Bessie's Doll

by L.M. Montgomery

This was nothing more or less than a doll. Now, Tommy was not a judge of dolls and did not take much interest in them, but he felt quite sure that this was a very fine one. It was so big; it was beautifully dressed in blue silk, with a ruffled blue silk hat; it had lovely long golden hair and big brown eyes and pink cheeks; and it stood right up in the showcase and held out its hands winningly.

26 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2013

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe some more jaded and cynical readers would perhaps consider Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1914 short story Bessie’s Doll (and which I first encountered in the edited by the late Rea Wilmshurst’s anthology 1993 Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement) as being somewhat too saccharine and also with rather too much preachiness regarding that doing good deeds, such as Tommy Puffer being kind and commiserating to physically challenged Bessie and then later protecting Miss Octavia’s flowers from a heavy springtime frost will have a positive outcome for all.

But honestly, the happy and sweet outcome of Bessie’s Doll and indeed the entire story from page one on so to speak has always been absolutely delightful and a wonderful and tender personal reading interlude and with me also really not at all caring that L.M. Montgomery might at times be wielding her presented lesson and message a trifle heavily and obviously (and this indeed every time I do decide to reread Bessie’s Doll), with Bessie getting (or rather I guess getting back) her cherished doll and once again showing an interest in life and Tommy due to his care of Miss Octavia’s frost endangered flowers not only earning her respect and an apology her nastiness and suspicion (as Miss Octavia had in the past majorly despised and raged at ragged and unkempt Tommy Puffer) but also obtaining a desired and paying position as an apprentice florist. Therefore a sweet and perhaps I guess sometimes even a bit overly sweet and predictably positive in its outcome text, but yes, Bessie’s Doll is and always will be a total reading gem for me, full of all things bright and beautiful and also and equally so replete with LM. Montgomery’s magically lovely and detailed, interesting descriptions of early 20th century small town Prince Edward Island life.

For yes, in Bessie’s Doll L.M. Montgomery in my humble opinion really does richly show and expand upon the various players of a typical PEI small town, with Miss Octavia at first being a rather annoying and frustrating gossip who also absolutely despises poor Tommy Puffer out of principle and accuses him of all kinds of misdeeds and peccadilloes simply because he is poor and rather badly parented, but then is fortunately and delightfully depicted by Montgomery as not only changing her mind about Tommy (after he protects Miss Octavia’ flowers from being nipped by the cold) but also as in fact admitting that she was mistaken in her negative assessment of Tommy Puffer and also and wonderfully personally telling him this.

So indeed, for me a truly wonderful and smiles inducing all round story is Bessie’s Doll and as such most definitely with a warmly and highly recommended solid and shining four star rating.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars (4/10 hearts). This is such a sweet story! I loved Tommy and I enjoyed that he wasn’t a perfect kid, by any means, but instead was redeemed. I also loved Bessie and her family, even if they hardly featured (they'd make great characters for another story!). And I even liked Miss Octavia and how she was willing to get over her prejudice. Also, there's just something about stories featuring dolls... <3 Great little story with some lovely little messages. :)

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story of a boy's love for a girl and how it redeems him in others' eyes.