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Eyebright
Sarah Chauncey Woolsey (1835-1905) was an American children's author who wrote under the pen name Susan Coolidge. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio and spent much of her childhood in New Haven Connecticut. She worked as a nurse during the American Civil War (1861-1865), after which she started to write. Woolsey never married, and resided at her family home in Newport, R.I., until her death. She is best known for her classic children's novel What Katy Did (1872). The fictional Carr family was modelled after the author's own, with Katy Carr inspired by Susan (Sarah) herself, and the brothers and sisters modelled on Coolidge's Woolsey siblings. Two sequels follow Katy as she grows What Katy Did at School (1873) and What Katy Did Next (1886). Two further sequels were also Clover (1888) and In the High Valley (1890). Coolidge is also the author of Verses (1880) and Twilight Stories (? ).
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Susan Coolidge
389 books175 followersSarah Chauncey Woolsey was an American children's author who wrote under the pen name Susan Coolidge.
Woolsey was born January 29, 1835, into the wealthy, influential New England Dwight family in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father was John Mumford Woolsey (1796–1870) and mother was Jane Andrews. She spent much of her childhood in New Haven Connecticut after her family moved there in 1852.
Woolsey worked as a nurse during the American Civil War (1861–1865), after which she started to write. The niece of the author and poet Gamel Woolsey, she never married, and resided at her family home in Newport, Rhode Island, until her death.
She edited The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mrs. Delaney (1879) and The Diary and Letters of Frances Burney (1880). She is best known, however, for her classic children's novel, What Katy Did (1872). The fictional Carr family was modeled after the author's own, with Katy Carr inspired by Susan (Sarah) herself, and the brothers and sisters modeled on Coolidge's four younger Woolsey siblings.
Woolsey was born January 29, 1835, into the wealthy, influential New England Dwight family in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father was John Mumford Woolsey (1796–1870) and mother was Jane Andrews. She spent much of her childhood in New Haven Connecticut after her family moved there in 1852.
Woolsey worked as a nurse during the American Civil War (1861–1865), after which she started to write. The niece of the author and poet Gamel Woolsey, she never married, and resided at her family home in Newport, Rhode Island, until her death.
She edited The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mrs. Delaney (1879) and The Diary and Letters of Frances Burney (1880). She is best known, however, for her classic children's novel, What Katy Did (1872). The fictional Carr family was modeled after the author's own, with Katy Carr inspired by Susan (Sarah) herself, and the brothers and sisters modeled on Coolidge's four younger Woolsey siblings.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 21, 2019
This book started out very much in the episodic, child-adventure tradition of Coolidge's "Katy" stories, though this time Mamma is the invalid and a rather whiny one at that. When Mamma dies and Papa's job disappears, he and "Eyebright" (who is never, ever called by her real name of Isabel) move to a hardscrabble farm on an island in Maine. Daughter tries to take it all in stride as a new adventure, while Papa is obviously sliding ever deeper into depression. Born and raised on a farm, he seems to have forgotten all the skills (and seems to consider farming beneath him), while Isabel manages to learn cooking in a few lessons.
I found the book disappointing as it all seemed to be buildup to Isabel's re-encounter with Mr Joyce and his family, but when she actually gets there, the narrative is chopped off short. Coolidge was aware that her readership would be unhappy about this, given a rather catty paragraph at the end where she acknowledges that her child-readers would ask for "more", but that there would be no more. Hardly clever of an author to alienate the public who buys her books like that.
I found the book disappointing as it all seemed to be buildup to Isabel's re-encounter with Mr Joyce and his family, but when she actually gets there, the narrative is chopped off short. Coolidge was aware that her readership would be unhappy about this, given a rather catty paragraph at the end where she acknowledges that her child-readers would ask for "more", but that there would be no more. Hardly clever of an author to alienate the public who buys her books like that.
July 16, 2013
This story follows Eyebright (nickname of I[sabella] Bright) from age 12 to age 15. A number of sad things happen to her but she turns out just fine because she's blessed with both imagination and common sense (that's the moral, I think).
People who are familiar with the coast of Maine might enjoy Coolidge's description of this area, published in 1879 and, I suppose, described from life.
To me the most interesting part was the characterization of Eyebright's parents, especially her mother.
If you've read What Katy Did (published in 1872) you might remember that a lot of it is lessons in How To Be a Good Invalid. Well, Eyebright's mother is not a good invalid. She complains fussily and takes too many patent medicines and doesn't like to let any fresh air into her room. She's depressed and fearful. Cousin Helen would have a lot to say to her -- but there's no Cousin Helen in this story, and Eyebright's mother doesn't learn any lessons.
The narrative does imply that Eyebright's life is harder for having a mother like this, but it doesn't blame Eyebright's mother nearly as much as I expected after What Katy Did. She's not villainized; she's just a real human being, not an angel.
Of course,
Eyebright's father has his own failings (by the standards of Victorian children's literature). His business fails, and instead of pulling himself and his family up by the bootstraps, he's not really sure how he got into this situation and what to do, and he ends up moving himself and Eyebright to an island off the coast of Maine. He has vague ideas of supporting them there with farming, but he's not really any good at it.
This is sad, sure, but it's also a refreshing contrast to other stories (many written by Coolidge herself) in which father just has to work harder and then everything turns out fine.
Of course the cynical way of interpreting this book is to say that it's one of that bountiful crop of Victorian stories about how The Best Way to Raise a Good Child Is with Suffering. Good Children don't ever find fault with their parents, even when the parents are the source of their sufferings, and that's what gives Eyebright its not-really-judgmental approach to Mr. and Mrs. Bright. I still appreciate the ambiguity, though.
People who are familiar with the coast of Maine might enjoy Coolidge's description of this area, published in 1879 and, I suppose, described from life.
To me the most interesting part was the characterization of Eyebright's parents, especially her mother.
If you've read What Katy Did (published in 1872) you might remember that a lot of it is lessons in How To Be a Good Invalid. Well, Eyebright's mother is not a good invalid. She complains fussily and takes too many patent medicines and doesn't like to let any fresh air into her room. She's depressed and fearful. Cousin Helen would have a lot to say to her -- but there's no Cousin Helen in this story, and Eyebright's mother doesn't learn any lessons.
The narrative does imply that Eyebright's life is harder for having a mother like this, but it doesn't blame Eyebright's mother nearly as much as I expected after What Katy Did. She's not villainized; she's just a real human being, not an angel.
Of course,
Eyebright's father has his own failings (by the standards of Victorian children's literature). His business fails, and instead of pulling himself and his family up by the bootstraps, he's not really sure how he got into this situation and what to do, and he ends up moving himself and Eyebright to an island off the coast of Maine. He has vague ideas of supporting them there with farming, but he's not really any good at it.
This is sad, sure, but it's also a refreshing contrast to other stories (many written by Coolidge herself) in which father just has to work harder and then everything turns out fine.
Of course the cynical way of interpreting this book is to say that it's one of that bountiful crop of Victorian stories about how The Best Way to Raise a Good Child Is with Suffering. Good Children don't ever find fault with their parents, even when the parents are the source of their sufferings, and that's what gives Eyebright its not-really-judgmental approach to Mr. and Mrs. Bright. I still appreciate the ambiguity, though.
March 10, 2022
Lovely book about enjoying and leaving childhood.
September 1, 2012
The Eyebright of the title is Isabella Bright, or I. Bright, whose bright eyes and name earned her that particular moniker. She is a young girl in the United States around the turn of the century who plays at being Lady Jane Grey, goes to visit a Shaker village, and ends up moving to Maine. It is a story in the style of What Katy Did by the same author.
October 17, 2016
It is a poignant story of Eyebright. Except for her survival and hope for her in the end, the story has Shakespearean tragic touch with her own family not recovering from misfortunes. Until the very end, one wishes her father return from the terrible storm in the sea.
May 30, 2018
A very good little book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews