Please Save Jessie

Jessie #2

by Christine Pullein-Thompson

Genres: Fiction, Animals, Childrens, Young Adult

124 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1987

About the author

The Pullein-Thompson sisters — Josephine Pullein-Thompson MBE (3 April 1924-[1]), Diana Pullein-Thompson (born 1 October 1925) [2] and Christine Pullein-Thompson (1 October 1925–2 December 2005[2] — are British writers of several horse and pony books (mostly fictional) aimed at children and mostly popular with girls. They started at a very young age (initially writing collectively) and they were at their peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but their popularity has endured. They have written a collective autobiography Fair Girls and Grey Horses.

All 3 sisters have written at least 1 book under a different name; Josephine wrote 1 under the pseudonym of Josephine Mann, Diana 3 books under her married name of Diana Farr and Christine wrote 2 books under the name of Christine Keir.

Their mother, Joanna Cannan (1898–1961), sister of the poet May Cannan, wrote similar equestrian stories, but is better known for detective mysteries.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a bit kinder to this book initially than I feel now. Valid points were made in my first review, but this book feels more like a missed opportunity for growth in every character's case (for Matt, to be a little less self-centered; for his father, to learn some humility and tolerance).

First review
I delayed reading this one for so long that maybe I liked it a little better without the first one's sour taste fresh on my tongue. This one actually engaged me, attached me to Matt and Jessie, proceeded believably from the first book where his father was concerned, and followed a progressive and interesting plot. My only issues were with Jasper and Eric; the former because he didn't get any closure to his wild dog plot, and the latter because he is hardly mentioned at all after playing such a large role in the first book.

[Andres "Ande" Jakovlev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessie-triloogia teine raamat, mis eesti keeles ilmus millegipärast kolmandana.

Oli küll vahvaid ja põnevaid momente, aga tervikuna ikkagi üsna nõrk. Suurimaks puuduseks on vist tegelased - ülimalt äärmuslikud ja karakteersed. Matt on täiega isekas, Jessie on täiega tubli ja alandlik, isa on täiega jäärapäine jne.

Juhtub (liiga) palju ja mingit loogilist või mõnusat tervikut ei moodustu.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

really sad and upsetting

[Wayne Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Matt Painter, who lives with his father, mother, dog Jessie, a black Labrador, and her pup Jasper, has recently moved from London to an old farmhouse in East Anglia known as Willow Tree Farm. Maurice Painter is a salesman who has taken a pay cut to represent his company in Holland rather than the United States so that he could commute to work by plane and his family could have their own home rather than living in apartments or rented houses. Matt likes the country, but he misses his best friend Anne from London. However, he makes friends with Reg and Jim, a couple of out of work handymen next door at Willow Tree Cottage, as well as Martin and Sharon, two of his schoolmates. Then Reg and Jim accuse Jessie of killing their chickens. Matt no longer likes them.

The police tell the Painters that if Jessie kills any more chickens, she’ll have to be put down. And while Matt and Anne, who is visiting for the holiday, try to gather evidence to prove Jessie’s innocence, the poor dog falls through the pond ice, nearly drowns, and is pulled out barely breathing. Is there anyone who can save Jessie? Please Save Jessie is said to be the sequel to A Home for Jessie, which I have not read but conclude from various statements and conversations in the book tells the story about how Matt initially rescues Jessie, then they are separated when Matt’s family moves to the United States and Jessie gets lost, and finally they are all reunited. There is a bit of dark edginess and realism that are fairly common to British children’s literature of this period, with references to drinking wine and beer, even getting drunk, and smoking cigarettes. The exclamations “O my God” and “for God’s sake” occur a few times, and Matt and Anne tell a couple of lies in trying to get evidence to clear Jessie.

However, on several occasions when things look really bad, Matt prays or cries to God for help, and everything seems to work out for the best in the end. There might also be an important lesson that could initiate a discussion about the need to avoid bad company. This is a modern boy and his dog story set in England, and I basically enjoyed it. I do not know if there are any further “Jessie” books. Christine Pullein-Thompson (1925-2005) and her two sisters, Josephine Pullein-Thompson and Diana Pullein-Thompson, primarily wrote horse and pony books, mostly fictional, aimed at children and mainly popular with girls. Their mother, Joanna Cannan, sister of the poet May Cannan, wrote similar equestrian stories but is better known for her detective mysteries.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy/Dog story set in England. Leo and I both enjoyed this book.