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The Island of Horses

Dillon, Eilís
Author

Dillon, Eilís
Publisher

Faber & Faber

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The Island of Horses

Dillon, Eilís

Two boys and a deserted island, a herd of wild horses, and a gang of desperate men …

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Printing history
Faber & Faber, London, 1956, illus Richard Kennedy, reprinted 1963
Funk & Wagnalls, New York, 1957
Penguin, pb, 1976, illus Richard Kennedy
Faber & Faber, pb, 1991, illus Richard Kennedy
New York Review Children’s Collection, New York, 2004

Two boys and a deserted island, a herd of wild horses, and a gang of desperate men: this is an excellent read, with a vivid sense of the tensions between different Irish communities, and a wonderful portrayal of a harsh offshore island and a whole melting pot of characters, good and bad.

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Eilís Dillon

Dillon, Eilís

Eilís Dillon (1920-1994) was born in Galway, Ireland. She travelled widely in America, and lectured on Irish literature and poetry. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and wrote many books for children. There are over 30 books to her name: the three books which feature horses are aimed at differing ages, with the best known, The Island of Horses, aimed at teenagers. This book was selected by The Sunday Times as one of its “99 Best Books for Children.” It is an excellent read: a vivid picture of a small and close community combined with realistic and tense adventure.

Finding the books
The Horse Fancier can be difficult to find (watch out for mad prices on Amazon) but it does turn up cheaply. The other two titles are easy to find.

Sources and Links
More on The Island of Horses
A website on Eilis Dillon
Irish Writers Online
Wikipedia entry