Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Black Beauty

I am pretty sure I read this when I was young, or it was read to me. But wow is it a different experience as an adult. The breadth of emotions I felt, and the deep anger. Sewell wrote an incredible book. I had to do some research and was so happy to learn what a profound effect this book had on the laws surrounding the care and treatment of horses and other animals.

Another classic down!

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luananki's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

kindheits-ich hat sich ein sehr gutes lieblingsbuch mit wichtigem thema ausgesucht

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shannyn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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minty_3's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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sop17hie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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skylacine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The horse is sad

Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-review-black-beauty-by-anna-sewell.html

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kathyhope_'s review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lectrixnoctis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

"Black Beauty" is an 1877 children's book by English author Anna Sewell. Narrated in the first person singular is the fictional biography of a young horse; it is notable for its enduring popularity and the first famous work of children's literature about animals. The protagonist and narrator of the novel are Black Beauty, a horse whose inborn intelligence, virtue and Beauty recall a central human character. Black Beauty's kindness sets the stage for a horrific narrative of decline as he moves from one evil master to the next. Sewell wrote Black Beauty with the explicit intention of making people more sympathetic to the plight of horses. In this respect, some say she was successful, turning popular opinion against the abusiveness against horses. Sewell was immensely disabled, a state that may have informed her plea for a more caring society. She died in 1878, a year after the publication of Black Beauty. It was her only book but a landmark of children's fiction.

From the meadow of his youth to London's crowded, frosty streets, Black Beauty tells the story of his life under many masters in Victorian England, among them the kind Squire Gordon, the principled Jeremiah Barker, and the exploitive Nicholas Skinner. Beauty bears joy and hardship with grace no matter the circumstance, heeding his mother's advice to be good, gentle, and hardworking—always.

I think this was quite a cute children's story to open our eyes that horses are also creatures with feelings, and we should recognise them and be not be cruel to them. I have to say I am not a horse person. That is why this maybe wasn't for me, but I think it is a cute read.

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