Promises in the Attic

by Elisabeth Hamilton Friermood

Virginia (known as Ginger) O'Neal, who- like many of her age- envisions for herself a literary career. The place is Dayton- the time, 1913, when the disastrous flood occurred. Ginger's high spirit and healthy narcissism make her somewhat oblivious to the actual world around her, and she retreats into a phantom world as she spins out unlikely tales of romance and fancy. It takes disaster and enforced retreat to the attic of her inundated home to make her wake up to herself and bring into focus the realities of which books should be made.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

American author and public librarian in Indiana and Ohio.

Friermood was educated at Northwestern University, and the University of Wisconsin. She married Harold T. Friermood, in 1928 and they had a daughter, Libby.

Reviews

[Chelsea]

A great, old fashioned story! I imagine some people may consider it outdated, but I loved reading about Ginger's daily life. I learned a lot about the devastating flood that occurred in Dayton, Ohio during 1913. I wanted to cry when the Judson family was almost killed. The author did a wonderful job of describing the despair Ginger and her grandpa felt when they witnessed the rescue boat capsize. I was overjoyed when I learned they survived. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Friermood!

[Diana]

I originally read this book when I was 10 years old. The book was given to me by the author, Elizabeth Hamilton Friermood. We belonged to the same church in Mt. Vernon, NY. Every year the church had a Mother - Daughter luncheon and Mrs Friermood would take one girl to the luncheon. My Mother worked so Mrs Friermood took me. She was so nice and gave me a signed copy of this book, her latest. I loved the story and loved spending time with a real author…Just magical!

[Patricia]

I loved this book as a child and as an adult. When I had a young teenage daughter we read it together and then together we went on our own "tour" of downtown Dayton, getting out and walking over the bridge and also driving to some of the main places mentioned in the book. My two grandmothers used to talk to me regarding their experiences in the Dayton flood and those along with the book made the time very real to me. It is a history that all Daytonians should know and the book is very informative as well as exciting.

[Melodie]

Loved this book when I was a kid. Was interesting to read about the great 1913 flood in Dayton, OH, where I grew up. There was always a story told in my husband's family about his grandfather stealing a horse to get home when the waters were starting to rise in downtown Dayton. I read this again as an adult and it held up well.

[Terry Caruthers]

This is one of the treasured books from my youth, discovered on a library shelf in the early 1970s. I was attracted by the title and a spine image that featured a young couple skating. On the book cover, an attractive young women in period dress sat in a wooden chair at a small table with a typewriter. Floating above her were the images of what she was writing. The paperback cover of this book is a sad representation of what this book is about. I've probably read it at least a dozen times since discovering that day in the school library.

Virginia O'Neal envisions a literary career. But when Ginger--as the family calls her--ends up being trapped in the attic with her grandfather when the Miami River floods Dayton Ohio in 1913, the young girl re-evaluates her dream of becoming a famous author.

[Vic Lauterbach]

This was a re-read. I found the paperback during a bookcase reorganization. My parents had the hardback edition which I read back in high school. I only remembered the chapters about the actual flood, so the rest of the book seemed new. This short novel has a YA fiction 'feel,' but it's very well done. As a Dayton area resident, I found the period detail fascinating. Ms. Friermood tells a story that inspires without being preachy or overly sentimental, and one that is true to its time and setting.

[Jan]

Definitely a four and a half star book. The history is fascinating, the 1913 Dayton Ohio flood was devastating. The heroine, Ginger, is engaging and the hero, Red, is near perfect. It's not exactly a romance but it's very close.

Besides the time period, there were several things reminiscent of the Betsy-Tacy high School books. That's always a compliment coming from me.

[Dana]

I spent a fair third of the book wanting to smack Ginger upside the head, but otherwise enjoyed this account of the Dayton flood.

[Ariana]

This is a great historical fiction about the Dayton Flood of 1913. I was surprised to read how quickly the waters rose in Dayton homes. The impact came swiftly and must have been terrifying. 467 people were killed and over 40,000 homes were flooded. I loved reading how the city of Dayton came together after the flood to care for one another and to rebuild the city.


There are some gender stereotypes that bothered me, but they may have been included because of the time period. Altogether, though, I truly enjoyed this book.

[Jessica]

I read this book in grade school and have been trying to find it for years. I decided to look it up with some keywords today and was very excited to find it! I also found a copy of it in our library system, and I'm going to check it out :)

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

This was a surprisingly good read about a teenage girl (an aspiring writer) who, along with her family, survives the flood of Dayton, Ohio, in 1913.

[Haley Rue]

Good book, especially if you live in Dayton Ohio, I've never read it myself, my 7th grade teacher read it to us, but still, very good.

[Kari]

This was one of the good old books that our tiny library had when I first moved to a new town; after 3 more years there was a big new library with nothing any better to read. This is great.

[Davidoreen]

Still remember this book from reading it approx 30 years ago!

[Jan Morrow]

The publication date cannot be correct. I read this book for the first time in 5th or 6th grade and reread it many times after. That was well before 1975. I loved she was a writer, she had an attic (always wanted one of those), and she prevailed despite life-threatening conditions. Now that I see Friermood's other titles, I know I read some of the others but none stuck with me as this one did.