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War Horse  By  cover art

War Horse

By: Michael Morpurgo
Narrated by: John Keating
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Publisher's summary

In 1914, a beautiful foal with a distinctive cross on his nose is sold to the Army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western front. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

©1987 Michael Morpurgo (P)2010 Scholastic Audio

What listeners say about War Horse

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great idea for reluctant readers!

If you could sum up War Horse in three words, what would they be?

Insightful, Enduring, Magnificant

What does John Keating bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The different voices were most helpful in distinguishing the different characters and emotions. Great way to model reading to lower level readers.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, we read two chapters a day.

Any additional comments?

I used the audio version as a read along with my 7th grade class. We finished two days before the Christmas break and they were excited. They would come in and talk about how they saw the trailer for the movie that morning, or the night before. They wrote a short chapter review after each chapter and we discussed how the trailer followed the book. After the break, I am sure we will have further discussion on how the book and movie were the same and what were the differences. Overall, having the audio version that followed the book, word for word was a great way to keep them interested in reading.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

As part of my WW1 reading I came across this story about a War Horse in WW1 so decided to read it. The narrator, John Keating did a great job reading the story. The story is told from the point of view of the horse just like Black Beauty. The use of the horse Calvary in WW1 was a good example of trying to fight the with the equipment and tactics of the past. Machine guns, tanks and gas made the use of the war horse a disaster. The story has Joey following another war horse through the German lines. He is captured and becomes a German war horse then later he returns to English hands. The boy that raised him joins the army veterinary corp in a hope to find Joey. Read the story you will find it interesting as just a story but you can also learn a bit of history.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

John Keating as always, did a fabulous job of narration.

As an avid horse lover I am always looking for another great horse book. This book is written from the point of view of a horse during WWI and tells of the harsh realities faced by both people and the horses. It doesn't go into so much detail that it wouldn't be safe for children however.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Answers all of the questions

The book is even better than the movie and that’s saying a lot considering the movie is great. Interesting that in the book, the horse is the narrator since the story is from his point of view this makes sense and obviously would not work in a movie.

Possible Spoiler Alerts:

With that said, I love how the book answered all of the questions I had after watching the movie such as:

Unlike the movie, the father was supposed to buy a cow instead.

I hate the name of the horse, until I read that it was named Joey b/c the kid already had a horse named Zooey.

In the book, there is no mention of the father drinking because he went to war and they never had a war badge of honor that was carried around as it was throughout the movie.

Two German kids who abandoned the war because of a promise to their mother, weren’t in the book at all.

And after watching the movie, I was wondering why the Grandfather looked different at the end and in the book, it states that he looked different because it was supposed to be years later.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

What made the experience of listening to War Horse the most enjoyable?

I wanted to read the book prior to see ing the movie and this was a quick way for me to do that as I was going on a trip.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that the main character was so changed that neither he nor Albert recognized one another.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I'm not sure I appreciated the narrator. He did not give the horse any maturity as the story progresses. Joey sounds immature from start to finish.

Any additional comments?

Great use of language and vivid description. A little too sentimental and melodramatic.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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If you liked the movie...

you will love the book! A touching and well told tale from the horse's point of view, a la Black Beauty. A classic!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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good read

Would you consider the audio edition of War Horse to be better than the print version?

Liked the story even though it is as sad in places as BLACK BEAUTY. the lives of many horses is sad. The author rally knows horses and how they become attached to other horses and people. Really enjoyed the historical parts of it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of War Horse?

When

Have you listened to any of John Keating???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

Any additional comments?

The book is listed a a book for young adults. Most of the people I know that have read it are considered elderly. They also got it for their grandchildren.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable easy listen

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the mood of the story. A very pleasent listen while driving.

Would you recommend War Horse to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes,I think most of my horse friends would enjoy the story, young and old.

How could the performance have been better?

The reader was too gentle for the story, maybe it was just his accent I didn't care for. He was OK not great.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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"Excellent!"

A moving story that ends on a good note!! Could not have picked a better narrator!!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Loved it. I liked that it included history. Such a good horse and human(s) story. It reminded me of Smokey the Cow Horse. I totally enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

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5 people found this helpful