The Two Elsies (Original Elsie Classics, Book 11) [Mass Market Paperback]

Martha Finley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Original Elsie Classics (Book 11)

Publisher: New York : Dodd, Mead

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There has been almost no character in American juvenile fiction which has attained more widespread interest and affection than ''Elsie.'' --Ladies Home Journal, April 1893 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Biographical sketches on Martha Finley agree that she was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, in April, 1828, the daughter of Dr. James Brown Finley and his wife and first cousin, Maria Theresa Brown Finley, and that she lived a quiet life. In spite of this—or perhaps because of it—her biographers seem to have considerable trouble agreeing on much else about her life. She was born either April 26 or April 28 and lived in Circleville, Ohio, until she was six [3] or eight, when the family moved to South Bend, Indiana. Except for a year at school in Philadelphia, she lived in South Bend until 1853, when she was twenty-five, possibly teaching in Indiana schools from 1851-1853. In 1853, her parents or father died, and she moved either to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to teach, or to New York for a year. In 1854, she either moved to an unspecified town in Pennsylvania, to write for the Presbyterian Publishing Board. Martha Finley is best known for her Elsie Dinsmore series, melodramatic and sentimental fiction focusing on Elsie's trials and the solace offered her by her religious beliefs. Originally written under the pseudonym "Martha Farquharson" (Gaelic for "Finley"), the series lasted for 28 volumes, published over a period of 38 years. Much has been written about the series, discussing everything from its tear-soaked heroine and her relationship with her father to its enduring popularity during the 19th century. Elsie, however, was only a little over a quarter of Ms. Finley's total works. A second series, Mildred Keith, ran for seven volumes and chronicles the life of Mildred Keith and her family as well providing glimpses of Elsie Dinsmore's early years. Mildred is a slightly more realistic character than Elsie, with spunk and independence and without Elsie's perpetual penchant for tears and Biblical quotations. Martha Finley also wrote more than fifty short books or pamphlets, primarily for children, which were published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication and/or the Presbyterian Publishing Committee. The majority of these appeared between 1856 and 1876 in series or as individual volumes. Their titles and publishers suggest that they, too, were didactic literature, with a strong emphasis on religion. Much of Martha Finley's writing was quickly forgotten, but Elsie persevered for over seventy-five years. In 1945, the first 12 volumes were still in print in the United States and England and had sold over 5,000,000 million copies. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821042
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821048
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worhtwhile glimpse into the past, October 13, 2007

By 

D. L. Ekanger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two Elsies (Original Elsie Classics, Book 11) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read these books as a child and have just re-read them as a married mother of two. I can't say enough about their positive effect on me both then and now. In reading some of the other reviews it becomes quite clear that many of the objections (too close to erotic love between father and daughter and extreme piety in Elsie as a child) arise from two things: the change in our language and the change in our culture.

The simple fact is that language has changed in the last one hundred years. Yes, the terminology is somewhat antiquated, but it is also rich with a vocabulary that would shame any modern author. Obviously language evolves. We do not ascribe the same meaning to certain words today as were ascribed in the time the books were written. That need not be a stumbling block to young readers if parents take a little time to talk about the changes in language. Indeed, it can be a very positive thing to discover the richness of language.

A changing culture also leads to misinterpretation of an innocent work. The idea that there would be anything improper in the deep love shared between the father and daughter is only an invention of modern, jaded eyes. Our culture is so saturated with sexuality and selfishness that we no longer understand purity or selfless love. Original readers of the Elsie series would be horrified at the misinterpretation of this work. Indeed such a perverted view of love would be as foreign to them as the pure view of love seems to be to some of today's readers.

As to the piety (some would say martyrdom) of Elsie with regard to her faith, I would again refer to the change in culture. Reading other works of the same era, one would find others with a similar dedication. Perhaps the comparison of Elsie's dedication and the casualness with which we tend to treat our faith today makes some readers a little uncomfortable. It certainly did me. But I am glad because it has made me re-evaluate my own walk with God ... a worthwhile exercise for us all.

38 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Chock-full of horrible lessons, August 15, 2008

By 

Jennifer Joy Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two Elsies (Original Elsie Classics, Book 11) (Mass Market Paperback)

Where to begin with the horrible life lessons that Elsie teaches? Perhaps start in the beginning:

1) If people are evil and unjust, the best thing you can do as a Christian is ignore it. Remember the old axiom 'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing'? Christians should be aware of evil and unjust behavior, directed at them or otherwise.

This bad lesson is taught as Elsie's wretched cousin continues to do evil works, while Elsie just pretends she doesn't see them. She doesn't come forward about her cousin's evil works until after a little slave boy has been beaten and is about to be turned out of the house.

2) If you lavish enough adoration upon the man who ignores or ridicules you, he will eventually love you. There's a life lesson for little girls- Elsie's father is abusive, controlling, and manipulative. He punishes Elsie on whims or punishes her while excusing the worse behavior of others. Eventually he grows to love her- after she nearly wastes to death pining for his affection. Even better lesson- almost dying will make the emotionally distant man in your life love you!

3) People have it in for you because you're a Christian. No, not every non-Christian is hostile to Christians. However, anyone might feel less than charitable towards a person who constantly lectures them about their "sins", like listening to non-religious music on Sundays. Last time I read the Bible, it was the Pharisees who made up ridiculously elaborate rules and made it a sin to not follow them.

4) It's okay for a man to beat you if he thinks you were in the wrong. This isn't an argument against spanking as part of discipline- but there is a HUGE difference between spanking and beating. A buggy whip is never an appropriate tool to mete out punishment. Now, for how this lesson is taught? Elsie brings her father what she thinks is a perfect copybook lesson. She proudly opens the book to find a giant ink stain. She's shocked. Her father rages at her for spoiling the book, and then takes her innocent confusion to be outright lying. He then drags her off to beat her, only being stopped at the last moment. Elsie then says it would have been all right if he had beaten her, because he thought it was for the best.

5) That lesson leads into the next one: Hearing explanations is for losers. Every time Elsie attempts to explain something, she's shushed, smacked, starved, ridiculed, boxed on the ears, sent away in disgrace, or locked up. It's no wonder she has no backbone- if you were punished for attempting to explain yourself, you'd shut up too. The worst part is, they always ask her to explain first, but before five words are out of her mouth, it's pariah time.

6) Adult men who say that they are in love with little girls are fine people and should probably marry the girl in question. The concerned party is one Edward Travilla, who falls in love with Elsie when she's 7, and marries her as soon as her father consents. He then keeps her as his perpetual child bride. That is wrong and creepy no matter what era you're in- he is in love with a child. Not a happy friendly uncle love, but a 'I want to marry this little girl the second I'm allowed to'. If happy friendly uncle love had been made much of, only to have him surprised by her womanliness in her actual womanhood, this wouldn't be quite as creepy. However, he makes a big deal of his adult love for her and his wishes that she was just a bit older so he could actually marry her, so it's never not creepy.

7) Catholics are bad. Like, really really really Satan-worshiping bad. And nuns will whip you half to death if you don't bow down and worship statues of Mary.

8) Perhaps the deadliest thing in this world is grief and brain fever.

I read this entire series to please a lovely lady who was like a grandmother to me. I admit to lying when I told her I enjoyed them, but since the entire series is on-line now, my best friend and I read them and laugh heartily. However, these books will be kept out of our own daughters hands until they can see them for the silliness they are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Two Elsies by a ten year old, October 4, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Two Elsies (Original Elsie Classics, Book 11) (Mass Market Paperback)

The two Elsies is a pretty good book. Lester Leland's brother is dying, and his child is left to them. Her name is Evelyn. She is really nice and sweet,and she and Lulu become good friends. The whole family goes to Viamede, and there Lulu refuses to take lessons from a music teacher who slapped her. Then, captain Raymond is not heard from, and the navy fears his ship has sunk or is lost at sea. It's a nice book, but not as good as #s 7,8,9,and 10.