54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Summertime and the living is easy, March 13, 2004
The Newbery Award winning books of the 1930s went through an interesting phase that was never again to be repeated. Starting with "Caddie Woodlawn" (1935), continuing with "Roller Skates" (1936), and capitulating with the delightful "Thimble Summer" (1938) these books all followed spunky independent females with little to no regard for the traditional roles women had always carried. But while "Caddie" and "Roller Skates" were period pieces that ultimately ended with the girls giving in to society's restraints, "Thimble Summer" trumps this trend. In it, we have a farm girl named Garnet who has a load of exciting summer adventures and who ends her tale wearing sailor pants doing hand stands over and over again in a pasture.
The tale of "Thimble Summer" begins when Garnet finds a silver thimble in a nearby dried lakebed. According to Garner, the summer's wonderful aspects only take place after this key event. Her father receives a loan from the government allowing him to build a new barn. Her family meets and virtually adopts an adorable homeless boy. Garnet shows her favorite pig at the state fair and wins a blue ribbon. All these events are told with a marvelous simplicity and a real sense of being there with Garnet. From the very first page of this book, you notice the author's excellent writing style. About the heat of the summer Enright writes, "It was like being inside of a drum. The sky like a bright skin was stretched tight above the valley, and the earth too, was tight and hard with heat". You're in safe hands with this writer. Don't believe me? Here's another wonderful descriptive passage. "Her shoes hurt her; and with aching feet and her bundle and empty pocketbook she felt like an old, old woman coming home from seeing grandchildren who didn't love her".
But observe this book within its 1938 context. Here's a girl that does a boy's chores. We never see her darn socks or cook, though she's often seen working in the fields. She's nine or so, so she doesn't go about falling in love (not even with the adorable homeless boy). She wears pants most of the time, is never badgered by either parent to be more feminine and (the coup de grace) at the end of the story she plans to someday have a farm of her own. Fabulous. Then there are those wonderful little details about the past. Kids reading this book may not get the references to G-men, Zeppelin shaped balloons, or the running boards of cars. Fortunately these spots of the past are either
self-evident or mercilessly scant.
Is the book flawless then? Almost. There are a couple tiny flaws here and there. The line drawings accompanying the text (drawn by the author herself) are magnificent. Unfortunately, there's one time they belie the text. If you've a child who's overweight in any way, this may not be the best book to show them. While Garnet's best female friend Citronella is continually called "fat", in the book's pictures she's the most average kid you've ever seen (compared to the waiflike Garnet, of course). Any child with body image problems is going to see the pictures, read the text, and come up with some pretty heart-wrenching conclusions. If Garnet is normal then... You get the picture.
I don't really understand why kids don't know this book better. Anyone who's ever wanted to live on a farm in the country would enjoy it. Anyone who's ever wanted to hitchhike like Garnet, spend a night in a library, or swim rivers on their own would like it. It's a pip, this one. It's got moxie. Don't forgo the pleasures of "Thimble Summer" simply because it's old. You'll be missing out on more than you could have possibly imagined.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
CAN A THIMBLE BE MAGIC OR BRING GOOD LUCK?, July 9, 1999
This is a quiet and gentle read about life on a Wisconsin farm in the 1930's, when great grand- parents still recall tales about Indians. Nine- year-old Garnet Linden (well, yes, she's blond but not necessarily Scandinavian) reminds us of Laura Ingalls, for she is plucky, mischievous and strong-willed. It was a simpler age, with simple pleasures: safe hitchiking, swimming in the creek, barn-raisings, ice cream and County Fairs. But farmers had it tough then what with drought and financial worries until the harvest was in. Garnet's brother, Jay, has decided that he does Not want to be a farmer, but what about the new orphan boy who shows up one night by the lime kiln? Is he farmer material perhaps?
There is not much of a plot--just events strung out like beads on a necklace. But it is a laid-back kind of book which young girls will enjoy. The illustrations are delightful; we see bubbly Garnet chasing chickens, locked in (I won't say where!), and on the cover she proudly holds her pet pig. One theme is that you really should be grateful to have Good Neighbors. Also that you need special eyes to recognize treasures when you find them. From the creek, then from the woods--what will she do with hers?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thimble Summer, March 20, 2001
By A Customer
I liked this book because it was an adventurous book and it was just a really neat book. Even though I'm twelve, and this book was probally made for eight through ten year olds, I liked this book a lot. It was fun to read about all of Garnet's (the main charatcher of this book) adventures and how she was happy throughout most of this book. The funnest part is when Garnet is able to get a pig. Garnets parents alow Garnet to enter her pig in a contest. When Garnet and her family got to the fair, something bad happens. Read it and you'll find out what it is. It's an exciting and happy book all the way through. (and of course, that's what I think!)
~
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
