The Little White Horse
The Little White Horse ( engl. The Little White Horse ) is a children's book by Elizabeth Goudge. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal for children's literature in 1946.
Action
Maria Merryweather, who lost her father when she was born her mother and at age 13, which left her only debt that comes with her governess Miss Heliotrope to west England to the country at their last relatives Sir Benjamin, a landed gentry. He lives on his estate in Moonacre near the settlement Silverydew. Gladly she does not pull as spoiled Londoner there.
Nevertheless, it is at first glance not bad there, on the second a great improvement, as all the people involved represent itself as love friendly people who want only the best for Mary and the whole world - Sir Benjamin himself, his cook Marmaduke Scarlet, the pastor Old Parson, whose housekeeper Loveday and of course the whole country people, represented by the coachman Digweed and Peterkin Pepper.
She meets her former friend from London even Robin again, the London no one could see except her because he has always visited them only in a dream.
But slowly, the evil creeps closer, it was not until almost imperceptible fault - no one is allowed on the beach because of bad neighbors - and then more clearly - these neighbors ask with traps after even in the park of Merryweathers little love animals, and eventually threaten these neighbors the idyll always stronger.
Mary learns from the priest the origin of this conflict: 800 years ago the first Merryweather has tried to take away the then- living ancestors of these neighbors, Cocq de Noir whose land and castle by force, later with a fraudulent marriage. He almost made it, but the descendants of Cocq have let the government never really snatch in its territory and now represent a huge threat dar.
Maria sets out to create this conflict once and for all from the world. They achieved their goal with flying colors in the last three chapters, along with Robin, who also turns out to be Merryweather - descendant and the son of Loveday is.
The main argument she puts herself alone. Only animals she has to help: the pony periwinkle (or Bode joy), the lion Wrolf, referred to during almost the entire act as a dog and is reminiscent of Aslan from Narnia, the cat Zachariah, the doe Serena and its actually pretty useless dog Wiggins which must be borne mainly by the adventure.
She persuades Sir Cocq de Noir to desist from his evil behavior, solves three actually unsolvable tasks that Sir Cocq has placed her as a precondition - to provide a proof that the first Merryweather has his contemporaries Cocq de Noir not kill, returning the Date 800 years lost pearls of their ancestor, the wife of the first Merryweathers and at the same daughter whose archenemy Cocq de Noir to its present Sir Cocq, performing and presenting the mysterious white horse herd, the roar over the countryside in full moon nights, and the date could only see Mary. Sir Cocq is convinced turn out as especially the horses even than unicorns.
In the last chapter all to be reconciled with a large Tea Party and even two weddings donated - between Sir Benjamin and Loveday, who were engaged once before 20 years ago, and has prevented between the pastor and Mary governess, whose love of the father of the governess, because the pastor at that time was an atheist. And of course, marries Maria her Robin. The marriage proposal from Robin in Chapter 8.1 has hilarious Monty Python -worthy quality.
The story was written in 1940 and played in England in 1842. Residence of Good is the fairytale -like castle Moonacre. The evil of their castle in the dark pine forest right next door and of course there are also labyrinths, which are excellent for chases.
Films
The book was made into a film by Oliver Parker and came in February 2009 under the title The Secret of Moonacre (directed by Gabor Csupo ) with Dakota Richards, Ioan Gruffudd, Natascha McElhone and Tim Curry in the lead roles to the movies. The television series Moonacre 1994 based on the book.