At some point in my horse-fiction loving childhood, I ran out of Marguerite Henry books. (I guess there's only so many times one can re-read 'Misty of Chincoteague.')
I picked up 'The Red Pony'... and distinctly remember being seriously disappointed. This book is more depressing than 'Black Beauty' and didn't feature nearly as much horse-content as I expected.

No rating, as it would be unfair to rate based on memories from when I was 10-ish.

Never a Steinbeck fan but the wonderful review of this book of short stories by my GR friend s.penkevich made me want to read it. Unfortunately my take on the book is very different from his.

This edition includes 4 short stories and begins with a 29 page Introduction by John Seelye which I presume is for readers not familiar with Steinbeck. That would be me.

These short stories were written over a 3-year period (1933-1936) as well as being written at a time when Steinbeck’s mother lay dying. The 4th story in this edition “The (A) Leader of the People” was not included in the first publication of “The Red Pony”.

The stories revolve around Jody Tiflin, a 10-year old boy on a ranch with a father that hasn’t much to say, a mother who just goes along and an old ranch hand Billy Buck that seems to take more of an interest in Jody than his father.

Steinbeck makes sure to provide the usual harsh conditions and death found on a farm and has done so with all the gore and guts, and be prepared because some of it is pretty in-your-face vivid! – no sentimentality for Steinbeck.

The stories have literary merit no doubt but I found the writing unpolished and a stream of thought that felt unfinished. Perhaps it’s due to the time at which Steinbeck was writing these stories that makes them reek of doom and gloom.

I’m glad I read the book. I thank s.penkevich for bringing it to my attention. Please be sure to read his review.
Sorry but I’m still not a Steinbeck fan.

Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers, but too many animal stories have tragic endings. I really hate it when they involve loss for a child. Nothing against the writer.

Here are four interconnected stories about a ten-year-old boy, Jody Tiflin. He lives on a ranch not far from Salinas in Monterey County, California.

As the title indicates, one story is about a red pony--given to Jody by his father. The second story is about an elderly Mexican who comes to the ranch, explains that he was born there and asks to remain until his death. This, Jody’s father refuses. The third story is again about horses—if Jody agrees to care for the neighbor’s mare, he will earn the money for the stud fee and the foal will be his. The fourth and last story is about Jody’s grandfather when he comes for a visit. I have given only the bare bones of each story.

The stories give readers a clear picture of who Jody is. A revealing picture of Jody’s father is given too. We learn also about Billy Buck, the hired hand on the ranch. He’s a great character. He knows everything one needs to know about horses. We are told his mother died in childbirth and so he was “raised on mares’ milk.” He serves as a contrast to Jody’s father. Character portrayal is an essential element of the book.

While this is a tale about a young boy, it is not a child’s book. Adolescents and adults will appreciate the book. The stories about the horses are grim, not light reading.

Steinbeck’s writing is simple and clear, strong and powerful. He describes equally well people and landscapes. The writing is reason enough to pick up the book.

Frank Muller narrates the audiobook well. Every word spoken is clear. He has a tendency to draw out the ending of sentences, which I find annoying. It is though, a minor complaint. The narration I have given three stars.

The book’s main focus is not the pony--it is Jody, his relationship with others and his ability to feel compassion. The book is short; my one complaint might be that I wish it were longer.

************************
n  Steinbeck’s books in order of preferencen:
*Of Mice and Men 5 stars
*The Grapes of Wrath 5 stars
*In Dubious Battle 4 stars
*The Wayward Bus 4 stars
*Travels with Charley: In Search of America 4 stars
*The Moon Is Down 4 stars
*The Pastures of Heaven 4 stars
*The Red Pony 4 stars
*Cannery Row 4 stars
*Once There Was a War 3 stars
*The Winter of Our Discontent 3 stars
*A Russian Journal 3 stars
*The Pearl 3 stars
*Sweet Thursday 2 stars
*To a God Unknown 2 stars
*East of Eden 2 stars
*America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction TBR

I struggled to finish this book. And it has about 100 tiny little pages. I can read that in an hour or so. And yet, I struggled for at least 5 days to finish this book. In fact, the ONLY reason I forced myself to finish was so I could read the online cliff notes and try and figure out what I missed. What meaning or significance could make it worth my reading. This was not an enjoyable reading experience, to say the least - except for that baffling "you must be kidding" sentiment at the end of each short story/chapter.

Here's the thing. I've never liked Steinbeck on my first read, and this is no different. Spoiler alert - I'm going to tell you the plot and spare you reading this yourself:

Chapter 1: Boy gets pony. Pony dies.
Chapter 2: Stranger comes. Stranger takes old horse and leaves.
Chapter 3: Boy promised new pony. Difficult birth. To keep promise, mare must be killed.
Chapter 4: Grandfather comes to visit; tells same stories that everyone has heard before. Boy is considerate of Grandfather, proving his maturity.
Book Ends.

My most common reaction was "are you kidding me?!" I mean, pretty much at the end of each short story/chapter I was left saying those exact words - it just unnecessary killing off of people or things of meaning to this young boy, and then no extra explanation or reason or working it in to the broader context. Its the story of a boy growing up and and the disappointments he faces along the way, but we never learn to love or identify with him. The best character is Billy Buck (the farm worker) because we feel for him so dearly; how he doesn't want to disappoint Jody, but has to because ... life is disappointing sometimes.

So, the positive: characterization is very very well done. You get the very essence of a person from just a simple description. Excellently done. Billy Buck is a wonderful character. You get a thorough sense of the place, and time, and life on the farm, and the awkwardness between father and son then. The rural life; the virtues they appreciated then (horsemanship, hard work, etc.)

The only other thing I'll point out is that I wasn't clear if it was supposed to be 4 short stories or 4 chapters. Steinbeck seems to muddy the lines between that - the third chapter refers back to the first, but the fourth reintroduces people as if we did not know.

Time to look up some other people's analysis and so I can see if there was anything I can salvage out of this experience.

این کتاب توضیحات خوب و جالبی رو راجع به اسبها، نگهداری از اونها و... میده
.و جذابترین قسمت کتاب هم همین بخشهاست
.اما بطور کل ، داستان اونقدرها هم گیرا نیست
.بنظرم میتونه برای نوجوونها خیلی جذابتر و خوندنی تر باشه

n  Bettie's Booksn

:چهار داستان کوتاه اما پیوسته
ره آورد-کوه های مرتفع-قول-رهبر خلق

3.5 stars. Steinbeck writes beautifully about rural countrysides and although I am not especially fond of horses in real life, as literary symbols they sure pack a wallop. In under a hundred pages (sometimes unsubtly) Steinbeck sums up the full and grave totality of how it feels growing up and growing older.

My 7yo daughter hung in there for Ch 1, but with the unexpected sad ending, she didn't wish to continue. I went on to finish the last 3 chapters which were nearly as depressing as the first one. It is beautifully written as Steinbeck usually is, but also incredibly devoid of hope. The message seems to be, outside of your family, don't get attached to anything because it will betray you or die. I felt the father character Carl Tiflin was particularly heartless and Billy Buck, the hired hand, a bit disappointing in that despite his supposed knowledge or horses and weather, he blows it nearly every time with Jody. It was unfortunate that the book stops so suddenly as well, I was left wanting to see Jody grow up a bit. Those fried eggs and hot cakes by Mrs. Tiflin do sound yummy, and it was interesting to see a slice of life from pre-war times out west.

این کتاب شامل چهار داستان کوتاه از زندگی پسربچه‌ای روستایی به اسم جودی هست. دو داستانش درباره اسب‌هاست که حیوان مورد علاقمه

"Poneiul roșu" este o carte mai puțin cunoscută și mai puțin apreciată, am observat, deși motivele, dintre cele pe care le-am citit pe GR, îmi par exagerate: violența față de animale și răutatea protagonistului, Jody, un puștan de 10 ani. În ce mă privește, nu am simțit nevoia să scad pentru aceste motive și am notat cartea cu 4 stele (poate 3,5 ar fi mai aproape de adevăr).

Cele patru nuvele care formează volumul de față, prezintă viața la fermă, creșterea animalelor, în special a cailor și par a aduce în prim plan moartea și nașterea. Jody este responsabilizat de către tatăl său atunci când primește un ponei roșu, dar de aici până la o tragedie mai e un singur pas și o neglijență îl va marca profund.

"Întinse mâna către ponei. Botul cenușiu al acestuia se apropie, adulmecând zgomotos, iar apoi animalul își dezveli dinții puternici și îi încleștă pe degetele lui Jody. Poneiul scutură din cap în sus și în jos și păru să râdă amuzat. Jody își privi degetele învinețite."

Deznodământul este trist, dar Steinbeck este cunoscut pentru lipsa de sentimentalism, așa că am anticipat încă din primele pagini că nu va fi o lectură pozitivă.