Larkspur

by Jane D. Abbott

The story of a poor Girl Scout who must work to help her mother.

Excerpt from Larkspur:

"On an October day - a sunny day, and except for the yellow leaves that quivered on rapidly bearing branches, very like spring - Patricia Everett, from the window of her home, watched an automobile drive out of sight, carrying her mother and sister away to Florida, and confided to the empty room that she was the very unhappiest girl in the whole world!
Conflicting emotions tormented the soul of the little lady. She disliked very much seeing anyone depart from anywhere without her! Then, too, so hurried had been the departure that nothing in the shape of candy, books or toys had been left behind to comfort her! And saddest of all, at the last moment her mother had decided that she must not return to Miss Prindle's because of an epidemic of measles!"

261 pages, Nook

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Jane Ludlow Drake Abbott (1879-1962) was an American author who began her career writing for adolescent girls, and went on to write adult romance. Born in Buffalo, New York, to a family involved in the shipbuilding industry of the Great Lakes region, she was educated at Cornell University, and married Buffalo attorney Frank A. Abbott. Most of her twenty juvenile titles were published under the name Jane D. Abbott, although a few were released under the name Jane Abbott. Her adult titles were all released under the name Jane Abbott.

Reviews

[Little Red Readinghood · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I love these old books. The girls are spiffy and plain living with values are taught. Virtue is rewarded and happy endings abound. Set and written at the close of WW1 this is an idealized version of how life could be. Think Little Women. My grandmother loved these books as a teenager. A free book from project gutenberg.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read via Project Gutenberg. A cute little story about a troop of Girl Scouts during the days at the end of and just following World War I. While there are numerous girls mentioned in the story and involved peripherally with the adventures, the story really focuses on three in particular: American girls Pat and Sheila and a French-American refugee named Renee. In a lot of ways, this book is full of episodic coming of age stories surrounding these young ladies (aged between 11 and 13), with strong supporting roles from Pat's Aunt Pen and her father, often called Daddy Everett.

The only downside to this story is that there are some moments which will not sit well with modern audiences. For instance, at one point, (for no discernable reason that I can see), Aunt Pen decks herself out in black face and puts on a yellow turban in order to serve pancakes to her niece while looking like Aunt Jemima. It adds nothing to the rest of the book and is randomly thrown in at the end of a chapter. Also, the book (doubtless due to when it was published) is doused in American nationalism. If I was reading this in 1919, it would probably fill me with pride. But well, I'm a nihilistic, non-patriotic millennial so the whole sentimental patriotism aspect just makes me very uncomfortable. Also, they keep talking about making immigrants "more American" by focusing on eradicating their original ethnic identities. SUPER cringe-worthy by today's perspective.

Story wise, this is a fun read and an interesting look back at pre-WWII United States, but just know that it is a notable product of its time.