Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, written by Kate Douglas Wiggin and published in 1903, is a charming little book. I noted in my journal, “This is a dear little book. It moves along briskly, and the only reason it's taking me so long to read is that I'm reading only a little at a time.” In many aspects, it resembles other girls' coming-of-age novels like Anne of Green Gables - Anne of Avonlea, Emily of New Moon, and An Old-Fashioned Girl. However, Rebecca is a unique character. She is as imaginative, positive, and poetic as Anne Shirley, but her family circumstances add different dimensions to her personality.

Rebecca Rowena Randall is the second of seven children in the struggling Randall family. They reside on a farm in rural Maine in the late 19th century. Her father has passed away, and her mother sends her to live with her aunts, Miranda and Jane. Miranda is irritable, parsimonious, and extremely practical, while Jane is gentle, good at peacemaking, but still unaccustomed to children. Although they initially wanted Rebecca's older sister, their intentions are good: they are committed to getting Rebecca an education to improve her family's situation. The book follows Rebecca's years from age ten to seventeen. She is an optimistic and capable girl, standing out from everyone else in her limited world of the village and farms due to her imagination and quick mind. Her prospects are promising because of her talents in writing, music, acting, public speaking, and art. This, combined with her sweet nature, love for people, and yearning for broader experiences, makes her a remarkable character. However, her imaginative ways conflict with Aunt Miranda's insistence that she be more ordinary and down-to-earth. Rebecca excels in school, but winning Aunt Miranda's heart proves to be a challenge.
The story itself is so similar to Anne of Green Gables that I couldn't help but compare and contrast the two as I read. I wish I could have stopped myself, as it affected my enjoyment. If I had read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm first, I would have undoubtedly loved it more. Mostly, I had an issue with the narrator/author, Kate Douglas Wiggin. She is not as lyrical or positive as L. M. Montgomery, and thus, she undermines her heroine. I felt that Rebecca would have been better served by L. M. Montgomery. Wiggin has a tendency to be harsh on her characters (except for Rebecca!), almost cautioning you not to like them too much, while Montgomery makes you like almost everyone, even the unpleasant ones. Aunt Miranda is mean and miserly, Emma Jane (Rebecca's closest friend) is dreadfully dull, Mr. and Mrs. Cobb (an older couple who dote on Rebecca) are sweet but simple-minded, and Miss Dearborn (the schoolteacher) is ignorant. Rebecca's vitality made me frown upon most of the other characters because of how Mrs. Wiggin critically contrasted them with Rebecca. But Rebecca herself would be a wonderful friend - sweet, personable, intelligent, and committed to doing what is right. She is a bright light in her world.
Despite my annoyance with this negativity, I realized that there is a special strength to the author's story and style. Because Mrs. Wiggin doesn't paint life in rosy hues, Rebecca's triumphs seem even more remarkable. She rises above her circumstances with a mindset of hope and joy. Mrs. Wiggin writes thoughtfully and spiritually, imparting life lessons to her readers and forging a bond between them and the heroine. I loved some of her insightful messages so much that I copied them into my journal. For example, “The girl's [Rebecca's] eyes were soft and tender, and the heart within her stretched a little and grew, grew in sweetness and intuition and depth of feeling. It had looked into another heart, felt it beat, and heard it sigh, and that is how all hearts grow.” Another beautiful passage is, “You might harness Rebecca to the heaviest plow, and while she had youth on her side, she would always remember the green earth under her feet and the blue sky over her head. Her physical eye saw the cake she was stirring and the loaf she was kneading; her physical ear heard the kitchen fire crackling and the teakettle singing, but ever and anon her fancy mounted on pinions, renewed itself, renewed it strength in the upper air. The bare little farmhouse was a fixed fact, but she had many a palace into which she now and then withdrew, palaces peopled with stirring and gallant figures belonging to the world of romance, palaces not without their heavenly apparitions, too, breathing celestial counsel. Every time she retired to her citadel of dreams she came forth radiant and refreshed, as one who has seen the evening star or heard sweet music or smelled the rose of joy.” And finally, “I look like a drudge,” said Rebecca mysteriously, with laughing eyes, “but really I am a princess; you mustn't tell, but this is only a disguise; I wear it for reasons of state. … why, Mother, it's enough joy just to be here in the world on a day like this, to have the chance of seeing, feeling, doing, becoming!” Aren't these passages lovely? Through Rebecca (the only one who seems to have it just right), Mrs. Wiggin presents a message of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and of sacrificing for others to make their lives brighter.

When Rebecca Rowena Randall is dispatched to reside with her spinster aunts in lieu of her older sister who cannot be spared from home, the commencement of her stay is far from favorable.

The aunts are convinced that Rebecca is inclined towards foolishness, similar to her deceased, good-for-nothing father. Rebecca, despite being full of spirit, knows precious little about the household chores she is supposed to carry out.

However, as the years pass by, Rebecca demonstrates herself to be a dedicated student, a selfless friend, the recipient of a particular benefactor's affections, and a talented writer.

This coming of age narrative is one that I firmly declined to read during my childhood, and even now, I don't believe I would have cherished it as a youngster. I was perturbed by children who had lost a parent or those who simply didn't live with their parents. All the delightful aspects of Rebecca's personality would have easily escaped my notice, concealed by my own perception that children like her are worthy of pity.

As an adult, though, I can appreciate the allure of Rebecca as a character. Although her adventures are limited to her home and school, and her achievements involve modest victories such as selling sufficient soap to assist a poor family and emerging victorious in a writing contest, she possesses an unyielding spirit and she does and says things that real children typically only envision themselves doing.

My main grievance regarding this book is the rapid pace at which events unfold in the second half. The story is at its finest when it relates the happenings of Rebecca's daily life before adolescence. Once she enters high school, the narrative progresses extremely swiftly and starts to feel hurried in comparison to the earlier sections. I also found the ending to be somewhat foreseeable, but that didn't trouble me as much, since it does conclude things very well and on the requisite hopeful note.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is not my favorite book (and it truly pales in comparison to Anne of Green Gables, which I read immediately after it and will review shortly), but I understand why it has appealed to numerous girls. I will gladly permit my own children to read it when they are around the age of 10 or so, and I will probably read it again when they do.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

Note, Oct. 10. 2018: I just edited this review to embed a link to an online article I referred to here. (When I originally reviewed the book, I wasn't as adept at embedding links as I've become since then.)

My first encounter with this book was as a grade-school student in the early 60s. I read Wiggins' short story collection spin-off, New Chronicles of Rebecca, first (not sure why now!). That whetted my appetite for Rebecca's whole story. The 1995 (approximate) date is for the second reading, when I shared it with my wife as an out-loud read, and she loved it as much as I do. Lately, I've been reviewing some classics I've read and was inspired by my Goodreads friend Bonnie's excellent review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). Her review focuses on Wiggin's influence on Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne Shirley. I'd already noticed the similarities between the two heroines and thought they'd be kindred spirits if they met. Bonnie's review has a link (http://canadianicon.org/table-of-cont...) to an illuminating online article at Canadian Icons that shows the literary influence through a comparison of both novels. In this review, I want to focus on Wiggin's work itself, as I first read it without knowing Anne of Green Gables.

This is the story of a smart, precocious, and sensitive girl with a kind heart and a passion for beauty, growing up in a prosaic Maine village under the not-so-sympathetic tutelage of two spinster aunts. The setting is probably 20+ years before the 1903 publication date. Wiggin tells the story well, with an observant eye for village life details, an ear for New England dialect, and a focus on human relationships and round characterization. The most fascinating character is Rebecca, but the others are lifelike too. The author is a Realist and a worthy peer of her contemporaries. As a 10-year-old, I didn't know about that, but I was easily immersed in Rebecca's world. I related to her as an intelligent, imaginative, and sensitive person surrounded by those who didn't understand. The book was in my school's "library" and classified as "Juvenile," but I didn't shelve it as a children's book. It's not too simplistic for adults; rather, it's a book with a child protagonist that can speak to adult perception and sensitivity, like Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Anne of Green Gables. Even when it was first written, some of the most enthusiastic fans were adults. If this sounds interesting, give it a try! You might become an adult fan too. (Or a YA fan if you're in that group. :-) )

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Published 5 years before Anne of Green Gables, it is truly fascinating that it does bear numerous parallels with L.M. Montgomery's book.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that she read it, it is highly likely that it had an impact on her writing.

However, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm falls short of the charm possessed by Anne of Green Gables.

Rebecca is a bit too perfect and precocious, lacking the passion and vitality that Anne has.

The relationships between Rebecca and the other characters lack depth, in part because they are somewhat one-dimensional.

Moreover, it does not have L.M. Montgomery's enchanting writing with its beautiful descriptions.

What a charming, funny, and beautiful read this is! It's a simple back-to-basics story with beautiful prose that left me with a lovely warm feeling upon completing the novel. It truly surprised me. My 13-year-old self would have adored this novel.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a classic American children's novel from 1903 by Kate Douglas Wiggin. It tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, Miranda and Jane Sawyer, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy for life inspires her aunts, but she faces many challenges in her young life.

I listened to this on Audible, and I truly believe a narrator can make or break a good book. Lorna Raver does a superb job with this narration, bringing out the best in the story. I loved her different voices for the characters; she truly brought this book to life.

I think if you're going to read a story like this, you need to take yourself back in time and immerse yourself in it. These sorts of books were written when life was slower and more straightforward. I loved the character of Rebecca, Mr. and Mrs. Cobb, and even Miranda and Jane. I laughed out loud so many times and felt sorrow for Rebecca every time she got herself into a mess.

Having read Anne of Green Gables, I felt this one was quite similar, although I enjoyed this one more. I was surprised to learn that Anne of Green Gables was written 5 years after Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Oof. I completely missed this one during my childhood. Even though I read and reread Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie, which I still pick up every few years to revisit, I somehow overlooked Rebecca.

Rebecca is described as being just so perfect. Everyone seems to love her to an extreme degree. She is presented as being so quirky and talented, with her beautiful eyes being emphasized. However, perhaps this is the perception I have as a somewhat jaded 40-year-old.

Also, there is something rather strange about the guy in his 30s falling for her. Ew. There was even a chapter about him called "Aladdin Rubs His Lamp." Uhhhh?? It makes one wonder about the nature of this relationship and why it is presented in such a way.

Overall, my initial encounter with this story as an adult has left me with a mix of confusion and mild distaste. I'm not sure if I would have had a different reaction if I had read it as a child.

The book, in general, is a somewhat inferior version of Anne of Green Gables.

It commences strongly and contains several memorable episodes featuring the young Rebecca. The scenes with the pink parasol are especially excellent and ring true to life. Some of Rebecca's classmates at school are also quite interesting, and several exchanges of dialogue are uproariously funny.

However, the book is marred by an awkward romantic subplot involving Rebecca and a man old enough to be her father. He is nice in himself, but is simply too old for Rebecca. Rebecca herself is an appealing heroine, yet her supposed intellectual brilliance never seems to amount to much, and Kate Douglas Wiggin endeavors too strenuously to persuade us that Rebecca is more worthy than most other women in the story. The portrayal of Emma Jane and Hannah Randall, along with others, is not fair and discloses a certain maliciousness in the author. Aunt Miranda is an interesting character, but not as thoroughly explored as Marilla Cuthbert, and I, for one, find Miss Maxwell difficult to like, although we are supposed to admire her. The only negative female character that I truly find successful is Minnie Smellie. :)

The ending tails off a bit. Kate Douglas Wiggin was more adept with children characters than with adults.

If you desire another Anne of Green Gables and don't mind a weak ending, you might take pleasure in this classic.

This book truly astonished me.

For the first half, it advanced rather sluggishly. There were elements of whimsy and sweetness, yet a significant portion of the dialogue was slow and somewhat obtuse.

By the time I reached three-fourths of the way through, I was on the verge of awarding it only two stars.

However, something entirely unexpected occurred during the final quarter.

The book took a delightfully sweet turn, delving into a profound depth that had me on the verge of tears.

It is a genuine coming-of-age story, and I highly recommend persevering through to the last quarter.

You will be richly rewarded with a touching and meaningful narrative that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.

When I first embarked on reading this book, my initial impression was rather negative. I thought I would not like it at all. The writing, to my dismay, was often poor, filled with run-on sentences and accents that were extremely hard to decipher within the text.

Moreover, the story seemed to be a lackluster imitation of the "Anne of Green Gables" books. I firmly assumed that the author had read the Anne series and was attempting to create a character similar to Anne, complete with "Anne-like" situations. We have a rambunctious, funny, smart, and bright young girl who is slightly homely yet possesses captivating beautiful features. She goes to live with two old maid relatives, and there are so many other scenes that vividly remind one of "Anne of Green Gables."

The book I was reading was from a self-publishing company that provided no print dates or introductions. As a result, I had no clue when this novel was written. However, I was convinced that it must have been written sometime after "Anne of Green Gables" due to the striking similarities.

Halfway through my reading, I decided to look up the original publication dates of both "Anne of Green Gables" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." To my utter surprise, I discovered that "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" was published first! Rebecca was released in 1903, while Lucy Maude Montgomery's Anne came out in 1908. It now seems to me that the plagiarizer might have been Lucy Maude Montgomery.

Anyways, regardless of how these two books came about, both are enjoyable and have their own unique charm. "Anne of Green Gables" is undeniably a more well-written book. LMM is a far superior writer compared to Kate Douglas Wiggen, and Anne's scenes and characters are much more impressionable, endearing, and relatable than Rebecca's. However, Rebecca's story and the way everything and everybody is concluded in the novel is endearing, impressionable, and relatable in a different manner.

In the end, I would definitely place this book on par with the "Anne" books in terms of its impact on the life of the reader. I thoroughly relished the characters and their development in this book. It has now become one of my favorite books!

A re-read of a favorite book can be a truly wonderful experience. I first read this particular book when I was 11 years old, and it has always held a special place in my heart. However, when I recently tried to change the edition on Goodreads (GR), it managed to delete my original review. This was quite frustrating, as GR sometimes seems to stand for "grrrr."

Despite this setback, I decided to give the book another go. As I began reading, I was immediately transported back to that time when I was an 11-year-old, completely engrossed in the story. The characters came alive on the page, and I found myself once again invested in their lives and adventures.

Rereading this favorite book has reminded me of why I fell in love with it in the first place. It has also made me appreciate the power of literature to touch our hearts and minds, and to stay with us throughout our lives.

The writing in this story is not as refined as I would like it to be. This is particularly evident when it is contrasted with Montgomery's Anne. Although it may not be a completely fair comparison, Montgomery's work is truly captivating and difficult to put down. However, despite its flaws, this story is still a charming one. It features a sweet and down-to-earth protagonist who makes the tale enjoyable to read.

On my second reading, this time through the audiobook, I found that the story remains truly lovely. Wiggin could have enhanced the narrative by showing the characters' traits and emotions rather than simply explaining them. Nevertheless, she has scattered numerous pearls of wisdom throughout the text, which more than makes up for any shortcomings. Overall, it is a story that I would recommend to others, especially those who appreciate a heartwarming and engaging read.