The Island Of Horses
By (Author) Eilis Dillon
The New York Review of Books, Inc
NYRB Children's
15th May 2004
Main
United States
Children
Fiction
823.914
Paperback
224
Width 142mm, Height 224mm, Spine 19mm
415g
The people of remote Inishrone, a few miles off the Connemara coast, know better than to go to the Island of Horses. Everyone has heard tales of men who have gone there and never come back. Yet one day young Pat Conroy and his friend Danny MacDonagh head off anyway, telling their parents that they are fishing for eels. On the island they find no ghosts but many mysteries, including a beautiful- and tame- black colt. But when they return home, with the colt in tow, they find themselves launched into a world of trouble. Before their adventure is over, the boys must brave rough seas and the murderous duplicity of a conniving horse trader, with only their own good sense to guide them. A loving, clear-eyed portrait of rural Irish life, The Island of Horses is fraught with suspense and peopled with unforgettable individuals.
A beautifully-bound edition of this classic children's story. Ellis Dillon tells a gripping adventure story with the eye of a poet and a fantastic ear for dialogue. It is also a fascinating window into the vanished world in to the vanished world of early 20th century Connemara and the islanders off that turbulent coast. And coming from the pen of Ellis Dillon it has a keen sense of history. An exciting way for today's child to learn more about that vanished world. Irish Post
Eilis Dillon (1920-1994) wrote more than thirty books for young people. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a founding member of Aosdana, the affiliation of Irish writers, artists, and composers.