I've certainly been enjoying my reread of the Betsy-Tacy series, but increasingly, as I made my way through the high school books, it was feeling like too much candy at once. I kept telling myself that after I finished a given book, I would take a break and read something else as a palette cleanser. I finished Betsy and Joe, and having done with high school (something of a relief) came to a natural break in the series. You'd think it would have been easy to pick up another book, as I had about a dozen with very pressing claims waiting in the wings, and especially since the next book up was one that I remembered quite well, and would not feel fresh and new as the others have. Carney is one that I've read multiple times, having somehow taken it more to my heart on first reading than I did the main books of the series. But no. I succumbed without putting up hardly any fight, and raced through Carney, and despite the relative familiarity, I loved it more than ever. It went down as easily and quickly as vanilla ice cream on a hot Summer day. I even got a little more out of it than I had in the past. Why had I never before considered Queed (which three characters read) as a possible book to seek out? Why does Betsy abruptly stop smiling when describing the scenery of California to Carney? (Is it possible she triggered a memory of the unwanted physical advance she describes later? ) And, as much as I adore Carney, I was more amused than I was in the past by how ponderous and endearingly boring her family is (Mr. Sibley and his beloved reflective oven!).

So, long story short, I'm not even going to bother making any resolutions not to read the remaining three Deep Valley books one after the other.

I am rather fond of my review from the last time I read this book, seven years ago.

Review of May 21st, 2010:

The close of Carney's sophomore year and the beginning of her junior year at Vassar bookend the events of the summer of 1911 in this wonderful, gentle, and funny book, which is an offshoot of Maud Hart Lovelace's well-loved semi-autobiographical Betsy-Tacy series.

I probably shouldn't say this very loudly in the company of Maud Hart Lovelace fans, but I like Carney Sibley better than Betsy Ray. It doesn't entirely make sense. Betsy is ambitious and wants to travel and become a writer; Carney keeps a hope chest and likes to sew. But counter-intuitively, it's Betsy who's vain and frivolously interested in cosmetics, and Carney who attends Vassar and quietly loves it. I was never particularly interested in Carney as a character when she was introduced in the volumes chronicling Betsy's high school years, but in this book, in which we see her from the inside, I really warmed to her. I love her calm, earnest, and rational manner, nicely leavened with a dose of humor. I love that she takes her grandmothers to the circus and buys them balloons. In some ways I wish I could be more like her, always "forehanded," never scatter-brained, and always kind and sensible. And it doesn't hurt that I have a crush on the man she falls in love with -- an attraction which comes just as much of a surprise to me as it does to Carney herself.

I just love this book. The illustrations -- not so much.

I loved the Betsy-Tacy books when I was growing up, but somehow managed to miss out on the Deep Valley series. Even though Betsy Ray is only a minor character is this novel, the storyline has exactly the same charm. The novel begins at Vassar - where Carney, lifelong Deep Valley resident - has just completed her sophomore year. Carney is a confident girl who has always enjoyed the most complete sense of belonging in her small community. She is used to being an important person, and her comfortable home is central to the social life of her Crowd. Going to Vassar, and having to find her place there amongst the rich East Coast girls, has been the biggest challenge of her life so far. In some sense, this book is about bringing the two parts of her life together - as represented by two very different sets of friends. Carney's past and her future are also represented by two very different young men: Sam Hutchison (who she meets that summer) and longtime beau Larry Humphreys, who is visiting from California. Carney is the most sensible of characters, far less flighty than my beloved Betsy, but she is also an appealing heroine - and this is a hugely enjoyable book.

I’ve recently finished all the Betsy-Tacy books, and I hope that this one doesn’t get missed for not being an official part of the series, because it might just be my favorite one! (At least after the iconic first children’s books.) We get a taste of college life that feels relatable even now, and is a delight as Betsy’s college years were rather skimmed over… lovely sleeping porch gatherings… lots of delicious snacks mentioned… And despite Carney saying she isn’t romantic like Betsy, this might be the most romantic of all the books! (I haven’t read the other two Deep Valley stories yet.) I recommend!

Re-read 7/23/11.

This book was a childhood favorite that I still really love! It's part of the Betsy-Tacy collection, which is a series of books based on the author's childhood. Most of them are in Betsy's point of view, but this one is Carney's. It's set the summer after Carney's sophomore year of college in the early 1900's. And knowing that this is when the author really grew up gives the book's setting so much authenticity!

Anyway, Carney hosts a house party, where several of her best friends come to stay at her house for a month. During this month, her childhood sweetheart, Larry, comes for a visit. (His departure was a plot thread in an earlier Betsy-Tacy books, so it's nice to see it picked up here!) He and Carney have written letters to each other for years and she's always felt that before getting serious about anyone else, she needed to see Larry again and determine what was between them. However, right before she Larry's arrival, she meets Sam. Sam's very different from Larry (and Carney!), but she bonds with him pretty much instantly.

So this makes it sound like love triangle and I suppose it technically is, but I've never really thought of it that way. I think because all the characters act very maturely and the resolution makes sense for everyone.

Re-read November 2014

Re-read 2024

I've definitely re-read this more than listed here, but yeah. Finally had all the stress of moving get to me and needed a comfort read! This still does the trick.

Maud Hart Lovelace, whose ten-book n  Betsy-Tacyn series offers a delightful record of three young girls growing up in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Minnesota, also wrote three tangentially related titles, set in the same fictionalized town of Deep Valley. Carney's House Party is one of these (along with n  Emily of Deep Valleyn and n  Winona's Pony Cartn), and although the HarperCollins reprint I read lists it as the second in the series, it was published first, in 1949. As it is my understanding that all three of the Deep Valley books are independent stories, and stand outside the main Betsy~Tacy storyline, I thought it made just as much sense to read by publication date, as by series chronology.

Set during the summer of 1911, when Carney (Caroline) Sibley returns to Deep Valley, after her sophomore year at Vassar College, this book fills in some of the time between n  Betsy and Joen, which chronicles the Crowd's senior year in high school, and n  Betsy and the Great Worldn, in which Betsy Ray tours Europe. It is an absolute joy to read! From the fascinating glimpses it offered, into the world of an early twentieth-century college girl, or the tensions between eastern and mid-western social mores (some things haven't changed!), to the many heartwarming reunions - best friends Carney and Bonnie, long-time correspondents Carney and Larry Humphries, and Betsy Ray and the old Deep Valley "Crowd" - depicted, Carney's House Party was great fun, particularly for the fan of the Betsy~Tacy books!

I appreciated the opportunity to view Deep Valley and its people, including Betsy herself, from a different perspective, and although I knew (having already read n  Betsy's Weddingn) the inevitable outcome of Carney's romantic entanglements, it was still entertaining to watch the story unfold. I liked the "baby hippo" immensely! Although I think my knowledge of Deep Valley made this a richer experience for me, Carney's House Party stands very well on its own, and would be enjoyed by readers who like tales of early twentieth-century women's lives. As for me, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of n  Emily of Deep Valleyn!

"You didn't ask me to marry you, and I just wanted to say . . ." she stopped and swallowed for it sounded ridiculous. It had sounded all right when Betsy had said it in her persuasive voice. But it didn't now.

"What did you want to say?" Sam asked.

"I want to say, that if you had asked me to marry you, I'd have said no," Carney replied.

For a moment Sam sat in stunned silence and Carney's heart misgave her. First, she was afraid that she had hurt his feelings. Then she was even more afraid that she had told a lie. Looking at him as he sat there in the golden light which filtered through the vines, so warm, so protectively big, with that dimple in his chin--she was at all sure that she would have said no.


YOU GUYSSSSS. I love Carney Sibley with all of my heart, and THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK.

Also, I have found the answer to the love triangle that worked out well. IT'S THIS ONE.

True love is not giving your fiancee a ring right away because she's going to want you to pay cash for it.


Also read: January 2011

Wonderful book. Re-read it for the Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge because it was the only book in the Betsy-Tacy series I hadn't read more than once. Glad I did.

On reading for the 3rd time: this time around I was on another Betsy binge and needed to fill in the time between Betsy and Joe and Betsy and the Great World (which I've still only ever read once because no Joe or the Crowd). Sam and Isobel certainly grow on you. Too bad Vassar had to go co-ed! At least they still have the daisy chain, although those chosen to carry it are purportedly no longer chosen for their looks! Wonder if they give a Carney tour there.

It was so good to go back to Deep Valley again! I'd never truly appreciated Carney's character, but reading this book has changed that for me. She's a lovely person to read about and really enjoyed her story. Mrs. Lovelace is definitely an excellent storyteller.

I liked this one much better than the Winona book- although I thought that for a series the age gap was pretty big. I also liked the connection with familiar characters- Winona and Betsy for two.

This book automatically gets 4 stars for being part of the Betsy-Tacy series. It was wonderful to read about the same characters, but from a different perspective since this book focuses on Carney rather than on Betsy.

For the first part of the book, Carney spends a great deal of time thinking about Larry, her sort-of boyfriend who moved to California when they were in high school (she is now a rising junior at Vassar). They have written to each other every week ever since he moved away. Carney still thinks about him all the time. But, since she hasn't seen him in years, it is hard to know if she is still in love with him as she was before he moved away. Carney invites her roommate at Vassar, Isobel, to spend the month of June with her in Deep Valley. Carney's childhood friend Bonnie, back in Minnesota after a few years in Paris, is also invited, as is Betsy. This house party has outings and adventures with old friends and new ones, particularly a young man who is new to the area, Sam Hutchinson. When Larry shows up for a visit, Carney must finally figure out what her true feelings are.


Spoiler Alert (although it's pretty obvious what's going to happen when you're reading the book)

The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars is that I was not overly excited by the relationship between Carney and Sam. Sam sounds like a wonderful person and all... but, really, we didn't get to see enough of their interactions to make it believable that they are in love. They are two lovely (not to mention fictional) people, though, so I'm sure it will all work out. :)

Another gentle, enjoyable read

I loved Carney and her story a lot. As someone from the West who went East for college, I completely identifed with her frustration and difficulty fitting in with the girls from the East. At several points throughout the book I found myself nodding in agreement at some of her obseravtions. I liked her "foreheadedness" and her difficulties becoming closer with Isobel. Their friendship, close yet with prickles was similar to some friendships of my own. Fantastic story, still relatable.