THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE

by Elizabeth Goudge ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 1947

By the author of A City of Bells and Green Dolphin Street, an elegantly written book with the thoughtful, polished air of a Jane Austin gone exquisite. Though the prose gives pleasure, I doubt that many young readers will stay with more than a few pages of the slow-moving, dreamy tale that floats between reality and illusion. The opening chapters which introduce Maria Merryweather, a 13 year old orphaned heiress, her kindly intelligent governess, Jane Heliotrope, Sir Merryweather, the owner of the somewhat haunted Moonacre Manor, and Wiggins, an ordinary, shallow but beautiful spaniel -- these promise a real story. The delicate humor, the enchanting landscape, the unreal light continue however to give these qualities and nothing more. There are frail enchantments, incredibly prescient animals, for a rather affected plot with a high, antique finish. The mysterious little white horse of Maria's imaginings, is as ethereal as the rest of the cast, and the feudal, manorial air, the fabulous repasts prepared by mysterious servants and animals, all become rather cloying.

Pub Date: April 14, 1947

ISBN: 0142300276

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1947

Categories: FICTION