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Title: An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0-613-05625-6 Publisher: Sagebrush Education Resources Pub. Date: 01 October, 1999 Format: Library Binding Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.79 (38 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Hands down, Alcott's best
Comment: Polly, a poor, old-fashioned girl from the country, comes up tothe city for a long visit with her friend Fanny. Over the basicframework of country mouse/city mouse, Alcott embroiders extensively, adding the themes of peer pressure, societal pressure, riches and their relation to happiness, the rights and proper roles of women, love, 'proper' behaviour vs. right behaviour, and vice-versa. But the story reads like a story, not a dissertation on philosophy. Polly is very human, and her family, though less-well drawn, is collectively a very human family. Tom, Fanny's brother, is the star of the book. "An Old-Fashioned Girl" is filled with humourous incidents, the number of which increases as one grows older. I first read this book when I was seven. I loved it then, when I only got a small part of it. I love it even more now. Those readers who dislike Alcott's moralizing will not love this book, but they will find it better than, say, "Little Men." Ignore the character of Grandma, through whom Alcott voices most of her morals, and concentrate on Polly and Tom, and even the most cantankerous reader would surely, if grudgingly, admit that this book isn't half bad.
Rating: 5
Summary: A plummy story
Comment: Louisa May Alcott is a trustworthy author - you know what you're getting. Although I hadn't read An Old-Fashioned Girl, I gave my sister a copy, thinking it would be a nice way to get her to continue reading. Not only did it get her reading, she got me so into it, I was waiting to read it for myself. Alcott is a good writer with some great books that have beautifully stood the test of time - this is one of them.
Polly Milton is a country girl visiting friends in the big city. Her quaintness charms the Shaws, especially the adults. As much as the Shaw children also love Polly, they think she is unfashionable and even embarrassing. They are shamed by her unaffected wholesomeness and act as children do, by being unkind and unjust. Polly's innocence and pride are bruised by the careless Fanny, spoiled Maud, and gruff Tom. Her modest ways are tested by the temptations of living with the wealthy Shaws, but her sensitivity to this only supports her personal credo to be as good as possible.
Polly is old-fashioned even by Victorian standards, but her honesty and cheerfulness are contagious. Even as a pragmatic adult, every time I read her story I feel a surge of inspiration and affirmation that it's still worth being good. Her charismatic personality will both beguile and challenge you. A moral, but not moralistic character, Polly leads by example by having fun, (eventually) blooming in the face of adversity, and always being true to herself. Polly's gentleness is layered around a steely core. She doesn't aim to convert you, but won't let others convince her to do what she feels is wrong, as Fanny and her trendy group find out. This is the sort of girl every parent wishes for, every girl needs for a friend, and every guy is looking for.
"Good" heroines usually ring false and are burdensome to the reader. Alcott creates a real girl, who happens to be extremely loving. Polly embraces the world with wise, but accepting arms. She's magnetically sincere, drawing out the best in others. It's hard not to be affected. The Shaws and their friends become interesting and layered characters due to her quiet influence. I didn't like the children intially, but as they became increasingly complex and conflicted, I found them nearly as dear as Polly. There isn't much of a plot per se, but small episodes tied together over the course of a few years, often very funny in the end. The last part in particular will be a surprise - even this experienced reader didn't see it coming!
Read this and feel Polly's (er, Alcott's) magic for yourself! A real treasure you'll want to pass on. It will only get better with age. A few books are part of a journey of a lifetime and I've found that An Old-Fashioned Girl is one of them.
Rating: 4
Summary: Old-fashioned but still good
Comment: Louisa May Alcott is best known for her classic coming-of-age novel "Little Women." But she tackles an entirely different part of growing up in "An Old Fashioned Girl," the story of a country mouse living with a wealthy urban family in late 19th-century America.
Polly Milton travels to stay with her aunt and uncle in the city, for the first time, but she immediately sticks out because of her outdated clothing and lack of fussiness. Her cousin Fan Shaw (also about fourteen) is already dressed like a young woman, and hangs out with a gang of shallow, trendy girls. Polly befriends old ladies, sings Scottish airs, and reads books on history. Can she fit in? What's more... does she really want to?
Fast forward about five or six years: The Shaw family learns that Polly is returning to the city, intending to give music lessons to help support her brother. Time hasn't really changed Polly -- she's still sweet-natured, moral and pleasant to everyone. But the Shaw family is in serious financial trouble -- and Polly will help out the only way she knows how.
In the late 1800s, "Girl" was written in two separate halves, which might explain why the second half is so much better than the first. The first isn't bad, but it suffers from a sort of prissiness. Virtually every story centers on Polly's moral struggles, with no break. Her story is far more engaging when she learns confidence and strength, not when she's wavering about peer pressure.
As in "Little Women," Alcott's writing is still pretty readable for modern readers, although most people will not know what a "pannier" is. She also writes a good understated love story, in Polly's gradual interest in her cousin Tom. You'll know that these two really need to get together, but it's going to take them awhile. So sit back and enjoy the ride.
Polly may put you off at first with her air of vague goody-two-shoes-ness, but she improves over the course of the book. Somewhat more realistic are the spoiled little brat Maud, the grumpy Tom, and the pretty but air-headed Fan. Grandmother isn't quite so engaging; she seems like an idealized older person who exists just to dispense wisdom. How about some personal quirks for the old lady?
Louisa May Alcott managed to wrap a lesson about peer pressure around a real story. Fans of her work will love "An Old Fashioned Girl," even with its few moralistic flaws.
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Title: Eight Cousins or the Aunt Hill (Puffin Classics) by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0140374566 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Rose in Bloom (Puffin Classics) by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0140374515 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0553214497 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: Under the Lilacs : From the Original Publisher by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0316030872 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
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Title: Little Men by Louisa May Alcott ISBN: 0451522753 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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