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A sweet short read aloud for Ellie. Trying to gauge her interest for getting ready for little house on the prairie. ;)
(Second time on this book -- the first time I read it as a kid, this second time I listened to the audiobook as a 31-year-old.)
Sarah Plain and Tall is about a woman from Maine in the late 19th Century who answers a Midwestern farmer's advertisement for a wife and mother for his two children, one of whom is the first person narrator. She decides to visit for a month and see if she'll want to stay and the story is basically about her getting to know this family and dealing with missing her home.
It's interesting reading what is almost a love story from the point of view of the children of one of the main characters. Their concerns are the kind that children have -- does Sarah like THEM? The tension is in them wondering whether Sarah is leaving them, even when it's clear to adults she isn't. (Near the end, she goes to town and the children are worried she's going back to Maine even though she's like ... Left her cat with them. So yeah, not going anywhere.)
And that's fine since it's a children's book, but now as an adult I'm reading this and wondering things like how Sarah and Jacob (the dad) feel about each other -- have they fallen in love it does Sarah just have the attitude a lot of prairie brides had where it's just like "This guy seems nice and being married gives me something to do." It's obvious she misses Maine but does she really consider going back? From Jacob's point of view, what even prompted him to place the ad? Basically, I want the adult version of this story.
Sarah Plain and Tall is about a woman from Maine in the late 19th Century who answers a Midwestern farmer's advertisement for a wife and mother for his two children, one of whom is the first person narrator. She decides to visit for a month and see if she'll want to stay and the story is basically about her getting to know this family and dealing with missing her home.
It's interesting reading what is almost a love story from the point of view of the children of one of the main characters. Their concerns are the kind that children have -- does Sarah like THEM? The tension is in them wondering whether Sarah is leaving them, even when it's clear to adults she isn't. (Near the end, she goes to town and the children are worried she's going back to Maine even though she's like ... Left her cat with them. So yeah, not going anywhere.)
And that's fine since it's a children's book, but now as an adult I'm reading this and wondering things like how Sarah and Jacob (the dad) feel about each other -- have they fallen in love it does Sarah just have the attitude a lot of prairie brides had where it's just like "This guy seems nice and being married gives me something to do." It's obvious she misses Maine but does she really consider going back? From Jacob's point of view, what even prompted him to place the ad? Basically, I want the adult version of this story.
Short and sweet. Good imagery. Interesting historical fiction for the kids about a much different time.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Just reading the synopsis I knew I would love this. It's really a gem, and it breezes right by. Yes, I'm frequently into sentimental kid stuff. I loved Anne of Green Gables and Jacob Have I Loved, and this was right along those lines.
What I didn't know was that our titular Sarah, in addition to agreeing to be a mail order bride for a widowed farmer, was kind of a weird artist and kind of a tomboy who considers chickens house pets, and insists on wearing overalls to help her man fix the roof. And that made me love her even more, knowing she was a woman after my own heart.
Perfect airplane reading.
What I didn't know was that our titular Sarah, in addition to agreeing to be a mail order bride for a widowed farmer, was kind of a weird artist and kind of a tomboy who considers chickens house pets, and insists on wearing overalls to help her man fix the roof. And that made me love her even more, knowing she was a woman after my own heart.
Perfect airplane reading.
I didn't really care for this book and I had high hopes since its a newbery medal winner. It was very simple and uninteresting and the whole idea didn't seem very real to the time. It was a quick 1-2 hour read, but I thought if was quite uninteresting.
fast-paced