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The Dark Horse
A Virago Modern Classic
Series: Virago Modern Classics
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 343 ratings, 48 reviews)
Brief Description
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River '[Godden's] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal' — ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' — PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden has] a genius for storytelling'...
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreFrom the esteemed author of Black Narcissus and The Diddakoi comes the classic story of Dark Invader, a powerful racehorse who wins the hearts of India's people.
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Description
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River
'[Godden's] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal' — ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN
'One of our best and most captivating novelists' — PHILIP HENSHER
'[Godden has] a genius for storytelling' — EVENING STANDARD
'All horses can walk - some badly, some well, but to a few is given a gift of movement feline in its grace, a slouching, flowing continuous movement that is a joy to watch. Dark Invader strode in glorious rhythm, his great shoulders rolling, muscles rippling along his flanks under the satin skin.'
In 1930s Calcutta, a beautiful racehorse brings together a group of outsiders: John Quillan, a talented trainer ostracised for his marriage; Mr Leventine, the shrewd new owner of Dark Invader; Ted Mullins, his groom, whose career has been derailed by scandal; and Mother Morag, head of an order of nuns working with the city's poor.
Sold in disgrace and shipped to India after a disappointing first season, the horse requires gentleness and careful handling - but soon becomes the firm favourite for the famous Viceroy Cup. Then, days before the race, Dark Invader disappears. When all seems lost, Mother Morag's sharp wits and gentle wisdom may just be their salvation...
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780349017594
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 13 February 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Virago Press Ltd
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 126.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 167g
Pages: 208
About the Author
Rumer Godden (1907-1998) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.
Also by Rumer Godden
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An Episode of Sparrows
Someone has dug up the private garden in the Square and taken buckets of dirt, and Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of boys from Catford Street must be to blame. Angela's sister, Olivia, isn't so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children—the 'sparrows' she sometimes watches from her window—have to be locked out...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Five for Sorrow Ten for Joy
By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The River 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' - Philip Hensher Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy is about growth, choice, struggle, and the freedom of the soul - Joan Chittister '[Godden's] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal' - Rosie Thomas,...PaperbackSold Out -
In this House of Brede
INTRODUCED BY LAUREN GROFF 'Rumer Godden's novels have a timeless shimmer' GUARDIAN 'One hundred years after her birth, Rumer Godden's novels still pulse with life' MATTHEW DENNISON, TELEGRAPH 'Her craftsmanship is always sure' NEW YORK TIMES 'The motto was Pax but the word was set in a circle of thorns. Peace, but what a strange peace, made of unremitting toil...PaperbackSold Out -
The Battle of the Villa Fiorita
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK NARCISSUS AND THE RIVER 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden has] a genius for storytelling' EVENING STANDARD 'Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty' NEW YORK TIMES 'Descriptions of the Italian setting are gorgeous but the real strength is the childlike perspective' DAILY MAIL When their mother leaves...PaperbackSold Out -
The River
By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The Greengage Summer The River will make you laugh, make you cry and, in its way, change you forever' JULIE MYERSON 'Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty' NEW YORK TIMES 'Bold, beautiful . . . everyone’s appetites will be satisfied' ELLE The River is Rumer Godden's beautiful tribute to India...PaperbackSold Out -
A Fugue in Time
Ghosts past, present, and future haunt an old London house in this masterful work of fiction from a New York Times Bestselling author. 'A genius for storytelling' EVENING STANDARD 'One of our best and most original novelists' PHILIP HENSHER 'Her craftsmanship is always sure . . . pure, delicate, and gently witty' NEW YORK TIMES Grizel Dane, a bold young...PaperbackSold Out -
Cromartie v. the God Shiva
BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden] writes with grace and a cheerfully lilting prose' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Her craftsmanship is always sure' NEW YORK TIMES A revered effigy of the God, Shiva, is missing from the Patna Hall Hotel on south India's exquisite Coromandel coast. Was it stolen, and...PaperbackSold Out -
The Lady and the Unicorn
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' Philip Hensher 'Her craftsmanship is always sure; her understanding of character is compassionate and profound; her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty' New York Times In a crumbling Calcutta mansion, with faded frescos and a jasmine-covered garden, the Lemarchant family live, clinging...PaperbackSold Out -
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By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The River 'A haunting tale . . . the whole book burns with beauty and poetry' Evening Standard 'Powerful adult themes underlie the novel's glimmering surface' Rosie Thomas, Guardian 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' Philip Hensher Sophie Barrington Ward, without a husband, with two children and very little income,...PaperbackSold Out -
Black Narcissus
Rumer Godden's stunning classic novel of devotion, faith and madness You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or you'll turn a little mad . . . High in the Himalayas, the mountaintop palace shines like a jewel. Built for the General's harem, laughter and music once floated out over the gorge. Now it...PaperbackSold Out -
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NOW A HAUNTING BBC DRAMA, STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON AND DIANA RIGG 'A remarkable and beautiful book' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'I envy anyone reading it for the first time' AMANDA COE '[Godden has] a genius for storytelling' EVENING STANDARD High in the Himalayas, the mountaintop palace shines like a jewel. Built for the General's harem, laughter and music once floated out over...HardbackSold Out -
An Episode of Sparrows
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River 'A masterpiece of construction and utterly realistically convincing' — JACQUELINE WILSON 'Godden's rich understanding of human nature, her humour and her beautiful prose inevitably leave one aglow' — CHICAGO TRIBUNE 'Godden here tries her deft writing hand at landscaping a child's heart' — TIME * Someone has been digging up the...PaperbackSold Out
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