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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
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
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: Animal cruelty, Death of parent
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
cosy comfy imagery
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
It was a very sweet story og had really good characters. However, I think there was spent too much time describing the surroundings, i know that it creates the atmosphere, but it was a bit too much. Furthermore, the ending annoyed me a bit, was she not 13, are they married at 14!!? it just didn't sit quite right with me and then the theme of christianity that had been throughout the story did not annoy me that much, but the ending made it annoy me quite a bit. But that is just me, they just did not really have to kill the characters off in the 'what happens in the future' bit. But oh well, it was still a very sweet story :-).
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel terrible for taking so long to finish this book, as it was soooooo good! Definitely reccomend it for adults and children alike.
This was a formative fantasy novel for me, and rereading it I hoped I would still be swept along the dreamlike prose. This is definitely a problematic favourite: there is a huge emphasis on Victorian morality (girls are modest, incurious and obedient) and it paints an idyllic view of the English lord of the manor and his loyal servants. It's also quite religious, in a way that a modern children's book would not be. But despite these shortcomings, I still find it a delight. We meet Maria, her governess Miss Heliotrope, and her dog, Wiggins, in the dark of night as they travel from London to the West Country. Maria has never been to her ancestral home of Moonacre, but when she arrives there she feels instantly at home among the strange animals, genial gentlemen, and beautiful countryside. But one of her ancestors has committed a terrible wrong, and Maria must rectify this.
This book is perhaps part of why I always prefer purple prose to the pared-down, journalistic style we see so often. I love Goudge's expansive descriptions of lush fields, forests at night, moonlight, fairy-tale tower rooms, and mouth-watering food. This book feels like an ultimate indulgence: you want to live in Moonacre, experience the beauty, the food, and the affection of the adoring animals. It is brilliant escapism, and the atmospheric descriptions are absorbing every time you open the book.
This book is perhaps part of why I always prefer purple prose to the pared-down, journalistic style we see so often. I love Goudge's expansive descriptions of lush fields, forests at night, moonlight, fairy-tale tower rooms, and mouth-watering food. This book feels like an ultimate indulgence: you want to live in Moonacre, experience the beauty, the food, and the affection of the adoring animals. It is brilliant escapism, and the atmospheric descriptions are absorbing every time you open the book.
It's hard to overestimate the impact that this book had on my preteen self.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes