Book Review: A Girl of the Limberlost

A Girl Of The Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the third book I have read by Gene Stratton-Porter, and for me, she never disappoints. Her stories have quirky, loveable characters, and there’s always at least one with a good deal of spunk. She put much of herself in her books, filling them with information about plants, birds, and bugs that she studied near her home and using her books to instill a love of God and good values. Stratton-Porter’s books have ideal characters that are often very exemplary in their decisions.

A Girl of the Limberlost is a delightful tale about Elnora, a young girl who starts school in town in her search for more education. She faces many challenges, among which is the harsh treatment she receives from her mother who is still bitterly mourning Elnora’s father who died the day she was born. I liked the kind neighbors and people in town Elnora met, along with one mischievous orphan. I loved the detail about gathering moths in the swamp. I loved the themes of forgiveness, hard work, and patience.

While I wished I had read Freckles before reading this because it seems to be a companion book based on a previous time period, I still really enjoyed it. I would suggest getting a copy by a different publisher than this one. I started out with a paperback by Indiana Press from the library. The formatting was great, but the spine was broken which drove me crazy to try to hold the book together and read it at the same time. So I switched to this version by Kessinger Publishing, and it just felt like a textbook. While all the words are the same, the font and format of the paragraphs and chapters just felt very detached. I never knew there would be so much difference between publishers, but it felt like the difference between a web version in print compared to the original book.

I would think that anyone who enjoyed books like Anne of Green Gables would like A Girl of the Limberlost. I look forward to reading it with my girls when they are older.


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