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chalkletters's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I discovered The Little White Horse when I caught part of a single episode of the 1994 television adaptation. It must have been a part involving the titular horse, because I was obsessed with all things equine and especially with all things unicorn. Since we couldn't find the rest of the TV series, my parents bought me the book instead and I fell utterly in love with it. Not only the unicorn, but Maria’s tower bedroom and delicate sugar biscuits fit exactly into my aesthetic.
Maria Merryweather is, in many ways, a children’s fiction version of Emma Woodhouse. She's a little too privileged and a little too proud, and the narrator knows it. The plot is as much Maria learning to overcome her faults as it Maria discovering the magic of Silverydew Valley and the mystery of the previous moon princesses. Elizabeth Goudge's character descriptions are as memorable and charming as her descriptions of locations, and it's nice to see the portly Uncle Benjamin be romanticised just as much as willow-thin Maria. Robin, Maria's supposed imaginary friend turned flesh-and-blood boy surely fulfils more than one childhood dream.
While the prose makes everything feel enchanted, there’s not a lot of actual magic in The Little White Horse. Moonacre and Silverydew Valley are clearly pastoral locations existing in a slightly different sphere of reality, and Maria's animal companions are both longer-lived and more intelligent than is common, but Maria performs superhuman feats, nor is there any true fortune-telling attached to her role as the moon princess. Despite this, Elizabeth Goudge is able to elicit the same longing for a more magical life that readers might get from Lucy walking through the wardrobe into Narnia.
Unsurprisingly for a book written in 1946, The Little White Horse does stick to traditional gender roles and romances. Unlike the film adaptation, there's no scene where prim Maria runs through the forest dishevelling her clothes, but she's still able to participate in adventures just as fully as the male characters, and even acts alone to bring about the final resolution between 'good' and 'evil'. Even so, the way her authority figures disdain feminine curiosity may grate on modern readers, as may the decision to marry off all three female characters at the end of the novel.
The Little White Horse claimed a place in my heart too long ago for me to ever truly be objective about it. For me, picking it up will always mean a magical return to the places, characters, feasts and festivals that I love. I haven't always found that same satisfaction in Elizabeth Goudge’s novels for adults, but Moonacre Manor will always be one of my dream homes.
(If you'd like to see all the featured homes, you can find their descriptions on my Tumblr.)
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Animal cruelty
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