Reviews

The Golden Name Day by Jennie D. Lindquist, Garth Williams

roseleaf24's review against another edition

4.0

This is such a sweet story. A girl is sent to live with adoptive grandparents in three country while her mother is sick. She falls in love with spring and summer, and ends up on a quest to celebrate her own name day, even though her name, Nancy, is not Swedish and doesn't have a name day that her Swedish family can find. Garth Williams illustrations feel like home and childhood to me, and the book did a wonderful job of showing, not telling, and imparting lots of information about farm life and Swedish customs without being teachy.

lara_lleverino's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed the nostalgia of this book. I ran down so many rabbit trails reading it. I found youtube links to the songs mentioned in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QfUol_fIGo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwu7SC_dpaY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYnuGhuJWMA&feature=youtu.be
I found this cool explanation of the word "lagom" while trying to find a word to describe exactly how this book touched me. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170818-the-swedish-word-thats-displacing-hygge
I loved how it show cased healthy intergenerational relationships and balance between love of a new and old country.

tamarayork's review against another edition

4.0

Newbery Challenge 190/415. I was excited to see that this book was illustrated by Garth Williams, who also illustrated the Little House series and Charlotte’s Web. The Golden Name Day reminded me a bit of the Little House books and a smidge of the Anne of Green Gables books. It is quaint and sweet. Just a lovely little story about a year spent with adoptive grandparents in the country.

mimima's review against another edition

5.0

I read, re-read, and loved, this book growing up. I discovered it awhile ago in my keeper YA books, and thought it was time to revisit. It's just as delightful to read it as an adult, each page I turned, I found myself exclaiming, "I remember this part."
A wonderful snapshot of life at the turn of the 20th century, immigrant families, the joy of reading, the beauty of nature, and learning to be enchanted by our surroundings.
One thing I found interesting is that the Name Days are mentioned as being in the Almanac, but aren't tied in at all with being the commemoration of the saint that you are named after.

sls0369's review against another edition

5.0

This was my absolute favorite book in elementary school. I read it several times, and I really need to put some work into finding a copy for myself. I can still picture the yellow rose wallpaper the MC got in her bedroom.

triscuit807's review

3 stars. Nine year old Nancy's mother is ill, so she is sent to the country to stay with family friends, i.e. "fake" grandparents who in turn have adult children who are "fake" aunts and uncles who in turn have three girls who are "cousins". They're of Swedish descent and Nancy arrives in time to celebrate Grandma's name day; there's a yearly Almanac that for each day of the year lists a Swedish name. Since she thinks that it's a lovely custom Nancy wants to celebrate HER name day. Unfortunately, neither her first nor middle name are in the book...what can Nancy do? While I enjoyed the exploration of customs and some of the outdoor adventures Nancy has in spring and early summer, for the most part I found the story to be too girly. I was never a child that liked dolls or enjoyed paper dolls so reading about playing with them did nothing for me. I did enjoy the animals with the odd names. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (52 Wks 2019 "immigrant character") and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1956). I read this via Open Library/Internet Archive due to library closures amid the Covid 19 pandemic.

scaifea's review

2.0

A city girl whose mother is very ill goes to live in the country with her grandparents, and spends a spring and summer playing with her cousins and enjoying life on a farm.
This one melted into syrupy sweetness, mixed with the cloying annoyance of a sad girl complaining and getting everything she wants. So, well, kind of ew. The one saving grace here are the illustrations by Garth Williams.

crimsonrambler's review

5.0

The Golden Name Day is my favorite book of all time. Every time I re-read it, I am instantly transported to the couch where my mom would read this series to me. This book is literally like a hug from the past. A delightful tale of a little girl visiting a farm while her mother is ailing. The only bad thing about this book is that it is out of print, and therefore extraordinarily expensive to purchase.

luann's review

4.0

I read this when I was young, but I didn't remember any of the details except that the girl didn't have a name day and really wanted one. This was such a pleasure to read because I kept remembering the details as I read them - the interesting pet names, the basket with the pattern so you could make your own, the wonderful family and friends who love and support Nancy. Such a sweet, feel-good story!

Reading this was like meeting an old friend that you hadn't remembered for years, but who you instantly felt comfortable getting to know again. The illustrations by Garth Williams were also perfect for the story.

I wish this was still in print so I could have my own copy. I would enjoy reading this again sometime and having the chance to share it with others. This was a Newbery Honor winner in 1956.