Midnight on Lundy

Victoria Eveleigh

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Why I wrote this book

I wrote this book because of Lundy, its people and its ponies. Quite simply, I love the island of Lundy. I spent my honeymoon there with Chris (my husband, who illustrates my books) so that was a good start, but Lundy becomes even more special every time we visit it. Horses are another great love in my life, so researching a pony story based on Lundy wasn't exactly hard work!

When our children were younger they had a Lundy x Welsh Cob pony called Kizzy. Her mother was a talented purebred Lundy pony called Magic Flute, and a quest to find out more about her breeding led to many new friendships with people who used to live on Lundy. Through them I heard many tales about a legendary stallion called Midnight who lived on the island from the 1930s until the early 1960s. He was a free spirit and a brilliant jumper, and he evaded capture several times by jumping seemingly impossible obstacles.

One of the people I met in the course of my research was a lady called Kate. She spent her childhood on Lundy because she was the farm manager's daughter, but when she was eleven she had to go away to boarding school on the mainland. She told me what it was like to grow up on Lundy, and how awful it was to be transported from that peaceful existence to a noisy boarding school.

I also met a lady called Peggy Garvey who rescued Midnight from Bampton Fair after he had been shipped to the mainland in 1961. She gave him a good home with her herd of Lundy mares on Dartmoor, where he spent the rest of his days and rewarded her kindness by siring some lovely foals. Tales from these people, and many others, inspired me to write my story about Midnight. It's a fictional story with facts mixed in, and I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Synopsis

This story is set in the 1960s on Lundy, an island off the North Devon coast. Although the story is fictional, it has been inspired by many tales of Lundy at that time, when the island was privately owned, keepers lived in the lighthouses and a legendary stallion called Midnight roamed free. 

Twelve-year-old Jenny Medway is the only child in a small community on Lundy. Her father, Robert Medway, is the farm bailiff. Although she misses her mother (who died when Jenny was five) her life is essentially carefree. She spends most of her spare time with the island’s herd of feral ponies; she has secretly befriended Midnight, the stallion no adult has been able to catch. To Jenny’s dismay, she’s awarded a scholarship to a boarding school on the mainland. It’s spring, and she’s faced with the prospect of leaving Lundy  – and Midnight – after the summer.

Jenny's life becomes more complicated as the summer progresses. Her attempts to train Midnight backfire, and she eventually has to betray him to save his life.

Midnight and Jenny both end up on the mainland, but Jenny is trapped in her boarding school and she can't find out where Midnight is living –  if he's still alive. Will she find Midnight and realise her dream of returning him to Lundy?

Please note that this book is a "firm sale" item and is non-refundable.

Reviews

Jane Badger Books website (review by Jane Badger) www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk
"Although the book is set in the 1960s, this doesn't jar particularly; yes, there are no mobile phones or ipods but Jenny and her friends are recognisable enough types and the story strong enough to carry it through. The descriptions of Lundy are wonderful....The book catches the flavour of the community well, but is at its best when Jenny goes to school. Victoria Eveleigh has a real talent for portraying the minefield that is girlhood friendship, and Jenny's struggles to fit in are captured wonderfully. Maybe a school story should be the next thing on Victoria Eveleigh's agenda; she writes well and convincingly about ponies, but the school section is so acutely observed I feel there is real scope here for more.... The pony Midnight also emerges well; he is entirely believable, unlike some of the poor cardboard creatures who infest some modern series.... This is a well crafted, absorbing pony story. I was left feeling that there is a lot more to come from Victoria Eveleigh."

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