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The Cutters
All unhappy families are alike, to invert Tolstoy, but each happy family is happy in its own way. Although they live in a rambling white house in a midwestern town called Meadows, the Cutters are too irreducibly real to stand in for the average all-American family created by pollsters, popular magazines, and television sitcoms. They compete for the reader's attention, pursuing happiness in human ways that have not changed since 1926, when The Cutters was first published. But it is Nell Cutter who best illustrates Bess Streeter Aldrich's strength in drawing memorable characters. Whether she is decorating the house on a budget for wealthy guests or testing child-raising theories or trying to make the daily loaf a little more yeasty, Nell Cutter is not afraid to ex-periment. She may go out on a limb, but it is seldom a dead one.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
9 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Bess Streeter Aldrich
38 books146 followersBess Genevra Streeter Aldrich was one of Nebraska's most widely read and enjoyed authors. Her writing career spanned forty-some years, during which she published over 100 short stories and articles, nine novels, one novella, two books of short stories, and one omnibus. In her work, she emphasized family values and recorded accurately Midwest pioneering history.
One of her books, Miss Bishop, was made into the movie, Cheers for Miss Bishop, and her short story, The Silent Stars Go By became the television show, The Gift of Love.
Bess graduated in 1901 from Iowa State Normal School, now known as the University of Northern Iowa, and taught for four years. She returned to Cedar Falls and worked as Assistant Supervisor at her alma mater, receiving an advanced degree in 1906. She married Charles Sweetzer Aldrich the following year.
In 1909 the Aldriches and Bess's sister and brother-in-law, Clara and John Cobb, bought the American Exchange Bank in Elmwood, Nebraska, and moved there with the Aldrich's two-month old daughter, Bess's widowed mother, and the Cobbs. Elmwood would become the locale, by whatever name she called it, of her many short stories, and it would also be the setting for some of her books.
Aldrich had won her first writing prize at fourteen and another at seventeen, having been writing stories since childhood. However, for two years after the family moved to Elmwood, Aldrich was too busy with local activities to write. Then in 1911 she saw a fiction contest announcement in the Ladies Home Journal and wrote a story in a few afternoons while the baby napped. Her story was one of six chosen from among some 2,000 entries. From that time on, Aldrich wrote whenever she could find a moment between caring for her growing family and her household chores. Indeed, she commented that, in the early days, many a story was liberally sprinkled with dishwater as she jotted down words or ideas while she worked. Aldrich's first book, Mother Mason, a compilation of short stories, was published in 1924.
In May 1925, shortly before her second book, Rim of the Prairie was published, Charles Aldrich died of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Bess a widow with four children ranging from four to sixteen. Her writing now became the means of family support; with her pen she put all the children through college.
Aldrich's short stories were as eagerly sought and read as her novels, and she became one of the best paid magazine writers of the time. Her work appeared in such magazines as The American, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Collier's, Cosmopolitan, and McCall's. Aldrich also wrote several pieces on the art of writing, and these were published in The Writer.
In 1934, Aldrich was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Nebraska, and in 1949 she received the Iowa Authors Outstanding Contributions to Literature Award. She was posthumously inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1973.
One of her books, Miss Bishop, was made into the movie, Cheers for Miss Bishop, and her short story, The Silent Stars Go By became the television show, The Gift of Love.
Bess graduated in 1901 from Iowa State Normal School, now known as the University of Northern Iowa, and taught for four years. She returned to Cedar Falls and worked as Assistant Supervisor at her alma mater, receiving an advanced degree in 1906. She married Charles Sweetzer Aldrich the following year.
In 1909 the Aldriches and Bess's sister and brother-in-law, Clara and John Cobb, bought the American Exchange Bank in Elmwood, Nebraska, and moved there with the Aldrich's two-month old daughter, Bess's widowed mother, and the Cobbs. Elmwood would become the locale, by whatever name she called it, of her many short stories, and it would also be the setting for some of her books.
Aldrich had won her first writing prize at fourteen and another at seventeen, having been writing stories since childhood. However, for two years after the family moved to Elmwood, Aldrich was too busy with local activities to write. Then in 1911 she saw a fiction contest announcement in the Ladies Home Journal and wrote a story in a few afternoons while the baby napped. Her story was one of six chosen from among some 2,000 entries. From that time on, Aldrich wrote whenever she could find a moment between caring for her growing family and her household chores. Indeed, she commented that, in the early days, many a story was liberally sprinkled with dishwater as she jotted down words or ideas while she worked. Aldrich's first book, Mother Mason, a compilation of short stories, was published in 1924.
In May 1925, shortly before her second book, Rim of the Prairie was published, Charles Aldrich died of a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Bess a widow with four children ranging from four to sixteen. Her writing now became the means of family support; with her pen she put all the children through college.
Aldrich's short stories were as eagerly sought and read as her novels, and she became one of the best paid magazine writers of the time. Her work appeared in such magazines as The American, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, Collier's, Cosmopolitan, and McCall's. Aldrich also wrote several pieces on the art of writing, and these were published in The Writer.
In 1934, Aldrich was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Nebraska, and in 1949 she received the Iowa Authors Outstanding Contributions to Literature Award. She was posthumously inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in 1973.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 7, 2023
Listen. It’s outdated! It’s sentimental! There is corporal punishment. It is just little vignettes, with no plot.
And I loved it.
Partly because I just, so far, seem to be a sucker for Bess Streeter Aldrich and also it was so fun to be reminded that mothering trends aren’t anything new. Reels might make them seem like they are. But fancy new parenting methods or minimalism challenges or groaning about the “motherload” aren’t new. And that was very comforting. The mother in this book is a stand it for us all—getting swept up in every new idea and coming comfortably back to earth when things don’t go as planned.
But I warned you before. You may not like it. It’s very old fashioned.
And I loved it.
Partly because I just, so far, seem to be a sucker for Bess Streeter Aldrich and also it was so fun to be reminded that mothering trends aren’t anything new. Reels might make them seem like they are. But fancy new parenting methods or minimalism challenges or groaning about the “motherload” aren’t new. And that was very comforting. The mother in this book is a stand it for us all—getting swept up in every new idea and coming comfortably back to earth when things don’t go as planned.
But I warned you before. You may not like it. It’s very old fashioned.
May 12, 2019
This was the perfect book to read for Mother's Day. In The Cutters Bess Streeter Aldrich tackles issues inherent in motherhood, marriage & family with subtle humor, lucidity and wisdom. Despite this being published in 1926 many of the emotions of Nell Cutter are ones I could relate to as a mom, a wife, a woman. A bit old-fashioned in the best sense, yet wonderfully timely—a lovely, homey gem of a book.
Delightful!
5 stars
Delightful!
5 stars
September 28, 2016
I read this one ages ago. If you liked "Cheaper by the Dozen," this story is vaguely similar. It's a family take from the 1920s in the Midwest.
April 16, 2025
I’m in the wrong stage of my life to love this book, but even if I was a mother I don’t see myself resonating with Nell’s apparent lack of mental stability. The quaint language and random humor almost make up for the unrealistic family life.
March 20, 2022
Really 4.5 stars speaking only for myself. Here's the thing. It doesn't have much of a plot, it's sentimental to the point of bordering on sappy and its dates. There are a few lines that would NOT be published today and if I actually had a hard copy i would could just sharpie out, I would...BUT I loved it so much. At the beginning of the book, Nell has been married 15 years as has 4 kids. The older 3 have names but for for much of the book, the youngest is just called "the baby". And she's me. Me in a different century but me (and yes, Jude may be 3.5 but we still call out "anybody seen "the baby" almost as often as "where's Jude?")...and I like the idea that mothers throughout time have the same thoughts and problems and silliness ideas I do, whatever century they are mothing in. And sappy or not, the last chapter made me cry. So now I'll put down my phone and go make cookies with my 9 year old whose been waiting almost-patiently for me (and the butter) to be ready.
December 28, 2017
Delicate little old-fashioned tale that charms in spite of its date.
February 4, 2020
What a charming little book! There's no plot here, just a series of episodes involving an adorable family in the early twentieth century America.
Since this was written almost a century ago, it has some outdated attitudes and ideas, especially about women, such as, even if you are an accomplished world-renowned author or a successful businesswoman, you will feel incomplete and won't really be happy unless you have a husband and at least, half a dozen children.
So, if you can overlook such outmoded ideas, and read this book as a product of its time, instead of looking at it through modern sensibilities, you will actually enjoy this book.
Since this was written almost a century ago, it has some outdated attitudes and ideas, especially about women, such as, even if you are an accomplished world-renowned author or a successful businesswoman, you will feel incomplete and won't really be happy unless you have a husband and at least, half a dozen children.
So, if you can overlook such outmoded ideas, and read this book as a product of its time, instead of looking at it through modern sensibilities, you will actually enjoy this book.
February 28, 2016
Written in 1926, this book was to me a snapshot of my own midwestern upbringing. Ms. Aldrich has very subtle humor that permeates her book, along with a warmth and love for family that reminded me of Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
Loved also the mild expletives that reminded me of my Grandmother, with her shocking oaths like "Land o'goshen," and "My stars!" Ms. Aldrich has nailed the Midwest language and personality. I so enjoyed the walk through my past.
Loved also the mild expletives that reminded me of my Grandmother, with her shocking oaths like "Land o'goshen," and "My stars!" Ms. Aldrich has nailed the Midwest language and personality. I so enjoyed the walk through my past.
November 15, 2025
This is not the sort of book that I usually like (& Mother Mason with it).
The chapters are anecdotes of family life, loosely connected. They’re a little predictable and sometimes have a bit of a moralizing feel which I tend to be very allergic to 😅… however…
She’s a Nebraska author and as such, feels like a comfort read to me. Her characters sometimes remind me of my grandmothers and great grandmothers who were all midwesterners. While I tend to feel I know what’s coming in the short tales, they’re wittily told and well written and so still enjoyable to read.
Also, I would be hard pressed to think of many books written about a wife and mother with a houseful of children. In most interesting stories the mother is killed off, beforehand and off-stage! 😅 There is something wonderful and again, comforting, reading about a woman’s middle life. I relate so to her thoughts and feelings (and often, I am reproved…ha!). I think Aldrich seems to understand the hardships but also the beauty and worth of family life…These are sweet stories for lighter reading between harder books.
I think A Lantern in Her Hand was a little depressing to me (maybe sobering would be more fair), but was a more literary work. I am looking forward to reading A White Bird Flying or other works too.
The chapters are anecdotes of family life, loosely connected. They’re a little predictable and sometimes have a bit of a moralizing feel which I tend to be very allergic to 😅… however…
She’s a Nebraska author and as such, feels like a comfort read to me. Her characters sometimes remind me of my grandmothers and great grandmothers who were all midwesterners. While I tend to feel I know what’s coming in the short tales, they’re wittily told and well written and so still enjoyable to read.
Also, I would be hard pressed to think of many books written about a wife and mother with a houseful of children. In most interesting stories the mother is killed off, beforehand and off-stage! 😅 There is something wonderful and again, comforting, reading about a woman’s middle life. I relate so to her thoughts and feelings (and often, I am reproved…ha!). I think Aldrich seems to understand the hardships but also the beauty and worth of family life…These are sweet stories for lighter reading between harder books.
I think A Lantern in Her Hand was a little depressing to me (maybe sobering would be more fair), but was a more literary work. I am looking forward to reading A White Bird Flying or other works too.
July 20, 2022
This book was written in 1926 and reminds me a little of the Betsy-Tacy books. I read it because it is by a Nebraska author and was given to my by a friend who lives near her hometown. I don’t think it’s as well-written as A Lantern in Her Hand, the only other book I’ve read by Aldrich. I didn’t like two metaphors that were probably not even given a second thought by white Nebraskans in 1926. An enterprising young lad was called a Shylock and there was something about an Ethiopian not changing his skin.
June 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this - it is more a series of poignant vignettes of a family life. But it was a lovely read for a mother in so many ways. Mrs. Cutters experiences are much like our own - nearly 100 years later - and more so if for those who have embraced being primary caretaker of your family and children. She weaves humor and emotion throughout the book in a way that entertains and enlightens. She’s definitely my new favorite author.
April 13, 2022
Delightful and funny read! I just adore Nell and grandma in this story and like my friend Mackenzie said you just don’t want this book to end. One of the funniest lines was when Nell the mom of 3 boys and 1 girl went to bed and told one of the boys after he whispered into her room “I feel like I’m going to throw up” she replied no you don’t you just think you do!
May 17, 2021
Nell Cutter, the mother wife and mother figure in The Cutters tells stories of family life in the 1920's in a small midwestern town. Some of her convictions about child rearing seem quite dated, but you find that human nature has not changed in the nearly 100 years since this was written.
October 21, 2025
A fun, quick read
A lovely book about motherhood. It made me cry. It isn't deep and you don't really get to know the characters on an intimate level, but it has lots of fun, relatable stories of family and life and raising children 💖
A lovely book about motherhood. It made me cry. It isn't deep and you don't really get to know the characters on an intimate level, but it has lots of fun, relatable stories of family and life and raising children 💖
September 23, 2018
This was such a sweet story. Whether its the 1920s or 2018, it seems raising a large family is the same. I really enjoyed this.
December 25, 2018
I've read several of Bess Streeter Aldrich's books and really liked them, especially "A Lantern in her Hand" and "Song of Years". However, this story failed to draw me in.
August 31, 2019
Very sweet but a little trite.
May 29, 2020
Pleasant story. During this time of no library access, I'm pulling things off my shelves which I've had for years, but not yet read.
October 4, 2020
A sweet book written in 1926 about a close-knit family, living in a small town. Reminiscent of L.M. Montgomery but simpler. Quick and easy read. Nebraska author.
June 6, 2021
Sweet peak into a family’s daily life.
“She had a sense of humor; that third eye which sees whimsy behind the reality, and fun along with earnestness”
“She had a sense of humor; that third eye which sees whimsy behind the reality, and fun along with earnestness”
October 20, 2022
This story is one of a woman growing through life and learning many of life's hard lessons. I enjoy her stories and this one was no exception.
May 14, 2025
Delightful!
April 3, 2025
charming story with real characters.
September 10, 2025
Interesting and entertaining
February 23, 2016
Originally published in 1926, each of the eleven chapters in the book tell of a particular event in the life of a Midwest family with Nell Cutter as matriarch. She's particularly real, and every woman reading of Nell's experiences would be able to identify with something - particularly the problem of comparing who you are and what you have to other women, and the thankless job of mothering. I particularly enjoyed the chapters describing the visit by Mrs. Keplar, the wife of husband Ed's boss; daughter Josephine's faithful friend, Effie; Gramma's reunion with her grown sons; famous author Alice Duffield's reunion with her childhood friend; and most of all, the final chapter, "The Children Grow Up." I had a good cry over that one.
March 25, 2014
This book could easily be passed over in today's world due to the title and its current association- but how much would be missed! This is like a time capsule- old fashioned Americana at its finest and purest. The author is a master at putting words together succinctly and powerfully to convey the timelessness of family life. So much has changed in todays world- so much hasn't.
July 27, 2010
This book just reaffirmed my love of Bess Streeter Aldrich's books. She is such a champion of motherhood and family. Reading The Cutters encouraged me to enjoy the young-child years a little more--and to have more confidence in my mothering abilities. What a wonderful, uplifting read!
November 21, 2007
This one is great. I need to read it again. I've only read it once but really enjoyed it.
September 7, 2012
I so enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews