brown family, staunchly working class, gets by on a pittance. The hugely obese mother, who misses nothing through her "hooded eyes," was once a world champion swimmer, the first woman to swim the English Channel. It is her spirit, her sense of competition and the right of women to step out of their structured lives, that has been passed down to her youngest daughter Velvet. And THAT is what this story is about: the strength of one young girl to rise above every restriction of her class and society, and to excel where no woman has ever excelled before.

So in one sense, yes, this is the story of a young girl and her love of a horse. And it is thrilling on that level. It is also the story of a society that cannot ever exist again, but that, for all its restrictions, was ruled by love of family and a strong sense of right and wrong. And third, it is the triumphant story, long before feminism was in vogue, of one small woman who overcomes centuries of prejudice to become a champion. What else does one need?

There are other characters in this book who are as interesting as Velvet: Her older, beautiful but vacuous sister Edwina, who slithers out at night to meet her boyfriend; her second oldest sister Malvolia, another "thoroughbred beauty," her impossible baby brother Donald, who collects his own spit in a bottle he keeps on a cord around his neck; her staunch, but mostly silent working-class father; and of course, Mi, the groom whose love of horses and fierce loyalty to the Brown clan hides some terrible secrets he refuses to reveal.

Add the Piebald, the most wonderful fictional horse ever, and you have a story for the ages: the story of a young girl who finds and trains a wayward horse, and takes him all the way to England's famed Grand National, where she dresses as a boy (no female was allowed to ride) and takes her horse--and hersef--to glory.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but confusing
Review: I thought this book was good. But the reason i gave it 4*, is because the story isn't really origional if you think about it. It is a classic story of girls trying to do somthing that they love and overcome thier obticles. The book is about a girl named Velvet. Velvet loves to ride and race horses; however, no girls are allowed. So she cuts her hair and shows people what she is made of. To find out how it ends, you have to read it. If you like these kinds of books, you'll definatly like this book. But if your like me (not really into corny stuff) then you'll think it's ok.

Rating:
Summary: Classic, but confusing
Review: I thought this book was great, but it confused me on which was which character. I love the Pie. I saw the movie first, so I was surprised when the Pie was a piebald (In the movie he is chestnut). This was a great book. All horse/classic lovers should read it.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: Since its publicaton in 1935 Enid Bagnold's book has captured the hearts of millions of girls and horse lovers around the world. Set in rural England this story focuses on the equestrian dreams of 14-year-old, boyish Velvet Brown--one of 4 blonde daughters of a butcher. At first glance hers seems an unlikely household to encourage fantasy, with her serious father and taciturn, mountainous mother. But Mrs. Brown was a Channel swimmer in her day; she understands goal setting and overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a personal quest.

In just one year Velvet inherits 5 ponies, wins the Piebald in a village lottery and ingnites a controversy in the National Hunt Club--captivating the imagination of people around the globe. Her knowledgeable partner in this bold plan to compete (where girls were not permitted to ride) is Mi Taylor. This fellow is her father's helper and a family lodger, but he recognizes both talent and dedication, since his father had been the swimming coach for Velvet's mother. Will history repeat itself as a second generation encourages youthful ambition? It's not about
the prize money at all; they do it for the Pie! A classic in daring and determination to follow through on a dream.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Movie
Review: The most remarkable aspect of National Velvet is that it was written in 1935. The story of a girl who pushes beyond her culture, age and social position to achieve unprecedented glory is told without condescension or preachifying. In this, it outstretches books of its own time, many more modern books and even its own movie. Enid Bagnold isn't trying to make a point, she is telling a story with wit, vivacity and considerable insight.

This lack of moralizing is due mostly to Ms Bagnold's characterizations. The most important of the characters--Mi, Velvet and Mrs. Brown--are portrayed as complete individuals with thoughts and flaws and attitudes that are a reflection not so much of their surroundings but of their innerselves. They are human, not representative.

The story moves quickly, apropos to a novel about a horse and a horse race. The dialog between the family members takes getting used to, being cryptic and more unsaid than said, as is typical with family communication. The average reader is confronted by unfamiliar vocabulary and references, which have to be accepted and then ignored. If this can be accomplished, the passion of Velvet will carry the reader through to the end.

Recommedation: Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: A simple dream.
Review: This is a book about horses obviously. And I would definately classify it in the classic section. It's a book that nobody has left lying around and everyone has read at least once. Most people don't exactly hate it. Unless of course they aren't very patient. The book seems to be boring but it is Enid Bagnold has portrayed a wonderful sense of life into the whole book itself. I don't recommend the full book for anyone like the 11year old who commented on this and said it was boring. Those who are young..sometimes are too impatient and if it's not about horses horses horses they think it's useless. Of course Enid Bagnold doesn't fall at any point in the story. It's very well told and beautiful. Something I'll keep not just in my bookshelf but on my desk for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing novel that is meant for all horse lovers to read
Review: This novel is an amazing novel about Velvet, a 14 year old girl, and a young, green, piebald (a spotted/two colored horse) that she wins. This story is not that exciting at the beginning as it introduces you to Velvet's and her family's personalities and daily life. The book becomes more alive when Velvet hears that a horse is being given away by raffle. Velvet quickly gathers all the money that she has and buys a ticket for the raffle. Amazingly the wining raffle ticket is Velvets' and she wins the piebald. After showing him is a typical/normal show, Velvet realizes he is not meant for those types of shows and decides to go bigger. After seeing how high the piebald can jump, Velvet chooses to train the piebald for the Grand National, the biggest steeplechase in the world. Throughout the whole book there are disappointing parts and parts where you smile all over. This book is like a sister to the classic novel Black Beauty. Overall National Velvet is a book for horse lovers of all ages to read; in fact it is a book everyone should read.

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: When I first started reading this book,I soon grew bored with all the "getting to know the Browns",so I stopped reading it. I t was just recently that I picked this book up on a shelf in the tack room and actually finished it. It was so great!!! It was much more exiting further on in the book. I highly reccomend it! I loved it so much I read it out loud to my pony Lucky,and at the end of each chapter,he made a little wuffle as though to say "don't stop reading!" If you love horses,steeple chasing,or just a good story,then you need to read this book! If you have seen the movie and think you know the story,then I have news for you! The book is NOTHING like the movie! But it's up to you to find out how. Hurry up and read this book! You'll love it!