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phoenix2's review against another edition
4.0
Whod doesn't love Heidi?? Or haven't heard of the book? Heidi is one of my faourite classics, as it brings back good memories of my mom reading this one to me. But later own, when I started reading this one myself, I liked that it was fast paced, simple writing and a sweet, warm story. Heidi is simply lovable and you can surely like all the characters on this one, even want to go on the mounten and experience Heidi's life. A big rec for everyone!!
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
It feels weird to be critiquing a classic but here we are.
I had a collection of abridged classics as a kid so I read Heidi a lot. I was so into Heidi that I checked out the movie at the library back to back for months. And I was like maybe 10 and the movie was like 4 hours so you can see how dedicated I was.
I still remembered the broad strokes of the story which my abridged version did a great job of paraphrasing. For the most part I didn't detect many differences so I'm not sure what the point was in making it abridged.
Anyways, this is an okay read. For a book written in the 1800s it's not overly stiff or confusing. I listened to it via audiobook with absolutely no problems following along.
It was written for kids and I felt that it met its audience well enough. I think kids of today would expect a little more oomph, but seeing as I loved this as a kid I can't really say for sure. Heidi is a girl with an adventurous spirit who tries her best to be a good person. I have no idea what the cultural landscape of Switzerland was like or Joanna Spyri's personal history with the Swiss Alps, but she clearly thought highly of simple living in nature. The Alps feel like a character all on their own for how Heidi longs for them in her time away. The trappings of high society are viewed if not neutrally than implicitly negative. Like a girl is straight up cured of an indeterminate probably made up illness that keeps her from walking all because of fresh mountain air and goat milk.
Positives aside it had its faults. Critiquing a classic that is so old is weird because I'm sure to a point I'm missing a larger context that might change my viewpoint especially in the case of Heidi since it's a Swiss book. But, I'm going to lay it all there regardless and you can take from it what you will.
The characters are flat. Heidi's grandfather doesn't even get a name. He's just 'The Grandfather'. Some messed up stuff happens and everybody just gets over it. People don't act like normal people or have normal reactions to anything. It became so grating after awhile; like reading a book written by someone who had observed human interactions, but never experienced it. No one feels fleshed out because anything not happening at present just doesn't matter. There's a quick explanation at the beginning of why The Grandfather is hated. One reason is that he killed a guy??? And like that never comes up again. Was it town gossip? Did he actually do it? If he did why did he do it? How did he not get arrested? All good questions that will not be answered.
Similarly, Heidi is 5 when she is left with The Grandfather. She spent 4 years living with her aunt. Yet, we get absolutely no background on that past a passing mention at the very beginning. Like what was it like for Heidi with her aunt? Was she happy? How was it different from living on the Alps? If she didn't like it why not? Heck, this woman - as much as I didn't like her - was Heidi's whole world until she met her grandfather and yet, Heidi doesn't even miss her. No 5 year old would just move on like that even if the relative was awful because that behavior would be normalized to them. Heidi still should have wanted to be with her aunt especially when the book goes out of its way to establish how empathetic she is.
Most of this book is Heidi bending over backwards to please Peter's grandmother. I despise this woman with all of my being. You know how people hate Grandpa Joe from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? That's how I felt about The Grandmother.
She's a manipulative, perpetual victim totally comfortable fostering a codependent relationship with a child. Peter is her actual grandchild, but she literally says that Heidi is the only thing keeping her alive. Heidi visits this woman everyday and still everyday The Grandmother worries that Heidi will be kept from her another day. It's impossibly aggravating.
Believe me I get it; Heidi is supposed to be this massive catalyst for change due to her good nature. Regardless, not only is it repetitive it's disquieting because Heidi - again, a child - becomes equally as obsessed. When she's forced away from home she agonizes constantly about The Grandmother so much so she barely thinks about her own grandfather. It felt like she didn't even have a bond with him after the Grandmother was introduced for all the effort she put into that relationship compared to that of The Grandfather. She wanted soft rolls for The Grandmother, she wanted to learn to read so she could read psalms to the Grandmother, she wanted to use money she got to make sure the Grandmother always had soft rolls, she gave her big bed to the Grandmother.
Now to be fair, this woman didn't technically ask Heidi for any of this. She's not pressuring Heidi to get her stuff or anything like that. Nevertheless, she never acts like an adult with Heidi.
What kind of adult would let a child use all of their money - money that could be useful for her future - for them to get bread everyday? I understand that this was a respect and treasure your elders thing. Heidi wants to do this for the Grandmother because she cares about her. And we sacrifice or go out of our way for those we care for. I agree with the general sentiment, however, it just went way too far. It came off indescribably selfish.
I understand that the Grandmother is not intended to be malicious. I just cannot help seeing it that way. At the end the Grandmother seriously gets into a bad mood at the thought of Heidi going back to Frankfurt. Not content to stew on her own, she lets Heidi actually see she's troubled. I get that she's scared, but come on you're a grown woman. You should know how to regulate your emotions instead of putting it on a kid to reassure you. When she thinks Heidi really is going she has the nerve to pull some passive aggressive nonsense 'oh I'm happy to see you go right before I die'. Ugh. It's insufferable how self-centered she is. This could be a wonderful opportunity for Heidi to be exposed to more than a simple mountain life. Why wouldn't she want more for her? A majority of the book is dedicated to Heidi spending time catering to her whims in one way or another.
That plays further into the poor handling of characters; it's so unrealistic how Heidi is a bottomless pit of understanding. The only negative feelings she feels are related to feeling bad for not being a better person. There are plenty of kids books that allow the characters to actually be characters not just robots going through the motions.
The worldbuilding is terrible. No attention is paid to anything outside the mountains. The details are endless when it comes to the mountains. Yet, we get nothing on how the town at the base functions. Nor do we explore Frankfurt despite Heidi being there a whole year.
All in all it's an average read. I enjoyed it for nostalgia's sake but I wouldn't read this again for a long time or recommend it to anyone else unless you're a Classics person looking to check it off since Classics people tend to have more measured expectations.
I had a collection of abridged classics as a kid so I read Heidi a lot. I was so into Heidi that I checked out the movie at the library back to back for months. And I was like maybe 10 and the movie was like 4 hours so you can see how dedicated I was.
I still remembered the broad strokes of the story which my abridged version did a great job of paraphrasing. For the most part I didn't detect many differences so I'm not sure what the point was in making it abridged.
Anyways, this is an okay read. For a book written in the 1800s it's not overly stiff or confusing. I listened to it via audiobook with absolutely no problems following along.
It was written for kids and I felt that it met its audience well enough. I think kids of today would expect a little more oomph, but seeing as I loved this as a kid I can't really say for sure. Heidi is a girl with an adventurous spirit who tries her best to be a good person. I have no idea what the cultural landscape of Switzerland was like or Joanna Spyri's personal history with the Swiss Alps, but she clearly thought highly of simple living in nature. The Alps feel like a character all on their own for how Heidi longs for them in her time away. The trappings of high society are viewed if not neutrally than implicitly negative. Like a girl is straight up cured of an indeterminate probably made up illness that keeps her from walking all because of fresh mountain air and goat milk.
Positives aside it had its faults. Critiquing a classic that is so old is weird because I'm sure to a point I'm missing a larger context that might change my viewpoint especially in the case of Heidi since it's a Swiss book. But, I'm going to lay it all there regardless and you can take from it what you will.
The characters are flat. Heidi's grandfather doesn't even get a name. He's just 'The Grandfather'. Some messed up stuff happens and everybody just gets over it. People don't act like normal people or have normal reactions to anything. It became so grating after awhile; like reading a book written by someone who had observed human interactions, but never experienced it. No one feels fleshed out because anything not happening at present just doesn't matter. There's a quick explanation at the beginning of why The Grandfather is hated. One reason is that he killed a guy??? And like that never comes up again. Was it town gossip? Did he actually do it? If he did why did he do it? How did he not get arrested? All good questions that will not be answered.
Similarly, Heidi is 5 when she is left with The Grandfather. She spent 4 years living with her aunt. Yet, we get absolutely no background on that past a passing mention at the very beginning. Like what was it like for Heidi with her aunt? Was she happy? How was it different from living on the Alps? If she didn't like it why not? Heck, this woman - as much as I didn't like her - was Heidi's whole world until she met her grandfather and yet, Heidi doesn't even miss her. No 5 year old would just move on like that even if the relative was awful because that behavior would be normalized to them. Heidi still should have wanted to be with her aunt especially when the book goes out of its way to establish how empathetic she is.
Most of this book is Heidi bending over backwards to please Peter's grandmother. I despise this woman with all of my being. You know how people hate Grandpa Joe from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? That's how I felt about The Grandmother.
She's a manipulative, perpetual victim totally comfortable fostering a codependent relationship with a child. Peter is her actual grandchild, but she literally says that Heidi is the only thing keeping her alive. Heidi visits this woman everyday and still everyday The Grandmother worries that Heidi will be kept from her another day. It's impossibly aggravating.
Believe me I get it; Heidi is supposed to be this massive catalyst for change due to her good nature. Regardless, not only is it repetitive it's disquieting because Heidi - again, a child - becomes equally as obsessed. When she's forced away from home she agonizes constantly about The Grandmother so much so she barely thinks about her own grandfather. It felt like she didn't even have a bond with him after the Grandmother was introduced for all the effort she put into that relationship compared to that of The Grandfather. She wanted soft rolls for The Grandmother, she wanted to learn to read so she could read psalms to the Grandmother, she wanted to use money she got to make sure the Grandmother always had soft rolls, she gave her big bed to the Grandmother.
Now to be fair, this woman didn't technically ask Heidi for any of this. She's not pressuring Heidi to get her stuff or anything like that. Nevertheless, she never acts like an adult with Heidi.
What kind of adult would let a child use all of their money - money that could be useful for her future - for them to get bread everyday? I understand that this was a respect and treasure your elders thing. Heidi wants to do this for the Grandmother because she cares about her. And we sacrifice or go out of our way for those we care for. I agree with the general sentiment, however, it just went way too far. It came off indescribably selfish.
I understand that the Grandmother is not intended to be malicious. I just cannot help seeing it that way. At the end the Grandmother seriously gets into a bad mood at the thought of Heidi going back to Frankfurt. Not content to stew on her own, she lets Heidi actually see she's troubled. I get that she's scared, but come on you're a grown woman. You should know how to regulate your emotions instead of putting it on a kid to reassure you. When she thinks Heidi really is going she has the nerve to pull some passive aggressive nonsense 'oh I'm happy to see you go right before I die'. Ugh. It's insufferable how self-centered she is. This could be a wonderful opportunity for Heidi to be exposed to more than a simple mountain life. Why wouldn't she want more for her? A majority of the book is dedicated to Heidi spending time catering to her whims in one way or another.
That plays further into the poor handling of characters; it's so unrealistic how Heidi is a bottomless pit of understanding. The only negative feelings she feels are related to feeling bad for not being a better person. There are plenty of kids books that allow the characters to actually be characters not just robots going through the motions.
The worldbuilding is terrible. No attention is paid to anything outside the mountains. The details are endless when it comes to the mountains. Yet, we get nothing on how the town at the base functions. Nor do we explore Frankfurt despite Heidi being there a whole year.
All in all it's an average read. I enjoyed it for nostalgia's sake but I wouldn't read this again for a long time or recommend it to anyone else unless you're a Classics person looking to check it off since Classics people tend to have more measured expectations.
hanzy's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved reading this book. It's wholesome, happy, bright and cheery with lessons for people from all walks of life.
vasucrews's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
zhisa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
pabloandres's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
larissa_4444's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
utahmomreads's review against another edition
5.0
I received a beautiful, hardbound, colorfully illustrated copy of Heidi (Children's Classics) when I was just a girl. I had broken my hip in an accident with my horse and my great-aunt sent it to me to read while I recovered. Unfortunately, I never read it then. But I cherished the book and packed it with me every time I moved.
Now, as a mother to three young girls, we chose Heidi as our bedtime read the last few months. We all enjoyed every word as I read this delightful and inspiring tale aloud to my girls. I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and sweetness of Heidi and the goodness of the characters throughout the book. The idea that one little girl can touch so many hearts, is a lovely reminder of the goodness of children.
I also liked the frequent mention and gratitude for a loving Heavenly Father and the blessings He gives. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read this story.
Now, as a mother to three young girls, we chose Heidi as our bedtime read the last few months. We all enjoyed every word as I read this delightful and inspiring tale aloud to my girls. I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and sweetness of Heidi and the goodness of the characters throughout the book. The idea that one little girl can touch so many hearts, is a lovely reminder of the goodness of children.
I also liked the frequent mention and gratitude for a loving Heavenly Father and the blessings He gives. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read this story.
carys_aefa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0