Vor mindestens 25 Jahren zuletzt gelesen, dann zufällig im offenen Bücherschrank gefunden und mitgenommen. Heute Abend spontan gelesen und was soll ich sagen: pure Nostalgie! ( )

This is a perfect boy and his horse story, uncomplicated by any consideration of character development or reality. Alec is on his way home from India on a tramp steamer (who would think that reasonable?) via the Suez Canal and around Spain when he is shipwrecked and saved by holding to the lead of the Black Stallion until they reach a small deserted island. He is stranded on the island just long enough to form a deep bond with the stallion, rescued, and returned home to Flatbush with the horse via Rio de Janeiro. At home there is a nearby stable with a retired jockey/trainer who gets Alec and the stallion ready for the race. There is a private challenge race that a news reporter gets the stallion entered in. He wins. TA DA!
Yes, ultimate boy fantasy. Alas, I am no boy. ( )

I wasn’t particularly into horses when I was a girl, my bookshelves were for Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and Little House on the Prairie, but my sister was and so I also got to read books like My Friend Flicka, Black Beauty and The Black Stallion. I remember loving The Black Stallion by Walter Farley and now having just re-read it I can see the appeal of the book although, for me, the story didn’t really hold up.

The book was originally published in 1941 and starts off as a great adventure as the main character, a boy called Alec, and a beautiful horse survive a ship wreak, spend some time on a deserted island and then are rescued. For me, once Alec and “The Black” are back home in New York State and racing becomes the aim, the story becomes contrived with everything falling into place a little too easily to be fully believable. Of course this book is not aimed at adults but at children, and so, I suspect that it’s appeal to those of a young age still holds.

The author certainly gives this majestic horse the fierceness, strength and intelligence that makes him unique, but I rather suspect that if this story was written more recently, the friendship between the boy and the horse would lead him to be set free somewhere where he could live the live of a wild horse. Nevertheless, it was nice to revisit this childhood favorite.

Todays Rating: 3.6 stars ( )

On his way back from India visiting his uncle, Alec is present when a wild, black, Arabian stallion is brought on the ship. Admiring the magnificent horse, Alec does his best to become friends, trying to go by the Black's stall and give him gifts of apples and sugar. Then the Drake goes down in a storm, and Alec and the Black both end up on a desert island, needing each other to survive.

I devoured horse books as a kid, and this was one of my favorite series. In fact, I seem to have merged some of them together in my head - I was all ready for the horse races that come later, and forgot that this one starts as a survival story. Classic children's books can be hit or miss, but this one holds up pretty well. While it may have some details that would need to be explained to kids (blotting a paper after taking a test, for example), there's still a lot of adventure and excitement to keep the pages turning. And when Alec gets home and starts training the horse, there are lots of details for the kids like I was that want to know all about horses and riding. ( )

For ages 8-12; one of a series about Alec