I decided my ‘Quotables‘ posts will take over for my fiction posts for a little while – I left off posting ‘Quotables’ a few months back because of school pressures, but they’re back now! Fiction will return when I have something new written to post. 🙂 Today is a quote from Betsy Ray, the protagonist of Betsy in Spite of Herself, by Maud Hart Lovelace.
” My hair is wavy most of the time, but t0 manage that I have to put it up on Wavers at night, which I despise, because what am I going to do when I get married? But on the other hand if I don’t put it up on Wavers, I probably never will get married. Not that I care about getting married. But I certainly want to be asked.”
This is a quote near the beginning that introduces Betsy, and I think the author does it so well – you can just tell she’s a little young, a little unsure of her looks, and has a way of stating her opinions. I’m sure similar thoughts have crossed many girls’ minds – this and this habit of mine, if I get in a serious relationship, sure won’t be able to remain a secret forever. Also, the “not that I care about getting married, but I certainly want to be asked” – well, similar contradictory thoughts crossed my mind at that age as well. 🙂
(If you haven’t heard of Betsy In Spite of Herself, or Maud Hart Lovelace, that’s okay. The Betsy books were pretty popular in the 40s and 50s, but probably less known now. I love them because they’re like a window into the early 20th century, which is when they’re set. They’re definitely written for teenage girls, but if you run across them, they are worth reading.)
Hmm... 
I kind of want to read those books now ! I’m pretty sure they were never translated though. But maybe they’ll be simple enough for me to read them in english. Did you read them when you were a kid or did you discover them later on ?
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No, I’d guess they never were translated (yet, anyway 🙂 ) But the language is pretty simple. I read them in highschool first, from what I remember. The beginning books in the series are REALLY simple – more for young kids (it’s like Harry Potter, you’re supposed to grow up as the characters grow up). The later books are the ones I like better, because they’re more complex. That said, I’d definitely classify them as a “comfort read.” They’re not exactly challenging or critical, but they’re very enjoyable. 🙂
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I don’t necessarily need a book to be challenging to enjoy it. That’s why I’m so glad that there’s so many different types of books 🙂
When I was a kid, I really loved the Countess of Ségur’s books. Of course, they were a little – a lot, actually – old-fashioned. They had to be, they were written in the 19th century. But maybe that’s why I loved them, actually.
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Me too – I can only handle so much challenging fiction. That’s why I’m glad when I can find good, different books to fill in the gaps. I love old-fashioned books! I should look up the Countess of Ségur
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I’m not sure her books have been translated but you can always look it up. Her most well-known would be “Sophie’s Misfortunes” – “Les Malheurs de Sophie”. It’s a trilogy, actually. It’s about this little girl who always gets herself into trouble. It’s very entertaining.
Oh by the way, I found the cutest book the other day – it’s called “Madame Pamplemousse and her Incredible Edibles” by Rupert Kingfisher. I know it’s a children’s book but the cover was waay too tempting (it’s the same in French as the one in English, for once) ! Anyway it wasn’t challenging at all and it was very short but I liked it anyway. It’s just a lovely story 🙂
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I looked it up and her books are free online (since they’re in the public domain) – but they’re only in French! I didn’t see an English translation, but who knows, I’ll keep my eyes open. Or learn French 😛 Reading children’s books can be lots of fun. I like the title of the one you mentioned.
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