Reading Journal: Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley

Hello everyone,

Today’s review is more of a reading journal of sorts of my reread of Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley. I remember reading these when I was about 12 and enjoying them, but I was curious to see how they hold up now that I am 27. Since this is a reading journal there will be spoilers.

January 22nd, 2022

So far I am enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, yes, I do find myself rolling my eyes a bit at how often Elsie cries, as well as her being uber pious and perfect. I don’t know anyone who has been as perfect, or who has been grieved over their own sin. I do really like Miss Allison, and Aunt Chloe (Mammy). I hate how awful her family is to her, at least her grand parents and aunts and uncles. But then again, it also seems it was part of the culture of the South, especially for plantation owners (?). There is a small part of me that thinks I should try and read all of the Elsie books, or at least as many of them as I find myself able to get through.

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I forgot how much of a jerk her father is…I get that he doesn’t know how to take care of a child. But still. His best friend is able to relate to Elsie a lot more than he does. He doesn’t take the time to get to know her and he is way to stern with her when he has barely said two words to her. Also, I don’t know, but Mr. Travilla creeps me out a bit, but I think it has more to do with the fact that he ends up marrying Elsie in book 4. But again, it was a different time, and I don’t think his kindness to her as an 8 year old is him grooming her. Like I said, it was a different time where a huge age gap was the norm. But it still makes me a little uneasy. Also what 8 year old drinks coffee?

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January 23rd, 2022

I did not expect to finish the first book so quickly, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I also had a hard time getting to sleep last night, and as a result ended up reading a bit. I kind of had a good time reading it too, which surprises me because I thought I would be mostly rage reading it. Yes, there are still quite a few things that I don’t like about this book (or the series overall), but something about it still made me invested in the story…maybe it’s the nostalgia for the time when I last read it. I don’t know how to explain it.

Elsie is very legalistic and way too perfect. And maybe that had to do with the times in which the book is set (the 1840s). Also, I just find it hard to believe that an 8/9 year old is that well-behaved. But yet I still found something charming about the story…I don’t know. Like I said, I think I just got caught up in the nostalgia.

I can’t stand her father, he is borderline abusive in how he treats her sometimes, and I feel like the author almost glorified that… or maybe it is a way to set up the next novel, where he becomes a Christian and it’s to show the contrast between how different love can look like. I don’t know, maybe I’m just grasping at straws. And then near the end Mr. Travilla makes a comment that was creepy… he tells Elsie that he wished she was ten years older *gag*.

Overall, I liked my reread of Elsie Dinsmore a lot more than I thought I would. However, it is not something I would necessarily recommend to others and I don’t know if I would ever let my own kids read these books. I hadn’t originally planned on it, but I’m curious to see how many of the books I can get through before I get so fed up with them. So I guess I’m going to pick up Elsie’s Holidays at Roselands next.

Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.