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A review by demottar
A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary
5.0
It's been a while since I read any children's fiction by Beverly Cleary, but reading this memoir of her early childhood years evoked in me the same feelings of nostalgia, joy, and at-rightness-with-the-world that reading the Ramona Quimby books always did. That's not to say that Cleary had a pain-free life: she clearly struggled over her fraught relationship with her mother and growing up during the depression before WWII limited her life in many ways. Despite those trials, I appreciated the Cleary family's willingness to look up, not down and Beverly's enthusiasm for life came through in all of her experiences. This memoir was really a joy to read!
For only starting her journal in high school, Cleary has a remarkable memory for her younger childhood and the details surrounding every day events. She evoked such a strong sense of place in this memoir that I feel like I lived in Portland, Oregon in the 20s and 30s. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has read and loved Beverly Cleary's novels, but also to anyone who just likes coming of age stories in an interesting place and time in American history.
For only starting her journal in high school, Cleary has a remarkable memory for her younger childhood and the details surrounding every day events. She evoked such a strong sense of place in this memoir that I feel like I lived in Portland, Oregon in the 20s and 30s. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has read and loved Beverly Cleary's novels, but also to anyone who just likes coming of age stories in an interesting place and time in American history.