The Lamplighter - Softcover

Cummins, Maria S

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612032281 ISBN 13: 9781612032283

Publisher: Bottom of the Hill Publishing, 2011

Synopsis

Second only in sales to Uncle Tom's Cabin during the nineteenth century, The Lamplighter tells the story of the development of a young, orphaned girl into a resilient, capable young woman who gets her man - her childhood compatriot. Gerty 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. Maria Susanna Cummins was an American novelist. The Lamplighter is a sentimental book one reviewer calling it "one of the most original and natural narratives". Within eight weeks of first being published, it sold 40,000 copies and totaled 70,000 by the end of its first year in print. Cummins wrote other books, including Mabel Vaughan, none of which had the same success

About this title

About the Author:

Nina Baym is Professor of English an Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the author of many books, including Feminism and American Literary History and American Women Writers and the Work of History, 1790-1860, both published by Rutgers University Press.

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: Bottom of the Hill Publishing
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1612032281
• ISBN 13: 9781612032283
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 308