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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
A very sheltered girl is abruptly moved to a farm with relatives that help her become a much stronger, capable loving child. This was a very quick fun book that actually taught some good parenting techniques and pointed out some things to avoid too. :)
I loved this book. It's style reminded me of Roald Dahl. The kids loved the story on one level while I enjoyed the narrator's subtle commentary on Aunt Frances' parenting style and on modern life in general. I especially loved the chapter on Betsy's new school. Such a gem.
This is a warm middle grade story about Elizabeth Ann (Betsy), an orphan, who spends her life with her Aunt Frances until Betsy is nine years old. Then Aunt Frances has to take her mother to a warmer climate to heal (this is a classic, so back then you healed in warmer climates :) ). Aunt Frances is smothering, and she has household help. So Betsy hasn't had to do chores or make many decisions for herself.
Aunt Frances places her at a different relative's house while she's gone. Now living with Aunt Abigail and her children, Betsy learns how a different family from her own lives and how school and friends can be different than she's used to. It's so sweet to see how she adjusts to her new, less structured life with more responsibilities.
There is very little conflict in this book. I did appreciate the trying to clothe the local boy whose father didn't take care of him. That wasn't necessarily conflict, but again it showed to Betsy how other families function (not so well). The big/final "conflict" in this story was resolved in a paragraph, so perhaps there could have been more tension. :)
I know it's a classic, but there's some fat shaming in this. For example, a young girl is called a butter ball within the narrative.
All in all, the story has a great message, but it could have had more conflict/tension and less fat shaming.
Aunt Frances places her at a different relative's house while she's gone. Now living with Aunt Abigail and her children, Betsy learns how a different family from her own lives and how school and friends can be different than she's used to. It's so sweet to see how she adjusts to her new, less structured life with more responsibilities.
There is very little conflict in this book. I did appreciate the trying to clothe the local boy whose father didn't take care of him. That wasn't necessarily conflict, but again it showed to Betsy how other families function (not so well). The big/final "conflict" in this story was resolved in a paragraph, so perhaps there could have been more tension. :)
I know it's a classic, but there's some fat shaming in this. For example, a young girl is called a butter ball within the narrative.
All in all, the story has a great message, but it could have had more conflict/tension and less fat shaming.
Very charming story. I did feel like the narrator's voice was too cutesy and juvenile (even for a children's book), but the action itself was well written and enjoyable.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I adore classic children’s books. I’ve inhaled them since my mom taught me to read when I was four. If I could get my hands on it, I read it. A Little Princess, The Boxcar Children, Heidi, The Secret Garden, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, Gulliver’s Travels, and The Swiss Family Robinson were all early favorites. And yet, a lot of others slipped through the cracks of my childhood without my having met them. There are too many wonderful stories in the world to ever hope to read them all. But I’m slowly trying to cover all the ground I can. For instance, I didn’t meet Anne Shirley of Green Gables, or Laura Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie, until I was an adult. Yet I loved them no less for the belated introductions. I can now add Elizabeth Ann to the roster.
I’ve seen the title Understood Betsy plenty of times. A copy has even resided on my bookshelf for a few years. But I can’t say the premise ever really drew me in. For some reason I decided on a whim to pick this up, and I couldn’t have been more surprised and delighted. The surface premise isn’t exactly unique; a pampered, coddled city girl finds herself forced to live with a country branch of her family for whatever reason. But the telling of the story in this case was wonderful. Something in the writing style was just pure magic, a joy to read alone and surely an even greater one to read aloud. The cadence of prose lilts and meanders beautifully The personality of the near-omniscient narrator shines through and adds an extra element of fun and charm to the story. And the love the dreaded “Putney cousins” feel for Betsy, as they call her, just blazes from the page. Life on their farm is quaint and cozy. And the way Betsy grows and blossoms over the course of her story is truly lovely.
Understood Betsy is one of those rare perfect books. There’s not a single thing about it I would change, unless it was to give it a sequel, just so I could have more time with Betsy and Cousin Ann and Aunt Abigail and Uncle Henry. This is a book that anyone could love, no matter their age, and it’s one that I definitely plan to reread often.
I’ve seen the title Understood Betsy plenty of times. A copy has even resided on my bookshelf for a few years. But I can’t say the premise ever really drew me in. For some reason I decided on a whim to pick this up, and I couldn’t have been more surprised and delighted. The surface premise isn’t exactly unique; a pampered, coddled city girl finds herself forced to live with a country branch of her family for whatever reason. But the telling of the story in this case was wonderful. Something in the writing style was just pure magic, a joy to read alone and surely an even greater one to read aloud. The cadence of prose lilts and meanders beautifully The personality of the near-omniscient narrator shines through and adds an extra element of fun and charm to the story. And the love the dreaded “Putney cousins” feel for Betsy, as they call her, just blazes from the page. Life on their farm is quaint and cozy. And the way Betsy grows and blossoms over the course of her story is truly lovely.
Understood Betsy is one of those rare perfect books. There’s not a single thing about it I would change, unless it was to give it a sequel, just so I could have more time with Betsy and Cousin Ann and Aunt Abigail and Uncle Henry. This is a book that anyone could love, no matter their age, and it’s one that I definitely plan to reread often.
LOVED this book! I found it on a list of recommended classics for young girls and this was the only book that I hadn't read on that list. It's a wonderful story that I would liken unto Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I was reading more about the author of the book and she is the one that introduced the Montessori way of teaching children to America and this book was written to showcase those principles. There are really great lessons taught in this book and I think it would be a wonderful book to read aloud with a daughter.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An absolute delight. After leaving her fretful, helicopter parenting guardian, Elizabeth Ann discovers the joys of independence , self reliance and family fun with her small town relatives.
One of those charming books from long ago that, due to the skill of the author, have not dated at all (other than all the details--but it could just as easily be a historical novel written now). It seems particularly apropros now, given the number of sheltered, coddled, special snowflake children we see around us--that's just got to be more of an issue now than 106 years ago!
Yes, it's not diverse (she moves from a white people neighbourhood to a white people farming community) but that's to be expected of a 1916 novel. Did you like Anne with an E? This is a close cousin of the show (more so than of the book). The characters and situations are delineated perfectly, even something as technically specific as shaping butter comes to life in the author's hands (and delineates character, too, otherwise it would be boring). In fact, the characters always come first, and any details are just there to reinforce the characterizations and plot. It certainly isn't "Elizabeth Ann Goes to the Farm and Learns How to Operate Equipment" by any means, it's "Elizabeth Ann Grows Up," which is quite different.
Just shy of 5 stars because it's not particularly funny (it's charming, but not funny), I mostly knew what was or would happen, and the ending (which I was worried about) had some deus ex machina elements. But overall a lovely, touching read.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I feel like I should mostly read 3s, but of course I am biased in my selection and pick books I think I'll like, so mostly read 4s!)
Yes, it's not diverse (she moves from a white people neighbourhood to a white people farming community) but that's to be expected of a 1916 novel. Did you like Anne with an E? This is a close cousin of the show (more so than of the book). The characters and situations are delineated perfectly, even something as technically specific as shaping butter comes to life in the author's hands (and delineates character, too, otherwise it would be boring). In fact, the characters always come first, and any details are just there to reinforce the characterizations and plot. It certainly isn't "Elizabeth Ann Goes to the Farm and Learns How to Operate Equipment" by any means, it's "Elizabeth Ann Grows Up," which is quite different.
Just shy of 5 stars because it's not particularly funny (it's charming, but not funny), I mostly knew what was or would happen, and the ending (which I was worried about) had some deus ex machina elements. But overall a lovely, touching read.
(5* = amazing, terrific book, one of my all-time favourites, 4* = very good book, 3* = good book, but nothing to particularly rave about, 2* = disappointing book, and 1* = awful, just awful. As a statistician I feel like I should mostly read 3s, but of course I am biased in my selection and pick books I think I'll like, so mostly read 4s!)