An Old Fashioned Girl

About five minutes ago I finished reading An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. It is now one of my favorite books! I recently met two young ladies that are around my age, when we had their family of eleven over for dinner. Right away, we became friends and found ourselves sitting on the stairs, gabbing about everything under the sun. :) Of all the subjects that were spoken of, good books was one of them. While Ashley and Emily were recommending a few to me, An Old Fashioned Girl popped into their minds, and I wrote it down with the others. I was pleased to find it at the library, and started to tackle it at once.

Fourteen year old Polly Milton is a lovely girl who goes to visit her wealthy friend, Fanny Shaw and her modern and fancy family. She is in awe of the life they live, as well as disgusted of the way the young ladies flirt and dress. Even though everyone thinks her most peculiar and "countrified", Polly sticks to her simple clothes and modest nature, eventually winning the hearts of the whole Shaw family.

I was encouraged by this book, because even though the pressure to be excepted into the fashionable society around her was large, Polly stood by the godly ways she had been brought up with, painfully going against the grain of the things people practiced around her. I think we ladies, who are earnestly living for the Lord, go through these same trials. It's not always easy to dress modestly, be chaste and discreet, be content with the life God has given us or keep ourselves pure for our future husbands - all things which are frowned upon and openly dejected in these perverse times of our world.

Another way I was encouraged by the book, was by Polly's gentle and patient spirit in dealing with little ones. I am constantly working on myself to have the same spirit when I am with my siblings. It is easy when they're being charming and obedient to be a good and kind sister, but when they're sassy and disobedient, I often find myself getting easily frustrated after repeating myself many times to do something (or not to do something), and the patience and gentleness seem to melt away. I enjoy reading books with characters who have a gentle spirit in everything (including their siblings and little children around them), as it encourages and reminds me to press on and realize that, with much prayer and help from the Lord, a gentle spirit in all things can be attained.

All in all, I have extremely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any girl who loved Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and would like to be encouraged in holding fast to their "peculiar and countrified" convictions and beliefs in our modern and fashionable society.

Joyfully,