After reading the official biography of the famous racehorse known as Man O’War, I decided it was about time I went back and read the fictional biography of the horse, written by the famous horse writer, Walter Farley. You see, back when I was a young kid in love with horses, I was an avid reader of Walter Farley. And when I found out he wrote about a real horse, I was excited to read it. And I loved that book. It changed me, in some way. It made my love of horses seem more real, to read about an animal that existed and was so famous. I became obsessed with Man O’War. And to this day, I still sort of am. I see all these new movies coming out, like Seabiscuit and Secretariat about these great horses and horse owners that overcame all the odds, and I’m sad to realize that no matter how fast Man O’War won, he simply isn’t a Hollywood horse. Walter Farley made a comment about that in his fictional biography, and he’s absolutely correct. Man O’War kicked ass on the racetrack. There were only two instances where the horse did more than run an easy race. In one race, he lost – amid a huge controversy over whether or not the starter lifted the webbing at the right time. In the other, he simply needed one single lash of the whip to win.This horse made the rest in his age group look like they were hardly moving at all. And his owner was already rich. So there really is no hard case for people to fall in love with. Seabiscuit was an underdog. Secretariat’s owners defied all the odds against them. Man O’War was simply the best at what he did, and he was given the perfect conditions to win, win, win. Man O’War will never be a Hollywood horse, but Walter Farley’s writing made this girl fall in love with the big chestnut colt. And rereading it as an adult, I am still impressed by how he conveyed this story. I was caught up in each chapter, reading about this giant animal that was never truly tested. He managed to pull on your heartstrings and make you fall in love with his fictional idea of what Man O’War was most like. He listed off facts about the racehorse without making it seem like they were facts. You were living and breathing the lifestyle of a boy thrown into the racing business almost a hundred years ago. He conveyed each character properly, bringing them to life for the young readers he aimed this novel at. I loved it when I was a kid, and I love it even more now. This book is for anyone who loves horses and horse racing. I strongly recommend it.
First published in 1962, the author of The Black Stallion turns his hand at writing a biography of one of the horses that inspired the creation of the Black. It’s been republished many times since. Farley decided to do a fictional biography in a style borrowed from famous fictional biographer Irving Stone (best known for his Vincent Van Gogh book, Lust for Life (1934)). The story is told from the point of view of Man o’ War’s groom – not infamous stud groom Will Harbut, but a groom who never existed.Farley begins his book with his own visit to Man o’ War when he was a child. Despite being a very old stallion with a faded coat, he made a tremendous impression on Farley. Personally, I find this more interesting than the rest of the book. Farley would give the Black some of Man o’ War’s mannerisms, such as needing the company of a particular gelding in order to calm down.
Do You like book Man O'War (1983)?
Man O' War by Walter Farley is a fictional biography about a racehorse that raced soon after the end of World War 1. I found the book to be great. When you read a book about a racehorse, and you know that they lose at least one race, the first thing you think of is that the horse lost their first race. In this case, I was actually excited. I found myself asking "Well what race did he lose?" Although I find watching movies about racehorses more entertaining because you can see the race and hear the race, I found the races in Man O' War to be quite exciting. I love how the book not only tells the story of Man O' War, but also the story of the groom, Danny. The book is great at showing how Danny grew from the beginning of the book to end and then his surprise action at the end of the book. Danny's connection to Man O' War was a constant struggle for Danny throughout the book but he ended up trying everything he could to stay with Man O' War and he succeeded for Man O' War's whole life. In the beginning when Danny is talking to the young boy, he doesn't say anything about his personal connection to Man O' War but when he gets to the race, everyone already knows who he is. Danny's relationship with Man O' War is always prominent in the book, almost as prominent as the story of Man O' War himself. The book was great because it wasn't just a classic book about a racehorse that lost his first race and then climbed to the top of he racing stakes and then won the Kentucky Derby. Man O' War didn't even race in the Kentucky Derby like every other famous racehorse. The book seemed much more original than I expected it to be and I really enjoyed it.
—Sara
