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| The Way Home by Lindelea | 5 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/10/2026 |
| Yay!!! I just knew you must have read lots of horse books as a child. Your writing of Bill feels so wonderfully reminiscent of those wonderful tales. I read every single book our library had about horses, and the librarian would always shake her head whenever I came to ask if there were new ones, almost before I’d spoken. She knew what I was about. I think they may have even gotten some new ones just because I was asking about them so often. I have quite an extensive collection of books, mostly horse ones as well and I was a wee bit worried mine might disappear while I’m overseas, but fortunately I know my Mom will take care of them for me! (She has some of those childhood treasures too) I am so sorry about what happened to yours! What a tragedy!!! And the figurines too?? So sad!!! I also have a bit of a collection and it would break my heart if they were given away to my cousins (and inevitably be broken) without my consent!!! I will definitely be looking for a copy of Bitz!! I’ve somehow never heard of it or read it. I can’t wait! Thank you for the recommendation. Ohhhhh!! I really hope it a reunion between Bill and his mother fits in!!! That would be so amazing. I was always so sad, in all the Black Beauty style books I’ve read, I don’t believe a single one has had a real reunion between the ‘Black Beauty’ figure and his/her mother at the end/after their adventures, and I would dearly love to see that interaction. Only if it fits in though!!! Author Reply: Oh, I think you'll love Blitz! Here's some information to help you find it. Blitz, by Hetty Burlingame Beatty Paperback ISBN: 0590014609, ISBN13: 9780590014601 Hardcover ISBN: B0006AWXDG, ISBN13: 9781111435615 e-Book ISBN13: 978-1789125887 The e-book ISBN is for Amazon's Kindle version, available for 99 cents. I was pleased to see that the Kindle version retains the illustrations I remember from childhood. You can currently find used paper copies on offer for less than $10, but since it's an older book, there may not be many available at that price. Here's how it begins, just to give you a taste of good things to come: THEY FOUND HIM ASLEEP beside his mother the morning after he was born, and they named him Blitz because of the zigzag white marking that ran like lightning down his little nose. The early sunshine was pouring down on the green hillside, and the brook in the valley was singing its spring song as it raced along. (The tone sort of reminds me of Black Beauty's "The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank.") Then follows the description of Johnny and his father coming to see the new foal, Johnny's father praising Blitz's dam, and little Blitz waking up in the middle of it all and having his first encounter with humans. All charmingly written. So life began for Blitz on a sunny hillside in the spring, and it began with kindness from the start... And, of course, it goes on from there. (And you're welcome!) | |
| Lady Forlong | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/7/2026 |
| Sounds like he's going to have a nice life until Sam comes to get him. He deserves it after everything he's been through. Author Reply: I'm in complete agreement that he certainly deserves a bed of roses (without thorns) from this point onward! I've done my best to imagine such a thing. There are a couple of bumps in the road, starting with the next chapter, but nothing that comes close to the terrors and trials he's faced before now. Whew. Thanks! | |
| Erulissé | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/7/2026 |
| Beautiful. This chapter reminded me of the beginning and ending of Black Beauty, with such well deserved peace, and a delightful little one to add to the sweetness overload! I love Bill so much. It would be amazing for him to meet his dam again and for him to tell her his story, for her to see how her lovely colt has grown in wisdom, and how her wisdom has carried him through his life. We never got that with Black Beauty, and I always wished we could have. Author Reply: There's a bit of Black Beauty here, along with a smidgeon of Blitz: The Story of a Horse (1966), two out of my massive childhood collection of horse books. I was incredibly happy to find a Kindle version of Blitz for 99 cents just before I sat down to write review replies today! And so, I bought the e-book to replace that long-lost but much-treasured paperback I once had. (My dad gave all my horse books and my equally extensive horse figurine collection to the young daughter of one of my cousins while I was stationed overseas in the military. I'm sure he meant well. He thought I was all grown up and didn't want or need them anymore. But I was crushed. I guess I should have rented a storage locker instead of leaving my childhood treasures stored away in boxes in the basement back home during my wandering stage.) Blitz is an excellent story that I must have read multiple times as a child since I can easily recall whole passages, including Blitz's life as a firehorse, his sniffing the hay in his new home after being freed from the cruel master who had bought him from the fire department, and his courageous trek through a blizzard to bring his new doctor-owner to a child that would have died without the doctor's skill. (I can hardly wait to read it all the way through again!) A reunion with Bill's mother – What an interesting thought! I had already been toying with the idea of inserting a reunion between Bill and his dam (which currently does not exist in the outline or draft), and now you've inspired me to take a second look. Thanks! | |
| shirebound | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/2/2026 |
| This is lovely! The care and comfort and even now kindly friends to get to know. *happy sigh* Author Reply: Oh, I know. This part of the story was an absolute pleasure (with just a couple hiccups) to write. Thanks! So glad to oblige. | |
| KathyG | Reviewed Chapter: 51 on 2/2/2026 |
| Aww, how precious! Bill goes out of his way to make it easy for a child to befriend him. And he is certainly being well taken care of! Ferny, you leave him alone, you hear?! Author Reply: Considering how long The Prancing Pony has been in business, as well as its reputation and the descriptions the Professor provided, I imagined that the inn's stables would have been equally well-designed and equipped. Butterbur certainly took great pains to see to it that his guests were comfortable during their stay. I can imagine no less for the guests' horses and ponies. Unfortunately, Ferny has little of good in him, and less of sense. The next few chapters should be interesting. Thanks! | |