I'm almost afraid to ask, but anyone else familiar with her writing? Early 1900s Hoosier naturalist, wrote romantic moral tales with sturdy, upright characters (going on as long as 500 pages), unfortunately heavy on the classism and racism of the day, albeit with strains of early feminism.
I was recently reminded of my childhood and reading The Harvester by the hidden edge of a little Indiana creek.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
Funny you should ask.
I was at the Johnny Appleseed Festival today, in Fort Wayne, IN. It is at the park surrounding his gravesite, btw, as he apparently died here in Fort Wayne.
I was looking through the antiques section and came across two books by her. I think Harvester was one, and Freckles Something or Other was the other. I was intrigued, almost enough to buy one or the other, but I was so hot and tired by then that carrying them back to the car seemed like too much work.
However, I am going back in the morning to buy apples, so I could buy them if you wanted them. Harvester might not be one of them, actually. The Secret Garden, perhaps? I picked it up to look thinking it was the other Secret Garden book.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
Looks like they were Freckles and The Magic Garden.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
No way! What a coincidence.
Apparently her first editions can be a bit pricey. Freckles and The Harvester were unusual for her in having a male protagonist. I think she usually wrote about young women -- practical, determined, kind, and honest young women. Real characters, although there was (if I recall correctly) quite a heavy overlay of stilted dialogue and some preachiness at times.
I loved them at the time, but I was a pretty naive reader, so I don't know how I'd feel about them now. Actually, I'm kind of curious.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
I have a book called Edith Vernon's LifeWork, by the auther of "Harry's Battles" and it is a very preachy book about a little girl and her extremely religious father. I haven't figured out why I love it so much, but I do. It was written in 1893 or earlier.
Irks me that they didn't even put her name on it. I'm sure it was a woman who wrote it.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I remember one of her protagonists (Her Father's Daughter?) wore sensible shoes and refused to "paint her face." Being rather short on style as well as the funds to achieve it -- and being compelled to wear orthopedic shoes with a little owl on the side -- I found the read an enormous comfort.
On the other hand, this book, Daddy Long Legs, and Jane Eyre made for a certain amount of culture shock when compared to grade and middle school.
You know, I never realized it, but I was raised in large part on the literature of the mid-19th and early 20th century. No wonder I found everyday interactions quite puzzling.
---
Edited to add: (and it sounds like we might have this in common, Theca)
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Yeah I've read Girl of The Limberlost and my mom read Freckles to me, I think there might have been one more too. Possibly called Laddie?
I've also been to two of her houses, both in northern IN, which were gorgeous.
I think Blacwolve has read Girl of the Limberlost.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
I was raised on old books too, not quite that old, perhaps, but books where little girls and their parents did not act at ALL like the girls in junior high. I managed to screw up really bad a couple times based on my understanding of typical "girl" behavior that wasn't typical anymore... I was quite bitter about that for awhile. Being picked on all the time wasn't fun.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
There were many, I think. She also wrote a naturalist series.
Cool. I was expecting nobody. Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
You do notice though that the only three people posting in this thread do or have lived in Indiana. Not that that's the reason we've all read her stuff, but it's interesting.
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
Yes, I didn't realize she was a Hoosier or I would have definitely bought a book, I think.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
I also tended to read "ancient" literature as I was growing up. I loved "The Harvester" and it is still my favorite of her books. Rain
Posted by Lurker-Girl (Member # 7802) on :
I got a huge smile on my face when I saw the title of this thread--I don't know anyone else who has read her work (my fault for not being in Indiana, I guess ).
Now I feel the urge to see if the library has "Her Father's Daughter"; it's the only one mentioned in this thread that I haven't read. Thanks, CT!
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
I have A Girl of the Limberlost and Laddie bound together in a single book. I'm not sure where they came from, maybe a grandmother. They certainly aren't the sort of book I would have bought for myself as a child, but I did enjoy them. Especially Laddie. Several months ago I found a copy of Freckles online, and read the first few chapters. I gave it up, though, because it's a pain reading a novel (especially one that long) at the computer. I'd rather be curled up in bed with a hot cocoa and a paper book.
And I've never lived in Indiana. In fact, I've only driven through it, three times.
--Mel
Posted by Theca (Member # 1629) on :
Well, I found practically all of the novels at that booth today when I took a closer look, but the prices were $30-$60. Waaay more than on ebay, so of course I didn't buy any.
Posted by Samarkand (Member # 8379) on :
I love Girl of the Limberlost! I have two editions of it, a paperback for reading, and hardback for the collection. Like my hardback Ender's Game, etc.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
My father and grandparents were from Indiana, and I've been there several times. Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I posess Freckles, Girl of the Limberlost, Laddie, and a couple shorter books of hers. One of the short books was pretty preachy but it was on being humane to animals and specifically written for that purpose.
Laddie isn't as beautifully written to me as Freckles and Girl of the Limberlost (which is somewhat a sequel to Freckles)
There are Dell paperback editions that aren't very expensive at all.
My mother did live in Indiana and she was the one who introduced me to Gene Stratton Porter (who was female btw) I believe she had gotten one of them from her grandmother who was in Kentucky but near the IN/Ohio border.
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