Weaver's Daughter

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ten-year-old Lizzy loves her pioneer life. Her father is a farmer and her mother a weaver, and she and her sisters enjoy a life of hard work that is also filled with simple pleasures. Lizzy longs to grow up to be a weaver like her mother, but every autumn Lizzy gets sick. Neither the local doctor nor the midwife is sure what is wrong with Lizzy, let alone how to cure her. As soon as the first frost comes, Lizzy gets better. And this winter also brings some distraction in the form of rich neighbors—the fine Miss Sarah Beaumont and her handsome stepson are visiting from Charleston. Lizzy, though, is worried about next fall—can she survive this illness one more time?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Young Adult, Audiobook

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's next book, The Night War, will be published April 9, 2024. She is the author of nineteen previous books, including the Newbery Honor winners Fighting Words and The War that Saved My Life. The sequel to the latter, The War I Finally Won, appeared on many state-award and best-books lists and was described as “stunning” by The Washington Post and “honest” and “daring” by The New York Times. She is also the acclaimed author of She Persisted: Rosalind Franklin. Kimberly and her husband have two grown children and live with their dogs, two highly opinionated mares, and a surplus of cats on a fifty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. Visit her at kimberlybrubakerbradley.com.

Reviews

[Amanda up North · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sought this book out for two reasons.
First: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is my favorite author of novels for adolescents and up. This was one from her backlist that I hadn't read yet.
Second: My sister is a weaver and has introduced weaving to the family over recent years. I have my own loom now, a handful of us do.

Loom, shuttle, warp and weft. Wool, and growing flax to make linen, natural dyes. Using a drop spindle..
KBB incorporates fiber arts, spinning and weaving, into this story of an early American (1790's) pioneer family.

But what the story is really about is a young girl with asthma - before much was known about asthma and seasonal allergies.

She does a good job of also including topics like slavery, race, and class during that period.

This one doesn't rank among my favorite KBB books (they set the bar high), but it's a good story that gives readers an idea of what it was like to live in a pioneer family at that time, and to be a kid with a health condition before advances in medicine.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never seen a historical fiction book address asthma before. As someone living in a first world country in the 21st century, it didn't even occur to me that people could die from it, and often did. This book was unique in many ways, like how it took place in the 18th century "frontier" which was southern Appalachia. The writing itself wasn't extraordinary, but the setting and the subject matter make this book worth reading.

[Imaan]

This is a book that I enjoyed. It is very simple and straight forward but it has a deep plot. I recommend it to girls that like pioneer books. I also think people who like old fashioned books will like it.

[Xydel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly educational glance and the lifestyles and sacrifices of a family with an asthmatic child in 1792.

[Tamara York · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m enjoying reading Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s early works. I’ve yet to read a book of hers that I didn’t love. This one was short, wholesome, heartwarming, and wonderful. It’s set in 1791 a few hours from where I live in TN. (I didn’t realize that KBB lived in Bristol, TN!) This book explores asthma at the time and shows deep sibling relationships.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little book from KBB, and it was not about foster care like the other ones I read. I still liked it. It's a period fiction piece about field living on a settlement, and wrestling with what it means to live with purpose.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

a rereread! A nice throwback, I remember really enjoying this book when i was 8-9 years old. I still enjoyed it today!
and OH MY GOSH okay going a little off tangent here but I was scrolling through the reviews and i FOUND MY OLD REVIEW ON MY OLD ACCOUNT!?
“I really like this book. Ooh ooh ooh ooh yeah woof woof Ooh ooh oh yeah woof ooooof oh oh yeah yeah I’m scary and crazy.”
sure you are little child christine. I mean you got the crazy part right so 2 points for that.

[Elsabet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title drew me to this book, the cover intrigued me and the description sealed the deal. I read it and I enjoyed it very much.

Lizzy suffered from asthma, something that a few people in my family have suffered with as well. But my family has benefited from modern treatments and medicines. In Lizzy's time they didn't know what caused her life-threatening illness, and she begins to think she will die.

One of my favorite things about things book is the family relationships. Lizzy was very close to her parents and sisters. It's kind of rare that I find a book with really good sibling relationships (or parental relationships either, for that matter), so I was impressed.

I liked the characterization of Lizzy's family. The other characters were kind of boring, but her family was well done. Each had his/her own personality, and each was interesting. Ma Silver was also entertaining. I have an affinity for the "healer" characters.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book, mainly nit-picky little historical inaccuracies, and one incident that was illogical/impossible, but it was an enjoyable, short read.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-6 162 pgs


1791, Southwest Territory (present day Tennessee). 10 year old Lizzie Baker suffers from asthma. Although each fall, her family gives her various remedies, the hard frost at the end of fall is the only thing that makes her symptoms disappear. When new neighbors, the Beaumonts, from Charleston move in next door, the family is at first upset because the Beaumonts are above the Baker's "station". However, the families soon become friends. When Mrs. Beaumont learns of Lizzie's asthma she offers different remedies, will one of them cure her symptoms for good?

Very interesting to see how asthma was treated in the past. Has a hopeful ending.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the late 18th century, Lizzy and her family moved from Pennsylvania to the Southwest Territory, just west of Virginia. But unlike the rest of her family, Lizzy suffers from asthma, and every fall she becomes ill and has trouble breathing. When she is ten years old, her symptoms are so bad the family takes her to the nearest town to consult a doctor, despite the expense involved. While his treatment provides some relief, it does not last. And Lizzy succumbs to despair. But new friends provide the possibility of hope. Besides experiencing Lizzy's feelings, the reader also learns just what life was like on the frontier at the time. Good characterization. Highly recommended.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We had a 4.5 hour road trip today, and we wanted to find something short so that we could finish the whole thing in one stretch. This was 3 hrs 45 minutes on audio, and we really like the book The War that Saved My Life by this author.
My 14 year old especially liked it because even though it says Lizzie has the disease of asthma, it seems very much like what we would recognize now as seasonal allergies - something my 14 year old deals with in summertime. It's not a typical topic in most MG books.
The summary talks mostly about the asthma, which is central, but there is also a lot of Little House on the Prairie vibes, with descriptions of life and daily activities. Slavery is kind of a secondary topic, with discussion around a slave named Daniel and whether slavery is a sin or acceptable.
Overall it as a nice story, nothing too dramatic or intense. We did wish it was a little longer because we'd like to have followed Lizzie and her family's story a little bit more, but I guess we will have to use our imaginations to decide on endings for everyone. :)

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked how the author characterized each character so distinctly. The scenes where the young character was forced to struggle against and ponder her likely death produced many emotions in me as the reader. How her friends and family each handled the idea of her death was true to their characters and bittersweet in that the care was there, but the powerlessness for them to do anything about it was also clear.

I would have rated it higher if we got to spend more time developing the characters and giving them more time to really recon with life and loss. There was a letter informing the family of their grandparents death, which allowed us readers to see the characters recon with some death, but not enough time was spent exploring its impact in my opinion.

I did appreciate the acts to protest slavery that the children displayed, however small they may seem.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoy all Brubaker Bradley's books and this one was no exception. Lizzie is a young farmgirl living in pioneer times. She suffers from what may be asthma, with severe illnesses appearing annually. A nice picture of pioneer life and what it was like to have no modern medical care, to be illiterate yet intelligent and resourceful. Lizzie is sympathetically drawn, and. the story is engaging and not sentimental.

I didn't rate it higher because there is no real plot or much structure to the story. It felt very short and then just kind of ended....I would have like a longer book with a stronger story. But the details of life at this time were so interesting, I still enjoyed.

Listened to on audio which worked well.

[Hope Irvin Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another "oldie" that should not be forgotten. This book is perfect for middle grade girls who enjoy American historical fiction. It's a pioneer story that begins with a family traveling from and old farm in Pennsylvania to a new one in the Southwest Territory, a name for the land just west of Virginia. What's unique is that ten-year-old Lizzy Barker suffers so much from asthma, she believes she is dying. That makes the story appealing for any young girl growing up with a medical issue that refuses to go away. The story is well written and the ending unpredictable but satisfactory.

Hope Irvin Marston, co-author of RISING FROM THE RUBBLE: THE RESTORATION OF BOLDT CASTLE.

[Donna Mckeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pleasure to read. My grandmother had "asme" as a little girl and occasionally had flare ups as an adult. She used to tell me stories of how her Papa and Mamma would treat her condition. Camphor and Chewing tobacco were their go-to's. I found myself thinking of her a lot as a child in a world where not as much was known about asthma and allergies.
The story was sweetly told and as always, you just want to sit down with these people and get to know them better. This is one common thread I have found in each of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's books I have read.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Ruthie's Gift and One-of-a-kind-Mallie were good, but I think this is the first book that showcases Bradley's remarkable ability to depict social, racial, and gender complexities in profoundly moving ways (like in her later works, Jefferson's Sons, and The War books). I love her "afterwards" in which she describes the lengthy historical research she does before writing. Bradley has honed a craft, and it's excellent.

[Beth Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of a pioneer girl with asthma in 1791 is a mixed bag. The depiction of the family relationships is great, as is the description of the asthma attacks. But there isn't actually much plot there, and the book doesn't so much end as stop.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise, but this story feels directionless and without plot or purpose. All of the main conflicts in the story - Lizzy's illness, Hezzy's crush on William, Daniel's slavery - remain unresolved at the end of the book. It's easy to see this is one of KBB's earlier books.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a ten-year-old girl who suffers from asthma and life-threatening allergies in 1790's Tennessee. Grades 3-6 historical fiction.

[Laura Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy this writer's works. Her family relationships are tender without being too sweet. It's a serious subject for young readers, but the ending is hopeful.

[Linda Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story. Interesting to think about how treatable illnesses of today affected those who lived before modern medicine.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. Ooh ooh ooh oh oh yeah woof woof


Ooh ooh oh oh yeah woof oooooooooooooof oh oh yeah yeah I'm scary and crazy mabye

[Mary K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just ended, like it was the middle of the book, only it was the end. I hope there will be a sequel as I rather liked the characters and plot.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit anticlimactic. This was more like the start of a great book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine story about settler life in Tennessee.

*I listened to the audiobook

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice audio version. I do like a good pioneer story. This is well told, as all of her books are.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably not the best of stories to read when you're already depressed. The ending was intended to be hopeful, I'm sure--but it was very sad to me.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the time, ten-year-old Lizzie Baker is happy with her family's life on the Tennessee frontier in the 1790s. Except for every fall, when Lizzie's asthma becomes so terrible that she can barely breathe. And this fall, it was so bad that Lizzie nearly died. The doctors and the local midwife try several treatments, but none of them really seem to work. Lizzie resigns herself to dying, and decides to just try and enjoy the year she has left until next fall, which she surely won't survive - each fall, her asthma gets worse and worse, and she couldn't possibly survive an attack worse than the last one. Lizzie enjoys spending time with visitors to the community - a wealthy surveyor and his wife and son. The wealthy family, the Beaumonts, live by the sea in South Carolina. Some people say that the sea air might help Lizzie's lungs. When the Beaumonts offer to adopt Lizzie and take her to South Carolina, she must make a choice - stay in Tennessee, where she will surely die but with the comfort of her family nearby, or go far away where she could still die, far from home? I highly recommend this book. It's a great historical novel and an inspiring story about a young girl's amazing courage and determination. I don't think I could ever be as brave as Lizzie.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went years trying to remember what this book was called because it left such an impact on me about having asthma back then (my brother has always had bad asthma), when I was either 10 or 11. I finally found it randomly on Goodreads early this year. Which means I spent about 8 years trying to figure out what it was. I asked, and I received it for my 18th birthday, back in April. I was so happy to finally have it. I read it on a very hard day for me. It brought me a small bit of relief, which was all I could ask for at the time. It was no wonder that I loved it so much then. I definitely recommend it to children. I hope they get as much enjoyment out of it, as I did.

[Laura MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice, yet simple book. Definatley a quick read, just a few hours. I have suffered from asthma most of my life to varying degrees (but generally very mild). I have also had a child with severe asthma, so severe that there have been times, even with asthma medicine, we have thought we might loose our beautiful little boy. I really connected with this story and the young girl striving to live.

It did end rather abruptly!