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Bess Streeter Aldrich
I highly recommend anything by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Her main characters
are strong pioneer women or their posterity, and whereas they involve love
and marriage, they are not "romances" in the usual sense of the word. One of
my favorites is Miss Bishop: The heroine of this novel, Ella Bishop, is a
healthy, sensitive, energetic, and happy person as she begins her college
career in the Midwest in 1876. Her energy and devotion to learning made her
an excellent student, then a gifted teacher. People were drawn toward her
friendliness and enthusiasm. During her life she was betrayed in love when
her young cousin stole the man she was to have married. She was called upon
to raise their daughter when the cousin died. Later on in life Ella was
sorely tempted to have an affair, but she resisted the temptation. She is
an unselfish heroine whom one can both love and admire, and the novel is
one the reader won't want to put down until it is finished. In this day of
flexible morals, Ella shows us one can remain steadfast in doing what is
right, and that one can forgive one who has inflicted deep emotional pain.
Another of my favorites is The Lieutenant's Lady. This novel, based on the
diary of an actual army wife, gives a vivid picture of army life on the
frontier while telling one of the most unusual courtship stories you can
find. It begins in Omaha in the late 1860's at a party. It ends in the same
house where it began -- but a world of adventure and emotion fills the time
between Mother Mason will introduce you to a delightful, normal, healthy
family whose members love and support each other through all the happy and
stressful times of life. Molly Mason is a worthy role model, a mom who gives
herself wholeheartedly to her family (after a brief time- out at the
beginning of the book) and learns that happiness comes from being where
God wants her. I loved this book because I could identify with this busy
mother who was active in her church and in her children's extracurricular
activities. I could also laugh as I got to know her children and watched
their antics in the neighborhood, at college, and on the job. At the end of
the book I hated to say goodbye.
The University of Nebraska Press has reprinted these books in paperback
during the past few years. Barb’s People Builders stocks all of those that
are currently in print.
Content provided by Barbara Radisavljevic,
Barb's People Builders.
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