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k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
4.0
Hitty is a small wooden doll with big century long adventures.
Compared to a novel published in 2010, this moves a little slow, but seeing as this was written and published in 1930, it is pretty good.
This is part of the Newberry Project.
Compared to a novel published in 2010, this moves a little slow, but seeing as this was written and published in 1930, it is pretty good.
This is part of the Newberry Project.
kmc3050's review against another edition
3.0
3. It's got it's problems (considering when it was written), but it's a fun romp through history.
shoelessmama's review against another edition
3.0
7/10. How random that I would read "In the Heart of the Sea", a book about a whaling expedition to the Pacific gone wrong, just before reading a book about a doll with many adventures including a trip on a whaling ship to the Pacific! I may have found this section of the book less impressive if I hadn't known what a good job Field did in her research. It dissipated some of the skepticism I may have had over Hitty's many travels and the historicity of this fictional tale. This won the Newbury in 1930 and I found it much less dated that other Newbury novels I have read. Part of this is due to Hitty's tale spanning a specific time period, but I thought that seeing the story through the eyes of a doll made the tale more observational. The doll does not often judge what she sees and while there is some content that would be viewed as mildly racist to contemporary eyes it did not come off as offensive to me.
I've come across the name "Mehitable" (which Hitty is a nickname for in this book) in other books set in the 18th and 19th centuries and I wonder where it comes from. Is it biblical? While it seems that most names from this time period are found in that source I don't recall anyone with this name in the bible. Some aren't traditional names, like Mercy and Thankful, but at least those are words I am familiar with. I also wonder how it is pronounced. I've certainly not come across it in anything taking place in the 20th century or currently.
I've come across the name "Mehitable" (which Hitty is a nickname for in this book) in other books set in the 18th and 19th centuries and I wonder where it comes from. Is it biblical? While it seems that most names from this time period are found in that source I don't recall anyone with this name in the bible. Some aren't traditional names, like Mercy and Thankful, but at least those are words I am familiar with. I also wonder how it is pronounced. I've certainly not come across it in anything taking place in the 20th century or currently.
margardenlady's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this much more than i had expected. An old book, printed in 1947 that i found in a wall during a remodeling project. It’s the tale of a doll who is carved of ash in the earthly 19 th century, then taken aboard a whaler, lost in a tropical island, then owned by the daughters of missionaries in India. She continues her adventures back too the USA, providing a perspective on many historical events. The story is a first person narration imagined through the eyes of the doll.
klnbennett's review against another edition
3.0
Hitty is a doll, made by hand in 1820s Maine. This book is her memoir, written from an antique shop in the 1920s and details her travels and great adventure throughout the world in 100 years as a doll. She sees a great many different kinds of people and has wild experiences. This book is certainly from a different time, and there are some problems with the portrayal of people of color. Overall though, this book has some old timey charm.
amyl88's review against another edition
4.0
After Miss Hickory, I have to say I was a bit apprehensive about reading this one. But it was nothing like Miss Hickory!
Hitty's story was charming and sweet. As strange as it sounds, it was written in a way that made it believable. I'm not sure how to describe it. But I did enjoy it.
Reading the Newberys project.
Hitty's story was charming and sweet. As strange as it sounds, it was written in a way that made it believable. I'm not sure how to describe it. But I did enjoy it.
Reading the Newberys project.
heyt's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this felt like a mash up between Moby Dick, Toy Story 2, and listening to your slightly racist grandma talk about the old days. The distance of 90 years from when this was written to me reading it now today made it hard for me to take very seriously. I laughed a lot and I'm still trying to figure out if that was the author's intent or not. I thought Hitty's adventures could be a little over the top at times but that was all part of the charm. The detail of Hitty's life at the beginning made me wonder how she'd cover 100 years and do them justice but it all worked out in the end and I'm glad I read this.
lemon_drop's review against another edition
3.0
Written in 1929, Rachel Field has the racial prejudices & religious intolerance of her era.
It is an interesting look at the 1800s through the eyes of a toy.
It is an interesting look at the 1800s through the eyes of a toy.
valhecka's review against another edition
4.0
I was pretty terrified of deep water when I was a wee thing (not so wee; I was nine). One of the requirements for passing a swim class I was in was jumping in water over my head and treading water, and I did not. want. to do it.
My mom eventually bribed me into doing it with this book (one of her favorites when she was little) and a Chipwich. Okay, so I'm cheap.
The book is awesome, too - it's very sweet and calm throughout all this poor little doll's trials and travels. All her different owners were adorable. I loved this one.
My mom eventually bribed me into doing it with this book (one of her favorites when she was little) and a Chipwich. Okay, so I'm cheap.
The book is awesome, too - it's very sweet and calm throughout all this poor little doll's trials and travels. All her different owners were adorable. I loved this one.