.jeri.

Black Beauty was another audio book I gave a shot. I was never all that interested in reading it, but I have gone through the majority of the audio books of interest at the local mini-library, save The Last of the Mohicans, which I have been saving for last because of its lengthiness and the fact that I've been trying to finish reading it for many years. So I'm reading The Last of the Mohicans right now, which means that I'll soon have to venture uptown for my audio entertainment. Blahbity blah blah, I know. But really, my library adventures are probably more entertaining than Black Beauty was for me.

The book is basically a self-narrative from a horse's point of view. He tells of his youth, his training, and the many owners, drivers, and jobs he has over the years. He goes through a lot of ups and downs, but above all, he has many PETA-esque stories to tell about the treatment of animals. In fact, each chapter contains either a lesson about animal treatment or a religious point of view. The whole thing is propaganda disguised as a story about an animal.

I'm not saying that there aren't a few good characters, like James and John, or the taxi driver who treats Beauty so well. There are some episodes of excitement, and one does learn a little bit about the nature of a horse. But to me, it was far too preachy. I almost returned it to the library about a third of the way through, when I noticed the pattern, but decided to finish it because I've only ever really quit reading a book without finishing (with two exceptions: The Man in the Iron Mask - when I realized I could summarize the first few hundred pages in just about 10 seconds, and Herzog - because I hated the protagonist).

So I gave it a go, and it didn't do much for me. But I'm sure it's great for little kids who have a fascination with horses, and it's probably good for teaching kids about animal treatment. But for an adult, it's a pass.