The Getting of Wisdom

Henry Handel Richardson

1910 • 283 pages

Ratings2

Average rating2.5

When Laura Rambotham arrives at an exclusive Melbourne girls school from her country home, she is ridiculed by the other pupils for her differences - her name, her unusual clothes and, especially, for her 'unpardonable sin': her exceptional musical ability. Laura endures ostracism and misery as she tries to make herself socially acceptable to her vicious peers, never quite succeeding but learning much about the world and its inhabitants along the way.

Genres

Want to edit this book?Become a Librarian

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Terri

I kept waiting for there to be some development in Laura's character, but she seemed to continue making the same mistakes over and over again, and becoming more immature and unpleasant as the story went on. Her behavior could be excused at the very beginning of the story, but by the end of it it was just tiresome. I enjoyed the descriptions of her education, and elements of study, but otherwise it's not something I would recommend to a friend.

July 18, 2021