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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
3.5 *The strength of these two books is the immersion in a beautiful natural setting and a redemptive storyline. There are so many coincidences and happy outcomes that it is hard to take seriously, but the beauty in imagining the Limberlost is worth the read.
I only read this book because I would be the fourth generation to read the book. The same book has been passed down through the generations and it was brought up at a family get together that I have yet to read it. I love classics but this one was hard to get through. I loved the heroine. She is a true testament to a woman who can persevere no matter her life situations. Always love that but I just couldn't get into the book fully.
This book was really different than I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a story about a girl who spends most of her time in the swamp. Although that was a key part of the character, the story was mostly about what happened to her outside of the swamp. I enjoyed the first part but got a little bored with the martyrdom in the love story.
It took a while to get used to her writing style, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I plan to read the rest of the collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down. I like the way it was written, the setting and the descriptions of nature. I felt like I was there!
I really wanted to like A Girl of the Limberlost, Gene Stratton Porter's tale of a young girl, Elnora Comstock, who grows up near a swamp and with a mother who can't forgive her for making the mother go into labor while her husband was drowning. It seemed to be in the nature of an LM Montgomery book, which I do think it was. Porter focuses on the nature of the area and Elnora's love and appreciation for everything surrounding her. You first meet Elnora as she's about to enter high school and a completely new social group and follow her along as she fights through numerous road blocks to furthering her education and happiness.
Sadly, when Porter decides she's going to make a character a hero/heroine, she doesn't seem interested in making that character anything but perfect. It's gag-worthy how perfect Elnora is, always the loving daughter, an attentive friend and obliging helper to the poor and down trodden. Give me a break. Oh, sure, Porter tries to give them faults, but they're so laughable they just underline how perfect the characters are. Not to mention that I refuse to believe anyone has ever talked in such a way as these characters do - almost every speech seems to be some sermon on good morals.
The book did have a few highlights, however, mostly in Porter's dealing with the characters she did give a dark side to, such as Elnora's mother. She did a wonderful job of painting a complex picture of them, showing the events that had shaped them and made them full of fear, anger and hurt. I wouldn't say that these bright moments were enough to make up for the rest of the book, but they kept me from giving this book just one star.
Sadly, when Porter decides she's going to make a character a hero/heroine, she doesn't seem interested in making that character anything but perfect. It's gag-worthy how perfect Elnora is, always the loving daughter, an attentive friend and obliging helper to the poor and down trodden. Give me a break. Oh, sure, Porter tries to give them faults, but they're so laughable they just underline how perfect the characters are. Not to mention that I refuse to believe anyone has ever talked in such a way as these characters do - almost every speech seems to be some sermon on good morals.
The book did have a few highlights, however, mostly in Porter's dealing with the characters she did give a dark side to, such as Elnora's mother. She did a wonderful job of painting a complex picture of them, showing the events that had shaped them and made them full of fear, anger and hurt. I wouldn't say that these bright moments were enough to make up for the rest of the book, but they kept me from giving this book just one star.
A bit of a sequel to the book "Freckles" by Gene Stratton-Porter, "A Girl of the Limberlost" tells the story of Elenora who is struggling to raise money for schooling. She finds that the Limberlost swamp flora and fauna fetch large sums from collectors and sets out to earn enough to send herself through high school and college. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the swamp and the passing mentions of Freckles and his Angel and how happy they are together. Towards the end this book takes a sudden sharp turn into a period romance novel. Very different tone and intent. I didn't enjoy the end much because of it -- very little of Elenora is mentioned and you're forced to read about some other society woman. It's okay but doesn't hold a candle to the beauty of the first half of the book. This is an excellent book to listen to from LibriVox. Their fine readers do a fantastic job and the audiobook is free! Find it here:
I was never much of a rereader. I knew that there was a lot to read and I wanted to get to as many books as possible. I think I was 40 before I was willing to admit that I wasn't going to be able to read every book that I was interested in. However, A Girl of the Limberlost was an early reread for me. My grandmother had a copy and I read often at her house. I don't think there were many other books that appealed to me in that house.
Recently, I decided if I was going to exercise more, I would have to come up with a reason to get on the treadmill. Reading became the obvious incentive. The books I read at the gym, I only read at the gym. Further incentive became revisiting some old favorites that I could get from Project Gutenberg. That way I had the books on my iPad, but they didn't cost me anything.
Stratton Porter's classic is the first book I picked up from this website and I enjoyed every word. I had remembered much of this story, but it was fun to revisit Elnora Comstock, her mother and the rest of the characters. There is bit Horatio Alger in this book, but I can read past that and enjoy the place and plot. Elnora was the strong, young woman I remembered.
I recommend this novel to any adult who missed it when they were younger. Written in 1909, I am not sure this would appeal to many teens of the 21st century.
Recently, I decided if I was going to exercise more, I would have to come up with a reason to get on the treadmill. Reading became the obvious incentive. The books I read at the gym, I only read at the gym. Further incentive became revisiting some old favorites that I could get from Project Gutenberg. That way I had the books on my iPad, but they didn't cost me anything.
Stratton Porter's classic is the first book I picked up from this website and I enjoyed every word. I had remembered much of this story, but it was fun to revisit Elnora Comstock, her mother and the rest of the characters. There is bit Horatio Alger in this book, but I can read past that and enjoy the place and plot. Elnora was the strong, young woman I remembered.
I recommend this novel to any adult who missed it when they were younger. Written in 1909, I am not sure this would appeal to many teens of the 21st century.
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is largely an interesting historical artifact. It's sort of about the colonial/settler culture during colonization, and mostly it's just implicitly racist, and then at the end there is an unnecessary super racist mini-chapter which left a worse taste in my mouth. The primary characters are interesting?
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes