The Last Ditch

Jonathan Meredith #3

by K.M. Peyton

Jonathan Meredith's life is a disaster, all because of a Greek holiday and Iris, the girl who has brought his world - parents, education, society - tumbling down. So Jonathan seeks refuge with Peter, his jockey friend with ambitions to win the National. Jonathan's life quickly becomes focused on the race, and chances of a very challenging horse . . .

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Horses

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1983

About the author

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raced through this in less than a day. The story's compelling, the writing's great, but I can't quite decide how I feel about Jonathan's choices, and I was left with a feeling of sadness. I'm not sure if I'll ever reread it. Knowing that I'd like to reread something is my criteria for 4 stars, so I'm rounding up from 3.5 out of loyalty to the author.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

It turns out I do own this - forgot it was also called Free Rein. Why, O Philomel?

[Tabitha Suzuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite childhood author who read my first attempt at a book when I was 17, despite having never met me!

[Mary Pagones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I consider K.M. Peyton to be 'the' classic pony book author, this book deals with issues far beyond the usual horse-related drama. The book actually begins with a shocking incident--Jonathan Meredith is effectively tricked into getting a girl at his boarding school pregnant (she lies about being on the Pill) after which he finds himself punished by his swanky school and upper-class family. So he runs away to train a broken-down racehorse for the Grand National while squatting in a house with an aspiring jockey friend of his, Peter McNair. After reading The Team (which has the same cast of characters), it was interesting to see these characters grow up so much, so quickly.

The book is, like the The Team, very much of its time (i.e. the 70s). Jonathan is in many ways doing the horsey version of "turning on, tuning in, and dropping out." But the somewhat melodramatic description doesn't do the book justice and I think it contains some of Peyton's most insightful and gripping prose, as well as one of her strongest female characters--Pip, the girl Jonathan really loves, versus the one who has his child.

[Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s call it nostalgia, but when I ran into The Last Ditch and realized it was third in the Jonathan Meredith series, I just had to have it. It must have been at least 25 years ago since I last read anything by K.M Peyton, but I remember I loved to read about Jonathan, as well as Pennington. At that that time I managed to miss The Last Ditch (it’s possible it was never translated in Dutch), so I was happy to catch up now.

The story is nice, and the general setting and character of Jonathan close to what I remember I felt. But it is also a bit outdated. Or maybe I’m just too old. Still, I’m glad I read it and enjoyed it well enough.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. I love K. M. Peyton's books.

[Rusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathon may be up for head boy and sitting for entrance to Oxford, but he really isn't the sharpest tool in the box. Having sex with a girl he knows is flaky and only afterwards thinking about condoms, setting yo camp only 20 miles from his home, attending local meets where he could easily -and does - meet his mother, and ducking home for clothes and -wait for it - having a nice bath in his parents house, only to be discovered, of course! And falling for Iris’s tricks every time? I quite enjoyed this book 30 years ago as a teenager but as an adult, will take Patrick Pennington over dopey Jonathon, thanks.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book about the trials and tribulations of Jonathan Meredith, to whom terrible things always seem to happen. In this one, he has got a girl pregnant, and flees the wrath of parents and teachers to hide out with his friend, aspiring jockey Peter McNair, and train a horse to ride in the Grand National. Like the two previous books, this one ends on a rather melancholy note. Jonathan is a rather colourless person compared to the unruly and splendid Patrick Pennington, and I don’t feel anything like the same interest in him. The Pennington books have far more life and vigour.

[Klinkwink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually reread books in order to be close to the character again. Jonathan Meredith is a character that I often revisit, but in the case of this book, it is the horse named Dogwood whom I wish to be with again. With K.M. Peyton's writing it is easy to imagine yourself astride the horse and managing with its individual temperament. So I reread this book to charge down the course with Dogwood again. In the U.S. this book was published with the title "Free Rein" by Philomel Books.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kid's book