My Favorite Childhood Reads
There were a bunch of these books, and I think I read them
all. Betsy-Tacy was first in the series, set, as I recall, in the very early
1900s. Two little girls met and became Best Friends. In a subsequent book they
bonded with another girl called “Tib” (short for Thelma), and became a
threesome. The girls grew up together, went to school, moved on to high school.
Readers got to know their families: Betsy had a big sister, Julia; and I think
Tacy had several siblings. As time went on, Betsy left home, spent time abroad,
and got married.
It’s been many years since I read these books. I don’t recall any intricate plots; it was more slice-of-life stuff, how it was to be a girl growing up in that time. Just a few incidents stick in my mind. Some members of Tacy’s family caught scarlet fever or some other contagious disease, and the whole household went under quarantine. Years later, Betsy was living in a German boarding house, doing personal hygiene with a basin and washrag. She found out there was a real bathtub in the building, reserved for the use of army officers, and talked a couple of housemaids into smuggling her in for a real bath.
It’s been many years since I read these books. I don’t recall any intricate plots; it was more slice-of-life stuff, how it was to be a girl growing up in that time. Just a few incidents stick in my mind. Some members of Tacy’s family caught scarlet fever or some other contagious disease, and the whole household went under quarantine. Years later, Betsy was living in a German boarding house, doing personal hygiene with a basin and washrag. She found out there was a real bathtub in the building, reserved for the use of army officers, and talked a couple of housemaids into smuggling her in for a real bath.
No comments:
Post a Comment