Black Beauty - Rino Nagata

Black Beauty is the first and only published work of English novelist Anna Sewell. Although this is her first work, it has been translated into 50 languages and has become popular. 

  

The main character in the novel is a horse called Black Beauty, he is owned by a kind owner whose name is Mr. Gordon at first. And he spends a couple of years until he becomes an adult in his yard in a countryside in England. However, Mr. Gordon cannot help selling his horses because his wife becomes sick, so Black Beauty is sold to another owner and his situation is extremely changed as well. 

  

His next owner, whose name is Reuben Smith, is a kind person, but he is addicted to alcohol very much and he makes Black Beauty work very hard in some bad conditions. For example, he whips the horse a lot and gets him to work until he drops. As the owner changed, the situation where he is and the places where he works changed as well. Surprisingly, Black Beauty is worked from a carriage horse for wealthy families to a cab horse navigating the busy streets of London. And, one day, Black Beauty finds a horse whose name is Ginger when they get treated by Mr. Gordon. She looks very thin and her breathing is very bad because the way her owner treats her is terrible. Finally, the reader is left keeping up with how Black Beauty lives and the story ends. 

The great strength of this book is written from the point of view of the horses. This leads to making the readers feel that they are in the story with a horse. Also, it is easy to understand how the horses struggle with their terrible situation because they cannot talk to their owners and have no other option than working until they cannot move to work. My only criticism, however, would be that a basic knowledge of the Victorian era in England is needed. Otherwise, it could be difficult to understand why people depend on horses when it comes to transportation. 

  

Not only is this a shocking and absolutely gripping novel, but it also tackles real problems in the late 19th century such as animal cruelty and a economic gap between the rich and the poor. For those who are interested in the relationships between animals and how people treated them in a  Victorian era, Black Beauty is a must.