Two Little Women on a Holiday
Carolyn Wells
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| Not my picture, but it suits my impression. |
It took a bit of getting used to, and to the modern reader a lot of it would seem quite outdated and predictable, but it’s not a total waste of time.
The “two little women” here are two girls, neighbours and best friends, practically inseparable.
They live in a small country town with their families; not rich, but not poor either - both families have a telephone, which certainly was not something a poor household would have had in 1917, when the book was published.
Dotty and Dolly spend nearly all their time together, and when one day they receive an invitation to spend a week in New York, they are over the moon.
A wealthy friend of theirs has a rich uncle in the big city, and since the uncle has explicitly asked his niece to bring along friends and talked to the girls’ parents, it is settled that they may accept the invitation.
From the way the girls talked and behaved, at first I thought they were maybe around 8 to 10 years old – but to my surprise, their age is then given as 15!
Their slightly older friend whose uncle is to be their host is about 16, and her cousin, another girl of almost 17, joins them.
The four have a great time in the rich uncle’s house, with a maid, a housekeeper and a driver at their disposition.
They are allowed to do largely as they please, and their days are filled with sightseeing, shopping and rides in the uncle’s car.
After they meet other young people of their age, invitations to parties and outings to cafés and to go skating follow.
It’s all completely innocent and wholesome, but then a shadow falls upon the small group when a valuable piece of antique jewellery disappears from the uncle’s collection.
Nobody but the girls, the uncle himself and his trusted secretary had access to the earring.
Has any of the four taken it?
I don’t think any of you can’t wait to read the book for yourselves, which is why I can reveal that – unsurprisingly – all ends well, and at the end of their stay, the four girls part as friends for life with a promise to visit again.
A relatively quick and totally unexciting read, the book made for relaxing company over several train trips to work and back.
Wikipedia says about the author that she wrote more than 170 books; her detective mysteries (for adults) were very popular in her day, as were her children’s books. She also wrote poetry and non-fiction.
Unusual for a woman of her time, she was already 55 when she married, and her husband died only a year into the marriage, followed two weeks later by her mother. One can only imagine how hard it must have been to deal with the death of two loved ones in such a short space of time.
She herself lived to the age of 79.
A story written in simpler times. Did you reach the end with a satisfied sigh?
ReplyDeleteHmm... I was more shrugging than relieved or satisfied; none of the characters or the story itself really captured my mind in a way that I cared about them enough.
DeleteShe certainly was a busy writer! Recently, when I was sick with the flu and couldn't get to the library, I re-read Charlotte's Web by E. B. White - a favorite from my younger days. It was the perfect sweet story for my time of recovery.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the title of this book before, but never read it myself.
DeleteIn my book case, I too have some old time favourites to return to when I feel particularly low (which is very rare) or just want to indulge in a bit of nostalgia.
You have reminded me of a memory. We moved to St Mary's, Georgia when I was 15. It was a small town and the teenagers had known one another all their lives. The girls would walk down the hallways, arm in arm! This surprised me, it might be something done in kindergarten but not after that! Still, even strange Kay was accepted in those tight circles. You know I could make them laugh! Oh, just read comment above, you must read "Charlotte's Web"! E. B. White was excellent author.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, that's what the girls do, too - walking arm in arm and kissing each other good-night and so on.
DeleteI can imagine you as the "new girl" making them laugh and getting accepted!
Unexciting. A story where nothing much happens. The Next Big Thing ?
ReplyDeleteThe cover is not your picture ? Do you have the original edition ? From a bookshop ?
Children's novels are collectible. I gave away my Borrowers Omnibus (hardback).
The lady was from Macau and was in Glasgow to do a masters in children's literature.
I gave away Treasure Island illustrated by Mervyn Peake who wrote Gormenghast.
Books belong to those who treasure them. Possessions in old age are encumbrance.
Aristocrats I avoid but I liked The Sphinx by Hugh Vickers. Paperback 2021.
Gladys Deacon (Princess Diana of her day) was devoted to the Duke of Marlborough,
who knew the painter Monet & Bernard Berenson the art collector & aesthete.
The rich are different as Scott Fitzgerald said. We're learning about them now.
It's not that nothing much happens in the story; the girls are most unhappy when they come under suspicion of theft, and there are other events I have not mentioned in my review, such as the oldest girl developing a crush on an actor and inviting him to the house, and more. I was just not captivated by any of it, I'm afraid.
DeleteI have no physical edition of this book. It was a freebie from Amazon's Kindle shop, with no cover worth showing.
My engineering father would have been enthralled by Kindle.
DeleteI can hear him speaking as if he is here.
*Imagine what William Caxton and Johannes Gutenberg would have thought,
if metal print was abolished, and the texts of books be sent through the air !*
No Luddite, he would have been enthralled that my comments appear instantly
on your blog page, thanks to satellite technology.
AI redundancies would have troubled his social democratic conscience.
There is nothing better for reading while I'm travelling. Was your father an avid reader like you? He would have loved having an entire library in his pocket, at the weight of a very slim paperback.
DeleteFor me, it's not just the light weight, it is also the ability to read without having to remove my gloves when it's cold, or in bright sunlight when the white page of a physical book would hurt my eyes.
George Orwell said he wanted to make political writing literature & art.
DeleteMy father understood Orwell's passion ; politics & economics are about people.
He would have appreciated your words : *My parents made the world theirs in the 1960s when the got married and started a family.*
He was haunted by the thought that the post-war period was the last good time.
What would this mean for the new generation ? For little children growing up ?
He died in May 2000 age 85.
Waterstones stopped selling Kindle in 2015 because of falling sales.
As much as he liked books this too would have puzzled my father.
Kindle lets you read outside on cold days.
My father would have said that this is progress. Product design.
I'm wondering how you happened on this book? Seems a bit off the beaten track! As a child I found "Charlotte's Web" crushingly sad - I recall it being read aloud to us in school, maybe second grade or so? I never did read it to my children although they were read to nightly.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ceci
Hello Ceci, I can't remember exactly how I came across this book. Sometimes I open Amazon's Kindle shop and put in search parameters for free ebooks in English and then go on a bit of a downloading spree; this one must have been part of such a spree.
DeleteIn her comment above, Kay has mentioned Charlotte's Web; I have never read it although I know about it. Now that you said you find it crushingly sad, I guess I shall desist from looking it up at the Kindle shop.
I think Charlotte's Web is frequently interpreted as being uplifting and positive - I was an odd child in many ways and being saddened by this story is probably a prime example.
DeleteCeci
It goes to show that we can perceive the same book, piece of music, painting etc. entirely different on an individual level. I often wonder when a certain book or TV show etc. is hyped what all the fuss is about, when it leaves me entirely cold and completely disinterested.
DeleteI can't recall ever having heard of this author before. Now I have, so thanks for that - even if I doubt I'll immediately go hunting for her books... ;-)
ReplyDeleteI won't blame you if you don't, Monica :-D
DeleteIt's funny how often, when I am reading old books, the author is said to have been hugely popular in their day and yet most of the time they are largely forgotten now.