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400th out of 411 books
—
412 voters
The Horse Without A Head (Le Cycle de Louvigny #1)
by
Paul Berna
When a kindly junk dealer gives a group of poor French children a headless toy horse, the broken toy becomes their only source of fun as they race down the narrow streets of their village. But suddenly the horse becomes the pawn in another game - a deadly race against time between a ruthless gang of train robbers. The stakes are high: A hundred million francs... and the li...more
Hardcover
Published
January 1st 1959
by Pantheon Books
(first published June 1955)
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Jun 24, 2008
Elizabeth
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Gramma
Shelves:
en-francais
In English, The Horse Without a Head is one of my top ten favorite books EVER. Ever. I must have read it about 40 times in English; this is the second time I've read it in French. Having read 3 or 4 novels en francais in the past year, I think it's fair to say that the prose here is the most difficult I've come across--full of slang and technical terms (the setting is brutally urban, a busy rail junction and industrial area in post world-war-two Parisian slums), and the plot is so darn full of t...more
Feb 27, 2012
Elizabeth
added it
Inspector Sinet took a good look at her. She was an odd sort of girl, not yet twelve and wretchedly poor, and yet there was something about her that made you think twice. She was worth having on your side.
For STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS, no one EVEN COMES CLOSE to Marion Fabert. You just can’t beat her. 1955, in too-short skirt and cut-down man’s jacket, gold fringe beneath a black beret — the gang’s treasurer, tough as nails, vet to every dog in Louvigny, with a dozen dog patients kept in cast-off...more
For STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS, no one EVEN COMES CLOSE to Marion Fabert. You just can’t beat her. 1955, in too-short skirt and cut-down man’s jacket, gold fringe beneath a black beret — the gang’s treasurer, tough as nails, vet to every dog in Louvigny, with a dozen dog patients kept in cast-off...more
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Small gang of poor, suburb, post WWII children are getting back their toy horse, which was mysteriously stolen by some suspiciois adults.
The book is very wordy, excessive in details, not entirely thought out in the way story progresses. Another obvious flaw is that the children characters are somewhat cheesy: all of them are only brave or funny and thoughtfull and nothing else. Also me and Sonya knew what will happen with the horse from the beggining, it was obvious. But still, the book had some...more
The book is very wordy, excessive in details, not entirely thought out in the way story progresses. Another obvious flaw is that the children characters are somewhat cheesy: all of them are only brave or funny and thoughtfull and nothing else. Also me and Sonya knew what will happen with the horse from the beggining, it was obvious. But still, the book had some...more
http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Fra...
There is a gang of 10 poor kids living in the outer suburbs of Paris. The gang ranges from in age from 6 to 12. Their only past-time - to ride the headless horse (a horse body on a tricyle frame) at full speed down the hill with NO BRAKES.
One night a thief (who has stolen 100 million francs and stashed the money in a warehouse) trips over the headless horse in the street, and hides the key to the warehouse inside the horse.
Now the headless horse is the...more
There is a gang of 10 poor kids living in the outer suburbs of Paris. The gang ranges from in age from 6 to 12. Their only past-time - to ride the headless horse (a horse body on a tricyle frame) at full speed down the hill with NO BRAKES.
One night a thief (who has stolen 100 million francs and stashed the money in a warehouse) trips over the headless horse in the street, and hides the key to the warehouse inside the horse.
Now the headless horse is the...more
J'ai un bon souvenir de ce livre, même si dans le détail je serai incapable de raconter ce qui se passe dedans. Je me souviens qu'on suit un groupe de gosses qui utilise un cheval à roulettes (sans tête, bien sûr) pour dévaler les rues en pente de... Paris ? Ou de la ville dans laquelle ça se passe en tout cas...
Sorti de ça... Il devait pourtant y avoir un peu plus pour que j'en ai gardé un bon souvenir.
Sorti de ça... Il devait pourtant y avoir un peu plus pour que j'en ai gardé un bon souvenir.
I didn't even know that this book had been re-released (I've read this when I was a child, and I still have my old, battered copy with me!). It deserves it, because it's truly entertaining, and outstanding because it's not really about children going happily on a vacation and get involved in an unexpected adventure, or of unfortunate children under pressure who suddenly find that there's some Destiny waiting for them... anyway.
The story is about some poor children living in a slum area, who don...more
The story is about some poor children living in a slum area, who don...more
A particular favourite of mine, as much for Richard Kennedy's delicate illustrations (in the English edition) as for the story.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
This book reminded me in passing of Postern of Fate, the very first Christie mystery I ever read.
May 05, 2013
Alana
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
boxall-s-1001-children-s-books
Feb 10, 2013
Lorena Martinez
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
1001-children-books
Feb 09, 2013
Alix
marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2013
Miranda
marked it as to-read
Nov 11, 2012
Jjjj
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-parents,
read-with-parents
Nov 10, 2012
Ami
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
owned-paper,
read-together
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Paul Berna, est le pseudonyme le plus connu de Jean-Marie-Edmond Sabran (21 février 1908, Hyères - 19 janvier 1994, Paris), écrivain français du XXe siècle.
More about Paul Berna...
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