- The Little White Horse
"The Little White Horse" is a children's novel by
Elizabeth Goudge which won the 1946Carnegie Medal for children's literature. The original edition was illustrated byC. Walter Hodges .Storyline
It is 1842 and Maria Merryweather, a 13-year-old orphan, is on a journey to the mysterious Moonacre Manor somewhere in the west of
England , accompanied by her governess Miss Heliotrope and dog Wiggins. There she finds herself in a world out of time. Maria meets her cousin, Sir Benjamin Merryweather, one of the "sun" Merryweathers, and finds that she loves him right away - the "sun" and the "moon" Merryweathers always take to each other - for a while. Maria discovers that there is an ancient story around founding of the estate that will have a great effect on her future....Although she is aided by a stable of wonderful characters and magical beasts (including the
unicorn of the title), it is only by self-sacrifice and perseverance that she will be able to succeed in bringing wholeness back to Moonacre. And of course, with a pinch of magic, Maria is able to save Moonacre, right the wrongs, reunite lost loves and finally bring peace to the valley, and there is the happiest of happy endings.A Time Warner film based on the book, The Secret of Moonacre, is due to be distributed in early 2009. Since the announcement of this film project, the sale price of First Editions has risen dramatically. The true First Edition was published in England by the University of London in 1946.
Characters
Maria Merryweather- She is a smart, quick-thinking 13-year-old orphan.
Robin- He is the child of Loveday Minette and a lawyer.
Loveday Minette- Robin's mother and Sir Benjamin's ex-fiancee.
Sir Benjamin Merryweather- Maria's second cousin and guardian.
Old Parson- The parson who helps Maria give Paradise Hill back to God.
Miss Heliotrope- Maria's nurse. She eventually marries the Parson.
Marmaduke Scarlet- Sir Benjamin's cook and housekeeper. Also the owner of a cat.
Zachariah- Marmaduke's cat.
Wrolf- a lion, acts as Maria's special protector, called a dog by Sir Benjamin and others.
Serena- A hare that Maria saved from the Men from the Dark Woods.
Wiggins- Maria's dog.
Periwinkle- Maria's pony.
Adaptations
The book is being adapted into a movie, "
The Secret of Moonacre " with a script written byLucy Shuttleworth andGraham Alborough . Currently being shot in Hungary and expected to be released in 2008 it is directed byGabor Csupo . Young actressDakota Blue Richards has been cast for the part of Maria.cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=45952|title=Richards Returns In Moonacre|accessdate=2007-12-05|date=2007-12-03|publisher=SciFi Wire]The 1994 television mini-series [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0305072/ Moonacre] was based on "The Little White Horse".
ources
* [http://www.forgan-smith.com/thelittlewhitehorse.html Forgan-Smith Entertainment] info on the book
* [http://www.thelittlewhitehorse.com/movie.html Official web site for the movie] .
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396707/ "The Secret of Moonacre" at theInternet Movie Database ]
* [http://www.elizabethgoudge.com Elizabeth Goudge fan page and reader forum]References
Edition
* 1st edition, London, University of London Press Ltd. [1946] ; LCCN 47018596
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