Marjorie's Vacation

Marjorie Maynard #1

by Carolyn Wells

Ella's so fond of dress, said Mrs. Dunn, "that she jest don't hev time to bother with housekeepin'. So Hoopsy Topsy does it, and that's why we ain't so slick as we might be. But fer a child of eight, I must say Hoopsy Topsy does wonderful well."

Genres: Fiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Carolyn Wells was a prolific writer for over 40 years and was especially noted for her humor, and she was a frequent contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical pieces to such little magazines as Gelett Burgess' The Lark, the Chap Book, the Yellow Book, and the Philistine.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Cindy Sheeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book when I was 10, in an abandoned box of wonderful children's literature packed away in my Grandma's attic. I was mesmerized by the Marjory stories. They hauled me away to places I could never go. I just downloaded the free version on my daughter's Kindle. Fingers crossed that it delights her as well.....

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyper-prolific Carolyn Wells is mostly known for her mysteries these days, but her main outlet was girls' fiction.

In this, the first outing of the "Marjorie Maynard" series, Marjorie (age 12) is off to visit her grandmother's farm for the Summer. She makes friends with a tomboy and an shy, artsy girl, and various activities and misadventures ensue.

The order in which the series is read doesn't seem to matter (I read the fourth, first. The fourth was a bit better.)

On the bad side, Carolyn Wells is a bit of a snob.

On the good side, a lot of what the children do sounds fun. Wells describes in detail how Marjorie made a memory book, constructed a paper doll's house with her friend, and so on. It's like Pinterest for early 20th century girls' activities.

And, now that I've looked, I'm unsurprised to find that Wells wrote a series of activity books for children. Time to add a few more books to the to-read list!

ETA that either I didn't add these books, or they disappeared from Goodreads, and now, years later, I need to figure out what those books were and where they might be found. Past Me is again making life difficult for Current Me.

2nd edit: I've found Pleasant Day Diversions and Rainy Day Diversions, but I feel there might be something else.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Anne Shirley and Pollyanna, it seems, there was another spunky 11-year-old heroine: Marjorie Maynard. She has all the charm of similar early 20th-century main characters; it's such a tragedy that some of these books get forgotten to time. I'm thankful I happened to come across this one at an antique store.

This book was adorable from its first sentence, introducing Marjorie and her siblings as "a swingful of children" enjoying a lovely June day. The story then follows Marjorie as she spends the summer with her grandmother and Uncle Steve--a delightful coincidence for me the reader, as I also had an Uncle Steve who lived with my widowed grandmother. I had fun imagining Marjorie's relatives to resemble my own, although the similarities mostly ended at their names. Marjorie's Uncle Steve was much more imaginative than mine, and I enjoyed his amusing poetry that he claimed was written by various animals on the farm, as well as his birthday surprise for Marjorie wrapped in several boxes.

It's interesting to see how children filled their time over a century ago, long before television and computers. Perpetually hasty and reckless, Marjorie manages to get herself into some dangerous scrapes, usually with her friends Molly and Stella at her side. She's a perfect archetype of ADHD, for anyone who claims it didn't exist back then. I saw a lot of myself in her.

The girls' fun came to an abrupt end, leaving me wanting more. It was sad to watch Marjorie leave her family and friends in the final chapter after such an eventful summer.

I recommend this book to any fan of Anne of Green Gables or Pollyanna. I'd love to see a Marjorie movie someday, rather than remakes of other classics that have already been done to death. I'm thrilled to learn that this is a series, and can't wait to dive into more of Marjorie's adventures. I may check out Carolyn Wells' Patty Fairfield series as well.

[belva hullp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marjorie's Vacation by Carolyn Wells; (5*): (The Marjorie Books (1));

This, the first of the Marjorie Series, is an absolute wonder in books for the young to the young at heart. It is filled with hysterically funny escapades of Marjorie, who is spending the summer with her aunt, and her two neighboring girls. What trouble & terrors that do not find these 3, they find on their own.
I can't wait to get to the 2nd of the series. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and light

I liked it.. It was easy to follow. The characters were friendly home folks.who reminded.me.of my older relatives. Check it out!

[s a r a h]

I absolutely LOVED this book!