Virginia D. (vldbookworm) -
Mrs. Meade was a very prolific author from the Victorian and Edwardian era. She wrote a large number of these moral tales for girls, and a lot of other things as well; similar to Louisa May Alcott.
The three (English) girls are: Priscilla, an intelligent and virtuous brunette; Mabel, an attractive, frivolous, and rich redhead; and Annie, a clever and devious blonde. Mabel and Annie seem to be orphans; Priscilla's father is still living, but is in India with a new wife and children and no money to spare for Priscy, so her care and upkeep have been delegated to her dead mother's rural relations. Annie is cared for by her Uncle Maurice, an elderly clergyman; and Mabel is under the protection of her Aunt Henrietta, a world-traveling socialite with a lot of good sense.
The three have been attending the same boarding school in England, and the story opens near the end of the school year when they are not quite seventeen. Priscilla's uncle has informed her that she has had schooling enough and should help out on the farm, or be apprenticed to a seamstress. She had hoped for at least another year at her current school, with the hope of earning a scholarship to continue her education after that. Meanwhile, Mabel is not much of a scholar, and would rather go traveling with her aunt, but her aunt says she must stay in school another year ... unless her essay wins the literature prize. Annie
devises a plan whereby Mabel can win the prize and Priscilla can get the money for another year of school, although it requires some unethical behavior. The plan is put into effect; but additional complications keep cropping up that require more and more finagling on Annie's part, and sometimes Mabel's too. Meanwhile, Priscilla's conscience is tormenting her, and the others fear that she will confess her misdeed. (Priscilla is not aware of all the auxiliary schemes that go on.)
I don't want to give the ending away; but I will say that it didn't go quite where I thought it was headed. Nevertheless, all three end up in more-or-less appropriate situations.
Provided you keep the era in mind, it is an enjoyable enough read.
The three (English) girls are: Priscilla, an intelligent and virtuous brunette; Mabel, an attractive, frivolous, and rich redhead; and Annie, a clever and devious blonde. Mabel and Annie seem to be orphans; Priscilla's father is still living, but is in India with a new wife and children and no money to spare for Priscy, so her care and upkeep have been delegated to her dead mother's rural relations. Annie is cared for by her Uncle Maurice, an elderly clergyman; and Mabel is under the protection of her Aunt Henrietta, a world-traveling socialite with a lot of good sense.
The three have been attending the same boarding school in England, and the story opens near the end of the school year when they are not quite seventeen. Priscilla's uncle has informed her that she has had schooling enough and should help out on the farm, or be apprenticed to a seamstress. She had hoped for at least another year at her current school, with the hope of earning a scholarship to continue her education after that. Meanwhile, Mabel is not much of a scholar, and would rather go traveling with her aunt, but her aunt says she must stay in school another year ... unless her essay wins the literature prize. Annie
devises a plan whereby Mabel can win the prize and Priscilla can get the money for another year of school, although it requires some unethical behavior. The plan is put into effect; but additional complications keep cropping up that require more and more finagling on Annie's part, and sometimes Mabel's too. Meanwhile, Priscilla's conscience is tormenting her, and the others fear that she will confess her misdeed. (Priscilla is not aware of all the auxiliary schemes that go on.)
I don't want to give the ending away; but I will say that it didn't go quite where I thought it was headed. Nevertheless, all three end up in more-or-less appropriate situations.
Provided you keep the era in mind, it is an enjoyable enough read.
