Abijah's Bubble: A Captivating Portrait of Small Town Life in 19th Century America

by Francis Hopkinson Smith

Abijah, named after her father's wishes, has always felt like nothing good ever lasted long in her life. But when the new mill-owner Hiram Taylor arrives, her life takes a turn. Hiram is determined to help Abijah and her mother, and he does so in the form of a new stove for the schoolhouse and a private note to the Postmaster-General to appoint Abijah as the postmistress. Despite her misgivings, Abijah is content in her new position until an extraordinary thing happens - a poster for the Rock Creek Copper Company is put up in her post office. This event leads to a friendship with summer boarder Maria Furgusson, and Abijah's life takes another turn, one she could have never expected.

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Francis Hopkinson Smith (October 23, 1838 – April 7, 1915) was a United States author, artist and engineer. He built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty, wrote many famous stories and received awards for his paintings.

Reviews

[Nivedita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected nothing, got nothing.
It is just a bit too...plain. I thought that the story might at least have a happy ending; Abijah and her mother would be able to live a life of comfort and happiness, but nothing of that sort happened and everything goes back to the way it was. The story was short, barely 17 pages, so there wasn't any scope for substantial character development. No plot to keep you engaged. But it is such a short read that you barely have to spend much time on it.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite a warning from her mother, Abijah has still gotten herself into an awful mess, would she get out of it?

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay short story that was not too exciting for me.