Preacher's Kids

by Grace Nies Fletcher

Memoir of life in Boston in the early 20th century by the daughter of a Methodist minister.

Genres: Biography Memoir

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Grace Nies Fletcher made her debut as an author at the age of seven, when some of her verses were published in the Springfield Republican. Her stories and articles appeared regularly in such national magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, McCall's, and the Woman's Home Companion. Her first book, written in collaboration with Bishop Fred Fisher, was a study of Gandhi.

Mrs. Fletcher was born in Townsend, Massachusetts and grew up in the parsonage of the New England Conference of the Methodist Church. After graduation from Boston University in 1917, she continued her studies at Ohio Wesleyan and Columbia Universities.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was published as part of the Readers' Digest books when I was a child. I remember my mom reading the abridged version to us. A couple of years ago, I was able to find a copy through a used book service and enjoyed it all over again. The story is biographical and tells the story of Grace Nies Fletcher who was the daughter of a Methodist minister in the 1930s (? dates may be wrong). The love of the family members for each other and their care for the members of the congregation (and the challenges of living in the gold fish bowl of the manse) offer great insight into better side of human nature. There are some descriptions that have stuck with me all of the 40 years since I first read this book such as the description of how Grace's parents encouraged her to read philosophy and well know classics and how she described other parents' use of children's literature as 'like cutting off their children's limbs to fit into a crib'. a sweet story with some sadness, but a great read when you need reassurance in human spirit.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderfully heartwarming story. This was an encouraging view of the American church community, moles and all, that made me proud to be a believer. However I must add as a warning that the story ended on a bittersweet, and very sad, note.

[Denise Ballentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found an original old copy with dust jacket at a library sale. Thought it would be a pretty hokey read, but was pleasently surprised. Enjoyed it greatly.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent autobiography, though it was slightly frustrating as parts of it weren't in order (ie: the author would talk about being 9, then 6 then 15, then 7, as if she's just thinking of things to write about and not putting them in the proper order). It surprisingly wasn't very heavy on the religion/preaching until nearer to the end. A decent novel about a family growing up around the turn of the 20th century.