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ncm 's review for:
A Girl of the Limberlost
by Gene Stratton-Porter
If you picked this book up because you want a story about a young academically-inclined female protagonist, desperate to go to school who, through trials and tribulations, perseveres in her desire for learning and ultimately learns the true value of education - well, better put it back down cause this ain’t it. Elnora says she’s desperate for education but she doesn’t really need it, she came out of the womb absolutely perfect, all-knowing, highly moral, can do no wrong. I mean, the first year she goes to high school, the school actually hires her to teach. She finished the first of her class despite there never being a mention of her studying, going to the library or cramming for an exam. A week after Elnora takes the violin into her hands for the very first time, she gets asked to join an orchestra! (That one at least has a sound explanation - we learn that her father was a violin player so the ability to play is just 100% genetical. Easy!)
If you want to write a story of a wunderkind who has it easy, that’s fine. But the narrator makes her out to be a titan of determination for overcoming “hurdles”, which are absolutely non-existent. Real hurdles she would have faced are never mentioned (for instance scheduling issues and lack of sleep which normally plague students who also work. Not Elnora!). Every single school-related struggle she faces has to do with her not having anything suitable to wear (this happens on more than three occasions).
Aside from this, the pacing is absolutely ridiculous, the psychological motivations for characters are contrived at best and the “We’re actually not poor anymore, because I remembered to go to the bank for the first time in 20 years” plot twist got me riled up.
The natural history bits and the swamp setting were interesting and the characters of Wesley, Margaret and Billy were delightful, so I guess that bumps it up to 2 stars, but just barely.
I feel personally offended that this was recommended to me because of my love for Anne of Green Gables.
If you want to write a story of a wunderkind who has it easy, that’s fine. But the narrator makes her out to be a titan of determination for overcoming “hurdles”, which are absolutely non-existent. Real hurdles she would have faced are never mentioned (for instance scheduling issues and lack of sleep which normally plague students who also work. Not Elnora!). Every single school-related struggle she faces has to do with her not having anything suitable to wear (this happens on more than three occasions).
Aside from this, the pacing is absolutely ridiculous, the psychological motivations for characters are contrived at best and the “We’re actually not poor anymore, because I remembered to go to the bank for the first time in 20 years” plot twist got me riled up.
The natural history bits and the swamp setting were interesting and the characters of Wesley, Margaret and Billy were delightful, so I guess that bumps it up to 2 stars, but just barely.
I feel personally offended that this was recommended to me because of my love for Anne of Green Gables.