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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a sweet story with wonderful themes of repentance, forgiveness and learning to trust God’s timing.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
A very easy read, and very simply written—yet beautiful. There is a depth in the characters’ relationship with God and the beautiful earth He’s blessed them(and us) with.
I understand why Heidi is a classic. Some may consider it too simplistic, but I loved that about this book. It was a heartwarming happy story, that made me smile—and it’s a book that any age can enjoy. I look forward to reading it to my daughter soon and discussing the beautiful characteristics of sweet Heidi, that we’d like to emulate.
This book will stay on my shelf as a reminder of the “simple” happinesses that God gives, and of generosity within our relationships—and it will be reread time and time again, I’m sure. ♥️
I understand why Heidi is a classic. Some may consider it too simplistic, but I loved that about this book. It was a heartwarming happy story, that made me smile—and it’s a book that any age can enjoy. I look forward to reading it to my daughter soon and discussing the beautiful characteristics of sweet Heidi, that we’d like to emulate.
This book will stay on my shelf as a reminder of the “simple” happinesses that God gives, and of generosity within our relationships—and it will be reread time and time again, I’m sure. ♥️
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Heidi is a book about a young girl who is sent to live with her grandfather on a mountain in Switzerland in the 1880’s. Later in the story, she is taken away from the mountain to live in the city but longs to return to the mountain and eventually does. I read this as a child and then again as an adult. As a child, I identified with Heidi, and longed to be as sweet, kind, and good as she was, as simply naturally wonderful. Now that I am an adult and I look at her as a main character, I feel that she was too perfect of a character and an unrealistic depiction of a child.
The main theme of this novel, to me, is the value of nature and also of trusting God and being in right relationship with him. In the story, Heidi goes to live on this beautiful idyllic mountaintop, and then is taken away to live in what is described as a dark, dreary, nature-less world of the city. She grows increasingly despondent until finally allowed to return to the mountain. While there, all the various people of the city who she has befriended come to visit her, and are cured of their various ills by the “good, clean” beauty of the mountain. In addition to this, the love of Heidi and her continued willingness to obey, do good, and be honest causes the return to faith of several characters.
I think the most emotionally impactful part of the story was the description of how the Grandfather was influenced by the young girl to believe that he was not beyond redemption. The writing style is very aged, although it seems simple as an adult to read and understand, as a child reading or listening, it felt very boring in parts and dragged on. It’s as if this is actually simple novel for adults that happen to feature a charming child. The opening chapter was always the most slow and boring for me as a child, but as an adult I didn’t really enjoy much of the book after she returned to the mountain, which I think technically was “part Two.” It felt a bit redundant, with just repeated tales of visitors coming and going to the mountain to visit Heidi, who is just the same level of happy and perfect and childlike all the time. To be fair, there were two distinct character arcs in part two, with Clara and Peter, but this wasn’t interesting enough to overshadow the dull relating of all of these random adults coming up the mountain to marvel at nature and delight in perfect Heidi.
Another thing I noticed about Heidi while reading it this time were how all of the “villains” were women. The only men who were less than admirable had redemption arcs, but the villain women were just bad for the sake of being bad and no sympathy or explanation for their behavior was hinted at.
I think if I were to recommend this book, it would be for the same reason that the original readers probably enjoyed it. The setting of the beautiful mountainside with the goats and the fir trees is just so memorable and delightful. You almost feel persuaded, as the Romantics of the late 1800’s did, that perfect nature might just cure all your ills. However, I don’t think a child under the age of about 10 would be able to read it alone and enjoy it unless they were as perfectly precocious as Heidi is.
Heidi reminded me a lot of The Secret Garden, which of course was written in the same era, and both books seemed to have that same message- beautiful nature will cure all your ills.
adventurous
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing