Josephine Pullein-Thompson (1924–2014)
Author of Black Beauty's Family
About the Author
Series
Works by Josephine Pullein-Thompson
Ponies in Colour 2 copies
Ponyclub, Sommer im Ponyclub 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Mann, Josephine (pseudonym)
- Birthdate
- 1924-04-03
- Date of death
- 2014-06-19
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- children's book author
memoirist
mystery novelist
pony book author - Organizations
- PEN International
- Awards and honors
- MBE (1984)
- Relationships
- Cannan, Joanna (mother)
Pullein-Thompson, Christine (sister)
Pullein-Thompson, Diana (sister)
Cannan, Denis (brother)
Popescu, Lucy (niece)
Cannan, May Wedderburn (aunt) (show all 8)
Popescu, Charlotte (niece)
Babington, Anthony (companion) - Short biography
- Josephine Pullein-Thompson is the daughter of writer Joanna Cannan and Captain Harold "Cappy" Pullein-Thompson. She was part of a large literary family that included her maternal aunt May Cannan, a poet, and cousin Gilbert Cannan, a novelist-playwright. She and her three siblings all became writers. Along with her sisters Christine Pullein-Thompson and Diana Pullein-Thompson, she is the author of many horse and pony books aimed mostly at girls, a genre established by their mother in the 1930s, which sold millions of copies. The three sisters wrote a collective autobiography, Fair Girls and Grey Horses: Memories of Country Childhood. Josephine also has written mystery books for adults, including Gin and Murder (1959), Murder Strikes Pink (1963) and They Died in the Spring (1960). She wrote A Place with Two Faces (1972) under the pseudonym Josephine Mann. She has long been involved with the British branch of PEN International. She was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1984.
- Nationality
- England
UK
Members
Reviews
The drama centres on the hosts and attendees of Friday night drinks at the home of Elizabeth and Charlie Chadwick. Undercurrents of discontent amongst the acquaintances present become more evident when Guy Vickers, one of the attendees, dies suddenly. When it is clear the death was not from natural causes suspicion quickly falls on hunt master Mark Broughton as he’d fallen out with Guy. However there are another half-dozen people making up a very toffy suspect pool.
Initially the person show more working his way through these suspects is ‘the local man’ but he is soon shunted aside. At this distance it appeared his only sin was being too common for the upper crust to deal with, but in the confines of the story the Scotland Yard man had to be brought in due to superior intelligence. DCI James Flecker, who is smart but dishevelled and absent-minded, and his less forgetful sergeant work their way through the case with equal amounts of bravado, guesswork and insight. Though not before another murder occurs.
One thing that did stand out for me was the depiction of the Broughton family which includes Mark’s alcoholic wife Clara and his orphaned niece and nephew. All of these elements are sensitively incorporated into the story while displaying a kind of pragmatism that befits a time that is still considered post-war. The uncovering of the reason for Clara’s alcoholism is rather poignant. A family grouping of this kind transplanted to today would all be in therapy and/or the subject of multiple visits by social services.
I’m sure GIN AND MURDER offers a very realistic picture of a particular world. I don’t know the first thing about that world but am confident Pullein-Thompson does and that she has drawn it very well. The book offered a perfectly delightful way to while away a blisteringly hot summer afternoon with my own gin cocktail to hand (purely for mood setting of course) and I can’t complain if it hasn’t seared itself into the long term section of my memory. There’s a lot to be said for a pleasantly entertaining diversion. show less
Initially the person show more working his way through these suspects is ‘the local man’ but he is soon shunted aside. At this distance it appeared his only sin was being too common for the upper crust to deal with, but in the confines of the story the Scotland Yard man had to be brought in due to superior intelligence. DCI James Flecker, who is smart but dishevelled and absent-minded, and his less forgetful sergeant work their way through the case with equal amounts of bravado, guesswork and insight. Though not before another murder occurs.
One thing that did stand out for me was the depiction of the Broughton family which includes Mark’s alcoholic wife Clara and his orphaned niece and nephew. All of these elements are sensitively incorporated into the story while displaying a kind of pragmatism that befits a time that is still considered post-war. The uncovering of the reason for Clara’s alcoholism is rather poignant. A family grouping of this kind transplanted to today would all be in therapy and/or the subject of multiple visits by social services.
I’m sure GIN AND MURDER offers a very realistic picture of a particular world. I don’t know the first thing about that world but am confident Pullein-Thompson does and that she has drawn it very well. The book offered a perfectly delightful way to while away a blisteringly hot summer afternoon with my own gin cocktail to hand (purely for mood setting of course) and I can’t complain if it hasn’t seared itself into the long term section of my memory. There’s a lot to be said for a pleasantly entertaining diversion. show less
And so we come to the final book in this enjoyable series. The Major has decided to have a week-long camp for pony club riders. Henry and Noel are put in charge of most of the activities, and despite the usual silliness and fussing amongst the younger members, an enjoyable time is held by all.
I'm no equestrienne, have virtually no experience with live horses, so some of the activities and terminology in this and the other books was new to me. It didn't matter, though, because the technical show more aspects of the story weren't the focus, the characters were, from pretentious and bossy Christopher, to annoyingly selfish Margaret, or clueless Joy. And the author let you see the growth and maturing of these typical young teens throughout the five books.
I plan on rereading the series again, and recommend them as a not-too-serious diversion for even the unhorsed adult reader such as myself. show less
I'm no equestrienne, have virtually no experience with live horses, so some of the activities and terminology in this and the other books was new to me. It didn't matter, though, because the technical show more aspects of the story weren't the focus, the characters were, from pretentious and bossy Christopher, to annoyingly selfish Margaret, or clueless Joy. And the author let you see the growth and maturing of these typical young teens throughout the five books.
I plan on rereading the series again, and recommend them as a not-too-serious diversion for even the unhorsed adult reader such as myself. show less
This is the second book in a series about children and ponies and it's quite enjoyable. I appreciate how the author is able to write "children" so well without getting into the usual stereotypes. As a non-rider, I did get lost a little when they were describing their dressage lessons but that didn't take away from the story itself.
The next installment of the young pony crowd, with the usual foibles and bickering. The kids are real, and I'm learning about dressage and cross country riding without having been on a horse more than once or twice in my life! Enjoyable.
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Statistics
- Works
- 51
- Members
- 774
- Popularity
- #32,870
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 14
- ISBNs
- 127
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- 5
- Favorited
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