Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Heidi (Heidi, #1-2)

I grew up with Heidis story my whole childhood spending summers in the mountains. When I say there are few things on this earth that bring me pure joy them this book is one of them.

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aqtbenz's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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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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chalkletters's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Heidi is another of those girlish children’s classics that I still love, perhaps a little more than Pollyanna but less than What Katy Did. Even though I can see that they're a little preachy — and Heidi, in particular, is specifically God-related in its moralising — I still enjoy the simple stories of a special child who comes to make such a difference in everybody's life.

Grandfather carries the bulk of the character development, everybody else stays more or less the same in terms of personality, though both Clara and Heidi learn new skills. The characters don't necessarily feel that deep, but I do enjoy the little glimpses that we get of them. Only Dete and Miss Rottenmeier come off badly, and as an adult, I have at least some sympathy for both of them.

It's the little things that stand out to me: Grandfather making Heidi her own stool once he realises that the ones he has are too big for her, the Doctor enjoying his outdoor meal of cheese and bread and meat more than anything else he's eaten, Heidi and Clara sharing their hay bed when she comes to visit and, of course, the soft white rolls for Peter's grandmother.

Reading this now, the way Clara's family come in and fix everything by giving everybody money is a little problematic. They mean well, but it feels a little too perfect too quickly. It doesn't take away from the story as a whole, but it did make me wince.

Overall, the descriptions and the emotional impact definitely make this a book worth revisiting every few years!

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