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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
This won't be a favorite for me, but it was an excellent representation of early 20th century coming of age literature. Reminds me of Girl from the Limberlost in style (and messaging related to naturalism).
A very sheltered girl is abruptly moved to a farm with relatives that help her become a much stronger, capable loving child. This was a very quick fun book that actually taught some good parenting techniques and pointed out some things to avoid too. :)
This book was a favorite of mine as a child. I read it often... as the happiness found in it’s pages comforted me and sustained me. Re-visiting it was wonderful...
Absolutely loved this book. I only didn't give it a 5-star review because I feel those should be saved for mind-blowingly good books, like "To Kill a Mockingbird." "Understood Betsy" is just one of those easy-to-read classics, in the same vein as "Pollyanna," that leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. It makes me a little sniffly that they don't write children's books like this anymore.
This was a sweet story. It reminded me of Anne of Green Gables. I loved it.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
What a lovely book! Great thoughts about education and parenting. I love how Betsy’s life gets turned around and how she is able to make connections and truly learn and love well.
I will plan to read this aloud in a couple of years.
I will plan to read this aloud in a couple of years.
This book kept popping up in a Facebook discussion about all-time favorite books (which I now cannot find again, alas), and the glowing recommendations made me curious enough to look it up.
First published in 1917, this is the story of fragile Elizabeth Ann's move to live with her "horrible Putney cousins" on their Vermont farm. This had me imagining something like "Harris and Me," but instead I got a cozy, almost-orphan story in the vein of childhood favorites like Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, and A Little Princess.
At first I was put off by some of the outdated language (even the introduction had a strange, patronizing tone), but then I became fascinated by the description of Betsy's awakening, essentially, into a self-actualized person whose brain learns how to think right before our eyes.
The Afterword details how the author met Maria Montessori and was very influenced by her ways: "Understood Betsy can be read almost as a manual of Montessori principles as acted out by a cast of Vermont characters, each giving, as Helen Keller once said of the method, 'guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.' There's theory behind the engrossing narrative. Certainly some of the set pieces...persuasively capture the notion of learning for its own sake and the value of process, without feeling didactic or preachy."
Favorite quote:
"It's not right or left that matters -- it's which way you want to go!"
First published in 1917, this is the story of fragile Elizabeth Ann's move to live with her "horrible Putney cousins" on their Vermont farm. This had me imagining something like "Harris and Me," but instead I got a cozy, almost-orphan story in the vein of childhood favorites like Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, and A Little Princess.
At first I was put off by some of the outdated language (even the introduction had a strange, patronizing tone), but then I became fascinated by the description of Betsy's awakening, essentially, into a self-actualized person whose brain learns how to think right before our eyes.
The Afterword details how the author met Maria Montessori and was very influenced by her ways: "Understood Betsy can be read almost as a manual of Montessori principles as acted out by a cast of Vermont characters, each giving, as Helen Keller once said of the method, 'guidance and sympathy far more than instruction.' There's theory behind the engrossing narrative. Certainly some of the set pieces...persuasively capture the notion of learning for its own sake and the value of process, without feeling didactic or preachy."
Favorite quote:
"It's not right or left that matters -- it's which way you want to go!"
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a lovely classic old book. I hadn't read it since I was a child, but at the beginning of the year, we were doing Ambleside with our kids, and it was in the lineup for my youngest daughter, so I used it as a readaloud. It paints such a quiet cozy picture of life on a farm, and it's fun to watch Miss Betsy go from a trembling, anxious little soul, to the strong healthy young girl she is by the book's end. Books like this always made me want to go see New England autumns, with vivid descriptions of the reds and golds of the trees.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
There's the briefest mention of a young child with an abusive father. It's not graphicaly described, and the situation is dealt with quite swiftly.