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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Well, it was free.
Take all the myths about the childhoods and general character of Presidents Lincoln and Washington and actualize them into an early 20th century female character, and you have Elnora.
She's beautiful, hard-working, kind, beloved, honest, self-educated, good with children, great with animals, and some kind of nature genius in general. She loves to look after the moths, the birds, the trees... and did I mention that she repeatedly demonstrates that she has no qualms about selling the land her family owns for lumber and oil profits? So maybe not that much of a genius after all. That's pretty much a D in Environmental Science right there--if you're feeling generous.
The deeper you get into the book the more it feels like a social tract on ideal femininity. Edith, Elnora's foil, is a glamorous town girl. She's depicted as selfish because she considers herself first, ambitious because she wants social standing above all else, and narrow-minded because she doesn't care to better herself in any way that won't help her own ambition.
(Plus, she doesn't really care about providing her future husband with, and I paraphrase, edible food and red-faced babies. My kind of girl!)
At the end of the book, deprived of her fiance and the respect of her peers, Edith is forced to take stock of her values. Heartbroken, she starts thinking long and hard about why she acts like she does, and concludes by blaming--surprise, surprise!--her mother. Charge: not incubating the right domestic values within her house and home.
On a side note, there's another female character in the book, Angel, who is just about as perfect as Elnora with the added bonus of already having married and had four babies. I think Virginia Woolf might have appreciated this, had she been the type of person to have the bad judgment to read this book, which I suspect she wasn't.
To cut off a rambling review, this book is a collection of thinly veiled, simplistic social mores masquerading as fun story about a feisty girl growing up by a swamp who likes moths. Gets me every time.
Take all the myths about the childhoods and general character of Presidents Lincoln and Washington and actualize them into an early 20th century female character, and you have Elnora.
She's beautiful, hard-working, kind, beloved, honest, self-educated, good with children, great with animals, and some kind of nature genius in general. She loves to look after the moths, the birds, the trees... and did I mention that she repeatedly demonstrates that she has no qualms about selling the land her family owns for lumber and oil profits? So maybe not that much of a genius after all. That's pretty much a D in Environmental Science right there--if you're feeling generous.
The deeper you get into the book the more it feels like a social tract on ideal femininity. Edith, Elnora's foil, is a glamorous town girl. She's depicted as selfish because she considers herself first, ambitious because she wants social standing above all else, and narrow-minded because she doesn't care to better herself in any way that won't help her own ambition.
(Plus, she doesn't really care about providing her future husband with, and I paraphrase, edible food and red-faced babies. My kind of girl!)
At the end of the book, deprived of her fiance and the respect of her peers, Edith is forced to take stock of her values. Heartbroken, she starts thinking long and hard about why she acts like she does, and concludes by blaming--surprise, surprise!--her mother. Charge: not incubating the right domestic values within her house and home.
On a side note, there's another female character in the book, Angel, who is just about as perfect as Elnora with the added bonus of already having married and had four babies. I think Virginia Woolf might have appreciated this, had she been the type of person to have the bad judgment to read this book, which I suspect she wasn't.
To cut off a rambling review, this book is a collection of thinly veiled, simplistic social mores masquerading as fun story about a feisty girl growing up by a swamp who likes moths. Gets me every time.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I would acutally give this book 4.5 stars. It was wonderful. A friend lent it to me and told me that it reminded her of Ann of Green Gables. And I can totally see how it would. It is a quaint story with morals and values. You can tell that it was written in a different time period and I love that. Definately a classic and one I hope my daughters will read one day.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I feel a little conflicted since this novel has some genuinely delightful writing and heart-wrenching scenes but was ultimately held back by its stifling old-fashioned moralism. Let's say, it was like a gorgeous swamp moth caught in the net of an older relative asking you why you haven't gotten married yet.
This week's belle of the bog is Elnora who is just such a smart, beautiful, perfect girl that I can't even dislike her, since there's nothing to dislike. All in all, this novel suffers from having much more interesting side characters especially her mother Kate, her dead father and their relationship, Billy and his siblings, the neighbours Sinton, the Bird Woman, anybody except Philip maybe.
The setting is a beautiful little farm near the Limberlost, a wetland that is rapidly being deforested and torn up to drill for oil (which is portrayed as something good, really breaks my heart, especially because Stratton-Porter's nature writing is her strong suit), the nearby town Onabasha, its high school and evil vapid Chicago.
The plot features three trillion moths, school drama involving decidedly too many dresses, dangerous criminals which only exist on the periphery and never do anything, Lamarckian inheriting of violin playing skills which is unintetionally HILARIOUS, Elnora's mean mother having a 180 character change and burning off her face to become young again, Elnora graduating and thinking about going to college, which is never mentioned again once she gets her beau Philip and her new goal becomes to "bear him a gaggle of red-cheeked babies". Ugh. This went from cottage core to trad wife real quick.
This week's belle of the bog is Elnora who is just such a smart, beautiful, perfect girl that I can't even dislike her, since there's nothing to dislike. All in all, this novel suffers from having much more interesting side characters especially her mother Kate, her dead father and their relationship, Billy and his siblings, the neighbours Sinton, the Bird Woman, anybody except Philip maybe.
The setting is a beautiful little farm near the Limberlost, a wetland that is rapidly being deforested and torn up to drill for oil (which is portrayed as something good, really breaks my heart, especially because Stratton-Porter's nature writing is her strong suit), the nearby town Onabasha, its high school and evil vapid Chicago.
The plot features three trillion moths, school drama involving decidedly too many dresses, dangerous criminals which only exist on the periphery and never do anything, Lamarckian inheriting of violin playing skills which is unintetionally HILARIOUS, Elnora's mean mother having a 180 character change and burning off her face to become young again, Elnora graduating and thinking about going to college, which is never mentioned again once she gets her beau Philip and her new goal becomes to "bear him a gaggle of red-cheeked babies". Ugh. This went from cottage core to trad wife real quick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Stalking
This book has all the old charm and nostalgia that you could look for in a book. For me the beginning was a little slow (in fact I've started this book several times before getting through the beginning), but after that I wanted to keep reading. It was quaint, made me smile many times, and had the perfect amount of a romance, while also having some deeper underlining messages.
I wish I had read this as a child. Back then Little House on the Prairie books were still cool and I dreamed of being an innocent outdoors-woman. Now... not so much. I found Elnora to be a little too perfect, I would have killed for a fault or two. She always obeys her mother, does, what it right, always helps her neighbors, never encourages young men. She's too good! I wanted some excitement. Her tempestuous mother I could at least relate to even though she was a bitch. This book is the second in the Limberlost series although you needn't have read it. This story follows Elnora as she enters high school, enters society, and starts to earn money by collecting moths, butterflies, and other swamp specimen. She grows from a naive little country bumpkin to a refined little lady who is yards smarter and kinder than anyone else. Slow reading, but not bad. It's written well but would do best for younger readers.
I've read this book twice so far. I recommend it to any one who likes historical fiction.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The writing style of this book is packed with warmth and imagery, and it transports you to another time and place. We follow Elnora, who is a sweet character full of integrity, although she is sometimes flat in that she can do no wrong. The main themes of this book are learning how to become more loving and caring people, and the theme of naturalism, as nature is the focal point of Elnora's adventures. This book is a really great choice for a quick classic read.
One great aspect of this book is that it explored multiple character perspectives, and shows how these characters can change for the better, and how they can fix relationship issues by reinterpreting actions and intents of others in a better light. The author gives many characters emotional backgrounds that they have turmoil and realizations through, some of them processing trauma to become better people. There are some issues with this lacking nuance, depth, and realism which is further explained below. This doesn't hinder the quality of the whole book, but you may want to keep your brain engaged while reading.
Spoilers for character arc issues:
I have a few small issues with the execution of these ideas: for one, the character issues of the mother are fixed in complete 180°, which is problematic. The mother's parenting is by modern day knowledge abusive, and there is parentification of the main character. Because the mother has a 180° change from mean to the most perfect nice mother ever, this can discredit the traumatic effects on Elnora, and promote the idea that if you stick with abusers they will eventually change for you. The author attempts painting psycho and emotional backgrounds for characters and then reversing them to change them to a realized state. The intention is good, but because of the time period and the length of the book, it lack nuances and realism, showing the amount of depth you might see in a comedic play. This doesn't negate the whole book, however I would recommend reading it with your brain turned on and referencing other educational resources, so that you can enjoy the character arcs, but analyze/apply them in a better way.
One great aspect of this book is that it explored multiple character perspectives, and shows how these characters can change for the better, and how they can fix relationship issues by reinterpreting actions and intents of others in a better light. The author gives many characters emotional backgrounds that they have turmoil and realizations through, some of them processing trauma to become better people. There are some issues with this lacking nuance, depth, and realism which is further explained below. This doesn't hinder the quality of the whole book, but you may want to keep your brain engaged while reading.
Spoilers for character arc issues:
I have a few small issues with the execution of these ideas: for one, the character issues of the mother are fixed in complete 180°, which is problematic. The mother's parenting is by modern day knowledge abusive, and there is parentification of the main character. Because the mother has a 180° change from mean to the most perfect nice mother ever, this can discredit the traumatic effects on Elnora, and promote the idea that if you stick with abusers they will eventually change for you. The author attempts painting psycho and emotional backgrounds for characters and then reversing them to change them to a realized state. The intention is good, but because of the time period and the length of the book, it lack nuances and realism, showing the amount of depth you might see in a comedic play. This doesn't negate the whole book, however I would recommend reading it with your brain turned on and referencing other educational resources, so that you can enjoy the character arcs, but analyze/apply them in a better way.