Betty Leicester's Christmas

Super old-fashioned Christmas Story that took no more than 40 minutes to read. Sarah Orne Jewett wrote at the end of the 19th Century. The original copyright on this story is 1894. (This version, for which I paid 99 cents, did not transfer well, so there are lots of odd spellings/typos and sentence breaks; there is a free version that might be set up better). In this story, Betty, a sixteen year old American girl who's visiting England, is invited, along with her widowed father, to attend a Christmas house party at the home of a woman Betty adores. While there, she befriends two others her age and they enjoy the festivities together. I would recommend this for anyone who wants an authentic glimpse at a life few would have known (except from below stairs). Ms. Jewett's writing is delightful, painting a vivid picture for the reader. Based on this, I have rounded the story up to four stars. Except for the very real pleasure of going back in time, there is not much to this tale, or I am too shallow to have figured it out!! At this Christmas party, enmity is suspended and love and fellow-feeling are palpable, and Ms. Jewett, with her beautiful descriptions and lovely characters, deftly brings us there and surrounds us with nostalgic Christmas cheer.

I think Sarah Orne Jewett is a wrongly neglected American author and I read anything I can find by her. This is a young adult piece about a wellborn American girl spending the holiday in an English castle with her father and friends. As always, Jewett has an eye for description and delineation of characters. A sweet little Christmas plum!

The typing was the worst I have ever experienced!

OK in an old-fashioned way.