Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, Jan 3 2008
Jody is a young boy whose father buys him a horse. He instantly falls in love with the horse and vows to take good care of it. He names the horse Galiban and the ranch hand, Billy Buck, helps Jody train him.
Then one night there is a cold rain storm and Billy forgets to go out and put a blanket over his horse. When Billy and Jody go to see him the next morning he has a bad cold. And over the next few days he only gets sicker and sicker. On about the fourth day, Jody wakes in the middle of the night and knows something is horribly wrong.
He runs out to the barn and Galiban is gone.
This is a good story and has a lot of meaning. Jody goes through a right of passage in this book and the reader can slowly watch him progress from a boy to a man. Easy, insightful read.
Reviewed by: Taylor Rector
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Quality art. Highly recommended., Nov 15 2006
the Red Pony review
A quality piece. Truly literary art at its best. Recommended for all readers willing to tackle it.
Though I wouldn't force it upon pre-highschool or highschool readers; as is apparently vogue these days. They're not going to get it.
John Steinbeck's novella, originally copyrighted 1933. This piece now known as The Red Pony has four(4) titled parts: 1) The Gift 2) The Great Mountains 3) The Promise 4) The Leader of the People.
In "The Gift", the book's only 4 characters are introduced. Son, Jody, gets a red pony; and it dies.
In "The Great Mountains", life is sandwiched between opposite mountain ranges and Jody wonders about what's past them. The old worthless gypsy steals off into them with Carl's resource, an old worthless nag awaiting a bullet and its turn to be cashed in at the butcher's glue factory.
In "The Promise", Jody gets his dead red pony replaced with a fine black colt, but at what price? Once again, surrogate father, BillyBuck, flounders in Jody's eyes.
In "The Leader of the People", me becomes We. The process "westering" is hope. Jody forgoes killing fat mice with Mutt&Smasher, the ranchyard dogs, in deference to selfless service unto his ailing Grandfather. Jody to his mom, "Can I have a lemon to make a lemonade for Grandfather? ... No ma'am. I don't want one [a lemonade also; just one; for Grandfather only; to help him feel better.]"
The book only has 4 characters throughout. Jody Tiflin (son), Carl Tiflin(father), Mrs.Tiflin(mother), BillyBuck (ranchhand). Cameo characters are the aging Gitano; a neighbor rancher Jess Taylor, and a maternal side tiflin Grandfather.
Upon beginning this read, you might be fooled thinking its a bit weak on plot. Nevertheless, this story is rich in multilayered theme. Very abstract. Start to finish, it comes full circle; the circle-of-life, you might say.
Continuity, Development, The me becoming WE, Poetic grace: "westering."
Concerning webreviews: "Waste of time", "I'd give it a zero star rating", "Don't read this!" - Do you think these young concrete thinkers missed something?
A few student "reviewers" state this book is about a boy becoming adult. Hardly. The child, Jody, never becomes an adult in this book.
The book is about development, yes.
It does speak to choice.
And to role models;
And to aging;
And to humanity;
To socialization;
To illusion;
To death;
Life;
And Hope:
Westering.
I give it a 5star rating and 6 if the website would allow. Quality work.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
A SOURCE OF SERIOUS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, Jul 15 2004
Seriously, I don't know how this can be considerd an appropriate book for a kid. It was assigned reading when I was 12, and I was utterly traumatized to this day (20 years later) by "The Gift." I remember graphic descriptions of pus and the sadistic delight Steinbeck took in detailed accounts of the home surgeries on the horse, a bloody tracheotomy and especially the image of the buzzard eating the pony's eye, his beak dripping with thick, dark blood. What kind of crazy person gives this to a kid? I cried for hours upon hours and I have never, never forgiven Steinbeck, nor have I been able to make myself read Steinbeck again. Too bad. I hear he's a decent wrier.
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