Saturday, April 17, 2010

May selection: Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter

On May 18, we'll be discussing Lisa's choice:
Laddie, A True Blue Story (1913) by Gene Stratton Porter is a wonderful and semi-autobiographical novel of siblings, family bonds, struggles and loves, learning and nature, and the complex joys of growing up in the country at the turn of the past century. Little Sister tells us the story of her brother Laddie, and the whole family is glimpsed through her loving eyes. A classic uplifting tale of self-discovery for all ages.

Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924), American novelist and naturalist, was born on a farm in Indiana and became one of Indiana's best-known authors. Writing fiction to support her passion for observing natural habitats, she also wrote non-fiction works that extensively dealt with birds, flowers, and other natural wonders. She fought for the conservation of the Limberlost Swamp and took up other cases of public welfare as well. A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) and Freckles (1904) are two of her most famous works. Amazon product review
You shouldn't have any trouble finding this in the library, but it can be read and downloaded several places online: Project Gutenburg (ebook), Google books, The Literature Network, Classic Reader, Questia.

2 comments:

Earth Girl said...

I hope you enjoy this book. I work at the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site on Sylvan Lake in Rome City, IN. (NE Indiana) Perhaps your group would like to follow-up this book with a visit to Gene's Cabin in Wildflower Woods. If so, you can contact us 260-854-3790 or genestrattonportershs@dnr.in.gov.

Slow Reader said...

Thanks for the tip! We did enjoy the book. I'll posting a recap of our discussion soon.