Pollyanna of the Orange Blossoms

Pollyanna #3

by Harriet Lummis Smith

In which Pollyanna marries her childhood friend, Jimmy.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian, Young Adult

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1924

Reviews

[Joy Chalaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this dear book & absolutely loved every moment of reading it. I so enjoyed the reading process, and just being swept up in this glad story! Pollyanna is such a sweetheart, so joyful and glad, but I loved watching her mature and maintain her strength of character and "gladness" in the face of obstacles she faces as a married woman. This book abounds with humour and charm and lots of delightful tales of the entanglements & little puzzles Pollyanna faces with her husband Jimmy are so laugh-out-loud charming and hilarious and wonderful. Often I've chatted with other young ladies who express their frustration that most "romance" novels end with the courtship & proposal or at the most wedding/honeymoon of a couple, but we really never get to know what they are like in real married life together, navigating the little pitfalls, the character flaws, the misunderstandings, the joys and sorrows, disappointments and frustrations and gladness of married life together. Pollyanna of Orange Blossom really taps into that first year of Pollyanna and Jimmy's married life together & it is PRECIOUS! There are so many funny stories but also moments in which I was inspired by the quiet courage and simplicity and gladness of the characters, and the love of Pollyanna. Pollyanna is a special heroine I'd encourage any young girl to get acquainted with and be inspired by! I'd recommend this novel especially :). There were even moments when I felt convicted by the "giving thanks" nature of Pollyanna but even more so, her caring, loving sensitive heart that really was growing in maturity, to know what to say and do to show love & shine forth this gladness to others without being preachy or snobbish. In fact multiple times this book expresses Pollyanna's disappointments, hopes deferred, struggles with less than nice people, etc. What I loved about this book was that it didn't make Pollyanna a sort of "annoyingly-cheerful goody-goody" who always made others feel guilty by her bubbly moods. It took her courage to be glad & kind and that was beautiful to see. There were times when I realised that in a situation like Pollyanna faced - often small, irritating disappointments & misunderstandings and things not quite going your way, my response would have been so different and negative and selfish, yet Pollyanna would choose the harder, better way and something special would unfold.

Also Jimmy is such a dear! Honestly, he is the BEST <3. I honestly love their married relationship together, it's the cutest!

One of my favourite quotes in the book was that moment when she was sharing with a friend, about her struggles growing up as a little girl and that it wasn't (and still isn't) always easy to be "cheerful" & it isn't because she is so different from others. It's because she purposefully chose to play the "glad game" that her father taught her & chose blessing & goodwill and thankfulness over a spirit of complaining, grumbling or self-pity/selfishness. Her character is up there with my favourite literary heroines & uplifting to young women I think!

That was so inspiring: "I think perhaps I had what they call a cheerful disposition. But dispositions need to be cultivated, just as gardens do."

[Lidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This last volume follows Pollyanna and Jimmy as they embark in the new journey of married life. This two are an example on how husband and wife should behave in the life in two. I smiled especially at Jimmy's witty remarks, they made me laugh so hard. This is an old book but the warm feeling that brought me made me appreciate more these old classics compared to the violence and vulgarity that most of the books in our days contain...

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book detailing the married life of Pollyanna and the ways they grew and loved each other through the challenges of marriage. Really kept the spirit of the original Pollyanna.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was not written by the same author as the original Pollyanna book and it was a little obvious to me. Still was fairly enjoyable even though I have no idea where the Orange Blossoms come in to play.

[Talida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce drăguț final, mai, mai că lăcrimez :')
Cu toate ca nu e nici pe de parte finalul, caci seria continuă.
Pe cat de mult primele 2 volume te lasă cu gândul că așa ceva nu s-ar întâmpla în viața de toate zilele, atât de mult iti arata al 3-lea un model de viață de toate zilele.



Imi place foarte mult fraza de la începutul volumului: că majoritatea romanelor sau poveștilor de dragoste se încheie odată cu căsătoria, pe când în viața reală de abia atunci începe.

Așa cum povestea Pr. Visarion Alexa că mulți căutăm o iubire ca in filme, dar filmul durează 2 ore, după urmând realitatea. Ei bine, cartea aceasta încearcă să se descrie acea realitate de după terminarea filmului (în limitele in care poate face o carte asta).

Cred că asta mi-a plăcut cel mai mult la acest volum: prezentarea unor zile, etape la început de căsnicie şi nu numai.
Momentele mutării intr-un nou oraș, o nouă locuință, economiile, acele probleme financiare de care majoritatea persoanelor din America, de la începutul sec 20 (si nu numai) se confruntau, vizitatorii nepoftiţi, vecinii, vecinii care se ceartă, vecina care nu știe sa facă de mâncare. Desigur, presărate si cu anumite tragedii, dar în proporție de peste 70% din carte era vorba despre asta.

Şi nu in ultimul rând, acțiunea are loc la începutul sec. 20, perspectivele anumitor cetățeni americani asupra Primului Război Mondial înainte ca SUA să fie intrată, si mai ales, modul în care trece o femeie prin aceasta după ce soțul ei alege să meargă la război pe frontul european.

[Lydia Willcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I loved this book so much! I'm always wary of series that have been continued by another author, but I personally think that Harriet Lummis Smith did a better job with this book than the original author did with the first two - and I love the first two. Pollyanna herself is just the same Pollyanna, only grown up and a lot more sensible ;) I loved seeing her and J as newlyweds, trying to make ends meet in difficult times and keep playing the game, and of course changing the lives of everyone around them! The WW1 aspect took me by surprise, but I loved that part soo much! Especially the chapter 'Pollyanna Does Her Bit';)
So sweet and even better than what I had expected!

[Μαριάννα · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το λατρεύω, το λατρεύω, το λατρεύω, τι και αν είναι παιδική λογοτεχνία! μιλάει στην ψυχή μου όπως την πρώτη φορά που το διάβασα, όπως τότε που ήμουν κοριτσάκι 11 ετών! Η Πολλυάννα παντρεμένη πια, μετακομίζει σε μια μεγάλη πόλη και αναγκάζεται χωρίς πολλά λεφτά και παρέες να προσαρμοστεί στην νέα της ζωή παρέα με τον αγαπημένο της τζιμ..φυσικά ποτέ δεν ξεχνά να κάνει το καλό και σε όσους την έχουν ανάγκη και πάντα ξέρει να γεμίζει τις κενές της ώρες με το παιχνίδι της χαράς! το αγαπημένο μου από την σειρά αυτή

[Mazzou B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in the Pollyanna series, this one is written by a different author than the original author. However, it still captures some of the charm of the originals. This book focuses on Pollyanna and Jimmy's first married year and is pleasant.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 1 out of 5]

One and a half because the author snuck in some anti-racist material in twice, in a subtle way which was a bright spot in an otherwise very humdrum novel. I think the author had to write what she had to write to get paid and was likely a better writer than this if she had had the freedom to tell a different story.

This book is a lengthy tract about heterosexist gender roles, and patriotism. Pollyanna is a home-maker, Jimmy is a breadwinner turned soldier. That's it, that's the whole story. We are told Pollyanna had a lot of freedom to go out to parks and galleries but we don't see that. Her "adventures" are all what to cook or what to wear or how to help her neighbour clean the house. Women who look for anything more than the domestic sphere are ...not exactly demonised but painted as foolish. Men are portrayed as victims of these women apart from Jimmy who is a hero because he goes to war (also because Pollyanna is so unselfish and good).

I kept waiting for something to happen. It was for real one of the most tedious books I have ever read and did not have the sparkle I recall child-Pollyanna having. I think it's very hard to write anything exciting about being a wife- Anne of Green Gables was much the same but this was worse.

I won't read all the others. I guess it's good to have an idea of what sort of stuff was being published again. Also never mind the title. What orange blossoms? She does not even have a garden!

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in junior high, about where Pollyanna & Jimmy Bean get married & start a family. I still haven't read any previous Pollyanna books, just seen the Disney movie from the 1960s, w/ Haley Mills. I'd always liked the movie as a kid (despite how other people say someone is a "Pollyanna", like it's a bad thing), so I thought I'd read the book, once I found it.

[Nancy Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am having great fun reading these Pollyanna books. I never realized there had been so many written about Pollyanna, with so many different authors sharing the penning of the stories. This one was sweet - and really keeps the idea of how playing the Glad Game can benefit every one of us. I love pollyanna. This one was a particularly good story. Such a "refreshing" read.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just about finished recording this book to add to the Librivox Public Domain Audio Book collection - adding books which by age, have been released into the public domain.
It should be available shortly. Quite proud of it :)

The stories are very sweet and I love the old fashioned manner of speech even though they can be real tongue twisters.

[Paula Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tragically, the beloved original author Eleanor H. Porter died of tuberculosis five years after the publication of Pollyanna Grows Up in 1915. Her two Pollyanna books had been selling so wonderfully well, the publishers knew when they were onto a good thing. They enlisted the help of Harriet Lummis Smith to take up the slack and keep the stories coming where Porter had left off. Smith made such a smooth transition of this one in 1924 that I love it as much as Porter's books, if not more.

It starts with a wedding and move to a tiny apartment in New York City. Jimmy gets a job with an engineering firm there, and he and Pollyanna are excited to be living in the Big Apple of the pre-WW1 era (not that they realise at the start that this is their point in history, of course). Young and inexperienced, they are winging it a bit, but course correction always sets in because they have what it takes to go the distance; genuine love and devotion for each other. Indeed, Smith makes this fabulous pair easy to cheer on. We are told, 'the rapture of their first nest making was one that could never be duplicated.'

Male dominance was rife in the early twentieth century. Pollyanna and her new neighbour, Judith, introduce themselves to each other as, 'Mrs James Pendleton' and 'Mrs Russell Thayer.' You can't get much more patriarchal than that. Women generally didn't aspire to work outside the home, and if they did it wasn't by choice, as we see through the plight of poor Lizzie, the single mother who did a spot of domestic cleaning to make ends meet. Although Judith sometimes bristles about being a drudge, Pollyanna loves the lifestyle. For her, their apartment is her creative canvas and being free to shape it all day is the gladdest thing ever.

I don't feel inclined to hiss and boo at the blokes though. They didn't have it easy, no doubt about that. Jimmy works 5.5 days a week! I was astonished to see him head off to the office on Saturday mornings to work half days and it set me googling. It seems the 40 hour work week with its two day weekend wasn't introduced until the 1940s, although forward-thinking Henry Ford had inaugurated it in his own factories way earlier. I feel our boy Jimmy was hard done by, although he and Pollyanna certainly never complained. They were delighted that he got to knock off at 1pm on Saturdays and have a free afternoon for city excursions. It's a lesson in perspective for me.

The story introduces the catastrophising, negatively-skewed Judith as a fun foil and contrast to Pollyanna. She makes mountains out of molehills, stores up grievances, sulks over supposed insults and slips into perpetual black moods. The big question is whether or not Judith can make a go of Pollyanna's glad game when she hears about it. It's fun seeing her put it to the test, because I've admittedly had my share of Judith moments. She comes to understand that a decisive attitude to enjoy life is ninety percent of the battle won.

I'm sure Porter would have been more than happy with the direction in which Smith took the characters she invented. Smith obviously immersed herself in Porter's two books and stays true to every single character. Aunt Polly is as imperious and austere as ever, and Jamie Carew, now an author, is still his touchy, high maintenance self. One of my favourite incidents in this novel occurs when Jamie and Sadie are expected for afternoon tea and Pollyanna and Jimmy must defuse a few household catastrophes in the lead-up.

World War One breaks into Jimmy and Pollyanna's domestic bliss, and I noticed just a touch of foreshadowing.

Was it commendable for Pollyanna not to tell Jimmy she was pregnant before he answered the call of duty and sailed off to serve in France? The story leaves no doubt that we're supposed to take secrecy as a heroic sacrifice on her part, to make it easier for him to do his patriotic duty. Yet arguably, especially from a more modern perspective, he should have been told anyway! Pollyanna's spur-of-the-moment decision to keep her pregnancy secret from Jimmy is controlling and manipulative, however well-intended, because she denies him the possibility of response. They are co-parents and just because she carries the baby, he deserves not to be kept in the dark. I see both points of view, and I guess that because patriotic readers of 1924 who had recently come through the war were the target audience, we're being coerced to verge to their side and consider Pollyanna a great heroine for her silence.


I feel we are in capable hands with Harriet Lummis Smith, and look forward to more Pollyanna tales from her. Next up will be Pollyanna's Jewels.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pollyanna puse tocul jos şi-şi frecă încheietura amorţită. Potrivit cu calendarul, era început de iunie, doi iunie. Dar termometrul indica altfel. Sufrageria unde se afla Pollyanna împreună cu Jimmy era încăperea cea mai răcoroasă din toată casa, însă şi aici domnea o zăpuşeală ca aceea dintr-un cuptor. Dimineaţa, prin fereastra larg deschisă se vedeau florile proaspete din grădină, care însă acum erau istovite de dogoarea soarelui. Fără să vrea, Pollyanna se gândea la un câine care gâfâie cu limba scoasă.
Şedea de o parte a mesei, iar în faţa ei era Jimmy. În dreapta şi-n stânga, se vedeau cutii albe aşezate unele peste altele. Jimmy spusese că acestea-i aminteau de nişte morminte împodobite cu coloane albe de marmură, iar Pollyanna se încruntase şi, ca să-şi arate supărarea, trăsese liniuţa la un „t”, dintr-o mişcare bruscă.
Cutiile albe conţineau invitaţii la nuntă. Cele din dreapta Pollyannei erau completate cu adresele, iar cele din stânga îşi aşteptau rândul. Ca să poată scrie citeţ, trebuia să-şi concentreze atenţia asupra fiecărei litere, încercând să uite conţinutul plicurilor albe:
„Doamna Polly Chilton are onoarea a vă face cunoscut căsătoria nepoatei sale”… Când ajungea aici, Pollyanna se lăsa în voia gândurilor. O invitaţie la nuntă, desigur, nu conţinea nimic deosebit: te poţi aştepta oricând să primeşti aşa ceva, mai cu seamă în iunie. Asemenea bileţele o interesau întotdeauna, totuşi, niciunul nu-i dăduse emoţii ca cele din faţa ei. Ce e drept, de astă dată doamna Polly Chilton făcea cunoscut căsătoria nepoatei sale Pollyanna Whittier cu domnul James Pendleton. Pollyanna se împotrivise, spunând că invitaţiile erau încă o cheltuială în plus:
— Nu e nevoie, tanti Polly. La noi, toată lumea ştie că mă căsătoresc. O să scriem celor de departe dacă vrem să ştie şi ei, iar ceilalţi o să afle mai curând sau mai târziu.
Tanti Polly însă interveni cu o insistenţă deosebită:
— Eşti extraordinară, Polâyanna! Nu cumva crezi că e un lucru fără importanţă căsătoria unei fete din neamul nostru?
— Nu vreau să spun una ca asta, tanti Polly, dar e o cheltuială în plus, şi-mi pare rău când te văd scocotind până te doare capul, să mai scoţi bani de unde nu-s. Dar dacă dumneata crezi că nu se poate altfel, mă supun. Totuşi, dacă în locul invitaţiilor litografiate am face invitaţii tipărite, ar fi mai ieftin, ce zici?
— Tipărite?!
Tanti Polly se lăsă pe speteaza scaunului, supărată foc.
— Uneori cred că nu m-am priceput să-ţi dau educaţie, Pollyanna. Sunt lucruri pe care nu le pricepeai când erai fetiţă mică, dar ştiu că, chiar dac-aş trăi numai cu pâine şi cu apă până voi muri, tot vom face nunta cum se cuvine pentru o fată de neam ca tine.
Iată din ce cauză, la început de iunie, masa din sufragerie gemea de cutii, şi de ce Pollyanna îşi freca încheietura amorţită. Jimmy care tocmai adăuga înflorituri la o adresă o privi zâmbind.
— Are să fie de ajuns când vor fi expediate toate acestea, ce zici? Orice fiinţă care ne ştie numele, pe-al tău sau pe-al meu, va afla de îndrăzneaţă noastră încercare!
Pollyanna surâdea în gol cu gândul aiurea.
— Dacă aş scrie o carte, Jimmy, ar fi deosebită faţă de toate cele pe care le-am citit!

[eilasoles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because I'd read the first two Pollyanna books as a child.

None of these books are particularly good (so many unquestioned, lazy tropes!), but then I didn't read books as a child because I thought they were good, I read them because I didn't have anything else to read, and became devoted to them, in a Stockholm-syndrome sort of way.

This one lacks the sort of dramatic tension that the first two had, but if other readers are like me--this is simply an exercise in contentedly dwelling in the past--so maybe we don't want too much tension either.

Unlike the original books, where the writer kind of recedes into the background, this one is quite explicitly moralizing, with a distinct anti-feminist tone. Women who quarrel with their husbands, women who dislike housework, women who have active social lives while not having their children and husbands at the center of their lives--such women are condemned--they either reform (Judith) or meet with horrible disfiguring accidents (Mrs. Moore).

We had Della Wetherby in the original books, a nurse, and she was celebrated--so in a sense, these sequels seem to have regressed.

Harriet Lummis Smith was the first African-American teacher in the Boston public schools. There is mention of race in these sequels, unlike the previous two. Nothing super-radical, but it is there nonetheless. So progressivism in some dimensions, but not in others? Or maybe it's simply an impatience with the white feminism of time (was that even there, though)? I don't know. I don't feel comfortable judging, because nothing from the past (and this was the 1920s) should be judged by present-day standards, but I wish I knew what was happening.

[Diana Trăncău · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cred că sînt o fire veselă, cum zice lumea, dar firea omului poate fi îngrijită şi îmbunătăţită întocmai ca o grădină. Am trecut prin multe ceasuri grele: mama mea a murit cînd eram mică, iar tata a murit cînd aveam unsprezece ani. Atunci m-am dus să stau la o mătuşă pe care nu o cunoşteam şi care nu era obişnuită cu copiii. Mai tîrziu am suferit un accident de pe urma căruia n-am putut umbla doi ani de zile. Am suferit mult atunci. Nu cred că numai cu firea mea veselă aş fi putut învinge totul. De n-ar fi fost jocul mulţumirii, cred că aş fi devenit una din
persoanele acelea plictisitoare, care se plîng întotdeauna, şi-şi fac viaţa o povară
pentru ele şi pentru cei din jur."

[Daniel Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu ainda não li o livro, porque não têm ele traduzido em Português. Só têm em inglês e outras línguas que eu não sei falar. Mas já li uma sinopse e algumas resenhas e já sei mais ou menos o que o livro vai falar.Achei o Jimmy dessa capa tão lindo que eu vim aqui comentar, essa capa ficou linda demais. A cara da Pollyanna e do Jimmy que ficou meio bizarra nessa edição, mas as roupas deles estão lindas e eu amei. Pena que não traduziram aqui no Brasil. Como eu queria poder ler Pollyanna das Flores de Laranjeira em português mesmo.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was delighted to find this continuation of Pollyanna's story. Very sweet, probably too sweet for many, but right up my street for the moment. The Glad Game is just another way of saying be thankful. I appreciate the reminder in trying times. I was surprised to learn that the author, Harriet Lummis Smith, was the first Black teacher in the Boston public schools. She did a great job of capturing Pollyanna's life and loves.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet story, remarkably good for a fan fiction continuation series (but then the original Pollyanna stories weren't exactly in the Great Epic Literature category either).

Maybe it's a teensy bit preachy (in a lighthearted way) but there's some real gems of wisdom about married life in there, despite it being an 'easy fluff read'. It was engaging, thought-provoking, and tastily old-timey (goes into WW1).

Listened on Librivox and the reader, Claire, was darling.

[Rebecca Klemme Eliceiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine and sweet book overall, but one which leaves me hoping for a story and characters with a bit more of an edge and more tension. The characters that do provide more tension aren’t as fully fleshed out as I’d like them to be. Then again, this is the 3rd Pollyanna (Glad) book, so what else ought I to have expected? Nice comfort reading.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one so long ago in my early teens (40+ years - really?) but I did not recall it was not written by Eleanor Porter! Definitely time to read it again! I think this was the one with the exploding tomatoes! I still remember that after all these years - I think!

[Sara Oachesu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the relationship between Pollyanna and her new husband, Jimmy. It was interesting to see how they coped with personal hardship and how they changed other people's relationships by listening to their stories and acting as a positive example.

[Nava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this one very interesting at the beginning and end, but the middle had a giant slump that made it very hard to read. Worth it? Not really. It's an okay book, thus the 4 stars but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Luiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book don’t get me wrong, it’s just that….its eleanor’s story and it shows clearly in this book. Of course i admire this author’s attempt at finishing another author’s story but i can’t like this one as much as the other two.

[Carol Rewick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book!

[Lisa Lawrence]

I needed this reminder about happy attitudes and their impact on all sorts of work. Fun to live through a few incidents of married life w/ Jimmy and his bride!

[Sarah Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet little book. Pollyanna's adventures made me smile.

[Alessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

😍😍😍😍

[Ioana Ilutia · Rating 4 out of 5]

La fel ca și volumele 1 și 2...traducerea și ortografia lasă mult de dorit

[Victoria Lassander-Sandin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denna är lite lam i jämförelse med 1:an och 2:an, men så är det ju också en annan författare. Handlingen håller inte lika hög kvalitet och slutet är inte min favorit. Men ändå måste jag ge boken en femma, för det gick helt enkelt inte att sluta läsa.