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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
I'm not sure if I read this first or watched the movie first as a kid, but it's hard not to separate them in my head now. I didn't realize how short the book is, and the movie really fills out the story. I love both.
This was such a cute book!! It was a quick read and very sweet!
I was assigned to read this slim little book in school when I was small, but I only skimmed it back then, since at that age I had no patience for books that weren't overtly romantic (a la Jane Eyre) or ostentatiously clever (a la Alice Through the Looking Glass). Many quality children's books are this way: we aren't emotionally ready for them when they're foisted on us in childhood; we can only appreciate them when we're older, when we've experienced all the different flavors of loneliness. Only then does the quiet scene with Jacob and Sarah standing side by side in the barn during the squall make the ligaments in our chests twang the way it's meant to.
Other reviewers have commented on how Jacob's and Sarah's early "courtship" via newspaper ads and handwritten letters is a sort of 19th-century analogue to modern online dating, and, when viewed this way, the narrative is even more resonant: reading the story in this light, we can see, for example, that Sarah's choice to describe her physical appearance as "plain and tall" in her letters was partly intended to forestall any disappointment Jacob might feel on meeting her for the first time, and Jacob is willing to accept her "plainness" partly because of his non-superficial personality and partly because, as a widowed father of two leading the economically unsteady life of a farmer, he doesn't have a ton of alternatives. All this adds an element of pathos to what initially might seem like a throwaway detail.
Also, this book's endless harping on the differences between the Midwest and northern New England finally makes some emotional sense to me now that I've lived in both regions. I'm grateful to this article for reminding me of this book's existence, inspiring me to give it another go; some time soon, I hope also to revisit Little Town on the Prairie (a childhood favorite, mostly for the blood-pounding "Miss Wilder, if you want that seat rocked faster, I'll rock it for you!" civil disobedience scene).
Other reviewers have commented on how Jacob's and Sarah's early "courtship" via newspaper ads and handwritten letters is a sort of 19th-century analogue to modern online dating, and, when viewed this way, the narrative is even more resonant: reading the story in this light, we can see, for example, that Sarah's choice to describe her physical appearance as "plain and tall" in her letters was partly intended to forestall any disappointment Jacob might feel on meeting her for the first time, and Jacob is willing to accept her "plainness" partly because of his non-superficial personality and partly because, as a widowed father of two leading the economically unsteady life of a farmer, he doesn't have a ton of alternatives. All this adds an element of pathos to what initially might seem like a throwaway detail.
Also, this book's endless harping on the differences between the Midwest and northern New England finally makes some emotional sense to me now that I've lived in both regions. I'm grateful to this article for reminding me of this book's existence, inspiring me to give it another go; some time soon, I hope also to revisit Little Town on the Prairie (a childhood favorite, mostly for the blood-pounding "Miss Wilder, if you want that seat rocked faster, I'll rock it for you!" civil disobedience scene).
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I thought this was pretty good. It was a quick, easy read, able to be read in one evening. There was nothing super exciting that happened, but it was a sweet story that left me feeling happy.
Classic book that I don’t think I had ever read until my daughter brought it home.
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced