Customer Reviews

Elsie's Yachting with the Raymond's (Original Elsie Classics) (Bk.16)

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I love the first 14 of the Elsie books. They are delightful, if unfortunately somewhat racist and sexist. They portray almost perfectly an allegory in terms of relationship with God as seen through the father child relationships of Elsie and her father, and Captain Raymond and his children, particularly Lulu. However, by book 15, Finley apparently overcome with a sense that children did not adequately appreciate history, left off the relationships and became obsessed with making these into history books. They are full of great historical points of view, unfortunately, much as I WANT to appreciate it, it bores me silly, and did my children as well. With a few brief exceptions, the rest of the series seems the same. How unfortunate that she did not balance them a little better, for she would have maintained readers, taught history, and still have a following today.

My 9, 12 and 14 yr-old daughters have found these books to be wonderful Christian stories. Based on their reviews, I would highly recommend the books...They have the entire set and more...my girls love the books. Good Christian Books for young ladies to read.

On their way to join the rest of the family on the coast of Rhode Island, Max, Lulu, and Captain Raymond tour West Point, Saratoga, and other points of interest. While at West Point, they meet Elsie's cousin, Donald Keith, who joins them on their eastward trek.
As their summer stay at the beach concludes, the captain invests in a yacht for the family to enjoy. The Dolphin carries the Dinsmores, Travillas, Lelands, and Raymonds up and down the East Coast as they witness naval exercises and explore Boston, Bunker Hill, and other Revolutionary War sites. The final stop on their stop on their sojourn by water brings themn t oAnnapolis, Maryland, where Max, like his father before him, enrolls at the Naval Academy.
That just about sums up the whole book. I can read these books in 30 mn. flat because they are sooooo boring.
Books 1-14 are ok, but after that it is entirely boring. They even have Cp. Raymond reading out of a history book! Penned in the mid-nineteenth century, the original Elsie books were written by Martha Finley as a means to support herself after she suffered a serious injury. Finley wrote twenty-eight Elsie books before her death in 1909.

I've enjoyed this Elsie book, like I have several books before it in this series.

Many more historical events are discussed and landmarks are visited. The main new interest of the story is the yacht that Captain Raymond provides for the family. Lots of entertainment come from their new voyages.

The end of the book has left me anticipating the next story!