Black Beauty, the autobiography of a horse was written by Anna Sewell in the last years of her life. It was published 5 months before her death in 1877 and was an instant bestseller. Thankfully Sewell did see the success of her only book in those last months of her life.
The book is written from the perspective of the horse Black Beauty, from his time at the farm as a foal with his mother to the difficult life pulling taxi cabs in London. He goes through several owners, starting off as a carriage horse, but when he breaks his knees, he’s made to do harder work. No matter the hardship Beauty remains kind to his fellow horses and to humans.
I’m sure I must have seen a Black Beauty film adaptation at some point, but I had never read the book before now. Which is kind of surprising since I went through a horse crazy phase in my adolescence. I do wish I had read it back then… it’s such a charming book!
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 30: In the Public Domain
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
