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They Loved to Laugh
Tears and laughter alternate in this novel of a young girl's growth to womanhood in the 1830s.
16-year-old orphan Martitia Howland has been transplanted into a Quaker farm family of five intimidating sons and one disapproving daughter. As Martitia runs their gauntlet, she suffers their teasing but finally begins to bloom. Valiantly she acquires the skills they expect of her, and discovers other gifts all her own. Her achievements earn respect in the end and more, her heart's true love.
16-year-old orphan Martitia Howland has been transplanted into a Quaker farm family of five intimidating sons and one disapproving daughter. As Martitia runs their gauntlet, she suffers their teasing but finally begins to bloom. Valiantly she acquires the skills they expect of her, and discovers other gifts all her own. Her achievements earn respect in the end and more, her heart's true love.
254 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
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About the author
Kathryn Worth
6 books30 followersFrom NCpedia:
Kathryn Worth, writer, was born at the family summer cottage at Wrightsville Beach, the youngest of three children of James Spencer (1869–1900) and Josephine McBryde Worth. Her brother was David Gaston Worth II, her sister Frances McBryde Worth. The Worths were English Quakers who went to North Carolina in 1771 from Nantucket, Mass. The McBrydes moved into the Laurinburg area about 1788 from Argylshire, Scotland. Kathryn Worth's maternal grandfather was Duncan D. McBryde, a prominent Presbyterian preacher; her great-grandfather on her father's side was Governor Jonathan Worth. In 1905 the James Worths moved from Wilmington to Davidson, and during 1910–12 they were in Europe, where the three children attended private schools in Geneva and Neuchâtel.
Kathryn Worth was graduated from Converse College in 1920 and, after a period of teaching and writing, did graduate work at Radcliffe College in 1922; she received a bachelor of letters from the Pulitzer School of Journalism, Columbia University, in 1923. Soon she began publishing in national periodicals. On 27 July 1927 she married Walter Clyde Curry, professor of English at Vanderbilt University, and made her home in Nashville, Tenn. After the birth of her only child, Josephine (Mrs. Harold McNatt), her writing activity increased, with hundreds of poems appearing in a wide variety of publications. Sign of Capricornus (1937) is a book of poetry in which, she said, she "attempted to interpret metaphysically and intellectually the half world of very young childhood, as I have observed it in my daughter," who, at age eight, "memorized the poems as they were written; and though she does not wholly understand their meaning, she is very proud of them."
When Josephine asked her mother for a book she could "understand" as well as "memorize," Kathryn Worth wrote The Middle Button (1941), a juvenile novel using as its setting the Cumberland County home (Linden) of her mother's people and narrating the story of a Scottish girl in 1883 who wants to become a doctor. They Loved to Laugh (1942) recalls the Guilford County boyhood of Governor Worth in 1831–33, its central character a shy girl among five boys in a household of thrifty, fun-loving Quakers. After Poems for Josephine (1943), a collection of verses for children, came New Worlds for Josie (1944), a juvenile novel of two American sisters in a Geneva boarding school. Sea Change (1948), a love story for teenagers, comes to grips with religious prejudice on the Carolina seacoast in 1893; in it a southern girl decides to accept the attentions of an attractive Irish Catholic boy who had come to an unfriendly region to help in the building of a bridge.
Kathryn Worth was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. She was buried in the churchyard of Dials Church, near Fountain Inn, S.C
Kathryn Worth, writer, was born at the family summer cottage at Wrightsville Beach, the youngest of three children of James Spencer (1869–1900) and Josephine McBryde Worth. Her brother was David Gaston Worth II, her sister Frances McBryde Worth. The Worths were English Quakers who went to North Carolina in 1771 from Nantucket, Mass. The McBrydes moved into the Laurinburg area about 1788 from Argylshire, Scotland. Kathryn Worth's maternal grandfather was Duncan D. McBryde, a prominent Presbyterian preacher; her great-grandfather on her father's side was Governor Jonathan Worth. In 1905 the James Worths moved from Wilmington to Davidson, and during 1910–12 they were in Europe, where the three children attended private schools in Geneva and Neuchâtel.
Kathryn Worth was graduated from Converse College in 1920 and, after a period of teaching and writing, did graduate work at Radcliffe College in 1922; she received a bachelor of letters from the Pulitzer School of Journalism, Columbia University, in 1923. Soon she began publishing in national periodicals. On 27 July 1927 she married Walter Clyde Curry, professor of English at Vanderbilt University, and made her home in Nashville, Tenn. After the birth of her only child, Josephine (Mrs. Harold McNatt), her writing activity increased, with hundreds of poems appearing in a wide variety of publications. Sign of Capricornus (1937) is a book of poetry in which, she said, she "attempted to interpret metaphysically and intellectually the half world of very young childhood, as I have observed it in my daughter," who, at age eight, "memorized the poems as they were written; and though she does not wholly understand their meaning, she is very proud of them."
When Josephine asked her mother for a book she could "understand" as well as "memorize," Kathryn Worth wrote The Middle Button (1941), a juvenile novel using as its setting the Cumberland County home (Linden) of her mother's people and narrating the story of a Scottish girl in 1883 who wants to become a doctor. They Loved to Laugh (1942) recalls the Guilford County boyhood of Governor Worth in 1831–33, its central character a shy girl among five boys in a household of thrifty, fun-loving Quakers. After Poems for Josephine (1943), a collection of verses for children, came New Worlds for Josie (1944), a juvenile novel of two American sisters in a Geneva boarding school. Sea Change (1948), a love story for teenagers, comes to grips with religious prejudice on the Carolina seacoast in 1893; in it a southern girl decides to accept the attentions of an attractive Irish Catholic boy who had come to an unfriendly region to help in the building of a bridge.
Kathryn Worth was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. She was buried in the churchyard of Dials Church, near Fountain Inn, S.C
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November 7, 2022
I'm going to tell you the ending so that it's *NOT* spoiled.
That sounds a bit backwards, but with a proper heads up and in the right context, you'll actually appreciate the ending more. It is a sweet ending, after all.
Martitia is a sixteen-year-old orphan that goes to live with the lively Gardner family who have five boys and one daughter still living at home. Saddened by the recent death of her parents and her very different upbringing from that of the Quaker family's, Martitia finds herself struggling to fit in. After a few hard lessons and a change of heart, Martitia not only fits in but comes to love her adopted family.
And yes, there is romance in the air. With five strapping young men and a sixteen-year-old girl, don't tell me you didn't see that coming; so I'm not spoiling anything here. *wink
But what I will 'spoil' is how Martitia wakes up one night near the window after dozing and sees hundreds of stars falling from the sky. Alarmed, she runs downstairs, saying that the world is coming to an end. The family sits up all night in rocking chairs on the front porch, gazing at the starry spectacle and awaiting their fate, Quaker style. (I thought that was rather a silly thing to think and just chocked it up to a cheesy scene on the author's part).
The author did mention a specific date though, November 13th, 1833, so I looked it up and it actually happened! The skies across the United States were lit up by thousands of meteors and many people did think the world might be ending. Here's the article I read.
So I share that last bit because it actually wasn't cheesy, but historical, and it does play a sweet role in the ending of this simple, romantic story.
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: a couple times a boy and girl hold hands. There is a kiss. A man thinks the word "d*mmit."
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
That sounds a bit backwards, but with a proper heads up and in the right context, you'll actually appreciate the ending more. It is a sweet ending, after all.
Martitia is a sixteen-year-old orphan that goes to live with the lively Gardner family who have five boys and one daughter still living at home. Saddened by the recent death of her parents and her very different upbringing from that of the Quaker family's, Martitia finds herself struggling to fit in. After a few hard lessons and a change of heart, Martitia not only fits in but comes to love her adopted family.
And yes, there is romance in the air. With five strapping young men and a sixteen-year-old girl, don't tell me you didn't see that coming; so I'm not spoiling anything here. *wink
But what I will 'spoil' is how Martitia wakes up one night near the window after dozing and sees hundreds of stars falling from the sky. Alarmed, she runs downstairs, saying that the world is coming to an end. The family sits up all night in rocking chairs on the front porch, gazing at the starry spectacle and awaiting their fate, Quaker style. (I thought that was rather a silly thing to think and just chocked it up to a cheesy scene on the author's part).
The author did mention a specific date though, November 13th, 1833, so I looked it up and it actually happened! The skies across the United States were lit up by thousands of meteors and many people did think the world might be ending. Here's the article I read.
So I share that last bit because it actually wasn't cheesy, but historical, and it does play a sweet role in the ending of this simple, romantic story.
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: a couple times a boy and girl hold hands. There is a kiss. A man thinks the word "d*mmit."
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
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May 5, 2020An old-fashioned children's book, very didactic, my kind of thing.
March 2, 2013
I wanted to like this, but I just didn't. Something about the writing style and characterization just felt really off.
I found the main character, Martitia, to be a rather insipid protagonist. She was almost like a programmed robot at times. She never seems to know her own mind or figure things out very easily. There was never really any deep insight into what she was thinking or feeling and the characterization felt too simple and shallow. Despite the fact that the book starts out when she's sixteen, everything about her makes her sound much younger. She's even referred to as "the girl" or "the child." I can't really blame her for not getting some of the pranks that were played on her, though. I thought some of those seemed just kind of mean.
There is a lot of archaic language in this, and, consequently, I found much of the dialogue to sound rather stilted. It may have been accurate to the way people talked back then, but for me it just weighed down the story rather than adding to it. There were also quite a few sexist and condescendingly chauvinistic passages. For example:
I found the main character, Martitia, to be a rather insipid protagonist. She was almost like a programmed robot at times. She never seems to know her own mind or figure things out very easily. There was never really any deep insight into what she was thinking or feeling and the characterization felt too simple and shallow. Despite the fact that the book starts out when she's sixteen, everything about her makes her sound much younger. She's even referred to as "the girl" or "the child." I can't really blame her for not getting some of the pranks that were played on her, though. I thought some of those seemed just kind of mean.
There is a lot of archaic language in this, and, consequently, I found much of the dialogue to sound rather stilted. It may have been accurate to the way people talked back then, but for me it just weighed down the story rather than adding to it. There were also quite a few sexist and condescendingly chauvinistic passages. For example:
“‘Woman, you are too keen-eyed. You must not read a man’s mind like that. Go back to your pots and pans. I begin to grow hungry for my midday meal’” (147).Don't even get me started on that last quote. There is just so much wrong with it.
"Don’t worry your pretty little noodle about farming matters, child” (205).
“Martitia looked confused.
Dr. David pinched her cheek. ‘You are too pretty to understand large questions like slavery, child. It takes learned females like Sarah to think on such matters. But between you and me, I like females to be handsome rather than intellectual. Sarah’s nose is too large.’
Martitia felt comforted” (183).
April 16, 2021
After her mother dies, shy orphan Martitia is given a home by a lively and affectionate Quaker family in North Carolina. The brothers tease her to death while their sister resents Martitia's delicate white hands and lack of housekeeping skills. Yet it will be an unexpected talent of Martitia's (along with hard work) that saves the family fortunes!
November 17, 2009
I read this book when I was young and just loved it. It reminded me of the two books by Louisa May Alcott, Eight Cousins and Rose In Bloom. This story just warms my heart.
August 24, 2017
This book is 2nd or 3rd on our top five list - absolutely wonderful!
Synopsis: Martitia's parents are dead, and she is alone in the world. Doctor David Gardiner, who attended her parents in their last hours, takes her home until her relatives can arrange for her care. But Doctor David's family is unlike anything Martitia has ever encountered before. Will she make the necessary adjustments to become part of their household, or will she retreat to the home of her cold uncle and uncaring aunt?
What we loved:
Where do you begin? The whole storyline is so charming, and the writing is so incredibly historical, to the very language of the narrator. You really feel like you have been plunged into the early 19th century American South.
What we hated:
There's too many good guys in this story! You almost don't know who to root for at some point. But that's always a good problem!
What made us laugh:
The Gardiner boys are the funniest set of brothers ever! From the pranks they use to greet Martitia to Addison's wiggling ears, they are just sheer fun!
What made us cry (edited to protect the innocent who are unable to resist spoilers):
Warnings and Caveats: NONE!
Synopsis: Martitia's parents are dead, and she is alone in the world. Doctor David Gardiner, who attended her parents in their last hours, takes her home until her relatives can arrange for her care. But Doctor David's family is unlike anything Martitia has ever encountered before. Will she make the necessary adjustments to become part of their household, or will she retreat to the home of her cold uncle and uncaring aunt?
What we loved:
Where do you begin? The whole storyline is so charming, and the writing is so incredibly historical, to the very language of the narrator. You really feel like you have been plunged into the early 19th century American South.
What we hated:
There's too many good guys in this story! You almost don't know who to root for at some point. But that's always a good problem!
What made us laugh:
The Gardiner boys are the funniest set of brothers ever! From the pranks they use to greet Martitia to Addison's wiggling ears, they are just sheer fun!
What made us cry (edited to protect the innocent who are unable to resist spoilers):
Warnings and Caveats: NONE!
December 5, 2015
I've cried during a lot of books. I started reading this and thought it would be sweet, relaxing, and entertaining. By the end I was sobbing. (And it wasn't because I was sick of the book, lol).
The funny thing I'm still not quite sure why this book touched me so deeply. It's entertaining for sure, but it's not just entertaining. There's a strong message underneath that speaks of kindness, love and devotion to God. The romance was heartbreaking for me because there was a death, and simple, small things that lead back to the memory of the deceased really stung me inside. It was subtle, but powerful.
I felt myself encouraged, inspired, and very moved when I finished reading. I wasn't expecting to have such a response, and I am still surprised I did respond the way I did. I mean, I should have been laughing at the end!
"You could win anything in the world you chose if you set yourself to try for it" ~ They Loved to Laugh
Below is the review I wrote for school. I thought I'd just add it into my Goodreads review :)
Recently orphaned Martita comes to stay with a Quaker family who have agreed to take her in, and immediately falls victim to pranks played on her by the boys of the family. The boys are determined to make her laugh, but at first Martita refuses to see anything funny about them and grows lonely. One of the boys, Clarkson, falls in love with her and after he dies, Martita feels terrible guilt that she never returned his feelings. When the family are not able to afford to send their eldest son, Jonathan, to law school, Martita grows silk from silkworms to raise the money. Jonathan and Martita finally admit they love each other, and marry.
They Loved to Laugh is a touching, beautifully written tale which I found wonderfully entertaining. It presents likeable and realistic characters in an understanding conflict and pulls forth human emotions and an indepth response. It portrays different romances that the reader comes to care about, and characters that grow in the reader’s heart as well as mind.
I think Worth meant for this book to be a deep look into family romance and self image. I think she presented these topics reasonably and passionately. She kept the reader gripped and entertained while dealing with issues under the surface that could have been cheesy or unrealistic in another story.
While the book was thoroughly enjoyable and well written, I also found some things that I didn’t quite agree with, or find assuring. The very title I actually find offensive, and the concept that follows it throughout the book. While I agree that people should be able to laugh at themselves, some of the things Martita faced on account of the boys’ pranks did not call for laughter, but instead punishment for the boys. I felt like the author could have been more on Martita’s side and actually made clear that some pranks were just pain unkind and unfair, and should not have gone without punishment and justice.
This book was simple and heart warming. It was well written and entertaining. I definitely recommend it.
The funny thing I'm still not quite sure why this book touched me so deeply. It's entertaining for sure, but it's not just entertaining. There's a strong message underneath that speaks of kindness, love and devotion to God. The romance was heartbreaking for me because there was a death, and simple, small things that lead back to the memory of the deceased really stung me inside. It was subtle, but powerful.
I felt myself encouraged, inspired, and very moved when I finished reading. I wasn't expecting to have such a response, and I am still surprised I did respond the way I did. I mean, I should have been laughing at the end!
"You could win anything in the world you chose if you set yourself to try for it" ~ They Loved to Laugh
Below is the review I wrote for school. I thought I'd just add it into my Goodreads review :)
Recently orphaned Martita comes to stay with a Quaker family who have agreed to take her in, and immediately falls victim to pranks played on her by the boys of the family. The boys are determined to make her laugh, but at first Martita refuses to see anything funny about them and grows lonely. One of the boys, Clarkson, falls in love with her and after he dies, Martita feels terrible guilt that she never returned his feelings. When the family are not able to afford to send their eldest son, Jonathan, to law school, Martita grows silk from silkworms to raise the money. Jonathan and Martita finally admit they love each other, and marry.
They Loved to Laugh is a touching, beautifully written tale which I found wonderfully entertaining. It presents likeable and realistic characters in an understanding conflict and pulls forth human emotions and an indepth response. It portrays different romances that the reader comes to care about, and characters that grow in the reader’s heart as well as mind.
I think Worth meant for this book to be a deep look into family romance and self image. I think she presented these topics reasonably and passionately. She kept the reader gripped and entertained while dealing with issues under the surface that could have been cheesy or unrealistic in another story.
While the book was thoroughly enjoyable and well written, I also found some things that I didn’t quite agree with, or find assuring. The very title I actually find offensive, and the concept that follows it throughout the book. While I agree that people should be able to laugh at themselves, some of the things Martita faced on account of the boys’ pranks did not call for laughter, but instead punishment for the boys. I felt like the author could have been more on Martita’s side and actually made clear that some pranks were just pain unkind and unfair, and should not have gone without punishment and justice.
This book was simple and heart warming. It was well written and entertaining. I definitely recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2021
Martitia, recently orphaned, is not thrilled about staying with her parent's doctor, and even less thrilled when she meets his five jokester sons and unwelcoming daughter. Still, while waiting for news from her only living relative, an aunt in a different state, Martitia must learn to accept the Gardners.
Slowly, Martitia begins learning to shake off the boy's constant pranks, and tries to understand that Ruth is kindhearted inside her cold exterior. When the letter from her aunt comes, calling Martitia to her home, Martitia realizes that she is not as eager to leave the family she has come to love as she thought. Her future is finally in her hands, so what should she choose?
I had a very hard time rating this book. If I was rating for how much I enjoyed the book, it would be a definite five star. However, the plot is a little mixed up at times, and I would only give that a three. Do I recommend it? Absolutely!! Is it well written? Yeah! Is the plot well put together? Um... not so much. In the beginning, before they said Martitia was 16, I thought she was no older than 12 by the way she was acting. She seemed to grow up further along, but not a great start. I also wish we could have seen inside her heart more, because we knew what the boys thought, but nothing about her interior reaction until the very end. That's the best I can explain it without spoiling anything lol.
Slowly, Martitia begins learning to shake off the boy's constant pranks, and tries to understand that Ruth is kindhearted inside her cold exterior. When the letter from her aunt comes, calling Martitia to her home, Martitia realizes that she is not as eager to leave the family she has come to love as she thought. Her future is finally in her hands, so what should she choose?
I had a very hard time rating this book. If I was rating for how much I enjoyed the book, it would be a definite five star. However, the plot is a little mixed up at times, and I would only give that a three. Do I recommend it? Absolutely!! Is it well written? Yeah! Is the plot well put together? Um... not so much. In the beginning, before they said Martitia was 16, I thought she was no older than 12 by the way she was acting. She seemed to grow up further along, but not a great start. I also wish we could have seen inside her heart more, because we knew what the boys thought, but nothing about her interior reaction until the very end. That's the best I can explain it without spoiling anything lol.
March 17, 2008
A truly delightful read. I cry every time I go through Martitia's trials with her, and as I see her grow through adversity. But I also laugh with her. The portrait Worth painted of life in rural North Carolina seems difficult but less harsh than some of the pioneer accounts, and it contains gems of wisdom for how to live life, to work hard and to love. The cover is a little weird, but don't let that put you off. Keep reading, because the scenes with Martitia and the silk worms are incredible. We hardly ever think about where our clothing comes from these days, and it's eye-opening to see what our forebears sacrificed for the simple necessities of life.
October 14, 2023
Honestly it completely surprises me that people like this book. I filled a page and a half of things I couldn't stand about this book. Then I lost it, so let's try to see if I can remember some of the worst parts of it all...
For one,
Then, the pranks they play. I don't understand why you would laugh when someone dumps you in a creek, after they lie about leeches and snakes in the water. Though whya 16-year-old believed them is confusing. Makes her look really dumb.
So many unrealistic, awkward, stilted things about the characters. Addison abruptly leaves the meal to do cartwheels. When Jonathan pours the water on Martitia's feet, thinking fsr that would make her laugh (why would that make someone laugh?), she tells him to stop and his reaction is to stand on his head. Then he gets up and continues, as if nothing has happened. I find it awkwardly weird and I would be very very uncomfortable if I were Martitia. I was uncomfortable just reading about it.
When she gets the letter from her uncle and she's sad about leaving (why is she sad? I've seen no improvement in her, and she doesn't seem like she's ready to laugh at all...she seems just the same as when she arrived only now she says they're like family), her uncle calls her and is talking to her in private. He tells her it's her decision and she's like "wow, really?" (which is odd -- I thought it was a no-brainer. Who else would make that decision?) and then she's like yay I want to stay and so her uncle is like ok if you want to stay go write a letter to your aunt asking if she can stay. Wait, huh? I thought you said it was Martitia's decision!
Then she goes inside and Eunice says that Jonathan left his ink for her in case she wants to write a letter and Martitia is like "why did he leave ink? does he want me to leave so he's leaving ink so that I can tell my aunt to come get me or is he leaving ink so that I will tell her I want to stay?" instead of thinking maybe he's simply leaving ink in case she wants to write a letter! Martitia reads into things and is a chronic over-thinker. Made me cringe the entire book.
Ruth's constant "every tub must stand on its own bottom" drives me insane.
Dr. David's weird misogyny - he says he likes pretty instead of intellectual and Sarah has a big nose. This isn't an either/or. Girls aren't one or the other, they can be both.
Dr. David totally excuses the pranks that go beyond pranks. He just laughs it off with a "boys will be boys" attitude and comes across as childish and immature. What's worse is how gullible Martitia is - when they act like she's poisoned them with her bread, fsr she believes them. It makes it extremely hard to believe she's 16 years old.
Martitia's parents just died and Martitia isn't a family member so take compassion on her - stop expecting her to do the household chores and to be able to discern what is a prank and what is true. The adults in this book are atrocious. I don't understand how Martitia comes to love them. I would want to get away from them as soon as possible.
When she writes back to her aunt (the one who doesn't love her at all and the one Martitia doesn't know well, says Martitia), she starts talking about the family for some reason (as if her aunt would be interested). Oh wait, not the entire family - just her crushes, Clarkson and Jonathan (which is not-very-subtle foreshadowing...it's subtlety with a capital B and isn't very believable). But she changes from saying thanks but no thanks I want to stay here to describing her love interests. And the way she describes them is so awkward.
When she does know, why doesn't she go ahead and tell him? And when she does know, it's like two chapters away from the end. You'd think that if she were going to decide who to go with it, it would be obvious to her that she should pick Clarkson since she's not afraid of him.
Another thing that doesn't make any sense is how she can be that bad at spelling and be sixteen. I was a better speller when I was eight. It just gives the impression that Martitia is an extremely uneducated, immature dunce and is incredibly hard to relate to.
Wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
For one,
Then, the pranks they play. I don't understand why you would laugh when someone dumps you in a creek, after they lie about leeches and snakes in the water. Though whya 16-year-old believed them is confusing. Makes her look really dumb.
So many unrealistic, awkward, stilted things about the characters. Addison abruptly leaves the meal to do cartwheels. When Jonathan pours the water on Martitia's feet, thinking fsr that would make her laugh (why would that make someone laugh?), she tells him to stop and his reaction is to stand on his head. Then he gets up and continues, as if nothing has happened. I find it awkwardly weird and I would be very very uncomfortable if I were Martitia. I was uncomfortable just reading about it.
When she gets the letter from her uncle and she's sad about leaving (why is she sad? I've seen no improvement in her, and she doesn't seem like she's ready to laugh at all...she seems just the same as when she arrived only now she says they're like family), her uncle calls her and is talking to her in private. He tells her it's her decision and she's like "wow, really?" (which is odd -- I thought it was a no-brainer. Who else would make that decision?) and then she's like yay I want to stay and so her uncle is like ok if you want to stay go write a letter to your aunt asking if she can stay. Wait, huh? I thought you said it was Martitia's decision!
Then she goes inside and Eunice says that Jonathan left his ink for her in case she wants to write a letter and Martitia is like "why did he leave ink? does he want me to leave so he's leaving ink so that I can tell my aunt to come get me or is he leaving ink so that I will tell her I want to stay?" instead of thinking maybe he's simply leaving ink in case she wants to write a letter! Martitia reads into things and is a chronic over-thinker. Made me cringe the entire book.
Ruth's constant "every tub must stand on its own bottom" drives me insane.
Dr. David's weird misogyny - he says he likes pretty instead of intellectual and Sarah has a big nose. This isn't an either/or. Girls aren't one or the other, they can be both.
Dr. David totally excuses the pranks that go beyond pranks. He just laughs it off with a "boys will be boys" attitude and comes across as childish and immature. What's worse is how gullible Martitia is - when they act like she's poisoned them with her bread, fsr she believes them. It makes it extremely hard to believe she's 16 years old.
Martitia's parents just died and Martitia isn't a family member so take compassion on her - stop expecting her to do the household chores and to be able to discern what is a prank and what is true. The adults in this book are atrocious. I don't understand how Martitia comes to love them. I would want to get away from them as soon as possible.
When she writes back to her aunt (the one who doesn't love her at all and the one Martitia doesn't know well, says Martitia), she starts talking about the family for some reason (as if her aunt would be interested). Oh wait, not the entire family - just her crushes, Clarkson and Jonathan (which is not-very-subtle foreshadowing...it's subtlety with a capital B and isn't very believable). But she changes from saying thanks but no thanks I want to stay here to describing her love interests. And the way she describes them is so awkward.
Clarkson is the kindest and the most handsume. Jonathan is the cleverest one. I am afraid of Jonathan.It's weird to me that she would tell her aunt - yes, the one she doesn't know very well and doesn't love - that she is afraid of one of them. And that she doesn't describe anyone but the two she likes. She's also REALLY abrupt and talking about her crushes like a little kid. Except that she doesn't know whether she likes Jonathan or whether she's scared of him, fsr. Girl, if you scared of someone, why would you think you like him.
When she does know, why doesn't she go ahead and tell him? And when she does know, it's like two chapters away from the end. You'd think that if she were going to decide who to go with it, it would be obvious to her that she should pick Clarkson since she's not afraid of him.
Another thing that doesn't make any sense is how she can be that bad at spelling and be sixteen. I was a better speller when I was eight. It just gives the impression that Martitia is an extremely uneducated, immature dunce and is incredibly hard to relate to.
Wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
September 1, 2024
This has a few spoilers in it so I wouldn't read it unless you've read the book
About this book it is about a young girl whose parents died and she must live with the doctor who took care of her parents before they had died. He has several Sons who as soon as she came to their home threw apples at her she! was not very pleased with their teasing until one of them comes to her after making fun of the way she cooked in a very interesting way and apologize and said he would not tease her anymore. the oldest son Jonathan didn't tease her as much as the rest of them Clarkson it
her love interest through most of it but then a very sad plot twist happens and in the end...
Read the book to find out!
PS I like Jonathan better than Clarkson
About this book it is about a young girl whose parents died and she must live with the doctor who took care of her parents before they had died. He has several Sons who as soon as she came to their home threw apples at her she! was not very pleased with their teasing until one of them comes to her after making fun of the way she cooked in a very interesting way and apologize and said he would not tease her anymore. the oldest son Jonathan didn't tease her as much as the rest of them Clarkson it
her love interest through most of it but then a very sad plot twist happens and in the end...
Read the book to find out!
PS I like Jonathan better than Clarkson
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2012
Sweet little historical fiction read that I ran across on accident. One of the things that fascinated me personally was the mention of one of their neighbors, Nathan Coffin, in Guilford County, NC. Turns out this Quaker family was acquainted with some of my ancestors, which added an extra level of interest for me.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
September 5, 2017P. 60, checked reviews again to see if I needed to keep going. Read this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and decided that it is indeed time to DNF the thing. I should like it, but I don't. Boys & Ruth too mean, Martitia too childish, not enough about Quakers, Eunice doesn't even act like one. Bleah.
September 10, 2010
This was my favorite book ever when I was young.
August 28, 2025
They Love to Laugh has been a favorite of mine since I first read it as a young girl, and re-reading it now has only made me love it more.
November 20, 2007
A very simple and moving book, about a Quaker family in an earlier American day. A young girl loses her parents and is taken in by the family of the doctor who had been with them as they died. The doctor's family is Quaker, though the mother and grandfather are the only ones who truly cling to the strong and strict form of their religion. There are five boys who seem huge and overpowering to the small and solemn girl when she first arrives at their home, the more so for their great and frequent laughter than their actual statures. They are all full of spirit and zest for life, and in their home she learns a great many lessons, and new skills. It has many very moving parts; the characters feel deeply although the book is written in a very straightforward manner. It is a very interesting and worthwhile read!
October 11, 2015
I love this book! Yes, it is old fashioned and contains some very old fashioned ideas. But the story of a family that accepted an orphan into their midst as their own and teach her to laugh is one that never grows old. One thing, as reading it as an adult, you notice things you didn't notice before.
You realize that this family knew loss and heartache. Yet, they were able to laugh, tease, and sometimes torment each other while showing love. This is set before the time of the War between the states, I believe. I have the old, original edition, not the one shown in the picture.
You realize that this family knew loss and heartache. Yet, they were able to laugh, tease, and sometimes torment each other while showing love. This is set before the time of the War between the states, I believe. I have the old, original edition, not the one shown in the picture.
November 23, 2012
Since I can't remember anything except that I know I read it about 50 years ago, I'll be neutral!
December 29, 2014
A wonderful book portraying a loving Quaker family, in the 1800's, and the shy relative they took in, who "doesn't laugh". Delightful, with humor and a happy ending!
January 30, 2016
Very dated. Very 1950s middle school grades. All girls should learn housekeeping in order to catch a man and marry.
January 7, 2021
This was such a sweet book. Certainly there were some things that were frustrating to my 21st century sensibilities, but it was written in a different time and place where men's and women's roles were different.
I am somewhat amused at the vocab level for this book. My copy claims it's a 5.4 reading level, but there were quite a few words in it that I think more as SAT vocab words (like alacrity, paragon, and adroitly). Though as I've pondered this, books like Anne of Green Gables have sophisticated vocabulary too, and are a similar reading level. It makes me wonder if in the early 20th century kids just learned harder vocab words sooner than we do now.
I am somewhat amused at the vocab level for this book. My copy claims it's a 5.4 reading level, but there were quite a few words in it that I think more as SAT vocab words (like alacrity, paragon, and adroitly). Though as I've pondered this, books like Anne of Green Gables have sophisticated vocabulary too, and are a similar reading level. It makes me wonder if in the early 20th century kids just learned harder vocab words sooner than we do now.
February 27, 2022
The shipssss. All the ships 🙈 SO. MANY. SHIPS.
...ok. Like three... 👀 But still.
...ok. Like three... 👀 But still.
September 12, 2024
"Don't pay any mind to our teasing. If you'll only stop caring we'll do it no more. It's because you mind so dreadfully we keep on making you miserable."
If only my mom would have given me this book to read as a kid. Then maybe I would have understood her advice about my reactions to my brother's teasing...
This book was seriously so cute.
If only my mom would have given me this book to read as a kid. Then maybe I would have understood her advice about my reactions to my brother's teasing...
This book was seriously so cute.
October 22, 2013
I don't remember why I picked this book as a teenager. Maybe it was the era and I was reading Wagon Train genre. I read this book with outbursts of laughter. The characters lept from the pages and leaned over my shoulder as I read their exploits. I learned to love each and everyone.
From being pellted with apples upon arriving at the farm to learning to do housework to falling off a log into a stream filled with snakes (no snakes but the boys told her they were there) every moment kept me turning the page.
"Every tub otta stand on its own bottom," soon became a time honored motto around our house. My mother and sister read the book. When I saw the library was selling a older copy of the book, I snatched it up and it now resides in my library.
This colonial time story of an orphaned girl sent to live with relatives she hadn't even heard of is one of growth and acceptance. We all learn a little about assuming things about people and giving second and third chances.
It has a very happy ending.
From being pellted with apples upon arriving at the farm to learning to do housework to falling off a log into a stream filled with snakes (no snakes but the boys told her they were there) every moment kept me turning the page.
"Every tub otta stand on its own bottom," soon became a time honored motto around our house. My mother and sister read the book. When I saw the library was selling a older copy of the book, I snatched it up and it now resides in my library.
This colonial time story of an orphaned girl sent to live with relatives she hadn't even heard of is one of growth and acceptance. We all learn a little about assuming things about people and giving second and third chances.
It has a very happy ending.
August 17, 2014
I'm feeling generous with ratings today. This was not a well written book and I didn't care for the protagonist much. She does improve once she decides to start growing a spine. The story was predictable, dripping sweet, and the feminists would have a heyday with this. I had to remind myself that just because it was written a long time ago doesn't make it a classic or literature. This was neither. With that said, it was a sweet story about good people and overall left me with a good feeling and I appreciate that. Maybe youth would appreciate this more. They don't seem to notice quality as much and thereby would take away the overall sweet story, leaving a good impression. The reviews from other readers are really high! Maybe it is because they were young when they read it and are remembering those young impressions?
July 22, 2011
I used to devour books when I was a kid, and this book is one of the few that I went back to again and again to read. The characters are so wholesome and goodhearted. And the sweet love story that slowly develops as the little girl grows up is endearing.
May 1, 2013
I loved this book as a child and was so happy to find it again. It may not be literature, but it was a satisfying read that made me laugh and cry every time that I read it. What a delight to find an old favorite that holds up over time!
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December 1, 2009This one was SO good. The girl is a lot like me.
I'm not very good at understanding some ppls humor....
same as the girl. LOVE THIS BOOK!
I'm not very good at understanding some ppls humor....
same as the girl. LOVE THIS BOOK!
December 6, 2009
a delightful fun read that was both entertaining and interesting. I would obviously recommend highly.
February 25, 2010
My family's favorite book! I've read it a million times. Tee writing doesn't stand up against that of other writers, but that never dampened my interest.
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