Posted in Book Reviews

Brookside Farm-house is written by Martha Finley (the author of the Elsie Dinsmore series) under the psudonym of Martha Farquharson, and was first published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication in 1865, two years before the first Elsie book was published.

In 2006, it was republished by Lawrence Multimedia. The new edition has all 12 of the original pictures, original punctuation and spelling, and is 96 pages. It is cloth hardbound.

"Brookside Farm-house was a very pretty, though old-fashioned place, not five minutes' walk from a village of the same name: a beautiful winding brook of clear, sparkling water skirted two sides of the farm and from this circumstance it took its name.

"Mr. Neff was the owner, and here he, and his wife, his old father, and six children had a pleasant and happy home."

Thus begins this charming book, in which the Neffs, who are Christians, earnestly strive to raise their children as such in everything they do.

In reading this book, you will learn about patience, thankfulness, obedience, charity, and industriousness.

Martha Finley wrote and published nearly a hundred books during her lifetime from 1828 to 1909. This book, about the tenth one she wrote, is available for $15 from Families For Christ Ministries or at www.BrooksideFarmhouse.com.

Posted in Other

I found an article that I enjoyed titled "Family and Social Reading" from The Mother's Magazine, March 1848 at THIS website. Enjoy!

Posted in Book Reviews

This was Martha Finley's "best seller." Originally meant to be just this one book, it ended up being the first of a twenty-eight book series. Elsie Dinsmore lives at the time leading up to the American Civil War (which takes place in book #4) and is at this point eight years old.

Elsie lives at an estate called "Roselands" with her rich relatives, her grandfather and his wife, their six children, and numerous servants. None except a few of the servants are Christians, which makes it hard for Elsie to keep on God's path.

Her main help is of course God. She reads the Bible and prays as often as she can. But she also has her "mammy" Chloe to give her encouragement and guidance.

At the beginning of this book, Elsie's father is in Europe travelling. She has never seen him and longs for him tremendously. Her mother died shortly after Elsie was born. She is constantly being teased and tormented by her family and teacher. One of the "reasons" why they mistreat her is because she is richer than them. Her aunt Enna and uncle Walter are both younger than her.

After having a companion for a while in her aunt Adelaide's friend Miss Allison, one of Elsie's greatest wishes comes true - her father comes home.

But, he is not pleased with the way Elsie shows him affection. She is not as bold or outspoken as his sisters. Thus, even though Elsie loves him dearly, he is even more severe with her (if possible) than her grandfather and other relatives.

Many events happen before they are both happy. But by the end of this highly entertaining story for all ages, they are nearly so. Of course, Horace Dinsmore cannot be as happy as Elsie while he is not a Christian. But remember, this is 28 book series!

Though I would not nessisarily recommend reading the entire series until you know that you at least like the first one, I find no reason why you would not like it.

Wonder where you could find a copy of a book written in 1868? If you like to read from your computer, there is a free version at Project Gutenberg. Or if you like a book you can hold in your hand, Mantle Ministries has a very durable hardcover edition. I have read this book countless times with the book amazingly still in good condition!

'Til next time,

Heather

Posted in Book Reviews

William Simonds wrote seven books in a series called The Aimwell Stories, so called for the reason that he wrote the series under the psudonym of Walter Aimwell. Plus, (at least in Ella  ) the main character "aims well" to do something. In this case, Ella is trying to (and succeeds, I might add.  )Turn a New Leaf.

Ella, or Turning a New Leaf is the third in the series, nearly 300 pages, and was written in 1855. Though I have not as of yet read the first two (Oscar, or The Boy Who Had His Own Way and Clinton, or Boy Life in the Country) or any other in the series, I found that Ella was very easily a stand-alone book.

The author did a very good job of filling you in with what led up to this book, without making it seem like it. The story is of how a girl who teases her brothers, is lazy in housework, dislikes writting composition, and other things "turns a new leaf.

Some events in this book include Ella's mother and older sister going to a relative's for a visit, while her aunt comes in their place. Her aunt helps her with her compositions, tells her brother and herself stories - about a selfish man who meets fairies, and other ones. Her family also has a party with some of their friends, with a picture of a maze and instuctions for a game or two that they play in the book.

There are many subjects covered in this book. For instance, everything is told from a Biblical perspective. Ella couldn't have been able to succeed in her effort to turn a new leaf without God's help. Writing is also covered, with the author giving a critique of a couple compositions which, in the story, Ella and her brother Ralph write as a contest that their Aunt Fanny gives. The prize was this picture, which was one of the many illustrations in the book.

When Aunt Fanny finds George "torturing" flies by feeding them to a spider, she tells Ella and him about flies and spiders - how flies can land on ceilings, how spiders spin webs, and a few other facts.

I could easily go more in depth about this book, but what would be the fun in you reading it then?

So, 'til next time,

Heather

Posted in Other

Many of Martha Finley's books were published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication located at 1334 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, PA. You can find three more pictures HERE. I don't know if that building is still there or still occupied by them. That photo is from 1895, thirty years after the publication of Brookside Farmhouse.

'Til next time,

Heather

Posted in Other

I thought that this was 'interesting.' ;) From - http://www.christianlogic.com/chrisalexion/archives/satire/index.html

Elsie To Sign Record Deal

Tim McAleny of RCA expressed enthusiasm over the project. "I mean, Elsie's got everything. She's rich, famous, and gorgeous. A record deal only makes sense," he said. Dinsmore's debut album is expected to draw deeply on her experience, and deal with such issues as tough parents, men who only want her money, and slavery. "Elsie's got a wealth--no pun intended--of experience, and she brings this to the microphone in powerful, deeply moving songs," said McAleny.

Particularly prominent in Dinsmore's music is the theme of broken love and people who make up aliases in order to steal girls' money. "This happens to everybody," said Dinsmore. "I'm just giving angst-ridden young people a new voice." Dinsmore's album is expected to evoke comparisons to singers like Alannis Morrisette, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, and Kelly Clarkson, who Dinsmore says is a childhood friend. "Kelly and I are very close," she said. "We get together to sew all the time."

Dinsmore first attracted attention with her electrifying live performances for friends at Viamede and on select concert venues, where her meek and quiet voice really made listeners pay attention. "Elsie's been pampered, but that's what makes her so different," said Jon Carpenter of Rolling Stone. Fans also appreciated Dinsmore's nuanced and skillful covers of well-known songs. "Could you look me in the eye and tell me that you're happy now, ooh ooh ooh ooh? / Could you tell it to my face, or have I been erased?" she sang at a recent performance, where she dedicated the song to Tom Jackson, alias Bromley Egerton.

McAleny says that Dinsmore's real appeal stems from her publicity. "I mean, she's famous," he said. "Not only do girls know about her, but even guys with a sister or two know way more than they want to."

Posted in Book Reviews

Susan Warner's The Wide, Wide World, written in 1850 (the first American best-seller and published under pseudonym Elizabeth Wetherell), is the story of Ellen Montgomery who doubts that God will really take care of her as she is taken to her hard-working aunt while her father takes her dying mother to Europe.

Thanks to several friends who help, teach, and guide her along the way, Ellen eventually learns to trust in God in everything, and is able to endure trials, many of them her aunt's making.

Originally published in a two-part edition, it is well over five hundred pages all together. It takes Ellen from childhood to Christian womanhood and is definitely worth the read. HERE is a link to a free edition, complete with the original pictures.

I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.

'Til next time,
Heather

Posted in Authors