After inheriting a small-town general store, seventeen-year-old Libby Watson--with her father and siblings--moves to Edgewood, Illinois, to become the town's postmistress, quickly becomes caught up in the lives of its residents, and finds herself with two ardent suitors
Prairie Rose is a sweet, adventurous, and meaningful tale akin to the classics! It made me think of Christy and perhaps the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series. My second time reading it, I quite enjoyed. Though a little slow at times - or wrapped up in politics or legal matters that I couldn't really bring myself to care about - I still count it a worthy read and love some of these characters even more after an additional read! Elizabeth, Libby, is a lovely character. Kindhearted and ambitious, yet temper-headed and flawed. She's real and I like that. I look forward to watching her grow and blossom as her journey continues in the next couple books of the PRAIRIE ROSE series!
And, I must admit, I'm very invested in the thought of which young man she will choose. I know who I like best! *laughs* Even if I was bored at times, Prairie Rose sucked me into this historical setting and into the lives of these unique characters. And I'm happy to report that I'm reading and loving book two, As the Lily Grows!
I have to start by saying that my late Grandma gave me this book and its sequel as gifts several years ago, and she left a note in the book explaining why she loved it (it takes place around the time her parents grew up). Part of me wishes I had read these books while she was still alive so that we could have discussed them, but the other part is happy to have read it now because reading her note and the book felt like a gift from the afterlife. So I may have gone into this story with a bit of a sentimental bias.
"I'd like to write things that give people...well...a vacation," says the protagonist, Libby Watson. If that was an autobiographical statement, I feel like Kirby succeeded. It was such a nice break from some of the more serious and depressing books I've been reading that I was always eager to come back to this early 20th-century Midwestern town. (It did take me several months to get through, but that was primarily because I couldn't find an audio version, and I have so little time to sit down and read these days.)
I've realized I love reading books like this that feature a small town where everyone seems to know everyone, and the drama is very realistic drama about personalities clashing and people with basically decent hearts doing things they maybe know are wrong but can't help themselves. I find the resolution of such dramas sometimes enlightening and always satisfying. Reminds me of Elizabeth Berg's Mason series (The Story of Arthur Truluv). I'd love to read more like these—let me know if you have any suggestions!
The front book blurb compared this to one of my favorite books, Christy by Catherine Marshall, so I had to pick it up. I can see where the comparison stems from, but this seems a much more simple version. A young girl, striking off on her own, being challenged to grow in her faith, and with a couple potential suitors. Perhaps something I would have enjoyed in high school.
There were a lot of characters and I was only just beginning to get a handle on them by the end.
I believe this book is part of a trilogy or series, but I don't really desire to continue with this story.