cool

It may be surprising that I loved this book, being that it is not my typical fare which is mostly historical fiction with a good dash of romance sprinkled through the pages. This was, however, a non-fiction about it one of my favorite series of historical romance with a good dose of romance sprinkled through it. So I did love it. I borrowed it from the library and after I started I tried to see if I could buy it online, but the price I saw was 135 dollars. And I like to buy my books used, for five dollars or less. So I'm not going to own this book anytime soon. Maybe I'll buy it if my daughter asks for it as a graduation present.
It was a lot of fun to read about the very real characters and their counterparts.
I do think that this was written with some very heavily tinted rose colored glasses on. It did gloss over hardships, but altogether it was a beautifully researched, enjoyable read. I'm ready for a trip to Mankato.

So Sharla is crazy, and a borderline stalker, but this was really fun to read. I think I'm the only person to really appreciate this. A lot of good information (Winona was actually modeled on a few different people, but Maud Hart Lovelace decided to cut down on her characters. Or maybe it was Irma...I should reread it) and a lot of stupid information (dates were recorded wrong! Silly Maud Hart Lovelace!) But it was SUCH a great present (thanks Soph!)

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. The author's research is so thorough and it was so fun to read about the real people behind the Betsy-Tacy series.

Perfectly fine book, but definitely for the MASSIVE Betsy-Tacy fan. Because I read them only casually (and a long time ago!), I could not enjoy the parallels the author draws between the books and Lovelace's life.

Fantastic book for fans of Maud Hart Lovelace who want to read more about her life and the stories about the actual people behind the Betsy Tacy books. Lots of great photographs as well! This book is out of print and very hard to find at a reasonable price, but it is well worth it!

10/17/22:

I wish I didn't have to give this back to the library! The author writes like a friend who has gained SO much knowledge about Maud Hart Lovelace and is excited to share it with someone who cares. I was delighted to participate in that conversation!

The older and sadder I get, the more I am overcome by authors who have imbued their stories with their love of the people (and even things) that have populated their lives. Because of Maud sharing her love, I've been given lifelong friends of my own (Betsy, Tacy, &c.)!
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9/23/22:

My white whale! I finally acquired it through interlibrary loan!!! Yes... there is literally a comment on this review from ten years ago suggesting ILL. Yes, I know. I knooooow. I was young and foolish. (Also ridden by anxiety.) I think I also thought that ILL couldn't go out of state. But recently, I asked a friend who works in reference and cleared that up. Yes... I've worked in library circ for five years and never asked before. What can I say? I'm still learning, and I got there in the end. AT LAST.

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Original review 1/13/12:

Augh! I really would love to read this, but so far the most affordable price I've found on the internet is about $80. Which is pretty good, sadly, considering the prices are generally somewhere between $100 and $200.

*incredibly long sigh*

I'm adding this to my list whose title is simply: "Books I Shall Continue to Scour the Net for Continuously as the Years March On".


I really need my own publishing company. And a couple million dollars to buy publishing rights &c.

I will be *currently re-reading* this book for as long as I live. For the Betsy-Tacy obsessed only. Others will shake their heads at all the "needless" details and "random" information:)

The title for this book is perfect: The Betsy-Tacy Companion works on several levels. First, it’s a companion to the stories, connecting the dots between fiction and reality. (They merge more often than not!) Second, as the preface states, “The real Betsy-Tacy companion is you, of course.” (ix) Third, Sharla Scannell Whalen is a companionable biographer, whose enthusiasm makes a trail of facts sometimes enjoyable to read. Fourth, Maud Hart Lovelace herself is the original Betsy-Tacy companion, and her non-fictional writing about the series (mostly through letters, to friends and fans) demonstrates her love for these stories and the joy with which she wrote them. She had the most romantic name for an author of all time, in my childhood opinion.

Reading The Betsy-Tacy Companion gave me the sense that I got when I visited Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm, and discovered that she collected Peter Rabbit memorabilia--china, toys, miniatures--and displayed it in her own lifetime. While she didn’t make those books her identity, and stopped writing them when she felt finished with them, Potter enjoyed the legacy and the effect her books had on childhoods all over the world. She put her earnings into her true passion, preserving Lake District sites and engaging the natural world through farming. As wonderful as any book is, knowing that the author wrote it for money alone or resented its popularity can put a damper on my enjoyment. Knowing that authors loved their work, and relished the ensuing popularity, gives me even more freedom to enjoy the books, because I know the author enjoyed them too.

One of the many strengths of this biography is Whalen’s research into photographs, maps, house plans, and more visual resources. Often, she places a Lois Lenski or Vera Neville illustration beside the portrait or building Lovelace must have shared with the artists. Since reading From Little Houses to Little Women by Nancy McCabe, I’ve wanted to visit Lovelace sites in Minnesota, and The Betsy-Tacy Companion has only increased that desire. The many, many photographs of lovely young folks in Edwardian clothing was a treat. One of my favorite insights from this book was learning that Lovelace wrote the Betsy-Tacy books alongside her daughter’s development, reliving her own childhood and youth as her daughter progressed through the same ages.

A big downside of The Betsy-Tacy Companion is that, while strong on the factual bits, it’s weak on actually making Maud herself come alive to the reader. There are so many details about the tiniest things, it's hard to grasp the big picture. Most of the time, I felt like I was perusing Whalen’s research notes rather than reading a finished manuscript. Her research is impeccable. It takes a special researcher to keep a project of this size and detail going, and I applaud her for that. There's not much to react to, besides saying, "Oh, cool," to some fictional-fact-that's-actually-real, and a reader can only do that so many times before wishing for more intellectual stimulation.

I’m very glad my library loan system had a copy of this, since it runs about $500 used! I don’t think I’ll ever feel the urge to add it to my library, especially since the Harper Perennial reprints (which include the original illustrations) have solid biographical notes at the end of each volume, probably drawing from Whalen's work. The Betsy-Tacy Companion will be an interesting read for any diehard Betsy-Tacy fan. Please don’t hear gatekeeping in “diehard.” This isn’t like being interested in Jane Austen and reading a biography of her. This is for readers who care about every dress Lovelace owned in her life and what ornaments she bought for Christmas in which years. It’s not a true biography--one that brings the subject to life, covering intellectual development and personal experience--but a comparison of fictional facts vs. reality, plus way more real facts than most readers care to know about the world of Deep Valley/Mankato. On the other hand, I think The Betsy-Tacy Companion will be treasured by Mankato historians for years to come, because it is a treasure trove of trivia regarding that city.

2025: Still fascinating even after visiting Mankato three times!

2017: The editing and single minded focus of how the author's interpretations were The Only Way grated, but so great for research, remembering and pictures! I'm so glad I can easily ILL this.

2008: Okay, I absolutely understand the criticism of this book. Even in my enthusiasm, the writing style was grating and I was highly annoyed with her habit of underlining words to force the reader to emphasize them. But I really, totally, absolutely loved it. I think that's largely because I was so unfamiliar with the stories behind the stories that I wanted to know everything - even the addresses of characters I could only vaguely recall. (Okay, well, that may be overstating it. I could have lived without the addresses.) I also flat out adored the pictures, especially those of the Crowd. Love!

I'm still debating on purchase, though. $40 is a lot for a book that I will likely never read with the same enthusiasm again. Still, if I bought it from the Society then they benefit, and it may be a handy resource. Maybe Christmas.

A must for fans of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series. The amount of research and time put into this book is mind-boggling.

Enjoyable but overly detailed. I was much interested to find out that Maud, unlike Betsy, didn't meet her husband in high school, but I had to wade through baby pictures of her friends to do it. The biographer has to create a forest, not just get lost in the trees.