The lamplighter. By:Maria S.(Susanna) Cummins. A NOVEL: New a complete editions - Softcover

Cummins, Maria S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1539492338 ISBN 13: 9781539492337

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

The Lamplighter is a sentimental novel written by Maria Susanna Cummins and published in 1854, and a best-selling novel of its era. Plot synopsis A female Bildungsroman, The Lamplighter tells the story of Gertrude Flint, an abandoned and mistreated orphan rescued at the age of eight by Trueman Flint, a lamplighter, from her abusive guardian, Nan Grant. Gertrude is lovingly raised and taught virtues and religious faith. She becomes a moralistic woman. In adulthood, she is rewarded for her long suffering with marriage to a childhood friend.... Maria Susanna Cummins (April 9, 1827 – October 1, 1866) was an American novelist. Maria Susanna Cummins was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on April 9, 1827. She was the daughter of Honorable David Cummins and Maria F. Kittredge, and was the eldest of four children from that marriage. The Cummins family resided in the neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston, Massachusetts. Cummins' father encouraged her to become a writer at an early age. She studied at Mrs. Charles Sedgwick's Young Ladies School in Lenox, Massachusetts. In 1854, she published the novel The Lamplighter, a sentimental book which was widely popular and which made its author well-known. One reviewer called it "one of the most original and natural narratives".Within eight weeks, it sold 40,000 copies and totaled 70,000 by the end of its first year in print.She wrote other books, including Mabel Vaughan (1857), none of which had the same success. Cummins also published in some of the popular periodicals of her day.Cummins died in Dorchester after a period of illness on October 1, 1866.

About this title

About the Author:

Maria Susanna Cummins (1827–1866) was an American novelist. She was the daughter of Honorable David Cummins and Maria F. Kittredge, and was the eldest of four children from that marriage. The Cummins family resided in the neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston, Massachusetts. Cummins' father encouraged her to become a writer at an early age. She studied at Mrs. Charles Sedgwick's Young Ladies School in Lenox, Massachusetts. In 1854, she published the novel The Lamplighter, a sentimental book which was widely popular and which made its author well-known. One reviewer called it "one of the most original and natural narratives". Within eight weeks, it sold 40,000 copies and totaled 70,000 by the end of its first year in print. She wrote other books, including Mabel Vaughan, none of which had the same success. Cummins also published in some of the popular periodicals of her day.

Review:

Second only in sales to Uncle Tom's Cabin during the nineteenth century, The Lamplighter is almost completely unknown today, its very popularity having been used to condemn it in literary critical circles. It tells the story of the development of a young, orphaned girl into a resilient, capable young woman who gets her man - her childhood compatriot - but does just fine on her own, thank you, until he returns at the end of the book from his quest to make his fortune overseas. When the reader first meets Gerty she is an orphaned hellion, physically and mentally abused by the brutal and miserly Nan Grant: "No one loved her, and she loved no one; no one treated her kindly; no one tried to make her happy, or cared whether she were so. She was but eight years old and all alone in the world." Gerty is rescued by Trueman Flint, a kindly lamplighter who teaches her about love and respect. A second teacher enters in the form of saintly, blind Emily Graham, who brings a reverence for God into Gerty's life. But while both teachers attempt to tame Gerty's wildness, grown-up Gertrude still retains the backbone and energy that made her such an endearing character to nineteenth-century readers. Gertrude's willingness to defy male and female authority, her courage in emergencies, her rejection of suitors, her loyalty to female friends, and her resourcefulness during hard times make her a strong and inspiring woman in any century. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Womena; review by Erica Bauermeister

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1539492338
• ISBN 13: 9781539492337
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288