No, darlings, I am not talking about "Rebecca," by Daphne Du Maurier, which, frankly, I prefer. ("Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderly again......" And that Mrs. Danvers! What a piece of work!!!!!) I am talking about "Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm," by Kate Douglas Wiggin, which just happens to be one few children's classics I could not stomach. I don't think I got past the first chapter. It certainly did not do it for me. Maybe it was just too much of its time. Is it even in print anymmore? It certainly doesn't hold up, the way other classics of its era have, like "The Secret Garden" or "A Little Princess."
My, I seem to be on a book roll!!!!!! Does that mean my social/love life is going down the tubes??? Not for a minute, loves!!!!!!!! But maybe having read such a bad book, which you can read about in the post before this, made me turn towards books that had an impact on me.
When I was a child, the big draw was series books. Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, Honey Bunch and Norman (whom I just LOVED!!!!) and Doctor Dolittle. I read them all. And let me first say, that Nancy Drew showed me the way!!!! We all wanted to be her, girls, what with her roadster, her smart style of dress, (gloves with luncheon!!!!!), her chums Bess and George (Uh-huh!!!!) and, of course, her lawyer father, always referred to therein as "handsome Carson Drew." What a warm feeling I used to get from those words!!!!! I should have guessed!!!!!!!!
But back in the fourth grade, with that Norma Brodsky, there was a series that took up one whole shelf in the Irving School Library. It was called the Childhood Of Famous Americans series, and had titles like "Molly Pitcher--Girl Patriot," or "Daniel Boone--Boy Hunter." My favorite turned out to be "Kate Douglas Wiggin--The Little Shcoolteacher," because there were lots of literary references in it. Chief among these, it described how Kate and her mother would, each evening, read from Dickens aloud. And usually it was "David Copperfield." That title was mentioned so often, I decided that when I was done, I would have to read it.
Now, at the time my Dickens knowledge was limited to yearly viewings of "A Christmas Carol," starring, respectively, Alastair Sim, and, my favoirte, Mister Magoo. I did not know "David Copperfield" from "Martin Chuzzlewit." So, the following week, when I pulled the book off the shelf to check it out, Norma Brodsky really got into it with me, saying it was too advanced, I was too young, etc. I argued maybe I was, but why not let me try????? It wasn't like I was asking to read porn. So she capitulated, begrudgingly. And my journey into Dickens began.
It was rough going, but I got the basics. I hated the Murdstones, and how they treated David and his mother, and I absolutely adored Dora and her dog, Jip. And it was more satisfying than much of the stuff suited for my so-called age.
One evening, my father came home from work, saying he had read in the paper (the Newark Evening News, which he would buy for his NYC commute by train) that Channel 13 (WNET) was going to have actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, from five to six each afternoon, reading aloud a chapter of "David Copperfield", until the entire book was finished. I was thrilled. I sat down each day with my copy, and read along with Geraldine. Occasionally, the camera would pan over the pages, showing the original Phiz illustrations. I was a confirmed Dickensian from that point, still am, though, amazingly, one of his better known books I have yet to read--"A Tale Of Two Cities."
So nerts to you, Norma Brodsky, and thank you, Geraldine Fitzgerald!!!!!!!!!
Just think if, back then, I had wanted to read "The Group"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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