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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…nevergoodbye8's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Ableism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Religious bigotry
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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