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633 ratings, 3.87 average rating, 77 reviews
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published
February 1st 2002
(first published 1988)
by Aladdin
binding
Paperback, 304 pages
isbn
0689849109
(isbn13: 9780689849107)
description
Pollyanna's eternal optimism has made her one of the most beloved characters in American literature. First published in 1913, her story spawned th...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 830)
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of classic children's literature
When did I first read Pollyanna? I couldn't say. This little book is a perennial favorite. It's been a few years since I picked it up and this time I found that my memory had deceived me again. What you remember is a story about a girl who wants everyone to be glad, and who gets a happy ending at last. What you get is a story about an orphaned girl sent to a loveless home who reaches out to the troubled people of a small town, resulting in a wide variety of pathetic tales of woe and loss. Pollya...more
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Wow! What have I been missing all these years! As a child I grew up on the Disney movie of "Pollyanna" and thought it was just wonderful. I was never introduced to the "classics" or even realized that Pollyanna was a book turned into a movie. When I sat down with my chidlren to read this story I THOUGHT I knew what I was reading to them, but boy was I wrong!! It soon became apparent that this was another true o the test of time classics that takes you through all the emotions...more
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YES, it's Pollyanna. YES, they made a Disney movie out of it. YES, it's sweet as treacle and there's a moral in there that could be found in only the most insipid of greeting cards.
None of that matters. This book is amazing: compelling and viscerally moving as only the best trash can be. I cried like a little boy the first time I read this (at 23!), after staying up until 4 in the morning to finish it. Absolutely flawless.
None of that matters. This book is amazing: compelling and viscerally moving as only the best trash can be. I cried like a little boy the first time I read this (at 23!), after staying up until 4 in the morning to finish it. Absolutely flawless.
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recommends it for:
negative people
A friend checked this out for me after I used a phrase I heard form my favorite law professor "Pollyanna in hell." I had never read the book, and it was a delight. It brought a simple point home - rejoice, be glad, find the bright side even when it is extremely difficult. It came to me at a tough time, and this I am glad about.
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I think I enjoyed the movie more than the novel. The "make a memory" part where her Uncle or Grandfather? hugs her and she tells him that he always smells like peppermints and cigars--something like that...my sister and I used to always say that...that we were "making a memory". :-)
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Read in September, 2007
This book never fails to put me in a good mood. I know that Pollyanna is somewhat over the top and definitely unrealistic, but so what? She's absolutely adorable and utterly charming which makes for wonderful reading and the perfect comfort book :)
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Normally I hate syrupy characters but for some strange reason Pollyanna works for me. Children usually see the best in people and that's I guess why Pollyanna's story is so fun and touching.
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Read in March, 2005
Love the movies, love the idea of the story, but wasn't a huge fan of the book itself. That said, there were passages that I adored and "sayings" that were wonderful.
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Read in October, 2008
Someone changing a whole town? You´d think that could be impossible. Well, this book shows how a 12 year old girl gets to give happines back to all those sick and depressed people. Her atittude through out this book, makes you want to change, and transform this dark, and dejected world, into a world of peace, and goodhearted people. Pollyanna, an orfan little girl,gets to live with her rich aunt, and discovers that money is not crucial for living. This girl teaches all her town, the on...more
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Read in November, 2008
I am reading this aloud the my kids in the evenings (when it's not too late) . . . so it is a slow process. But we are enjoying it so far and trying to remember to be glad.
We finished the book yesterday afternoon. Hayley and I quite enjoyed it. My son, who is 4, wasn't quite as interested as time went on. The dialogue WAS a bit sappy in parts (mostly because I had to read it out loud).
I grew up watching the Hayley Mills movie based on this book and really liked it. But the book was bet...more
We finished the book yesterday afternoon. Hayley and I quite enjoyed it. My son, who is 4, wasn't quite as interested as time went on. The dialogue WAS a bit sappy in parts (mostly because I had to read it out loud).
I grew up watching the Hayley Mills movie based on this book and really liked it. But the book was bet...more
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My most treasured childhood book, I picked up my old tattered copy of Pollyanna well into my twenties and was astounded to find the lessons within still quite valuable.
Pollyanna is the story of a girl who goes to live with her aunt after losing her parents, and slowly teaches the inhabitants of her new town "the glad game" - a game of finding something to be glad for in every situation. In the end, Pollyanna is faced with such tragedy that even she cannot find anything to be glad f...more
Pollyanna is the story of a girl who goes to live with her aunt after losing her parents, and slowly teaches the inhabitants of her new town "the glad game" - a game of finding something to be glad for in every situation. In the end, Pollyanna is faced with such tragedy that even she cannot find anything to be glad f...more
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Read in November, 1975
recommends it for:
Youth Young @ Heart & Optimists!
You know, most of us can remember SOMEONE in our lives that made us sit up & pay attention (when all we just wanted to do was collapse)....
Life got ya down? Then visit THIS little girl!!!
Yeah, yeah, my mother recommended it to me to read (when I was just a young girl) & I read it over Thanksgiving break...years ago here in Phoenix during one of our "500-year flood zones"....Rained for 5 days solid!
Read this one (Aren't there more than 1 Pollyanna books?)...and &q...more
Life got ya down? Then visit THIS little girl!!!
Yeah, yeah, my mother recommended it to me to read (when I was just a young girl) & I read it over Thanksgiving break...years ago here in Phoenix during one of our "500-year flood zones"....Rained for 5 days solid!
Read this one (Aren't there more than 1 Pollyanna books?)...and &q...more
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thinking of this book just makes me want to hurl. gah, this is like the barfy-est book EVER. it's a total rip-off of anne of green gables--which also sucks. the whole thing is just like, "oh i'm a poor little orphan girl, but despite my troubles i see the bright side of everything, and i soften the hearts of all the mean old people around me!!' pollyanna is a very dull and unrealistic main character; i couldn't stand her at all. as you can probably tell, i hate these inspirational kind of b...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Anyone
I love this book!!! Yes, it is really a children's/younger reader book. However, I do not know many elementary students who have read this. I personally tend to have a pessimistic attitude. So this was so good for me to read. It really hit home that having a good outlook on everything is the key to being happy. I love the "glad game". It was so funny to me to be glad for a barrel of second hand clothes or for crutches. Every mother should read this book to her children. (The younger...more
Read in June, 2008
Definitely something I needed in my life--which is why I checked it out! I'm glad I saw the 2004 movie version.While I like the Disney version and will always have connections to it, the new version is MUCH better. And very different. So when I read the book, I realized that the new movie was "spot on" with the book. Makes it even better! I had a lot of reminders of another very chatty, long-winded, red-headed orphan as I read the book. While it's not a masterful work of literature, th...more
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Read in August, 2004
Feel good fluff, but if you take it for what it is, it's nice enough.
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Read in January, 2008
Pollyanna is an orphan whose father taught her to look for ways to be glad in every situation. Pollyanna has a childlike simplicity and exuberance for life. Through her "glad game" she is able to change the lives of many around her.
This is a heartwarming book that makes you want to think of reasons to be glad about situations that may seem less than desirable. It is entertaining enough for an adult to read and very suitable for children. It is even better than all of the movie ve...more
This is a heartwarming book that makes you want to think of reasons to be glad about situations that may seem less than desirable. It is entertaining enough for an adult to read and very suitable for children. It is even better than all of the movie ve...more
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I found another old book, this one from the 1920's. Do read Eleanor H. Porter. She wrote some wonderful books. The book of Pollyanna is better than the movie ( No surprises there!) and is just uplifting. I love the language of old books. Bad things happen and they aren't always put right. But there is an essential assumption of the goodness of people and the ability to change behavior no matter what time of life. Try it. You may like a little cry at the end of a sweet book.
Pollyanna has had a profound impact on my life. This is one of my sources for making personal changes. I really believe that we can play a very large role in choosing our own feelings. I am a devoted player of Pollyanna's Just Being Glad Game. I want happiness, so I work for it--in part by mentally setting myself up to find something to be grateful for. Pollyanna's attitude changes things, and it even changes other people. I have witnessed similar miracles.
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I adore this book, it is very positive and inspiring. My Mum read it to me as a little girl, and of course I enjoyed watching the Disney movie that was based on it.
Pollyanna's ability to find something to be glad about in any situation is something we all should learn to do. How much better would this world be if we all took the time to be grateful and appreciate even the smallest of things?
Pollyanna's ability to find something to be glad about in any situation is something we all should learn to do. How much better would this world be if we all took the time to be grateful and appreciate even the smallest of things?
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