Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Heidi (Heidi, #1-2) by Johanna Spyri

6 reviews

qqjj's review

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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nevergoodbye8's review against another edition

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3.5


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danielles_reads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I didn't originally plan on reading this but I only had one prompt left for the classics reading challenge I did this year (for a children's classic) and this was a quick and easy choice. And surprisingly, I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Heidi is an absolutely adorable little rascal, lol. I thought she was going to be more unruly, but she basically ended up being the most perfectly behaved child on the planet. And yes, it's super unrealistic but it was still very cute. I loved seeing her amazement at the world around her, and how she truly empathized with the struggles of every person she met. Seeing her soften up the grumpy Alm-Uncle was adorable and I loved their relationship and his dedication to her and her well-being. Her friendship with Klara was really cute, and it was so fun to see Heidi get into adventures that livened up Klara's life (the kittens!! though lol they weren't mentioned at all after a few chapters).

It was really nice to see all the adults (except Mrs. Rottenmeier of course lol) genuinely care about both children’s wants and needs in a way that still feels rare even today. Klara's dad and her doctor, as well as Heidi's grandfather were especially lovely in that respect. It's great to see such heartwarming male father figure characters. And Sebastian was great too—I loved seeing him quietly rebel against Mrs. Rottenmeier and help Heidi out.

I was actually close to giving this 5 stars but of course the book had to turn into a Christian morality lesson with ableist tropes. The lessons on prayer were so blatant and silly in how perfectly everything worked out that I found them easy to ignore (wow, if only prayers actually worked). "God arranged everything far better than I could have done." Very convenient, Heidi! But thankfully the person delivering the lectures on prayers, Mrs. Sesemann, is still a lovely character regardless. It was really sweet that she convinced Heidi that reading would not be impossible for her to learn, even if her motivations were religious.

But the ableism is very VERY blatant here. And yes, it's definitely a product of the times, but it's not pleasant to read in 2023, especially since I thought the book had decent disability rep in the first half introducing Klara and her life. It's a spoiler but I'm not going to hide it since I think it's important to talk about fully. It's completely ridiculous that Klara can walk again (thanks to God of course, and His ~fresh mountain air~) and how it is portrayed as curing her and freeing her from her sad life of an "invalid." It's also ridiculous that Peter is rewarded for destroying her wheelchair ("oh it worked out perfectly since it led to Klara walking" like what!). Not to mention the fact that Heidi kept thinking of Peter's grandma's blindness as dark sadness, and that she'd never be truly happy. It's all quite A Lot.

I know this book was originally published in two separate parts, and I would probably rate the first part (which is actually almost 2/3 of the book) 4.75 stars and the second part a 2.75, which averages out to 3.75.

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laurennn's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0


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bexi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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battybookworm's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

So, I own a lovely copy of this book, and I'll probably continue to own it after this, though I cannot recommend it to anyone. 
This book was slow and ridiculous in premise. It feels like something they hand you in a utopian society to convince you you're at peace or whatever. It's all very calming imagery and random statements on God. The men are all-wise and kindly while most of the women are either middle-aged and villainous or old and saintly. I'm not sure what Johanna Spyri was trying to get at, but it's weird how obviously done this dynamic was. 
Also, Heidi, for her part is eternally happy and characterized by her innocence and goodness. She's meant to drive the story with her goodwill but she's an unrealistic child. I don't know if the author has ever met any children but all the 4 to 6 year olds I know are nothing like this. 

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