She did bring home books from the library, in armloads, replenishing them every two or three days. She read avidly, indiscriminately, using them as an antidote for the pain in her heart. But they didn’t help much. There was no one to talk them over with. They were almost as useless as the newspapers.
“I know what I’ll do,” she decided. “I’ll go up to the high school. We had such fun that day we went before.”
But the visit was not a success. It was not at all like the merry expedition with the girls. The seniors were chattering about class pins and caps. The Philomathians and Zetamathians were having their annual fight for members. And none of it concerned Emily any more — not even the debating club.
(from Emily of Deep Valley, pages 103-104)
I fell in love with Maud Hart Lovelace’s charming, old fashioned stories based on her childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, when I read the first six books in the Betsy-Tacy series last year (click here for links to all of my Betsy-Tacy reviews). Emily of Deep Valley is one of the three books in Lovelace’s Deep Valley series (which recently were reissued by HarperCollins), and many of the characters from the Betsy-Tacy books make brief appearances.
The book opens in 1912 with Emily Webster preparing to graduate from Deep Valley High School. Her cousin, Annette, and their friends are getting ready to leave for college, but despite Emily’s longing to study sociology and become more like Jane Addams, she must stay in Deep Valley to take care of her grandfather. Her parents and grandmother have been dead for many years, and even though there is enough money to hire someone to handle her grandfather’s care, she wouldn’t think of leaving him. While Betsy Ray is outgoing and vibrant, Emily is quiet and reserved (yet outgoing enough to be very persuasive when it comes to debates). When the Crowd leaves for college, Emily falls into a depression, and when everyone comes home for the holidays, she realizes they now have little in common.
Piano lessons, dance lessons, and a reading group focused on the works of Robert Browning breathe some life into Emily, and her interactions with children from the nearby Syrian community change many lives, including her own. She befriends Jed Wakefield, a new teacher at Deep Valley High, but she still has feelings for Annette’s beau, Don, who seems to enjoy knowing that Emily is pining for him.
While some might say Lovelace’s stories are outdated, I loved reading about life in a small town in the early 1900s. And the more I get to know Lovelace’s characters, the more I realize that her books are timeless. It was easy for me to identify with Emily, from her bouts of depression to feeling out of place as friends grow apart — and of course, most of us remember having crushes on guys who didn’t deserve our attention.
Emily of Deep Valley is a heartwarming coming-of-age story, and I enjoyed watching Emily grow and find herself. I loved Emily’s grandfather and his stories of marching to Gettysburg in the Civil War, and I admired Emily for making a such a sacrifice for the man who took care of her for so many years. Lovelace did a great job bringing her numerous secondary characters to life (even if it can be difficult to keep track of them all), mainly because they are based on people from her childhood. In fact, the book ends with a special feature telling the story of Marguerite March, who inspired the character of Emily.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Emily of Deep Valley from HarperCollins for review purposes. I am an Amazon associate.
© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
I’m going to have to drink the Maud Hart Lovelace Koolaid one of these days; her books all seem so delightful.
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Oh, they are! I have 2 Betsy-Tacy books left to read, plus Winona’s Pony Cart and Carney’s House Party. I will be so sad when I’ve finished them all. I know Lovelace wrote some others, too, but not sure if they’re still in print.
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I love finding books like these. It’s true–they are timeless and while technology may change, the human experience is the same no matter the age and time.
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I just hope people don’t pass on these gems just because they’re a bit old fashioned!
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I too love these small town life stories. They are down to earth and more realistic.
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They make me want to live a simpler life, that’s for sure.
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Lovely review, Anna! I have read only a few Betsy-Tacy books, but I’ve absolutely loved them. They are timeless. They are beautifully written. They are classics. 🙂
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Well said! I hope you read the all of the Deep Valley books. I can’t get enough of them.
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Always nice to remind ourselves that lives in times past included all of those elements-attraction, sadness, learning, desires, relationships. It wasn’t all taking care of farm animals and washing clothes on washboards!!! I read “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” recently and had similar feelings about it.
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So true! I’m going to have to look for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm once I finish all the Lovelace books.
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I hope I get these books here. They sound so delightful and wonderful. Someday for sure.
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I hope so, too!
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I too loved this book. It was my favorite Maud Hart Lovelace one so far.
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Emily of Deep Valley and Betsy and Joe are in the running for my favorite Lovelace books, but I have a few more to finish before I can say for sure. Betsy will always have a special place in my heart, but I really enjoyed this book, too.
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Sounds like a fun book..wonder if there is enough to consider it for a Civil War reading challenge? LOL
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Unfortunately, no. Her grandfather pretty much tells the same story, reminiscing about the march to Gettysburg and there’s a couple big Memorial Day parades, but it all takes a back seat to Emily’s trials and triumphs.
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I’ve never read Maud Hart Lovelace and all her books sound so wonderful. You’re doing a great job selling me on them! I like that this one touches on the Civil War- always a favorite topic to read about.
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I do hope you give them a try. I have to take a bit of a break from them for a couple of blog tours, but I can’t wait to get back to them.
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Awww it sounds sweet, I think this is a book I would really have liked…perhaps even like now too
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I just read it for the first time and loved it, so I’m sure you could enjoy it too. 🙂
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So glad you liked EMILY’s story as it’s one of my favorites.
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I could tell how much the book affected you from reading the foreword. Thank you for stopping by my blog!
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Booking Mama loved this one too. I really need to try it!
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Yes, definitely! 🙂
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