Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Puffin Classics)

Mea maxima culpa! My original review called this a rip-off of Anne of Green Gables as I thought Anne was published first but it is the other way around. So perhaps I should should say that Lucy Maud Montgomery ripped off her story ideas from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. So now it is a matter of personal preference.

Both stories are very similar in character development and plot lines but I must honestly say I find Rebecca to be a less sympathetic character (perhaps because she is not an orphan and Anne is). Rebecca has an opportunity to live with her spinster Aunts and improve her lot. There is a sympathetic schoolmarm, helpful neighbors, a best friend and a somewhat creepy to me man who takes a strong interest in her welfare.

Over-all a wholesome story with the much more gentle problems of life 100 years ago told well enough.

The basic story line is quite realistic, and interesting. In away, it reminds you of an Anne of Green Gables character. However, the basic writing was not as smoothly coordinated. It was written many decades ago.

I loved this book about my namesake, Rebecca, a smart, energetic, independent thinker and doer, who is graced with compassion and love for others. Thank you, volunteers who put the book together in a Kindle version and made it available at no cost! How wonderful that you did this, and how rare.

When I bought this book, I thought I was purchasing the book as written by Kate Douglas Wiggin. I was disappointed to discover that it was only an adaptation and very different from the original book. If it's the original book you want, save your money and get a good used hardback version.

I gave this to my surrogate granddaughter who loves to read. I don't think she has read this book yet. It might be a little old for her yet. She will get to it though because she goes through books quickly.

Frederick Schiller Faust wrote under 19 different pen names, the most popular being Max Brand. He was orphaned at an early age and worked as a cowhand during his formative years and attended the University of California, where he was known as a troublemaker. work influenced Louis L'Amour and hundreds of other western authors who followed the literary trail Brand had blazed.
This is one of his best novels, gun fights and more gun fights, yet powerful with an ending that only Max could write. In some ways, it's sad these days are now gone - except for being able to pick up his novels once again. If you have never read one of his westerns, you could do no better than to pick up this one.

An early female American protagonist, Rebecca Randal appeared just when 19th century books to improve children's behavior and moral outlook were decreasing in popularity--in favor of more adventure-for-the-fun-of-it tales. This little girl is sent away from her beloved Sunnybrook Farm in rural Maine to live with staid aunts--who were expecting her better-behaved older sister. These two respectable spinsters insist on strict adherence to their old-fashioned standards; they frown on behavior that is foolish, lively or loud--and certainly not Showy. Children should be seen and not heard, but unfortunately for the three female characters Rebecca came from performing stock--which in itself shocked the prim and proper ladies who are obliged to keep her and feel responsible for molding her character.

Presenting Rebecca from the ages of 10-17 this story of an underappreciated girl delights readers who appreciate simpler times and a slower pace. Far from perfect at the book's outset Rebecca makes a best friend--proving intelligent and likeable to unbiased spectators, while lacking the adult art of Tact. Just the opposite of her staid relatives she gets into many scrapes--causing Aunt Miranda to despair of her. Although she ultimately realizes that she must settle down somehow, Rebecca never loses sight of who she is meant to be. Nor does she apologize for her extroverted heritage. The ending is somewhat ambiguous, but then sometimes it is nice to fashion a denouement according to our own, individualized tastes. There is no need to compare her with Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables or any of those quaint, juvenile charmers, for when Rebecca comes of age she proves herself a worthy young lady in her own right. In all fairness the only character to compare her with would be Carol Bird--also a creation of Kate Douglas Wiggin. Turn-of-the-Century Appealing!

This evening I finished reading a children's classic that had somehow escaped my attention these many years: "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" by Kate Douglas Wiggin, first published in 1903.

You would think that I would have come across this book (first published 107 years ago) at some point during my childhood, but this is the first time I've ever read it. And I have to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's an fun little tale with a very likeable heroine. And the book itself is a perfect example of the shift taking place in children's literature at the turn of the century. The rather moralistic and pious tales that had been popular in the late Victorian era were slowly being replaced by novels featuring more realistic children, without having quite as strong an emphasis on "improving" their young readers.

When I reviewed "Pollyanna," I mentioned that it had surely been inspired in part by the superior "Anne of Green Gables," which had been published five years previously. Well, in the case of "Rebecca" (published five years before "Anne"), I have to wonder if it in turn was an inspiration for writer Maud Montgomery. There are some extremely strong similarities between this book and "Anne," from individual characters and situations, to the general characterisation of the heroine herself. As far as I have been able to figure, this book was published two years before Montgomery started work on "Anne," so I suppose there is definitely a possibility that Montgomery read this, and it influenced her own work---though such an influence may have been subconscious.

Now, I have to say that "Anne" is easily the best of the three books, with "Rebecca" coming in second and "Pollyanna" a distant third. This book covers Rebecca's life from about the age of ten through seventeen. And while she is an appealing character, she never really comes to life in the way that Anne does. Still, this is a pretty slice of nostalgia, and I'll happily recommend it to those interested in vintage children's literature.

The book has, by this time, gone into the public domain, so anyone can feel free to do whatever they wish with the text. In some cases, this has meant abridging the work to make it more palatable for modern readers---which is nonsensical, in my opinion. This is NOT a difficult book; I can't imagine why it would need to be simplified.

In another case, a company called Bethel Publishing has re-written the book to fit more religion into the text. I'm assuming that they felt it wasn't pious enough? I'll admit to being a bit curious as to what changes were made, but overall I have no interest in reading this ridiculous adaptation; I'm willing to bet that my own brand of Christianity is not at all in sync with the publisher's. By all means, if you read this, make sure to stick with the original text.

My own copy of the book is crisp and clean; looks very attractive on the shelf. I'll upload an image to the product page here on the store. This particular binding was the standard for this title for many years, from the initial publication date through many reprintings.... I do like the decorative boards and spine, though I'll be all nit-picky here for a moment and say that I've never grown any hollyhocks that look like that! (Hollyhocks, far as I am aware, have rounder leaves on long stems; the leaves don't look a bit like those on the spine. Or maybe these aren't supposed to be hollyhocks at all?)

This evening I finished reading a children's classic that had somehow escaped my attention these many years: "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" by Kate Douglas Wiggin, first published in 1903.

You would think that I would have come across this book (first published 107 years ago) at some point during my childhood, but this is the first time I've ever read it. And I have to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's an fun little tale with a very likeable heroine. And the book itself is a perfect example of the shift taking place in children's literature at the turn of the century. The rather moralistic and pious tales that had been popular in the late Victorian era were slowly being replaced by novels featuring more realistic children, without having quite as strong an emphasis on "improving" their young readers.

When I reviewed "Pollyanna," I mentioned that it had surely been inspired in part by the superior "Anne of Green Gables," which had been published five years previously. Well, in the case of "Rebecca" (published five years before "Anne"), I have to wonder if it in turn was an inspiration for writer Maud Montgomery. There are some extremely strong similarities between this book and "Anne," from individual characters and situations, to the general characterisation of the heroine herself. As far as I have been able to figure, this book was published two years before Montgomery started work on "Anne," so I suppose there is definitely a possibility that Montgomery read this, and it influenced her own work---though such an influence may have been subconscious.

Now, I have to say that "Anne" is easily the best of the three books, with "Rebecca" coming in second and "Pollyanna" a distant third. This book covers Rebecca's life from about the age of ten through seventeen. And while she is an appealing character, she never really comes to life in the way that Anne does. Still, this is a pretty slice of nostalgia, and I'll happily recommend it to those interested in vintage children's literature.

The book has, by this time, gone into the public domain, so anyone can feel free to do whatever they wish with the text. In some cases, this has meant abridging the work to make it more palatable for modern readers---which is nonsensical, in my opinion. This is NOT a difficult book; I can't imagine why it would need to be simplified.

In another case, a company called Bethel Publishing has re-written the book to fit more religion into the text. I'm assuming that they felt it wasn't pious enough? I'll admit to being a bit curious as to what changes were made, but overall I have no interest in reading this ridiculous adaptation; I'm willing to bet that my own brand of Christianity is not at all in sync with the publisher's. By all means, if you read this, make sure to stick with the original text.

My own copy of the book is crisp and clean; looks very attractive on the shelf. I'll upload an image to the product page here on the store. This particular binding was the standard for this title for many years, from the initial publication date through many reprintings.... I do like the decorative boards and spine, though I'll be all nit-picky here for a moment and say that I've never grown any hollyhocks that look like that! (Hollyhocks, far as I am aware, have rounder leaves on long stems; the leaves don't look a bit like those on the spine. Or maybe these aren't supposed to be hollyhocks at all?)

Great characters, page turning action, surprises in theory chapter as a down-at-the-heel wanderer finds himself thrust onto center stage to survive by his wits and demeanor. A magnificent surprise ending -- Max Brand at his best well worth the time.

Anne of Green Gables is what introduced me into the world of pleasure reading almost 20 years ago. Not very many days have gone by since then that I haven't had a book in my hand.

I read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm for the first time while a young adult and years after discovering the Anne series. The parallels between the 2 characters and their overall story are immediate and many. Rebecca of SF came first though and was most likely the basis for Anne of GG.

Like many others, I too prefer Anne of GG because it seems to have a more light-hearted tone. Plus of course there was that wonderful BBC production that brought all the characters to life in such a rich and beautiful backdrop. Rebecca of SF takes place in America whereas Anne of GG takes place in Canada, and LM Montgomery (author of Anne of GG) took such pains to convey the scenic wonder of Prince Edward Island that made the backdrop more of a fairytale place. To this day, I still dream of visiting PEI.

But that isn't to say I couldn't enjoy Rebecca of SF either. I still own the copy I bought the first time I read it and I reread it every several years. If you enjoy Anne of Green Gables and just want to read something similar but different, try Rebecca of SF. Keep in mind that Rebecca of SF did come first so is not as fine-tuned, entertaining, or humurous as Anne of GG.

The 1 thing that made Rebecca of SF less enjoyable for me was the heightened religious undertones. That I could've done without but at the same time, I'm sure that's what it was like back then in a small town.

Rebecca of SF is also more of an "adult" read. It's a great book for children, but there are some things that younger minds will not quite grasp. Heck, even as an adult, I feel that there are things that still go over my head in this book.

You won't be able to stop yourself from comparing Rebecca and Anne, probably to the benefit of Anne, but if you read Rebecca of SF on its own merit and appreciate it on its own but also as the inspiration behind Anne of GG, I think you'll find this book a classic.