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maeverose's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because it came in a box set with some other classics I bought. I’d never heard of it before. I enjoyed parts of it, mainly the descriptions of nature and Heidi’s relationship with Uncle Alp was really sweet. It reminded me of the secret garden in a lot of ways. Not necessarily in good ways…
Because I wasn’t familiar with this book before reading it, I had no idea how strong the religious messaging would be. I’m not religious, so I found that aspect really irritating, though I’m not surprised it was there. From my interpretation this book’s main message outside of Heidi bringing everyone together, is to have faith in god and to believe in him and then your life will improve. Except everything they attributed to god’s doing was just stuff that characters in the story did… interesting. This got very repetitive too. A lot of the book was repetitive in general.
Then there’s the disability rep -_-
Because I wasn’t familiar with this book before reading it, I had no idea how strong the religious messaging would be. I’m not religious, so I found that aspect really irritating, though I’m not surprised it was there. From my interpretation this book’s main message outside of Heidi bringing everyone together, is to have faith in god and to believe in him and then your life will improve. Except everything they attributed to god’s doing was just stuff that characters in the story did… interesting. This got very repetitive too. A lot of the book was repetitive in general.
Then there’s the disability rep -_-
Not that I would expect it to be good, but it’s another ‘just get outside and push through the pain and you’ll be cured!’ situation, much like in the secret garden. It’s never named what exactly it is that Clara has, it’s possible that it could be rickets or something that can actually be cured by going outside, but either way, especially because it’s never explicitly stated, it’s really annoying. The language used when talking about her illness is pretty ableist (as if being in a wheelchair is the worst possible fate), and she’s referred to as an ‘invalid’ multiple times.
Peter seems to possibly be dyslexic or have some sort of learning disability if the teacher has been trying to teach him to read for years and he still hadn’t learned the alphabet, but then as soon as Heidi tries teaching him he just learns? Obviously when this book was written they wouldn’t have known much about learning disabilities, it seems like it’s supposed to be as if he’s just being stubborn and not trying? But I would think if you’ve been going over it for years with a teacher you’d pick up on it even if you weren’t paying much attention. Also the rhymes to help him learn?? Not only really ableist if he has a learning disability but also threatening child abuse…
Speaking of child abuse, there are quite a few times where the kids are threatened with physical abuse throughout the book, though they never do get beaten.
I’ve noticed in a lot of children’s classics the children are written to be so dumb. Like why would Heidi, an eight year old, believe the grandma in the book she’s reading is Peter’s Grannie? I’m pretty sure an eight year old understands the concept of a fictional story, even if books are new to them.
Overall, unless you already have a sentimental attachment to it, I wouldn’t say it holds up to today.
Peter seems to possibly be dyslexic or have some sort of learning disability if the teacher has been trying to teach him to read for years and he still hadn’t learned the alphabet, but then as soon as Heidi tries teaching him he just learns? Obviously when this book was written they wouldn’t have known much about learning disabilities, it seems like it’s supposed to be as if he’s just being stubborn and not trying? But I would think if you’ve been going over it for years with a teacher you’d pick up on it even if you weren’t paying much attention. Also the rhymes to help him learn?? Not only really ableist if he has a learning disability but also threatening child abuse…
Speaking of child abuse, there are quite a few times where the kids are threatened with physical abuse throughout the book, though they never do get beaten.
I’ve noticed in a lot of children’s classics the children are written to be so dumb. Like why would Heidi, an eight year old, believe the grandma in the book she’s reading is Peter’s Grannie? I’m pretty sure an eight year old understands the concept of a fictional story, even if books are new to them.
Overall, unless you already have a sentimental attachment to it, I wouldn’t say it holds up to today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Ableism
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, and Death
At one point Heidi stops eating from depression. To clarify the incest tag: Heidi’s parents were nephew and aunt. This is easy to miss if you’re not fully paying attention and there’s very little information about their relationship, so barely needs a warning but… I mean the main character is an incest baby so…qqjj's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent
nevergoodbye8's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Ableism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Religious bigotry
danielles_reads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I didn't originally plan on reading this but I only had one prompt left for the classics reading challenge I did this year (for a children's classic) and this was a quick and easy choice. And surprisingly, I enjoyed it quite a bit!
Heidi is an absolutely adorable little rascal, lol. I thought she was going to be more unruly, but she basically ended up being the most perfectly behaved child on the planet. And yes, it's super unrealistic but it was still very cute. I loved seeing her amazement at the world around her, and how she truly empathized with the struggles of every person she met. Seeing her soften up the grumpy Alm-Uncle was adorable and I loved their relationship and his dedication to her and her well-being. Her friendship with Klara was really cute, and it was so fun to see Heidi get into adventures that livened up Klara's life (the kittens!! though lol they weren't mentioned at all after a few chapters).
It was really nice to see all the adults (except Mrs. Rottenmeier of course lol) genuinely care about both children’s wants and needs in a way that still feels rare even today. Klara's dad and her doctor, as well as Heidi's grandfather were especially lovely in that respect. It's great to see such heartwarming male father figure characters. And Sebastian was great too—I loved seeing him quietly rebel against Mrs. Rottenmeier and help Heidi out.
I was actually close to giving this 5 stars but of course the book had to turn into a Christian morality lesson with ableist tropes. The lessons on prayer were so blatant and silly in how perfectly everything worked out that I found them easy to ignore (wow, if only prayers actually worked). "God arranged everything far better than I could have done." Very convenient, Heidi! But thankfully the person delivering the lectures on prayers, Mrs. Sesemann, is still a lovely character regardless. It was really sweet that she convinced Heidi that reading would not be impossible for her to learn, even if her motivations were religious.
But the ableism is very VERY blatant here. And yes, it's definitely a product of the times, but it's not pleasant to read in 2023, especially since I thought the book had decent disability rep in the first half introducing Klara and her life. It's a spoiler but I'm not going to hide it since I think it's important to talk about fully. It's completely ridiculous that Klara can walk again (thanks to God of course, and His ~fresh mountain air~) and how it is portrayed as curing her and freeing her from her sad life of an "invalid." It's also ridiculous that Peter is rewarded for destroying her wheelchair ("oh it worked out perfectly since it led to Klara walking" like what!). Not to mention the fact that Heidi kept thinking of Peter's grandma's blindness as dark sadness, and that she'd never be truly happy. It's all quite A Lot.
I know this book was originally published in two separate parts, and I would probably rate the first part (which is actually almost 2/3 of the book) 4.75 stars and the second part a 2.75, which averages out to 3.75.
Heidi is an absolutely adorable little rascal, lol. I thought she was going to be more unruly, but she basically ended up being the most perfectly behaved child on the planet. And yes, it's super unrealistic but it was still very cute. I loved seeing her amazement at the world around her, and how she truly empathized with the struggles of every person she met. Seeing her soften up the grumpy Alm-Uncle was adorable and I loved their relationship and his dedication to her and her well-being. Her friendship with Klara was really cute, and it was so fun to see Heidi get into adventures that livened up Klara's life (the kittens!! though lol they weren't mentioned at all after a few chapters).
It was really nice to see all the adults (except Mrs. Rottenmeier of course lol) genuinely care about both children’s wants and needs in a way that still feels rare even today. Klara's dad and her doctor, as well as Heidi's grandfather were especially lovely in that respect. It's great to see such heartwarming male father figure characters. And Sebastian was great too—I loved seeing him quietly rebel against Mrs. Rottenmeier and help Heidi out.
I was actually close to giving this 5 stars but of course the book had to turn into a Christian morality lesson with ableist tropes. The lessons on prayer were so blatant and silly in how perfectly everything worked out that I found them easy to ignore (wow, if only prayers actually worked). "God arranged everything far better than I could have done." Very convenient, Heidi! But thankfully the person delivering the lectures on prayers, Mrs. Sesemann, is still a lovely character regardless. It was really sweet that she convinced Heidi that reading would not be impossible for her to learn, even if her motivations were religious.
But the ableism is very VERY blatant here. And yes, it's definitely a product of the times, but it's not pleasant to read in 2023, especially since I thought the book had decent disability rep in the first half introducing Klara and her life. It's a spoiler but I'm not going to hide it since I think it's important to talk about fully. It's completely ridiculous that Klara can walk again (thanks to God of course, and His ~fresh mountain air~) and how it is portrayed as curing her and freeing her from her sad life of an "invalid." It's also ridiculous that Peter is rewarded for destroying her wheelchair ("oh it worked out perfectly since it led to Klara walking" like what!). Not to mention the fact that Heidi kept thinking of Peter's grandma's blindness as dark sadness, and that she'd never be truly happy. It's all quite A Lot.
I know this book was originally published in two separate parts, and I would probably rate the first part (which is actually almost 2/3 of the book) 4.75 stars and the second part a 2.75, which averages out to 3.75.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
laurennn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
bexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Ableism
Minor: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Death of parent
battybookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
So, I own a lovely copy of this book, and I'll probably continue to own it after this, though I cannot recommend it to anyone.
This book was slow and ridiculous in premise. It feels like something they hand you in a utopian society to convince you you're at peace or whatever. It's all very calming imagery and random statements on God. The men are all-wise and kindly while most of the women are either middle-aged and villainous or old and saintly. I'm not sure what Johanna Spyri was trying to get at, but it's weird how obviously done this dynamic was.
Also, Heidi, for her part is eternally happy and characterized by her innocence and goodness. She's meant to drive the story with her goodwill but she's an unrealistic child. I don't know if the author has ever met any children but all the 4 to 6 year olds I know are nothing like this.
This book was slow and ridiculous in premise. It feels like something they hand you in a utopian society to convince you you're at peace or whatever. It's all very calming imagery and random statements on God. The men are all-wise and kindly while most of the women are either middle-aged and villainous or old and saintly. I'm not sure what Johanna Spyri was trying to get at, but it's weird how obviously done this dynamic was.
Also, Heidi, for her part is eternally happy and characterized by her innocence and goodness. She's meant to drive the story with her goodwill but she's an unrealistic child. I don't know if the author has ever met any children but all the 4 to 6 year olds I know are nothing like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
I think this book is an incredibly offensive representation of a person with a disability. As well as people of color and women.
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