entertaining stories of Anglo-Irish society

Humor is not a genre that holds up very well over time (Mark Twain excepted). The stories of Somerville and Ross, a remarkable pair of women, are an exception. I remember reading somewhere that Teddy Roosevelt was given a copy of this book while recuperating from surgery; it had to be taken away from him because he was laughing so hard the nurses feared he would split his stitches. It was the subject of a PBS drama series years ago, but even PBS did not do it justice. The exploits of Major Sinclair Yeates, his family, friends, and animals, hold up beautifully. Some of the stories have been collected, usually in equine anthologies, but resist categorization as "horse stories"

Reading past the humor, a modern reader can perceive the underlying tragedy of Ireland at the turn of the century, and the story of two women born out of their time. ( )

Finished august 2016 ( )

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