An Old-Fashioned Girl
written by Louisa May Alcott
352 pages // published in 1870 // vintage children's fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Polly Milton, a 14-year-old country girl, visits her cousin Fanny Shaw and her wealthy family in the city for the first time. Poor Polly is overwhelmed by the splendor at the Shaws' and their urbanized, fashionable lifestyles, expensive clothes and other habits she has never been exposed to, and, for the most part, dislikes. Fanny's friends reject her because of her different behavior and simple clothing, and Fan herself can't help considering her unusual sometimes. However, Polly's warmth, support and kindness eventually win the hearts of all the family members, and her old-fashioned ways teach them a lesson.
Polly Milton, a 14-year-old country girl, visits her cousin Fanny Shaw and her wealthy family in the city for the first time. Poor Polly is overwhelmed by the splendor at the Shaws' and their urbanized, fashionable lifestyles, expensive clothes and other habits she has never been exposed to, and, for the most part, dislikes. Fanny's friends reject her because of her different behavior and simple clothing, and Fan herself can't help considering her unusual sometimes. However, Polly's warmth, support and kindness eventually win the hearts of all the family members, and her old-fashioned ways teach them a lesson.
My Review...
Another book by Louisa May Alcott, which showcase strong morals for young girls, similar to and closely rivaling even Little Women (in my humble opinion) for quality. What an impact a quaint book like this can bring.
It's an emotional one, for sure; Polly Milton endures a lot throughout the story, and the reader endures it to right alongside her. In my heart, I truly felt for our young heroine at many climactic points. I guess I must be a little old-fashioned myself, and would like to think that there are many resemblances between me and the sweet, kind (and a little shy) Polly. She's a simple and generous girl, one who looks out for others and always strives to do the best she can.
Oh, and I absolutely adore how Louisa May Alcott prettily tied up all the loose strings in the final pages. If Little Women hadn't already made me fall in love with this talented authoress's writings, An Old-Fashioned Girl would have easily done the trick too. As it happened though, I now love Miss Alcott even more and continue to cherish her books.
If you have enjoyed Little Women, I strongly urge you to read this one too. The stories are not similar in plot, but An Old-Fashioned Girl carries the same heart and emotion (maybe even more so) than its more popular counterpart. Especially recommended for budding little women who are eager to read.
An Old-Fashioned Girl is available on Amazon in paperback format, on Project Gutenberg in ebook format (free!), and on LibriVox in audiobook format (free!).
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Intrigued! Adding this to my list :)
ReplyDeleteHi there! This is Ivy from the Wordpress blog wordsandplots.com. You found me through the review I did of LMA's short fantasy story "Ripple, the Water-Spirit." I finally responded to your comment on my blog, sorry it took so long! I am very interested in the LMA reading challenge, but since I am coming in so late I've to decided to do only one book. I definitely considered reading "An Old Fashioned Girl" or "March", but after doing a little more research (which was a really cool mini-journey all on its own!) I discovered "Rose In Bloom" as well as "A Long Fatal Love Chase." However, I've narrowed it down to either "Rose In Bloom" or "March." So, I'll be back shortly to post a link to the blog post that comes out of this. Thank you so much, I'm having so much fun with this!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the confusion... the comments I've made on your blog have posted with 2 different user/author names. I don't exactly know why.... I'm really lost when it comes to the technical part of blogging. So please allow me to clarify ('cause it's driving me crazy! LoL!) Wordsandplots.com, ivymind713, Ivy Mindenhal, and Ivy M- all one in the same! Thank you! (I'll stop babbling and try to let it go now.)
ReplyDelete@Ivy M
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification, Ivy. :) I'm so glad you stopped by... and happy that you're still wanting to join the challenge. I love getting to know other bloggers who enjoy some of the old, vintage kind of books. Sometimes, those are the best kind.