The Silver Brumby (Silver Brumby #1) by Elyne Mitchell

Format: Paperback

Categories:

Classic from Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia)- Back to the Classics Reading Challenge 2019 (Books and Chocolate)

A book about a topic that fascinates you- #mmdchallenge 2019 (Modern Mrs. Darcy)

"But it was from that day on that a legend began to grow up about the cream brumby, cunning as a fox. Stockmen talked of him round their summer campfires, or sung songs about him as they rode around a restless mob of cattle at night, and the cattle told the brumbies, so that they too knew, all over the mountains, the tales of the wild cream brumby."

Most books that I've come across about Australia are set in the Outback, but The Silver Brumby is set in the snowy mountains of southern Australia. When I was a teenager, The Silver Brumby was one of my favorite movies. I watched it over and over again. I had never read the book, but I was happy to discover that it was first published in 1958, so I could read it for this category in the reading challenge. Subjectively, I loved this book simply for the feelings of nostalgia it gave me. Objectively, I think it's a beautiful book. My few complaints are that it can be a bit wordy at times, and that the wild horse herd dynamics were not portrayed accurately. While it's true that wild horse herds usually only have one full grown stallion, he is not the leader. In reality, wild horses are matriarchal. I'm going to give Mitchell some slack on this point because I'm not sure if this was known at the time of her writing, and it was also more difficult to research in a time without internet. Thowra is a rare palomino, "creamy", brumby. He is so pale that he appears to be silver. His mother, Bel Bel, teaches him to be clever and swift because she knows he will be hunted for this. Thowra faces many challenges as he grows up in the wild Australian Alps, culminating in an epic battle of strength and wits between man and brumby. The horses speak, but their words and the human qualities given to them are kept to a minimum. The descriptions and actions of the horses are more compelling than the dialogue. The vivid descriptions of the landscape bring the setting of the Australian Alps to life. This book was written for children/teens, but adults can enjoy it as well. I'd love to read the other books in this series, but I'm having a hard time finding them.

CAWPILE Rating:

C- 9
A- 10
W- 8
P- 9
I- 10
L- 6
E- 10

Avg= 8.8= ⭐⭐⭐⭐