Audiobook7 hours
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Written by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Narrated by Barbara Caruso
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
This unforgettable classic has been captivating children and adults alike for more than a century. Rebecca's widowed mother has a failing farm, meager resources, and seven children to raise. When her spinster sisters offer Rebecca a home and an education, Mrs. Randall bundles her second eldest into a stagecoach with a kiss and an admonition to stay out of mischief. Could she be asking too much of the free-spirited imp with sparkling eyes and insatiable curiosity? Kate Douglas Wiggin wrote children's books to finance the school she started in the slums of San Francisco in 1878. Her first book was published in 1883, and by 1887 she had become a popular success. But the publication of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm in 1903 won her major acclaim both here and in Great Britain.
Author
Kate Douglas Wiggin
Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American educator, author, and advocate who is best known for writing Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. After graduating from kindergarten-teacher training in Santa Barbara, Wiggins moved to San Francisco, where she founded the first free kindergarten on Silver Street in 1878.
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Reviews for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Rating: 4.176470588235294 out of 5 stars
4/5
17 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin had long been on my radar as I have heard it spoken of in loving terms by my Mother many, many times. Unfortunately, I probably waited too long to read this book as I found it did not really stand the test of time. Rebecca is neither as interesting nor as loveable as L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables or Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Written early in the 20th century Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a moralistic tale of a young girl sent to live with her two straight-laced maiden aunts and the life lessons that she learns as she grows to maturity and independence. The aunts have definite ideas of a child’s place, but Rebecca seems to have the ability to gain the love and affection of most people that she meets. From teachers to slightly strange (almost icky) benefactors, she glides through life charming all she meets.I am glad that I can finally say that I have read this book, and I will definitely tell my Mother that I enjoyed it, but, seriously I would tell most people who are looking for a story of this type to go for the above mentioned Anne of Green Gables or Little Women.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was one of my childhood favorites. I read it three times.Great book to read to young children.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rebecca Rowena Randall - named for the two heroines of Sir Walter Scott's novel of adventure and romance, Ivanhoe - sets out on an adventure of her own in this classic American children's story, first published in 1903, leaving her home at Sunnybrook Farm to live with her two maiden aunts in Riverboro, Maine, there to receive the benefits of an education, and the 'proper' upbringing that her much-beleaguered mother cannot provide to her. With an eye for beauty, a vivid imagination, and a talkative disposition, ten-year-old Rebecca is soon winning friends both young and old, from stage-driver and neighbor, Mr. Jeremiah Cobb, to schoolmate and soon-to-be close friend, Emma Jane Perkins. Her aunts - sternly critical Miss Miranda Sawyer, and kindhearted Miss Jane Sawyer - give her a home in the "brick house," and, in their very different ways, eventually come to love this most unexpected niece...Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is one of those children's classics (whose number is embarrassingly large) that I am always meaning to get to, but for which I can never seem to find the time. I'm very glad that it was chosen as our March selection, over in The Children's Fiction Book Club to which I belong, as this gave me the opportunity (and the needed push in motivation, apparently) to finally pick it up. It has added interest for me, as a long-time fan of Anne of Green Gables, as Wiggin's book was apparently a great influence of the later (1908) Canadian classic. Overall, I found it an engaging and enjoyable read, one that fits snugly into the world of late Victorian girls' stories. There are undeniable parallels with Montgomery's better-known work - both books feature 'orphans' (although not technically an orphan, Rebecca is separated from her family) who go to live with two elderly people, one stern, the other kindhearted; the heroines of both are imaginative, talkative, and just a little bit set apart from those around them; and both stories document the changes brought to their eponymous heroines' adoptive homes - although Wiggin's has a distinctly New England flavor, that is missing from Montgomery's Prince Edward Island-centered tale. In particular, the depiction of the unbending Aunt Miranda, who never voices her change of heart to her niece, choosing to communicate her love posthumously, through her will, felt very authentic to me, even if another outcome might have made for happier reading. I rather wish that I had read this as a girl, as I suspect my appreciation for it would have been greater. As it is, I enjoyed it, but cannot say I loved it.Addendum: I had the good fortune to read a vintage copy of this title, with artwork by Helen Mason Grose, which I greatly enjoyed. The color plates were lovely, but so too were the black-and-white engraving-style illustrations. I highly recommend the reader find a well illustrated copy, as it enhances the experience greatly! I loved the cover image on my copy, with Rebecca, in her buff dress, carrying her precious pink parasol, descending from the stagecoach in Riverboro.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really loved reading this aloud to my 9 year old daughter. I was trying to inspire her as a reluctant reader to get beyond the very silly little novellas she was stuck at. It is such a lovely story and so many positive messages for little girls today it was a really a pleasure to share it with her. The language and vocabulary were quite difficult for her at times but I was able to explain it and also share my delight at some of the well written passages. I guess it is a little wordy and sentimental, but if that kind of book appeals you'll like it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I feel like I should be somehow ashamed now, in the age of modernity, to have loved 'girlhood classics' like this. But instead, it makes me sad, for our society. I'm never giving up my computer, but if only I could grow up and find myself in the world of Sunnybrook Farm/Louisa May Alcott/Betsy Tacy. They seemed to know how to live well, back then, and how to appreciate what they had, and the people who were close to them.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This story reminded me of others that are similar - Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon - all books about young girls, thrust upon adults who aren't sure they want to care for them. Rebecca is interesting because she isn't particularly smart or cute or good - but she is alive and she is attractive in some indefinable way to those around her. I enjoyed hearing Rebecca's adventures and enjoyed they way the story ended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A beautiful classic coming of age story in a time long past. I absolutely loved the heroine, Rebecca! She continued to be herself even while presented with all of the ways others thought she should be. I would definitely listen again.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love the story it is written well I will definitely listen to it again.