Hannah G
This was a really sweet and fun story; I read it about thirteen years ago.
This book stands well by itself. The quality of writing suffers as the series progresses. Sweet Ruth becomes more of a flapper later on, to the point of wanting a career after marriage and motherhood, a very progressive view at the time these books were written. That said, I still love the first book and have read a number of the sequels, some of which are better than others. So far I have found nothing bad or objectionable per se, but often impertinence toward authority is excused. It would be best for conservative girls to read this in the middle teens instead of in preteen years.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It is excellent as a coming of age type of story, as a middle aged man finds his true purpose in life. But a lot of it is sad, with pathos and sacrifice being major elements of Mr. Opp's daily life. Two and a half stars.
Found the hardcover with dust jacket for $2...definitely worth grabbing! I'm looking forward to this story...
1/3/16
A little gem, mostly forgotten. It's a children's book from almost sixty years ago, and tells the story of a young family who goes to live in the house their grandfather left to their mother while their father is in South America. The story mostly focuses on the adventures of the two boys, with their mother taking a large role and their two little sisters a small one. They make friends in the new town, but for the most part the adults are standoffish and seem to resent their coming. There's a mystery about some investments their grandfather made before his death, and the town seems to hold it against them. Can they win the heart of the town, or must they fly away in the spring like the wild geese?
A book I read quickly one night. A light read about a woman's decision between love and riches, and how she learned to value both in their true light. Not an in depth story, or one meant to be very deeply serious, but with a good point to it too.
A fun story with pirates included! I really liked this one. When I read it, I instantly reread the last half to catch all the fun nuances. It's fast-paced and pure fun to read. My edition was the first edition in the early 1900s, and had several beautiful illustrations included.
A tongue-in-cheek comedy about a man's career. How has Amidon lost five years and reinvented himself into Brassfield without recalling a bit of the process? A few faithful friends join him in unraveling the interesting conundrum.
This is a volume of five short stories by E. P. Roe. The first, A Brave Little Quakeress, is based on a true story of a young girl during the Revolution. The second, Queen of Spades, is the tale of a young woman's unconventional birthday request and its results. The third, Caught on the Ebb-Tide, is a humorous little romantic tale. The fourth, Susie Rolliffe's Christmas, is a tale of a Connecticut maiden and Putnam's troops during the Revolution, and is my favorite. The last, Jeff's Treasure, is the story of a young black man and his fiddle, and what happens when he counts his chickens before they are hatched.
This rare book was one of my Christmas used-bookstore finds...I even had to add it to Goodreads myself! It's a delightful piece of vintage mystery-adventure, with the young hero startled out of his artistic apathy to rush to the aid of a distressed maiden. It begins as an attempt to prove that his father's heart-attack death was in fact murder, but the further he goes, it is a race for life and for honor. The young lady steals his heart quickly, and he grabs his sword and goes tilting at a windmill all the way from New York to rural Texas.
One thing I really liked is that this amateur sleuth makes mistakes. He shows his cards to the enemy, he sticks his neck in traps...but he learns and goes on with renewed courage. Even when he is mad and discouraged, he remains an honorable man. And it's a pretty big gamble that his amateur attempts may not be successful against the hardened criminals he is pursuing...
I have to say, I enjoyed the description of a true Texas Norther!
Parrish can always be counted on to write a tale of rollicking good adventure! It was easy to keep turning pages, and of course I devoured the whole thing in one afternoon. It's told in first person—my first of Parrish's in that POV—and the story is perfectly told from Adele's viewpoint.
It's always patent that Parrish knows his history. The story has a feel of authenticity that cannot be achieved without such research, and it reads as though Adele is recording her adventures for the benefit of some child or grandchild. To be a young woman going in the midst of men to a frontier outpost is no easy thing, but she is plucky and resourceful.
It probably would have gotten five stars except for a disappointing development near the end which soured it for me a bit. She is doing anything she can to keep her forced marriage from being consummated. She loved the hero before the wedding was forced on her, and he will die if he stays in the fort. Her resources to keep the villain she is married to at bay are running low. And she makes the decision to run away with her lover. Of course, things turn out okay, and her honor is not compromised, but still the action was done. Granted, the poor girl is between a rock and a hard place, and I do not presume to say that I would have acted as a saint in her position. But I did not like her deciding to become a man's mistress and excusing it because of her love for him.
Content: a few French swears.
A deeply Christian story with a thoroughly delightful ending. There's a good bit of romance and outdoors.
Another old-fashioned story, of old-fashioned Aunt Mary meeting a new-fashioned young lady and gaining a new perspective on life.
I enjoyed this unusual little tale. The main character was quite brave, and I loved how her relationship with her mother and then her husband played out. It's always refreshing to find eminently sensible, good-hearted heroines in the world of fiction.
If you like old-fashioned small-town tales, this will be right up your alley. These are short interrelated stories, tied together by the same Aunt Jane who appeared in “Aunt Jane of Kentucky,” of life in small-town America in the late 1800s. Simpler times and some very interesting little tales!
This was an enjoyable story set in France during the Franco-Prussian War. There's plenty of action and a good dash of suspense. I would have probably rated it four stars if a few of the scenes in the story had been expanded, because then I might also have called it “gripping”. It leaned a little heavily on the romantic part of the plot for my taste; in a war story, I like there to be just a little more given to the other aspects of life, also. But it's a good book and a pleasant read.
4.5 stars
A quick, enjoyable read. A sweet old romance with a surprising turn of affairs. David and Emily are supposedly far apart socially, but he proves himself to be a man of honor toward her, even as he works toward his own goal of success. The relationships with each character are enjoyable.
Recommended for those who enjoy the short romances of Paul Leicester Ford and Ralph Henry Barbour.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable story! If anyone has read stories by Anthony Hope such as “The Prisoner of Zenda”, this is written in the same vein of adventure and intrigue. Nothing is predictable from one chapter to the next.
I probably ought to rate it at about three stars because the author had no solid idea of how to use the humble comma, which could grow distracting at times; but I loved the plot so well that I have to rate it higher, because I could not put this book down. Brebner is definitely a master storyteller!
3.5 stars. I picked this up on a whim yesterday in the church library...
This book lost an entire star because of historical flavor. I actually really enjoyed the story and the characters.
The author's local flavor is great. I loved reading about Wyoming in those days. However, while I am quite ready to accept that the young ladies have a fine command of English, since their parents were well-to-do and in shipping, the slang is out of place. Nowadays there is much slang in our language that still mystifies speakers of English as a Second Language (believe me, I taught it for two years), but back then even Peter himself probably wouldn't have known what the terms like “cute” (came into fashion in the early 1900s, as a shortening of “acute”, meaning smart; didn't catch on in general society for a while.) meant.
And durable dresses and protective shoes for farm work is a practical thought...but the women would have been thoroughly insulted at thought of overalls...that was scandalous when it came into general use during WW1 when the men were off to war. And a mercantile most likely wouldn't have stocked sizes to fit women, especially not one with such delicious curves as Catharine's!
So, yes, good story...fully authentic, no. But sweet.
3.5 stars.
It was really an enjoyable story, adventure on the high seas and all that sort of fun. I read the entire thing without stopping! You could feel the splash of the waves and the sting of the ice, and the characters nearly leapt off the page in their realness. That much of the story is worth five stars.
I also loved the strong Christian message of God being the one that gave their success, and liked it that the hero is portrayed as a strong Christian. There is no preachiness, however, and no application forced in; the reader is left to draw their own conclusions.
However, I do have some nit-picks. One is the language; h–s and d–s were pretty common. Also, the heroine says “darn”, which seems a very unlikely term for a well-bred young woman of the time (it was considered slang, and the young lady of the day would have been aware of exactly what the word stood as substitute for), and Ellen does not include any other slang in her speech. She also allows two men to kiss her without her protesting, which bothered me.
The ending was a good one, but I wanted to know more... does Bill ever learn his lesson? Or does he just go off happily ever after with a free pass? An epilogue would have been nice.
Another big thing was the historical aspect. It's written in 1950 and set in 1850. The language was mostly generic sea talk, but in many ways it felt more like the characters moved and spoke with a twentieth century flair rather than an early-Victorian terminology. I never felt deeply grounded in the historical era the characters lived in; it was more like they could have been the same characters in any decade. I kept having to convince myself of their 1850 dates, rather than feeling like I'd lived in the era for a few hours.
Overall, an enjoyable sea yarn with high stakes to win. I felt, though, that the author inserted a tad much of his 1950s sensibilities and worldview.
Everything that a Western should be, with a good mystery thrown in for bonus. My only complaint is that it's not longer! I would have liked this to be twice as long. Of course, I usually seem to have that problem with Elisabeth's writing, which is a good thing. I read an eBook ARC, and can hardly wait to get my hands on the hard copy.
Colvin is on the tramp from one place to another when he witnesses a duel between Lew Kelly and Bob Reeves–one that leaves Lew wounded and Bob on the run. When he heads on out of town, he thinks that chapter of his life is closed...but there's going to be much more of the story of his acquaintance with the private, warlike Kellys. Especially when he finds himself back in the Kelly hometown of Clemson just as Bob Reeves decides it's time to come back and face his one-time friend again...Bullets and excitement are sure to abound.
A book about...salmon! A man stakes all his hopes for the future on one last business venture. But another man is determined to create a monopoly in the business in that region, and will stop at nothing to succeed. A woman's love is also at stake...
This was a very good read. For the most part the story flowed well and was difficult to put down. The military life was portrayed vividly, and the book would be interesting for that alone...but there was so much more to lend interest to it. Missing money, mysterious secret night rides, and a beautiful young woman who gives every sign of innocence, yet somehow is near the scene each time...this definitely falls into the category of adventure.
One thing I really liked was the portrayal of the officers' wives, and how great a part they played in the story. It showed a beautiful picture of several couples well paired, gallant men and brave women. The women's opinions were respected and acted on, even though they were not enlisted in the military themselves–even to the point of being present at numerous councils and asked to give advice.
The setting was so vivid that it was evident the author had personal experience both in the West and as a soldier of the day. His account of the Indian troubles was very interesting, especially as he credited the Indian braves with often-superior strategy and generalship, and deplored that Congress often mishandled Indian policy greatly. He writes often with the respect of a soldier for a worthy foe, even when he is speaking of the battle scene.
One thing readers might like to be aware of beforehand is that paragraphs often run several pages in length. If you are used to reading Hemingway and Stephen King, such longwindedness might be difficult to understand; but to anyone who is used to the classics, this is a good and enjoyable read.
I really liked this book! Despite its being written in the POV of a French fellow in the late 16th century, it was readable and enjoyable without seeming to differ from the way he might actually have expressed himself. I do admit having to look up the term “bifurcating staircase”, but those who enjoy the great classics should have no trouble with this style of writing.
The main character was plucky and resourceful and not afraid to admit his mistakes. I liked his courage and the frank expressions given in the narrative.
Very good story! I was really glad today was my day off so I could read the whole thing in just one day. It made me sorry that so many of today's historical novels are mere fluff; this story is gripping and intense and delightful. The romance that runs through it is quiet and tasteful, and it was nice to see a good portrayal of manly friendship also.
I read this a number of years ago. The theology is excellent, but it took me three tries just to get into it. I suspect that, if I were to read it now in view of it being more a theological work than a fiction story, I would probably rate it a little higher.
