Read This!: An Old-Fashioned Girl

By Louisa May Alcott

Book Challenge: Childhood Favorite

So, again, when trying to pick a childhood favorite, I had a bit of a hard time. I didn’t want to ruin my opinion of books I LOVED as a kid and eventually settled on one of my favorite but not my FAVORITE Louisa May Alcott book.

An Old-Fashioned Girl tells the story of a poor country girl Polly who comes to stay with her wealthy friend Fanny in Boston. While there she is struck by the fashion and glitz of Fanny’s house, friends, and the city. But, pretty Polly doesn’t despair. She wins everyone over with her kindness and open nature. Six years later, Polly returns to Boston to live as a music teacher. Through it all she sticks to her old-fashioned up-bringing even when she is tempted to do otherwise.

Now, I dislike books that lecture on anything and I felt Polly was a little too good now that I read AOFG as a grown-up and frankly, her constant killing the party vibe with her stories about poverty would have not got her on the invite list to my next soiree.

That aside, I did enjoy rereading this story. I read this book a hundred times as a kid that it was crazy how much I didn’t remember and how much on the other hand it was like hanging with an old friend.  Even though I knew what was coming, I still loved the last chapter because it still gets me with the romantic tension!