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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
It’s a good quick read but very basic. No depth. I know its aimed at a younger audience and i am rereading based on the memories of reading it in school as a child. But i was still surprised at what little detail and depth there was to the characters and plot.
Growing up, i loved reading books by Patricia MacLachlan. Her way of telling a story was so well thought and amazing. This book was one of my favorites, i would read it over and over again. I loved Sarah's character as well as the story behind it. I don't want to spoil anything, so i'll leave it at that; but this book is a great read for kids in middle school or younger.
Charming, simple, heartfelt.
A Little-House-On-The-Prairie love story told by a child. Beautifully read by Glenn Close. (Yes, the majority of my book intake these days is audio. Fight me)
I remember this book (maybe the only one I do remember) from a reading by our school librarian. It must be special. Can't believe it stayed with me that long.
"P.S. I am plain and tall."
A Little-House-On-The-Prairie love story told by a child. Beautifully read by Glenn Close. (Yes, the majority of my book intake these days is audio. Fight me)
I remember this book (maybe the only one I do remember) from a reading by our school librarian. It must be special. Can't believe it stayed with me that long.
"P.S. I am plain and tall."
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Anna and Caleb live on a farm in the Midwest with their father. Their mother has been dead a few years, and their father decides to put out an ad for a wife. Sarah responds from Maine and decides to visit for a month to try it out. This is more a short story than a book, and there isn't anything really extraordinary about it except the fact that you can send away for a wife.
adventurous
emotional
fast-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
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My main reaction to this book was - where's all the conflict? In other words, I thought that Caleb - and especially Anna - should have shown a lot more resistance to getting a new mother. I just don't think your average person would welcome a replacement mother so warmly. I mean, a child's relationship with his or her first known mother (she could be biological or not) is, like, super-strong and often complicated. I could understand Caleb's attitude a little better, since he didn't remember his biological mother at all; but Anna was a girl when their mother died, and still seemed fine with accepting a stand-in.[return:][return:]Then again, maybe my feelings on the matter are clouded by the fact that I could never accept a replacement mother. Other people may come from different circumstances and feel otherwise. Furthermore, maybe this book is less about the plausibility of children accepting a new mother, and more about the creation of a family. Maybe this book is about how people - blood related or not - can come together in all different kinds of ways to form a family. This is an idea that I feel very strongly about - that you can't choose your blood relations, but that you can choose whom you call your family.[return:][return:]And who wouldn't want Sarah to be a part of his or her family? She was a great character - sassy, honest, strong, artistic, spontaneous, giving. I had some misgivings about the fact that she was essentially a mail-order bride, but I admired the fact that she wouldn't let Jacob boss her around. The definitely made an unconventional pair, in that Sarah wouldn't be bossed around, and Jacob didn't really try to do so. I doubt that many 19th century male-female relationships followed that model. I think that, besides the implausibility of Caleb and Anna accepting Sarah so readily, the equity of Sarah and Jacob's relationship made the story less believable. Don't get me wrong - I loved the fact that Sarah was such a strong character - I just don't think that, in reality, she would have been allowed so much freedom.[return:][return:]On MacLachlan s writing: her style was definitely simple easy enough for a beginning reader but every now and then she would slip in a really well-crafted phrase or way of describing something. I loved when she described one of the sleeping dogs as a soft circle this is a simple enough description, but it s really evocative. There are similar examples throughout the book, and they really contributed to my overall enjoyment of it.[return:][return:]Overall, while I had some gripes with the plausibility of some aspects of the story, I really appreciated MacLachlan s message that families don t have to be blood-related strong bonds can exist between all kinds of people.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No