Louisiana

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1880

About the author

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming short read about a country girl who is befriended by a New York socialite at the nineteenth-century equivalent of a health resort. Louisiana Rogers is simple and sweet, and is no end impressed by Olivia Ferrol and, later, her brother. At first when Olivia decides to polish her up a bit the whole thing seems harmless; why not try out a new name and a new identity? But when Louisiana ends up bringing the Ferrols into her family home, she understands the harm that pretending to be something you're not can do.

In many ways this is a timeless tale and FHB is the writer to tell it. The drawback of this book mostly lies in her liberal use of dialect; otherwise it's the mixture of humor and pathos you'd expect from this popular writer, and I enjoyed reading it. A good choice for lovers of Victorian fiction looking for a short, light read.

[Lanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia has been at the Oakdale Springs resort in North Carolina now for two weeks and she is bored. When a pretty, humble, ill-dressed young lady arrives, Olivia has an idea. Why not let this girl (named Louisiana) borrow her New York styled clothing, lend her the correct books to read, and assist her with proper etiquette.

Olivia's protegee learns quickly, and now Olivia can't wait to see what her older brother, Laurence thinks of this lovely, elegant, assured young lady. Needless to say, Laurence is intrigued.

It was interesting to watch Louisiana grow in understanding and wisdom. She certainly changes a lot from when she meets Olivia. But I loved Louisiana's relationship with her father. Every girl should have a father that loves his daughter as much as Mr. Rogers treasures his little girl.

"Louisiana" is very easy to read, except for the North Carolinian dialect, but I picked it up quickly. I don't remember any formatting problems. I think there is one missing illustration at the beginning of this Kindle edition. Overall, it's a wonderful book.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the first few chapters about Olivia Ferrol, a well-to-do young lady from New York, befriending Louisiana, a pretty, artless bumpkin of a girl from the mountainous region of North Carolina, I began to suspect that it would be sort of the American version of Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith.

Instead, it turned out to be the story of a girl caught between two worlds. As Olivia lends her kindness as well as fine dresses, Lousiana's mind and heart quickly become entangled. On the one hand, she appreciates the beauties and refinements of polished society. But on the other, she is made painfully aware of her own ignorance. Well-meant schemes go awry. The man she loves believes her to be somebody else, and her duty lies at her rustic old backwoods home with her doting father. What is a girl to do?

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I felt there was a little something missing at the ending. The story opened with Olivia's point of view, and the first few chapters were solely devoted to their friendship. But halfway through the story, their amity ends on a bad note and we never hear of Olivia again. Even though there is a happy ending, we are not told whether or not the girls ever reconciled, which for me would have completed the story.

[Amy Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a romance but an interesting story line.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops read comment below for review..

[Kelli]

This book contains difficult slang language involving a very dramatic, angsty child and her elderly father. As expected from an old book about an adolescent female, an older gentleman is presented as the heart-mending knight in shining armor in a “love at first sight” scenario. It’s nearly impossible to appreciate.

[Melindam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved those "grown-up" stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett that I have read so far (The Making of a Marchioness, The Shuttle, A Fair Barbarian), but I almost dnf-ed this novella. Way too much melodrama and spoonfeeding the morale of it. MEH.

[Chrisanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot to unpack here. It's not great literature, and it is dated. But it's a window into the culture of FHB's time. And you could discuss a lot.

Ultimately I began skimming about halfway.

[Julie Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with a bit of the "City mouse/Country mouse" feel to it. I enjoyed the read.