I don’t know how much you know about Black Beauty. I’ll attest I didn’t know much; I honestly couldn’t tell you whether or not I’d ever read it, despite owning a copy. A quite beautiful copy it is too, bound in black leather with gold writing and an attached red bookmark, all indications that it is a classic. Once I opened it and read the subtitle, I was a bit taken aback that it was in fact an autobiography of a horse and that I would be reading this from the horse’s perspective.
There’s a reason it’s written from the horse’s point-of-view. Anna Sewell has an agenda, one that becomes clear as early as the second chapter. She wants the reader to learn just how difficult a horse’s life is, and all the ways that we can contribute to the harm caused to animals, as well as the ways we could choose to improve their lives. It is an issues book and a quite effective one, at that.
The problem with it is that since we no longer live in a society where horses are owned by many and used frequently, Sewell’s lessons about their care and treatment can be a bit lost. Modern readers with our society’s belief in humane treatment of animals will likely find it hard to get through the litany of ills that can befall a horse. I certainly did. It was hard to keep coming back to the book, knowing that the next chapter was sure to just highlight more ways in which the horse will suffer.
Additionally, because it is an “autobiography” it does not follow the standard problem/solution story format. It does not build to a climax, truly, although it does wind down to a resolution, one that I am quite relieved to report occurs years before the horse’s death. I do have to admit I was a bit worried that we’d have to suffer Beauty’s death pains right along with him.
Furthermore, there’s moralizing throughout about the evils of alcohol and in one chapter, the importance of God and religion.
So, if you lack the background and are just thinking – ooooh, pretty horse book, classic, I shall purchase this for the horse lover in my life, then maybe, you might want to reevaluate. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of the humane treatment of horses, well, here you go. And luckily, the link above will show you that if you’re not interested in an heirloom quality edition, you can read it for FREE on your Kindle.
Because of the sometimes upsetting events, the old-fashioned syntax and vocabulary and the detail heavy style, I would recommend this for tweens and up.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – A man utters “wild curses.” Another man uses abusive language. A man is called bad names.
Death, Violence and Gore – Some horses kick or bite, but they are ill mannered. A boy throws sticks and rocks at the horses. When he is caught he is given a “box on the ear”. Men and dogs hunt a hare. She is caught and held up by the leg “torn and bleeding”. The men did not let the dogs tear her to pieces (not to save her, just so they could have her). During the hunt, a man falls, breaks his neck and dies. Two horses are injured as well, one of whom is subsequently shot. People are shooting rabbits. A horses is badly cut by a rock. Men are violent while breaking a horse and flog her. Whips and spurs are used on horses, causing them to bleed. A horse’s bit causes its tongue to bleed. A groom beats a horse. A horse is hit with a broom and pitchfork. Boys use a stick as a whip. There’s a graphic explanation of docking a horse’s tail by cutting through flesh and bone. There’s a mention of drowning puppies. Puppies have the flap of their ears cut off -this not a punishment, but rather something that is done to certain breeds for looks – it’s clear the author’s intent is to point out that this is a terrible practice. Two horses drown. A pony was held using a bearing rein and nearly breaks its jaw. A boy whips a pony, kicks him and knocks him about the head. A pony throws a boy into a hedge. A boy pulls the wings off of flies. Boys fight. Horses burn to death in a stable fire. A man’s parents died when he was a child, leaving him and his “crippled” sister. There is talk of how ignorance is a terrible thing and examples given include accidentally killing a baby and a boy who dressed as a ghost gave his brother fits (which from context seems like an awful thin). A man flogs horses. Ginger kicks and rears, hitting people and other horses. A woman is thrown from a horse. A horse is whipped. A horse loses a shoe, hurts his foot, falls and throws his rider. A man is killed in an accident, his hair is soaked with blood. A horse has a stone in its shoe which is cutting his foot. Even after it is removed the horse is in some pain. An accident causes a shaft to be thrust into a horses chest, his flesh torn open and bleeding, blood streaming down and we’re told it would have been better for the horse if it had killed him. A man is thrown out in an accident and broke his arm and some of his ribs. A man fights when he drinks. A horse relates his experience on the battlefield, including seeing bombshells, bayonets, bullets and cannonballs. Men and horses are shot with bullets, pierced with lances, gashed with swords and left for dead in agony. The ground is slippery with blood and covered with wounded men and horses. There is musket fire, shot and shells. Many men and horses are killed. Men are knocked off their horses. Horses are barely moving from blood loss. Others drag themselves on 2 or 3 legs because the others are damaged beyond repair. Army farriers run over the field shooting injured horses (this is an act of mercy, but hard to read about nonetheless). A woman gets a letter than her mother is near death. A man catches a fever and dies. A horse wishes to die and is described as suffering. She wishes to die at her work and not be sent to the knackers. Beauty sees a dead horse he believes is a friend. It has a lifeless tongue that is dripping with blood. He wishes horses were shot before they came to this. A boy gives someone a thrashing. A woman is knocked down. In another accident a horse is pierced with a shaft. A sure bullet is put through a horse’s heart. A man is very ill with bronchitis, men die of it. Horses are whipped to bleeding. A horse collapses and believes himself to be near death. We learn a horse will be sold because he might be worth more alive than just his skin.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A man drank a great deal. A man is “worse for drink”. There’s a character who has problems with alcohol. He is fine when he is not drinking but then has a “bout”. He becomes too drunk to do anything. Another man drinks too much. There are drunken voters. Men drink. There is a lot of noting how drunk men were before they do terrible things to their horses.
Frightening or Intense Things – They nearly go onto a bridge that has been swept away. It is likely all involved would have drowned. There is a fire and the stable fills with smoke. A horse is not properly warmed after a hard ride and gets sick enough that they think he might die. A woman and her six children are turned out of their home. A man and his child are led away by police for stealing. The child is not sent to prison, but the man was. Some horses are so thin that you can see their ribs, they have sores on their bodies. A woman is taking a sick child to the hospital.
