( 2 reviews )
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 31 2005
The Elsie Dinsmore series are some of my favorite Christian books. While the writing style is questionable, and I don't agree with all their beliefs Elsie Dinsmore was a very popular girl in the 1800s. During that time, Martha Finley was the second most popular author after Louisa May Alcott. This book, the sixth in the series, is not one you'd want to read without reading the previous five. After reading those books you'll find that Elsie is married to her father's best friend, Edward Travilla, and they have five children-Elsie, Eddie, Vi, Harold and Herbert. This book begins with the announcement of another child, Lily. Of course, in the previous book there was no mention that Elsie was pregnant and it seemed to me like a stork had come and dropped the baby on the arms of Elsie's mammy and somehow Elsie had become sick. Martha Finley's ignorance on pregnancies is one of the many things that tick me off about these books. However, Lily is not a healthy baby and so the children go to Elsie's friend, Lucy's, house for the summer. Because only the Travillas can behave well in these books (and there is no mention of any discipline that Elsie might have done to contribute to the good behavior), Lucy's children are treated like brats. While at Lucy's house, the younger Elsie comes upon the older Elsie's old tutor, Miss Day. A good fifty pages or so is devoted to charity bestowed upon Miss Day and her daughter. The Travillas go back to their estate, Ion, and six uneventful years go by, but we learn that seven-year-old Lily is still ill and the two Elsies and Edward have gone up North to see if anything can be done to save their daughter. There is a lot more to this book, but because I don't want to give anything away I will stop here. I miss the stories about the children in "Elsie's Motherhood" and what they did. To me it felt like I was either reading about the people at Roselands or nothing at all in "Elsie's Children." The ending was mediocre, and I'm only giving it three stars because Violet is becoming a lovely woman.
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( 5 of 5 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 5 2000
"Elsie's Children" continues the story of Elsie Dinsmore, which begins in "Elsie Dinsmore". The book opens with Elsie, who is a mother, joyfully telling her children that they have another sibling. From settling her children's quarrels, to calming their tears this is a darling book that I really enjoyed. Elsie's Christian attitude, and her loving example should be something we all try to portray in our daily lives. The "Elsie Dinsmore" books are some of my favorites, and Elsie is the picture of the ideal sister, daughter, wife and mother we women should all strive to become.
