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kailey_luminouslibro's review
3.0
In this fourth book in the series, Kenneth is getting involved in politics and is sadly losing the election to become a State Representative. The three nieces decide to help him in his campaign, and they fight against dirty politicians, ignorant country voters, and shady political dealings that threaten to overwhelm the campaign. Along the way, they befriend the country people, and help a farmer to find his missing daughter.
I get bored with politics, so I didn't especially enjoy the plot, but I liked how the mysteries were surprising and interesting. I loved how the girls help Kenneth to set up a rally that throws their opponent's arguments out the door, how they discover the underhanded political deals, and they aid in solving the mystery of the missing farmer's daughter.
There is some sexism in this book, but it would have been considered very progressive for its time. At the time, women could not vote in the USA, and it was frowned upon to have women involved in politics in any way. There is a lot of anxiety that the nieces will expose themselves to ridicule, but they plow ahead anyway, forming a political women's society, and canvassing around the neighborhoods to talk to wives about how their husbands should vote.
There are several instances where the men say something about how "a woman should know her place", but the nieces just go skipping along with their plans, and prove that they are more clever and formidable than they are ever given credit for. The brilliant Kenneth naturally realizes that he would be nowhere without the efforts of the girls on his behalf, and he praises and thanks them for their capable management of his campaign.
As always, I like the fresh and simple writing style, and of course, I am delighted with the sweet characters.
I get bored with politics, so I didn't especially enjoy the plot, but I liked how the mysteries were surprising and interesting. I loved how the girls help Kenneth to set up a rally that throws their opponent's arguments out the door, how they discover the underhanded political deals, and they aid in solving the mystery of the missing farmer's daughter.
There is some sexism in this book, but it would have been considered very progressive for its time. At the time, women could not vote in the USA, and it was frowned upon to have women involved in politics in any way. There is a lot of anxiety that the nieces will expose themselves to ridicule, but they plow ahead anyway, forming a political women's society, and canvassing around the neighborhoods to talk to wives about how their husbands should vote.
There are several instances where the men say something about how "a woman should know her place", but the nieces just go skipping along with their plans, and prove that they are more clever and formidable than they are ever given credit for. The brilliant Kenneth naturally realizes that he would be nowhere without the efforts of the girls on his behalf, and he praises and thanks them for their capable management of his campaign.
As always, I like the fresh and simple writing style, and of course, I am delighted with the sweet characters.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
5.0
I just love the Aunt Jane's Nieces stories, and each one pleasantly surprises me. The simple story lines really keep my interest and the characters are funny and likeable.
In this book, Uncle John acquires a run-down farm in the country, and promptly proposes to spend the summer there with his three favorite nieces. The local village is all agog at the fancy "citified" furniture, decorations, and trappings that come in to furnish the old farmhouse with more "modern" conveniences.
The summering party arrives in the country and finds a mystery to unravel regarding the previous owners of the farm, an old sea-captain who died under questionable circumstances, and his wayward son who is currently missing. The nieces find a plethora of suspects in the little village, but can find no concrete evidence to support their wild theories of murder, burglary, and fraud. Ultimately, the girls have to explain their suspicions to their Uncle John, and they discover that the truth is entirely different than they had imagined.
I loved how this book blends together elements of comedy and drama into every chapter. There are some really funny scenes with the local village population trying to swindle rich Uncle John out of his money. And there are heartbreaking scenes of poor people in trouble, needing friendship and aid from the girls.
The scenes flow together really well, and kept me reading with interest and delight!
In this book, Uncle John acquires a run-down farm in the country, and promptly proposes to spend the summer there with his three favorite nieces. The local village is all agog at the fancy "citified" furniture, decorations, and trappings that come in to furnish the old farmhouse with more "modern" conveniences.
The summering party arrives in the country and finds a mystery to unravel regarding the previous owners of the farm, an old sea-captain who died under questionable circumstances, and his wayward son who is currently missing. The nieces find a plethora of suspects in the little village, but can find no concrete evidence to support their wild theories of murder, burglary, and fraud. Ultimately, the girls have to explain their suspicions to their Uncle John, and they discover that the truth is entirely different than they had imagined.
I loved how this book blends together elements of comedy and drama into every chapter. There are some really funny scenes with the local village population trying to swindle rich Uncle John out of his money. And there are heartbreaking scenes of poor people in trouble, needing friendship and aid from the girls.
The scenes flow together really well, and kept me reading with interest and delight!
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