Belladonna, Mary Finn
Belladonna, Mary Finn
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49

Belladonna

Author: Mary Finn

Narrator: Ralph Lister

Unabridged: 8 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/14/2011


Synopsis

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 Thomas with her wild spirit and tales of a circus where she danced atop her beloved horse, Belladonna. But the horse has been sold, and Ling must fetch her back. Now Thomas’s life as a clever but unschooled wheelwright’s son is about to change. Their search leads to painter George Stubbs, who euthanizes ailing animals in order to study their anatomy. Stubbs draws eerie horses that stride as if they could move out of the paper world into the real one—but he assures his young friends that their horse is safe at a nearby estate. As Ling and Thomas devise a risky plan to recover Belladonna, Stubbs hires Thomas as an apprentice, teaching him to read and write as well. In this fascinating story, Mary Finn incorporates a real eighteenth-century artist into a beautifully imagined tale of adventure and young romance.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Laura

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 lik......more

Goodreads review by Mara

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.......more

Goodreads review by Kellia

I think that the characters were not really developed metally although they went through some big life changes.Thomas Rose still seem like a love-struck 14 year-old at the end of the book although many people felt like he has truely became a man.I felt that the only changes was his circumstances.He......more

Goodreads review by Lauren

The Horse Girl has a lovely style about it, but I felt like it went on just a little too long to be engaging. I liked the history woven into it, particularly about Stubbs. Bit of style over substance perhaps? Took a while to get used to the narrative voice too.........more