Currently Reading

Let's get caught up, shall we? I've been in a bit of a reading slump, and haven't found anything that I really wanted to blog about. Until now. Thank goodness! I'm in the middle of reading two fine books, and since I'm overdue for a new post, I'll just tell you about my latest great read!




My current obsession right now is War Horse. Avid readers undoubtedly know what it's like to be so engrossed in a book that you cannot wait to return to it. Arrgh! That's how I feel about War Horse. I can't wait to tell everyone I know about it, and I have a feeling that I will, because the trailer for the movie has just been released. Christmas
2011. Directed by Steven Spielberg. The trailer won't tell you much about the story, but take a look anyway:




War Horse is a rather slim novel, but its brevity belies its strength and maturity. When Joey, a young untrained horse, is sold to his new owner, he quickly bonds with the owner's young son, Albert. Albert's father, needing money to pay the mortgage, sells Joey to the British army. Heartbroken and too young to enlist, Albert vows to reunite with Joey as they trek separately trek over the war-torn lands of Europe.

I'll have more to say about it when I'm done, but I can tell you that this is a heartbreaking, moving, and sophisticated story. Alcoholism and poverty play a role at the beginning of the story, and I know that the conflict between the mounted British cavalry and the automatic guns and tanks of the Germans will also be significant factors. I'm really looking forward to the movie; as I'm reading it, I can see why Steven Spielberg was drawn to it (he saw the stage production in London; the Broadway version recently won the Tony for Best Play), for it has elements of his famous movies: parent-child issues, a coming of age story arc, and the effects of war.

(Unfortunately, the summary in the catalog spoils the ending. Don't read it if that sort of thing bothers you.)