Peggy

The Margaret Series #3

by Richards Laura Elizabeth Howe (Creator)

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Genres: School Stories

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Western prairie-girl Peggy Montfort, first introduced in Laura E. Richards' Three Margarets , which told the story of three cousins, all with the same given name, who met up for the first time during a visit to the ancestral family home - the continuation of Margaret's story, which precedes this book, is to be found in Margaret Montfort , while Rita's, which comes fourth in the series, can be read in Rita - comes east in this charming school story, which sees her enrolled at Miss Russell's boarding school for girls, in Pentland. With her initial clumsiness, and a forthright manner quite different from that of her more sophisticated peers, Peggy is something of a fish-out-of-water at first, but although she makes enemies, while defending timid fellow freshman Lobelia Parkins, she also makes friends. From the two "Owls" - juniors Bertha Haughton, known as the "Fluffy Owl," and Gertrude Merryweather, sporting the sobriquet "Snowy Owl" - who are the unofficial leaders of the school, to the self-described "Scapegoat" Grace Wolfe, who leads the rebellious rule-breakers known as "The Gang," Peggy is soon deeply involved with her fellow students, and with the life of the school. Gradually, through trials and tribulations, but also through good times and fun, Peggy, who has earned herself the nickname "The Innocent," has a good effect on those around her...

I enjoyed this third entry in The Margaret Series immensely, and found that I had far more affection for Peggy, as she is portrayed in this book, than I did when I first encountered her in Three Margarets . I liked the fact that she is a mix of strength and weakness, of virtue and flaw - she is a bit of a dunce at rhetoric, but an accomplished mathematician; she sometimes needs to run away and have a cry, but will forget her own troubles, in sticking up for others - as this makes her an engaging heroine, both sympathetic and realistic. Many common school story themes - the despised outsider who becomes an important member of the student body (this role seems often to have been fulfilled by girls from various Commonwealth nations, in the British school story, and Peggy's status as a westerner seems to function in a similar fashion in this American example of the genre); the rebellious "wild girl" who really has a heart of gold, if she can just be reached by well-meaning staff and fellow pupils; the saintly headmistress (or Principal, in this case) who always seems to know her girls, even if she has never spoken to them before; the importance placed on the honor of the school; and the obligatory accident/illness which leads to a resolution of some crisis, or brings about either reformation or justice - are to be seen here, and made the reading experience quite entertaining. I also appreciated the fact that there is more crossover in Peggy with the characters from Richards' Hildegarde Series, not just in the figure of Gertrude Merryweather (first seen in Hildegarde's Neighbors ), but in the chapter devoted to describing Hildegarde's wedding to Roger Merryweather.

All in all, this was a strong follow-up to Three Margarets and Margaret Montfort - I even found the conclusion, despite its rather heavy-handed moralizing, poignant. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with the third and last Margaret Montfort, in Rita !

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richards's background with her father's school is clearly in evidence in this book. The story revolves around Peggy Montfort's experience at a girl's school in Pentland, and she meets up with a variety of girls from different backgrounds, from spoiled rich naive but ultimately friendly Viola, whose chief concern is fashion, to haughty, spoiled rich and vindictive Vivia, who becomes jealous of Peggy, to bullying Blanche, who physically and emotionally bullies both Peggy and emotionally-abused Lobelia, whom Peggy protects against Blanche and other bullies, to generous and mature Bertha and Gertrude, who take Peggy under their wings, to Rose, who starts out a bully and becomes Peggy's friend.

What I especially liked in this book was the way Richards highlights (in 1899) that there are different forms of intelligence, and that traditional "book learning" (history, literature, Greek, Latin) is not the only sign of true intelligence. Peggy is amazing at geometry and math, loves anatomy and botany, and is great at sports, especially basketball and gymnastics, and is at home in the outdoors. Richards does not fall prey to changing her character and "culturing" her to become a scholar in history or literature. However, Richards gives equal weight to Bertha Haughton's (who becomes Peggy's mentor and friend) more scholarly accomplishments. Fascinating book from an educational philosophy point of view. Richards also highlights different teaching styles - all this decades before the emphasis on learning and teaching styles in the US in the late 1980s and early 1990s in education reform.

The book also deals with the effects of bullying, a character (Grace Wolfe) who is highly intelligent but, because of family instability, lacks focus, drive, or structure, and so prefers to cause problems and push against societal boundaries, and a subtle criticism of high society when it leads to behavior that comes from an air of superiority and privilege rather than a sense of "to whom much is given, much is expected."

Of the three Margaret cousins, I find Peggy the most interesting.

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

First encountered in The Three Margarets, Peggy Montford is now sent to boarding school for both education and polish. Her frank and candid ways are a contrast to the sophisticated girls at school but eventually Peggy makes lasting friends.

Author Laura E. Richards, daughter of Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward Howe, grew up several blocks away from me in Watertown, MA.

[Danada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peggy is wonderful! I love the Owls and Scape-goat/Grace :D

[E. Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peggy comes into her own in this book, accompanied by a brilliant host of friends and foes. While some might say this is a classic "school story", such as Enid Blyton's Malory Towers, it is so much more. The depth of these characters, the story, everything is wonderfully written to make a lasting impact on the reader. And it worked. I won't forget Peggy or Grace or the Snowy Owl or the Fluffy Owl any time soon.

[Dawn T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely dated, though that does give it some charm.