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134th out of 558 books
—
463 voters
Belladonna
by
Mary Finn
A lyrical coming-of-age story about a boy, a girl, and a horse - and how a chance encounter can lead to a life of intrigue and learning, a life beyond imagining.
When Thomas Rose first spots the girl hidden by the roadside, she looks as drab as a lark, with only her red kerchief giving her away. But French Hélène, who goes by "Ling," is no ordinary bird. Tiny Ling enchants...more
When Thomas Rose first spots the girl hidden by the roadside, she looks as drab as a lark, with only her red kerchief giving her away. But French Hélène, who goes by "Ling," is no ordinary bird. Tiny Ling enchants...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
June 14th 2011
by Candlewick Press
(first published June 1st 2011)
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I know that most history teachers dislike historical fiction because it's often not true to the time period, and that inserting fictional characters into real events skews the history parts. While there are a few "real" people in Belladonna, they're not people readers in the target age group are likely to have heard of and the setting is not a big, known city but a rural village.
What I think will attract readers is that the main character, Thomas, has difficulty learning but has a good visual se...more
What I think will attract readers is that the main character, Thomas, has difficulty learning but has a good visual se...more
Fifteen-year-old Thomas Rose has already come to grips with the fact that his life is on the verge of change, but when he meets a girl named Ling, he know for sure that things will never be the same again. She is searching for a white horse named Belladonna, the same equine she used to dance atop at the circus. When Belladonna was sold, Ling swore she would never dance again until she found her. With Thomas' help, they just might be able to do that. As well as a lot of growing up along the way,...more
I personally really enjoyed this book. The writing is smooth and not choppy, the storyline easily snatches you up and the action is constant, you're always wondering what will happen next.
I love Ling with her fire and her personality and her independence. She has no problem speaking her mind and she will stop at nothing to get her horse, Belladonna, back. They share a special bond, having grown a strong friendship from their years performing in a circus. Ling has no problem sleeping in the stall...more
I love Ling with her fire and her personality and her independence. She has no problem speaking her mind and she will stop at nothing to get her horse, Belladonna, back. They share a special bond, having grown a strong friendship from their years performing in a circus. Ling has no problem sleeping in the stall...more
Thomas has just been sent home from school, where he lived with his grandfather, to live with his parents again, when he finds a French girl hiding in a ditch. She is looking for her horse, Belladonna, who she claims was taken from her and sold to a butcher. The butcher is actually artist George Stubbs, who is using horse carcasses to draw images of their anatomy. Helene (who also goes by the name Ling) is a talented dancer and bareback rider. Thomas helps Ling track down her horse and begins to...more
This book had potential, but the Author failed to play into it. I had pretty high hopes, too, and in the end I was disappointed. To start with the pros, Thomas is likable, and the Author has a good writing style. She can effectively write accents without it making the character sound simple-minded. The Author clearly has an understanding of horses, too, and she plays around with a couple of interesting historical figures.
But. While Thomas is likable, his constant litany of Ling's beauty gets rea...more
But. While Thomas is likable, his constant litany of Ling's beauty gets rea...more
I expected more out of this. Really this should be given two and a half stars. I didn't dislike it but I didn't really like it either. While I liked the main character Thomas I found Ling to be rather annoying. I like to have heard more about the side characters George Stubbs and Esther. Both of whom I felt were thinly drawn.
The plot seems to play out all too predictably and comfortably. That said, I enjoyed the author's voice and her historical research added lots of nice color.
The plot seems to play out all too predictably and comfortably. That said, I enjoyed the author's voice and her historical research added lots of nice color.
An odd story. I can't see it appealing to many teens. Not as much horse content as I'd hoped nor was the information about Stubbs' work as informative as I wanted either. The book would have done well to have endpapers with an illustration from Stubbs' anatomy or maybe some period pictures of haute ecole. I'd even have gone for a map of the area depicted in the book. The words were just not enough to make this a satisfying read.To me it felt a little fragmented with too many elements brought in...more
This was an interesting story. Thomas, home in disgrace after book learning didn't work out, meets an enchanting young girl, Ling, on the side of the road. She weaves a sad tail about the selling of her beautiful horse, Belladonna, and her fears that the horse will be butchered. Their adventures take Thomas to places he never would have gone and help him to become a man.
A nice story if a bit flirty wit wrong and right Vs. legal and illegal. The historical aspects were interesting and i love the intimate take on a bright person suffering with dyslexia. having my own personal battle with that cross, made this portrait all the more sharply felt and loveable.
The main character in this book is a 14 year old boy, Thomas, so I would think that would be the age and sex it would be geared toward but this book is almost like a romance too between Thomas and Ling. I don't know many boys that age who would want to read a romance but I guess it would appeal to girls that age. There are some "real life" characters this book such as the famous English painter of horses, George Stubbs.
It was ehh. Not a fan of this kind of story.
BUT the model on the cover is the same (I think) model on [Book: Brightly Woven]by Alexandra Bracken.
just wanted to say that.
BUT the model on the cover is the same (I think) model on [Book: Brightly Woven]by Alexandra Bracken.
just wanted to say that.
I liked the message in this book, but I ended up skimming a lot of pages because it was boring. Not one of my favorites, but I'm glad I read it.
Cute story about finding out who you really are and what you want to do. About friendship and love and survival.
Based on some factual real people.
Based on some factual real people.
Really good! I loved the entire thing it was so interesting and kept you on your toes :)
yawn.
I couldn't get through the first half. It didn't interest me enough. That either says something about this book, or my attention span.
It's got to be the book.
It's got to be the book.
I didn't like the descriptions of Stubbs butchering the horse. I wasn't particularly impressed by the ending - it felt a little too perfect. I did like the horse Belladonna, and the girl Ling. Her story was interesting, more so than that of the main character, Thomas. Overall, I'm not sure if I'll keep this for long - the poor dead horse ruined it for me.
May 25, 2012
Sarah
marked it as to-read
Liking it so far!
A little slow in parts but the attention and description of historical details was fabulous. The story is very sweet as well!
"Don't you know horses are the world's worriers, Thomas?"
What a wonderful story, told beautifully.
What a wonderful story, told beautifully.
Apr 26, 2013
Samantha
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2013
Chloe
marked it as to-read
Apr 08, 2013
Sabrina Sirani
marked it as to-read
Apr 02, 2013
Trevine
marked it as to-read
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![Belladonna [With Earbuds] (Audiobook)](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344496756s/14517407.jpg)
Mary Finn worked for years as a magazine journalist with Radio Telefís Eireann, the Irish broadcasting service. She says ANILA'S JOURNEY, her first novel, was inspired by the story behind the eighteenth-century PORTRAIT OF AN INDIAN LADY painted by Thomas Hickey. Mary Finn lives in Dublin.
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