Description

Originally published by The Baker & Taylor Co., 1906. (from review in Los Angeles Heral, 8 April 1906) "Hazel of Heatherland by Mabel Barnes-Grundy, is a charming picture of the wayward, humorous Hazel, of her struggles against the domineering sister Angela and the daughter-ridden mother, of Sammy the gardener and Mr. Inderwick, and of a dozen others who form the background for Hazel. From the moment that quaint old Sammy appears, with his eye ever out for himself and Hazel, through the vacillations of Hazel's love affairs and the humorously wrought pictures of this rural English life among the middle-class folk of the Dee country, the story is one of unflagging interest.

Notes

I had been reluctant to start this one because the only other Mabel Barnes Grundy I'd read, in the public domain, had featured (spoiler alert) the charming young narrator suffering a bicycle accident, spending months as an invalid, and then DYING. Huge, unexpected bummer. This, however, was anything but. Fun, and frequently quite funny, it reminded me a bit of Rinehart's Bab -- Hazel is more reliable and less a force to be reckoned with, but equally imperfect, energetic, and relatable. The writing is good. Hazel's aunt -- who enters the story with a letter to her mother "I believe you have two nice daughters. I have three moderately satisfactory sons." -- is delightfully drawn and I would happily read a spinoff novel about her finding love again at 65. And Sammy is indeed entertaining. The book kind of feels like it straddles the Victorian/20th-century narrative divide a bit -- it's plot-driven, but there's space for, for instance, a whole chapter that's pretty much just her aunt elaborating her views on what makes a good marriage (some interesting gender stuff here). A lot of focus, throughout, on the advantages and limitations of small-town rural life and how a free-spirited young woman of the time could chafe at her lack of options and somewhat suffocating social bonds. Other highlights include a party with a nice description of apparently popular children's games of the day: "Turn the Trencher", "General Post", "Clumps". And a neurodivergent character whose first line is "Are you interested in entomology, or have you any other hobby?" (The former remains his obsessive interest throughout, and his eccentricity gets humorous but sympathetic treatment.) No lie, I will use that line and I enjoyed this book.

Flags: MC "thrashes" her dog who'd chased a rabbit into woods where men were hunting. Pig killing day is described -- MC dreads, but accepts, philosophically, its necessity. The usual class distinctions and stereotyping -- it's really inescapable in works of this time.

Tags

1900-1909, English, Europe, England, age difference, beautiful/handsome, big, cheerful, comedy, coming of age, competent, determined, diary/journal, f/m, family, older relative, delightful, family, sibling, domineering, female, first-person, hair, dark, landowner, lovers, friends to, madcap, opposites attract, plain, practical, quiet, romance, selfish, single, spirited, strong, tall, young

Flags

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