Miss Billy - Married

Miss Billy #3

by Eleanor H. Porter

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, Romance, Historical Fiction, Americana

212 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter (December 19, 1868 – May 21, 1920) was an American novelist. She was born as Eleanor Emily Hodgman in Littleton, New Hampshire on December 19, 1868, the daughter of Llewella French (née Woolson) and Francis Fletcher Hodgman. She was trained as a singer, attending New England Conservatory for several years. In 1892, she married John Lyman Porter and relocated to Massachusetts, after which she began writing and publishing her short stories and later novels. She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 21, 1920 and was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Reviews

[Paula Margarida Pinho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gostei de ler esta trilogia da Miss Billy, embora este último livro não me tenha agradado tanto como os outros dois. Fiquei com a sensação de "déjà vu", pois as situações e peripécias são muito semelhantes às dos livros anteriores.
Mesmo assim, é um clássico que se lê com gosto. O estilo de Eleanor H. Porter é expressivo e cativante.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billy starts out as a lovable character in the first two books, but then goes all Momzilla in this one. And the "Talk to Young Wives" book she's so obsessed with! I kept wanting to scream at the horrible and blatant sexism (yes, yes, I know, product of the times). It was annoying to see her agonize over how to please her man, with never a thought for her own happiness -- and her husband went like half the book without noticing how badly she was doing, not cluing in until others mentioned it to him. Selflessness is an admirable trait, but it can be taken too far. Even in fiction, it's hard to see a free spirit basically crushed, even if there is an ostensibly happy ending.

I am well aware that I'm seeing this through the lens of my own time, and that things were different (and far worse) for women then than they are now. Reading books like this makes me really glad I wasn't born 100 years ago.

[Beth Withers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This final book in the Miss Billy trilogy found Miss Billy getting under my skin. I suppose after two books of sweet and innocent, a third was almost too much. I found Billy's belief in everything she reads quite annoying. The tone of the book reflects the time period, but the idea that women are the "little women" at home with babies got old after a bit to my modern brain. I wanted to take Billy and shake her a few times! It all ends well, and I suppose Billy and Bertram will continue on in their perfect, upper class world. (Yes, I confess - the insistence on having servants to do cooking and cleaning was a tad annoying!)

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire first page of this book was the Christian wedding vows I think we are all pretty familiar with. That was a bad sign, and it didn’t get better. This novel was the sequel to a previous book (or books?) where the couple were star-crossed lovers but now they’re married. It was a lot of sentimental hogwash where different kinds of jealousies caused by never talking to each other almost drove the couple apart but they managed to stay together. There were a lot of self-sacrificing people, and a little disabled child who made people cry because he was so full of joy.

Originally reviewed on Booklikes.

[Dana Loo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quasi 4 stelline per l'episodio conclusivo della serie di Miss Billy, ormai moglie e giovane madre a dir poco apprensiva e platealmente inesperta, alle prese con manuali e manualetti a cui si affida in modo quasi maniacale nella speranza di condurre al meglio la nient'affatto facile esperienza matrimoniale e genitoriale. Quadretti quasi sempre divertenti, un coro di personaggi che già abbiamo avuto modo di conoscere nei precedenti libri che accompagnano la vivace protagonista e contribuiscono a rendere ancor più movimentate le sue vicende che, malgrado qualche tribolazione, si concluderanno col più classico degli happy end...

[Sarah TheAromaofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 that I'm willing to round up on. This was a pleasant little tale and a nice conclusion to the other Billy books, but in this one Billy really needed a nice older woman in her life to tell Billy to get a hold of herself, so I was a bit disappointed that Aunt Hannah never stepped up to the plate, even when Billy was being ridiculous.

So yes, a nice story and all, but a bit long on Billy getting obsessive about something (like childcare or giving her husband 'room to breathe') and then having to learn that it's all about balance.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining read. There is, among these characters, not much communication and much misunderstanding. *smile*

[Kate McMurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sentimental novel from 1913. Lots of mild melodrama.

[Aleena Grosjean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great ending to Miss Billy's story and so much to learn from her, too.

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, people assume instead of communicating!

Billy plays matchmaker.

Babies are born.

All is well in the end.

Clean throughout.

[Jessie Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this last installment of the Billy trilogy, I did feel it was the weakest of the 3.

The novel chronicles the ups and downs of the couple's first year or 2 of married life. While there were some sweet moments, I felt that a lot of the conflict was a re-hash of the first 2 books, and Billy's seemingly increasing obsession with reading what the "experts" think about everything from cooking to baby-care made her annoying to me for the first time.

I did enjoy the cooking fiasco, though :D.

Recommend w/ reservations to fans of the previous Billy books.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this last installment of the Billy trilogy, I did feel it was the weakest of the 3.

The novel chronicles the ups and downs of the couple's first year or 2 of married life. While there were some sweet moments, I felt that a lot of the conflict was a re-hash of the first 2 books, and Billy's seemingly increasing obsession with reading what the "experts" think about everything from cooking to baby-care made her annoying to me for the first time.

I did enjoy the cooking fiasco, though :D.

Recommend w/ reservations to fans of the previous Billy books.

[Mary M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I started rereading this series with high hopes and fond memories. Thud. That was me falling back to earth. This is no longer going to be treasured in my mind.

That said, the book wasn't horrible, just not inspiring. The secondary characters really carry the work and keep things interesting. Loved Cecil and his boys. What probably should have/could have been pivotal (Bertie Jr. illness near end of book) took all of a paragraph while pages were devoted to far more mundane matters.

I would recommend it for fans of the period fiction but there's much better out there.

[Sita · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last of the Miss Billy books it has loses some its steam. Still entertaining but can't help feeling that this might work better as a different book altogether about the life of a newly married couple. Some bits I find annoying, the lack of communication between Billy and Betram were grating. I mean, can't you just say to your hubby, Yo hubby I feel.... But I guess that's the 'charm' or the difference in age.

Anyway, I like the first two a lot. This one is just ok.

[Maria do Socorro Baptista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma história de amor e do cotidiano de um jovem casal que enfrenta diversos percalços no inicio de sua vida de casados, com algumas narrativas secundárias interessantes. Gostei bastante.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is fun, but I get rather frustrated reading it since most of the problems in the story could be solved by the couple just communicating with each other.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the last book in the series, the constant miscommunication and tension it caused was driving me up the wall.

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the others. Billy appears a little crazy and unrealistic. However has some enjoyable moments.