1912 Medford Massachussetts Ralph 15 gets sent by widowed mother with large family to her father Tom Gould's farm near Lewiston, to appease city police chief with eyes on reform school. In smooth shaded illustration, by oil lanterns, old iron cookstove, deep forest -- balky heifer tugs rope, shy sweethearts catch glimpses, fresh home baking steams apple scent into air. A brow is furrowed in concentration, brow dried of sweat, dynamite blows roots and jay hither thither."His younger brother, Uncle Levi .. half a dozen times .. loaded down with fruit, nuts, and candy, .. didn't know a man I liked any better" p 15 unbelievable as wise owl psychoanalyzes anger "war", advises calm, patience "cause he knows you're right" p 200. "Great thunderation! Don't cal'late your granpa's getting old enough to be forgetful, do you? Course not! 'Course not! I ain't but seventy-two. Gorry sakesk!" p 22 "Tarnal pesky critters! .. Old Bess ain't more'n fourteen, be you, girl? .. early spring of '97" .. sides of her face were grizzled like an old man's beard" p 23. He never seems to stop yammering, screaming, cussing, smashing whatever "tarnal" Ralph and Levi build and repair "tarnal contraptions". An old "yalla colt .. ears were pinned back, his teeth bared, and he struck both ways like a coiled rattlesnake". Shouting "tarnal fool colt" p 30 sends him kicking jumping biting, fierce. Ralph recalls tricks -- ties ears back together, fills his mouth with dirt. Finally tamed, bribed with apple chunks makes friends. Housekeeper Millie takes every screech until Granpa breaks her new screens, flies were coating her kitchen ceiling. Last words about factories send Granpa watching workers leave for her, then asking payroll book-keepers. At last Levi asks agencies that hire out cooks, finds her right off, drops hints so Granpa follows the trail himself. Neighbor "Annie Littlehale .. black hair rippled in a cascade over her shoulders, and her face was the prettiest I had ever seen" p 173. Levi brings red ribbon. She teaches Ralph how to cook johnnycake. Before, he and Granpa burn all their limited diet - oatmeal, salt pork. Ralph has to sneak eggs because Granpa complains of expense, waste. I still smell the smoke. Like Maid Marian and Robin Hood, "Annie knew so much more about the woods, the flowers, the birds, and the wild animals .. She could name every bird .. imitate the song or call of most of them, and knew the sign of all the animals" p 178. Pages and pages of cussin' till we are as exhausted as the victim. Rare comic relief. "When a squirrel began scolding .. I asked him if he thought his name was Thomas" p 172. Like yalla colt, Granpa Tom is eventually soothed. From high vantage point clifftops, spread of woods, color of sunset, the land calls poetry to their souls and ours. Granpa also outwits mean neighbor Swale, clever at "powerful good trades" p 56. When Granpa's bees swarm, Ralph and Millie run after them in a rush. "Bees .. More sense than most people .. Always providing ahead" p 102. "Was all men as respecting of the Almighty as bees is of their queen, there'd be no call for neither jails nor courthouses" p 169. Sometimes wise sayings are buried in the narrative. (view spoiler)[ Right off the bat, Ralph recognizes a high field warmed by stones could bring in high-paying crops of strawberries and tomatoes, earliest of competition, get best prices. "Hmfff! Hmfff! Strawb'ries! Grandfather exploded" p 43, scoffs, berates, admits truth to self before grandson. When Granpa suggests "have to call this Ralphie's field", boy "wants to laugh and cry at the same time" p 329. After piles of arithmetic, figuring how many plants, money for seeds, measuring "story pole", hiring, all the fields are cleared, planted, harvested, in berries, tomatoes, potatoes, corn. With reliable Bill Hubbard guiding the blasting, dynamite blows rocks and roots out. Over winter, chestnuts are cut down for a new barn, raised over summer "thirty-eight hungry men washed up and ready to eat" p 334. People come from far. Good feelings. (hide spoiler)]
This is the first Moody book I've read, so I can't say anything about this installment compared to the rest of the series; but I can say that I loved every page of this one and was itching to read some passages aloud, even if just to myself! :) Grandfather, Millie, and Uncle Levi are true New Englanders to the core and the interaction going on amongst themselves and with Ralph is so very entertaining on a number of levels! Aside from just the humor and colloquial fun of the book, there are also a lot of great lessons being learned on all sides--deeper developments in the characters that are sometimes not even really addressed but are still evident and important.I would say that this (and probably the rest of the series) is a must-read for any boy, and when I (Lord-willing!) have boys of my own one day, I fully plan on reading these aloud to them. Can't you see it now--me, with book in hand, surrounded by an adorably hearty and barefoot swarm of tanned boys in overalls? Doesn't that just strike a picture of irresistable quaintness in your mind? (I have a thing for little boys, particularly barefooted ones in overalls... ;)
What do You think about The Fields Of Home (1993)?
The Fields of Home is my least favorite of this series but I highly recommend you don't skip it. At this point in the story Ralph is living with his grandfather and it seems like he is constantly criticizing Ralph. But it has it's redeeming qualities and I wouldn't want to miss this portion of Ralph's experiences and how he handles all of it.This book takes place in Maine & I found the following review from Amazon of interest and thought I would share it:"If one was brought up ( as I was ) in Maine, farming with horses - the reality of the narrative is apparent.... Moody was writing about real people who actually existed! Tom Gould (the Grandfather) was a Civil War Vet - Company I, 16th Maine; he actually did work the farm described in the book; his father, Jacob, actually did clear the farm from the wilderness; Tom actually was born when his father was 72, etc., etc. A boulder in nearby Hillside Cemetery in Lisbon memorializes Jacob, Tom and the farm which is the setting for this book. This is a cultural thumb print of turn-of-the-century Maine. One might also explore the writings of another of Tom's grandsons (and Ralph Moody's first cousin), Maine author, John Gould."
—Marcy
Another great installment in the Little Britches series. I can't say enough about how great this series is. Compelling, entertaining and poignant. This book starts with Ralph visiting his grandfather, perhaps the most crotchety and mean old man 'ever there was'. Through much difficulty, Ralph and his uncle begin to gain understanding into grandfather and grandfather begins to soften. By the end, they've earned and learned a mutual respect. Chock full of great insight as well as funny tidbits, I wholeheartedly recommend the series to anyone.
—Yougo
Ralph at 15 finds himself living with his grandfather on his Massachusetts ranch and has a dickens of a time with the crotchety old man. A good part of this book was really discouraging, but through hard work and swallowing his pride time and again, they eventually develop a heartwarming love for each other. Reading about the pull of the land and connection that he feels to it and his family stirred some feelings in me about the land I grew up on. The power one person can have in another's life through serving them is apparent.
—Amy
