Litsy

Blueberry

A Picnic with Monet | Julie Merberg, Suzanne Bober

#Picnic. #SumnerSouls

@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

9 likes1 stack add

Ladygodiva7

Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes | Walter de la Mare

A moody book of rhymes.

29 likes

Crinoline_Laphroaig

Betsy-Tacy | Maud Hart Lovelace

#SummerSouls When I think Picnic, my mind always goes to Betsy and Tacy. Their tradition of picnics started on the bench by Author Maud Hart Lovelace's house. I was thrilled to get to visit on a warm summers day in 2016. 😎

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

rubyslippersreads It‘s a wonderful feeling to sit on that bench. 😍 10h

24 likes1 comment

ElizaMarie

Bingo! | Rosemary Wells

My attempt at May's #ISpyBingo ---- I love these prompts but they are so so hard!

@Clwojick
@TheAromaOfBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! I'm definitely thinking about options for next year already 😂 Some of these are ridiculous haha 11h

PuddleJumper I've been doing mine as a year long challenge. No way I can do some of the monthly ones in that month 11h

ElizaMarie @PuddleJumper I could do it that way. But I think I‘d get r with all the boards 10h

17 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Kate Wiggin

“In the actual—this painful kingdom of time and chance—are Care, Canker, and Sorrow; with thought, with the ideal, is immortal hilarity—the Rose of Joy; round it all the Muses sing.”

I remember LMM quoting and discussing this Emerson quote somewhere, maybe in a letter to MacMillan? Now I need to track it down! It‘s interesting to see it referenced here, in a children‘s book that LMM almost certainly read. #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

22 likes

BarbaraJean

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Kate Wiggin

How did you feel about how the story wrapped up: with “Mr. Aladdin,” with Rebecca‘s aunts, and with Rebecca‘s family at Sunnybrook?

Would you want to read sequels to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, or a series about Rebecca?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent #ChildrensClassicRead2024

rubyslippersreads, TheBookHippie, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Just as an aside, this graphic is the same as the last one, so not everyone may realize that you actually asked a different question haha

I actually would be interested in reading sequels to Rebecca. I think the whole book would have been better if it had been two separate books and we could have devoted more time to her at school. I would totally read another book about her teaching adventures (if she has some). Apparently, Wiggin's nephew ⬇ 14h

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahahaha—thank you!! Changing the graphic now!! 14h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) or someone rewrote the book/added stuff/created a sequel, although the GR reviews seem to agree it's terrible 😂 So I'll probably take a pass. 14h

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lauraisntwilder I would not want to read a sequel. In the absence of literally any other options, I have a feeling Rebecca would end up marrying Mr. Aladdin and I'm not interested in that. 14h

lauraisntwilder Oh, and I thought the ending, especially the actual last lines, was a letdown. It felt very much like the book didn't go anywhere. "There once was a family with too many kids, but then a aunt died and left them a house and they were all fine. Also, one of the kids went to school, but I'm not telling you about it." 14h

lauraisntwilder *aN aunt. 🙄 14h

rubyslippersreads I‘m actually reading the next book in the series, but I wouldn‘t call it a sequel. So far, it‘s just more stories set in the same time frame as the original.

New Chronicles of Rebecca

10h

rubyslippersreads @TheAromaofBooks I think I saw those. They seem to be retellings of the book with an emphasis on religion. I‘ll pass too. 10h

rubyslippersreads @lauraisntwilder I agree about Dean Priest, oops, I meant Mr. Aladdin. 🤣 10h

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - It's weird because while this book felt as religious as most books of that era (that is to say, the characters go to church, believe in God, and try to live up to “Christian morals“) it didn't feel like Rebecca was an especially church-focused character. So that seemed like an odd direction to go since it seems like you would have to kind of rewrite her character?? 8h

22 likes10 comments

BarbaraJean

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Kate Wiggin

Any further thoughts on parallels between Rebecca and LMM‘s Anne and Emily books?

And because I‘m super interested in everyone‘s thoughts: how does Adam Ladd compare/contrast with Dean Priest in the Emily books?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent

rubyslippersreads, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I have been waiting until I finished Rebecca to listen to this 2-part episode of the Gibson Girl podcast, which discusses the similarities between Rebecca and Anne of Green Gables. Check it out if you‘re interested! https://www.gibsongirlreview.com/season-1-episode-10/ 16h

lauraisntwilder Dean Priest and Adam Ladd both give me the creeps. Dean is definitely worse, Mr. Aladdin made me cringe every time he showed up in the second half. 15h

TheAromaofBooks I definitely think that LMM was influenced by this book. There are too many scenes that overlap for it to be coincidental. However, I don't think she just rewrote this story. So much of Anne is unique, and while she and Rebecca have some similarities, I'm not convinced that LMM based her actual character on Rebecca as much as she borrowed some of Rebecca's circumstances and gave them to Anne. I saw a few GR reviews link to this article ⬇ 14h

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) http://canadianicon.org/table-of-contents/mirror-images-anne-of-green-gables-and... and while I agreed with some of it, I also felt like some of their “mirrors“ were a bit of a stretch. For instance, yes Rebecca and Anne both “like nature“ but I never felt like that was an inherent and critical part of Rebecca, while it's hugely a part of Anne - which I think in turn is a reflection of LMM's own passion for trees⬇ 14h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) and the outdoors. I also didn't actually think that Emma Jane and Diana are much alike, beyond a basic “secondary character“ vibe. Emma Jane literally just feels like Rebecca needs a friend, so here she is, while Diana, once again, is an important part of Anne herself and her character development. The same with Matilda and Marilla - both grumpy old women, I guess, but wildly different in their relationship with the main character and in⬇ 14h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) the way they each develop (that is to say, Matilda doesn't). I definitely felt like the second half of the book is where Anne and Rebecca really diverge, with Anne having actual purpose, direction, development, and growth, while Rebecca continues to just be the same little girl she was all along - which is part of what adds to the creepiness of Adam Ladd tbh. There are parallels to Dean and Adam, although interestingly I actually found ⬇ 14h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) myself comparing Adam more to “Daddy Long-Legs“ - a book I do love, but have always felt like Daddy pulled the strings in the background to put Judy into situations where she would be maneuvered into falling in love with him. Dean's grooming feels much more active, with a personal correspondence and regular visits/discussions/etc. Adam is more in the background creating scenarios where Rebecca will be obligated/grateful/admire him. 14h

sblbooks @lauraisntwilder yep! 12h

rubyslippersreads @TheAromaofBooks Diana is much more of a kindred spirit to Anne than Emma Jane is to Rebecca. 10h

rubyslippersreads @lauraisntwilder I agree. Although when I first read these two books (probably at about age 10), any idea of possible “romance” with the older men went right over my head. (Thank goodness!) 10h

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - I agree! I don't feel like we ever see a real bond between Rebecca and Emma Jane beyond them being the same age and going to school at the same time, while Anne and Diana are genuinely involved and interested in each other's lives. And Anne definitely has a deep love for Diana that Rebecca never seems to show for Emma Jane. 8h

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads @lauraisntwilder - I feel like if I had read this book at a younger age I wouldn't have thought of Adam as a love interest. The signs are there as an adult reader, but he seems much more subtle of a character than Dean. 8h

20 likes12 comments

BarbaraJean

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Kate Wiggin

Please join us to discuss the second half of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent #ChildrensClassicRead2024

What did you think about the second half of the book, focusing on Rebecca‘s school years in Wareham? Any favorite scenes or quotes?

What growth and change do you see in Rebecca during her time at Wareham? (Or does she change?)

rubyslippersreads, TheBookHippie, lauraisntwilder, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

lauraisntwilder The second half moved too quickly. It felt like we were rushing to the end. And I didn't particularly like the ending! 15h

TheAromaofBooks I definitely liked the first half better than the second. The second half felt a lot choppier and less cohesive. I actually usually really enjoy school stories, but it almost didn't even feel like Rebecca was at school half the time?? It felt weird that all this time and money was spent without much of a goal (I guess so she could be a teacher) and then she just comes back and starts nursing various family members instead of using the education ⬇ 14h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) that the aunts sacrificed so much for?? I don't know, it was just kind of odd. I also definitely like Adam should be marrying the teacher instead of waiting for Rebecca to grow up, ick. There were parts and characters that I enjoyed, but overall the second half felt jumbled and rushed, and the ending seemed really abrupt. Like @lauraisntwilder I didn't really care for the ending. 14h

sblbooks @lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks I agree. The ending did feel rush they tried to pack too much into one book this could have been a series for sure. The "age gap"romance in these books...why is that a thing? ? 12h

rubyslippersreads I wanted Adam to marry the teacher too. I agree that the first half of the book was better than the second. 10h

21 likes5 comments

lauraisntwilder

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Kate Douglas Wiggin

so-so

I don't know about this one. The beginning was really cute and there were some nice moments throughout, but it felt like Wiggin was in a hurry to finish. Rebecca's time at Wareham is so glossed over and, by that time, the relationship with Mr. Aladdin was starting to give me the creeps. It felt like we were racing towards a bad ending, which wasn't totally true. I didn't like the ending (too easy), but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.

22 likes