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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
~Audiobook~
I would have done myself a big disservice if I hadn’t read Gene Stratton-Porter’s bio online. Fascinating. So many pieces of her own life and experiences are evident in this book. Born Geneva, she herself had the nickname “Little Bird Woman.” She grew up near the Limberlost Swamp in Indiana in the late 1800s and was a nature conservationist. Quite radical for a woman of her time! She hyphenated her name and was dedicated to her work, feeling obliged to fulfill her family duties first and foremost.
This book was published in 1909! So rest assured, the language, mindset and descriptions of fashion, food and wildlife are authentic. Stratton-Porter herself is industrious and dynamic - and in many ways sounds like she may have created the protagonist, Elnora Comstock, in her own image. Elnora is an outlier but widely admired. Aspects of the story almost sound like a more modern woman is telling history as she’d prefer it - which can feel confusing when there’s entry after entry about women’s looks and refined manners being a measure of their worth. (Bleck!) So, understanding that this book is over 100-years-old helps balance things!
This story is delightfully sweet and wholesome; quite suitable for younger readers. It’s gratifying to read about someone repeatedly overcoming adversity and coming out ahead. I didn’t love the way the story was written, but now that I understand that Stratton-Porter’s books were a way of sharing an appreciation for nature with the masses, I have a great appreciation for the brilliance of it.
It makes it even more heartbreaking to realize how much the landscape of Indiana has changed in spite of her efforts - and along with it the displacement and extinction of so many amazing creatures. The author captures the very real challenges that landowners’ faced; developing their land became survival. But how sad that we’ve ruined so much in so little time.
Book reco: Karen
I would have done myself a big disservice if I hadn’t read Gene Stratton-Porter’s bio online. Fascinating. So many pieces of her own life and experiences are evident in this book. Born Geneva, she herself had the nickname “Little Bird Woman.” She grew up near the Limberlost Swamp in Indiana in the late 1800s and was a nature conservationist. Quite radical for a woman of her time! She hyphenated her name and was dedicated to her work, feeling obliged to fulfill her family duties first and foremost.
This book was published in 1909! So rest assured, the language, mindset and descriptions of fashion, food and wildlife are authentic. Stratton-Porter herself is industrious and dynamic - and in many ways sounds like she may have created the protagonist, Elnora Comstock, in her own image. Elnora is an outlier but widely admired. Aspects of the story almost sound like a more modern woman is telling history as she’d prefer it - which can feel confusing when there’s entry after entry about women’s looks and refined manners being a measure of their worth. (Bleck!) So, understanding that this book is over 100-years-old helps balance things!
This story is delightfully sweet and wholesome; quite suitable for younger readers. It’s gratifying to read about someone repeatedly overcoming adversity and coming out ahead. I didn’t love the way the story was written, but now that I understand that Stratton-Porter’s books were a way of sharing an appreciation for nature with the masses, I have a great appreciation for the brilliance of it.
It makes it even more heartbreaking to realize how much the landscape of Indiana has changed in spite of her efforts - and along with it the displacement and extinction of so many amazing creatures. The author captures the very real challenges that landowners’ faced; developing their land became survival. But how sad that we’ve ruined so much in so little time.
Book reco: Karen
I started out skimming this book because I was looking for Elenor's relationship with Philip. I needed a story of a broken heart for my main character to compare to her older sister's broken heart in the book I am writing, Sticks in a Bundle. After about 20 pages, I found myself reading, not skimming. The book sucked me in.
First published in 1948, of course, it is written in the prose of that era. The book shifts from one character's point of view to another at unexpected points and transitions are not as smooth as authors are now taught to do. Nevertheless, the story is sweet, holds lessons on character that we all need reminding of from time to time, and yes, it had the touching love story that I needed for my main character to have read.
While the book would not rate 5 stars if it were written now, for its place in literary history, I gave it 5 stars.
First published in 1948, of course, it is written in the prose of that era. The book shifts from one character's point of view to another at unexpected points and transitions are not as smooth as authors are now taught to do. Nevertheless, the story is sweet, holds lessons on character that we all need reminding of from time to time, and yes, it had the touching love story that I needed for my main character to have read.
While the book would not rate 5 stars if it were written now, for its place in literary history, I gave it 5 stars.
This book was written almost 100 years ago and it still has the ability to connect to people our age right now. It is a book about courage and determination.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've had this book on my shelf for many years. I know I bought it because I'd read a review that praised it to high heaven, and I knew it was a very old children's book (or today we might say "young adult novel"), but I'd long since forgotten what attracted me to it. Lately I've been reading somewhat obscure great novels by female authors, so it seemed a good time to finally pick this up, blow the dust off, and give it a try.
Enjoyed it completely. Often I thought of my grandmother (born in 1896), who (like our heroine Elnora) hiked across farmlands and woods to attend school. I was fascinated by the adversarial relationship between teenage Elnora and her widowed mother, who really seems to hate Elnora (there's an interesting backstory to that). It caught me by surprise for the novel to begin immediately with this extreme unpleasantness between daughter and mother. It's offset by Elnora's relationship with a childless neighbor couple, and by Elnora's own pluck and resourcefulness.
The great appeal of this book is the character of Elnora -- she's without a doubt one of the best teenage girl characters ever written. Probably that came across in the long-forgotten review that led me to seek out this book in the first place.
Her vast knowledge of the Limberlost -- a vast swamp in eastern Indiana -- and its flora and fauna (especially the moths and butterflies) adds depth to the story. Elnora is not just a farm girl with chores who goes to school. She collects and mounts insects with the attention of a trained professional, and this knowledge turns out to be important to her survival and her ability to take control of her own life.
Note: There are a number of references to two people, one called Freckles and another called the Swamp Angel. I now know these were characters in an earlier book, [b:Freckles|381608|Freckles (Limberlost, #1)|Gene Stratton-Porter|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348031621s/381608.jpg|3101438]. I don't feel any need to go back and read that one, and it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this one.
Enjoyed it completely. Often I thought of my grandmother (born in 1896), who (like our heroine Elnora) hiked across farmlands and woods to attend school. I was fascinated by the adversarial relationship between teenage Elnora and her widowed mother, who really seems to hate Elnora (there's an interesting backstory to that). It caught me by surprise for the novel to begin immediately with this extreme unpleasantness between daughter and mother. It's offset by Elnora's relationship with a childless neighbor couple, and by Elnora's own pluck and resourcefulness.
The great appeal of this book is the character of Elnora -- she's without a doubt one of the best teenage girl characters ever written. Probably that came across in the long-forgotten review that led me to seek out this book in the first place.
Her vast knowledge of the Limberlost -- a vast swamp in eastern Indiana -- and its flora and fauna (especially the moths and butterflies) adds depth to the story. Elnora is not just a farm girl with chores who goes to school. She collects and mounts insects with the attention of a trained professional, and this knowledge turns out to be important to her survival and her ability to take control of her own life.
Note: There are a number of references to two people, one called Freckles and another called the Swamp Angel. I now know these were characters in an earlier book, [b:Freckles|381608|Freckles (Limberlost, #1)|Gene Stratton-Porter|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348031621s/381608.jpg|3101438]. I don't feel any need to go back and read that one, and it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this one.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was wonderful, I wish I'd read it when I was little.
A dated style of writing but an appealing story. A look back into a time when manners were quite different and the naturalist details are fascinating.
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Unpopular opinion. I grew up with the 1990 movie adaption. I was not aware that it was a book until recently. I usually like the book better than the movie, no matter which order I discover the story. I really didn't find anyone likable. Elnora came across as materialistic, almost whiny. In my opinion, the book had a lot of filler fluff. I almost DNF a few times. My opinion may be biased because of the movie. I also listened to it on Audible, and I was not a fan of the reader either. So that may have been part of the reason why I disliked this book so much. The star I gave it was for the nostalgia.