When Doctor David Gardner attends to a dying couple, he brings their orphan daughter, Martitia home to his large family. The mourning girl finds herself in the middle of five boisterous boys who tease relentlessly. The only daughter in the family, Ruth, is serious and does not welcome Martitia. Ruth is appalled that Martitia only paints, can speak French and plays the spinet. In her disgust over Martitia's inability to help in the home, she often utters, "Every tub ought to stand on its own bottom". The five brothers wonder when Martitia will learn to laugh. As she adjusts to the loving, hard-working Quaker home in North Carolina, she gains confidence and finds true love.
In one of the last chapters the family witnesses a meteor shower (although they think the world is coming to an end) on November 13, 1833. Since the author mentions a specific date, I thought it was based on a true event. It was! The Leonid meteor shower produced between 50,000 & 150,000 meteors per hour!!
Point to discuss: A few times a comment is made by male characters that they would rather marry a woman who has beauty than intellect and even make a negative comment about Martitia trying to learn about politics.
Based somewhat on the author's family.
*Highly recommend. (I wonder how much teen girls will like this book as Martitia seemed more innocent and younger than young ladies today. . . I wonder if they would find her not credible.)
-Borrowed -inter-library loan.
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