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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I am fascinated by this author! The Smithsonian Magazine says Gene Stratton-Porter was as famous in the early 1900s as J.K. Rowling was with the Harry Potter series. She was an author, nature photographer, and naturalist from Indiana. She moved to Los Angeles and became one of the first women to own a movie production company. Between 1895 and 1945, only 55 books sold over a million copies. Stratton-Porter wrote five of them, far more than any other author of her time. Nine of her books were made into films.
Her books are set in nature, and have strong lead characters. I was introduced to Stratton-Porter though a gift: a first edition copy of The Harvester, published in 1911. The main character is modeled after Henry David Thoreau and it is a moving love story. This book, A Girl of the Limberlost is about a hard working girl, filled with grit and compassion, who overcomes obstacles by using her wits.
I wish I'd read these books when I was young. Yes, they are sentimental but I like the wholesome values and the appreciation of nature. I'll be on the lookout for more of her books.
Her books are set in nature, and have strong lead characters. I was introduced to Stratton-Porter though a gift: a first edition copy of The Harvester, published in 1911. The main character is modeled after Henry David Thoreau and it is a moving love story. This book, A Girl of the Limberlost is about a hard working girl, filled with grit and compassion, who overcomes obstacles by using her wits.
I wish I'd read these books when I was young. Yes, they are sentimental but I like the wholesome values and the appreciation of nature. I'll be on the lookout for more of her books.
The first half of the book was enchanting but I wish she'd stopped before the romantic interest came into town. The heroine worship of the main character was a little ingratiating, as well. But I do love that the story focused on a girl who loves nature.
Uma narrativa muito interessante, que mostra a forte relação entre uma garota e o meio ambiente, com forte conotação naturalística. Boa parte do texto se dá por meio de descrições do ambiente, e da natureza exuberante que cerca a protagonista. Gostei, e recomendo.
It pains me a bit to give this a 3 star rating, as this was my favorite book as a kid. I probably read this four or five times as a pre-teen. I thought it would be fun to revisit, but alas, it didn't hold up quite as well as I hoped it would.
First, this book is remarkably hard to find on shelves now. When I was growing up, no one had ever heard of this book before, so it felt like my own special little world.
Our heroine is a plucky young girl named Elnora Comstock. She lives with her mother on a large homestead bordering the Limberlost swamp. Her mother insists that they are near destitute, thus, Elnora does not have money to attend high school, buy books, or have up-to-date clothing. However, they are quite well off unknowingly.
And this is the first thing I didn't really think about as a kid. *some minor spoilers for the rest of the book* Elnora's mother is horrible. She is emotionally (and once, physically) abusive towards Elnora, taking out her grief over her drowned husband on the girl. Their neighbors, the Sintons, show love towards Elnora and are more her parents than Mrs. Comstock for most of the novel. My question: why didn't the Sintons do something about Mrs. Comstock? They could've helped Elnora drastically by going through the law to make sure Elnora was properly provided for, at the very least.
Billy Sinton is adorable, one of my favorite characters as a kid. (I glossed over the fact that Mr. Sinton left Billy's siblings with a dead man for a few hours?? And then we never get back to that?) But Billy's storyline is sweet.
As Elnora can't get the funds from her mother to attend school, she raises them herself. She hunts, raises, and pins moths and butterflies for collectors across the world from the Limberlost. She teaches the grade-school children in town nature studies and helps the neighbors with farm work. She is beloved by all, and has a very Cinderella moment for her high school commencement.
I also forgot the whole love-interest thing. Phil, a city boy, arrives in Elnora's yard. But, alack, he is engaged to another beautiful woman. She's only interested in herself and is a proper socialite. But she's beautiful. Who will Phil choose? Selfless beautiful Elnora? Or selfish beautiful Edith? It's a real mystery.
I'm being a bit hard on this right now, but I still am very fond of the story. I remember trying to catch moths in my backyard because of this book. Unfortunately, the North Carolina woods don't have many choice specimens. I caught a regular old gray moth in a sandwich bag one night, let it suffocate, and then cried because I killed a bug for nothing. But other than that - this book inspired my love for the woods, violin music, studies, and the countryside. It's a perfect cottagecore/dark academia dream.
There are some unusual-for-21st-century morals espoused, but the ones taught also feel timeless. Even though Elnora becomes engaged at the end of the book, her fiance and family encourage her to attend college. Being selfless, being wise, and listening well are all taught.
It's in the public domain now, so get a copy on kindle for free if you feel so inclined.
"'If I am a woman at all worth while, it will be because I have had such wonderful opportunities,' said Elnora. 'Not every girl is driven to the forest to learn what God has to say there.'"
"There's times in this world when it's our bounden duty to forget ourselves, and think what will help other people."
"All other trees are harps in the winter. Their trunks are the frames, their branches the strings, the winds the musicians. When the air is cold and clear, the world very white, and the harp music swelling, then the talking trees tell the strengthening, uplifting things."
First, this book is remarkably hard to find on shelves now. When I was growing up, no one had ever heard of this book before, so it felt like my own special little world.
Our heroine is a plucky young girl named Elnora Comstock. She lives with her mother on a large homestead bordering the Limberlost swamp. Her mother insists that they are near destitute, thus, Elnora does not have money to attend high school, buy books, or have up-to-date clothing. However, they are quite well off unknowingly.
And this is the first thing I didn't really think about as a kid. *some minor spoilers for the rest of the book* Elnora's mother is horrible. She is emotionally (and once, physically) abusive towards Elnora, taking out her grief over her drowned husband on the girl. Their neighbors, the Sintons, show love towards Elnora and are more her parents than Mrs. Comstock for most of the novel. My question: why didn't the Sintons do something about Mrs. Comstock? They could've helped Elnora drastically by going through the law to make sure Elnora was properly provided for, at the very least.
Billy Sinton is adorable, one of my favorite characters as a kid. (I glossed over the fact that Mr. Sinton left Billy's siblings with a dead man for a few hours?? And then we never get back to that?) But Billy's storyline is sweet.
As Elnora can't get the funds from her mother to attend school, she raises them herself. She hunts, raises, and pins moths and butterflies for collectors across the world from the Limberlost. She teaches the grade-school children in town nature studies and helps the neighbors with farm work. She is beloved by all, and has a very Cinderella moment for her high school commencement.
I also forgot the whole love-interest thing. Phil, a city boy, arrives in Elnora's yard. But, alack, he is engaged to another beautiful woman. She's only interested in herself and is a proper socialite. But she's beautiful. Who will Phil choose? Selfless beautiful Elnora? Or selfish beautiful Edith? It's a real mystery.
I'm being a bit hard on this right now, but I still am very fond of the story. I remember trying to catch moths in my backyard because of this book. Unfortunately, the North Carolina woods don't have many choice specimens. I caught a regular old gray moth in a sandwich bag one night, let it suffocate, and then cried because I killed a bug for nothing. But other than that - this book inspired my love for the woods, violin music, studies, and the countryside. It's a perfect cottagecore/dark academia dream.
There are some unusual-for-21st-century morals espoused, but the ones taught also feel timeless. Even though Elnora becomes engaged at the end of the book, her fiance and family encourage her to attend college. Being selfless, being wise, and listening well are all taught.
It's in the public domain now, so get a copy on kindle for free if you feel so inclined.
"'If I am a woman at all worth while, it will be because I have had such wonderful opportunities,' said Elnora. 'Not every girl is driven to the forest to learn what God has to say there.'"
"There's times in this world when it's our bounden duty to forget ourselves, and think what will help other people."
"All other trees are harps in the winter. Their trunks are the frames, their branches the strings, the winds the musicians. When the air is cold and clear, the world very white, and the harp music swelling, then the talking trees tell the strengthening, uplifting things."
Slightly melodramatic, though not as over the top as Freckles. Overall a sweet story.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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:
No
I re-read this for a bit of nostalgia, but it didn't hold up for me as well as some other older books have done. I found this a bit long in some descriptive passages and then abruptly short in other instances (after chapters of day by day it's suddenly 3 years later); a more melodramatic than I need in a book as an adult. However, when I first read this as a young teen perhaps, I do recall thinking that drama was rather fantastic, and I will admit that along with the nostalgia of the book came a chance to chuckle at remembering my early teen self as I read this back in the day and what i thought of it then.
It clearly has portions that don't gel well with our lives and overall ways of thinking in 2022, yet it has a charm for that as well. You just need to bear in mind when it was written as you read it.
It clearly has portions that don't gel well with our lives and overall ways of thinking in 2022, yet it has a charm for that as well. You just need to bear in mind when it was written as you read it.
It was sweet! A very wholesome read, very reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables.