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Ain't We Got Fun
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It was never much of an issue for Bess: living contentedly on her family's farm, despite the Depression which loomed around them. But when her older sister Georgiana takes off to New York City to make a fortune and help Papa out, feelings of adventure and wanderlust strike Bess at home. Through their lively letter correspondence, the sisters recount to one another their ad
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Paperback, 212 pages
Published
May 13th 2015
by The White Rose Press
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Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this, but I was a little 'meh' about this book. Not a bad writing style at all, but a little 'self conscious', too studied in it's structure of being written in a letter format - it felt a little unnatural. I felt things were much improved after the opening paragraph of each chapter when the authoresses moved on to a more straightforward past tense third person POV. I'm not a big fan of books that are written like a series of letters and I thought this one
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What a cute story! I'm not sure if I've ever read a book set during the Great Depression, so this was interesting to read. I loved the writing style, the sweet sisterly relationship between Bess and Gi, and the adorable romances! I had so much fun reading it. 😊
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Oh guys, this book was so adorable! I loved that the format was all letters, and honestly...I loved the romance (Tom was my favorite). The whole book was cozy and homey, the characters were winsome, and my only big complaint was that I wanted it to go on longer. It's really a perfect cozy read that brought me back to my childhood reading the Kit Kitteridge books, and I couldn't put it down. Absolutely charming!
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for my honest review. ...more
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for my honest review. ...more

Such a fun and cute summer read!
I considered giving this five stars for bess’ letters, and Tom, and the little wanderlust moments…but objectively it’s four stars.
I say this because I feel like there could have been more plot and it would have been nice to see more of the other characters’ thoughts.
The story truly is adorable though. I think of it as a mix between Penderwicks and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I love both of those books!
I considered giving this five stars for bess’ letters, and Tom, and the little wanderlust moments…but objectively it’s four stars.
I say this because I feel like there could have been more plot and it would have been nice to see more of the other characters’ thoughts.
The story truly is adorable though. I think of it as a mix between Penderwicks and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I love both of those books!

O my gosh!!! What a cute fun read! Bess and Tom!!! O my gosh!! I loved them! ❤️❤️
Because it was letters things seemed to move fast paced and I felt I couldn’t connect with the characters very much. Also the sisters seemed very much alike. I think it would have been really cool if this book would have been in the different points of view of the sisters, Tom, and Will. Then we could get in there head and connect with them all more. I loved the letters don’t get me wrong but I think it didn’t make ...more
Because it was letters things seemed to move fast paced and I felt I couldn’t connect with the characters very much. Also the sisters seemed very much alike. I think it would have been really cool if this book would have been in the different points of view of the sisters, Tom, and Will. Then we could get in there head and connect with them all more. I loved the letters don’t get me wrong but I think it didn’t make ...more

When I first learned about this novella I was excited to find out that the authors, Emily Ann Putzke and Emily Chapman, were publishing it. They had previously posted the story as a series on their blogs but I had missed it. This way I would have a chance to read it. Not only that but it takes place during one of my favorite time periods to read about- The Great Depression/1930s. (I blame American Girl and Kit Kittredge entirely.)
I enjoyed the story immensely. I was quickly caught up into the ...more
I enjoyed the story immensely. I was quickly caught up into the ...more

This book is absolutely heart-warming and adorable. I don’t read a lot of books that are made up of letters, but the format worked really well in Ain’t We Got Fun. Bess and Gi were very different, lovable people (even though Gi was extremely stubborn). Both girls developed in a very satisfying and realistic way. I’m not a history buff, but the story seemed historically accurate to me. I even learned some facts about the Great Depression that I hadn’t known before! The little details Emily and Em
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I loved this story!
At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like a story told entirely by letters, but it charmed me completely. I got that little rush of excitement at each letter, just like I was the one opening the letter from New York or Kansas. Gi and Bess were delightful; their natural, easy banter with each other leads you to think that Chapman and Putzke really are sisters! It didn’t take long before I was drawn completely into the Great Depression and the Rowland sisters’ accou ...more
At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like a story told entirely by letters, but it charmed me completely. I got that little rush of excitement at each letter, just like I was the one opening the letter from New York or Kansas. Gi and Bess were delightful; their natural, easy banter with each other leads you to think that Chapman and Putzke really are sisters! It didn’t take long before I was drawn completely into the Great Depression and the Rowland sisters’ accou ...more

When Ain't We Got Fun first premiered in January on the blogs of Emily Chapman and Emily Ann Putzke, I was super excited!
I have enjoyed reading the short stories and snippets they have posted, and the thought of a full book written by the both of them seemed like pure perfection.
The story of Gi and Bess sounded exactly like my type of book. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I love the idea of stories told through letters.
I followed the story faithfully for the first couple d ...more
I have enjoyed reading the short stories and snippets they have posted, and the thought of a full book written by the both of them seemed like pure perfection.
The story of Gi and Bess sounded exactly like my type of book. Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I love the idea of stories told through letters.
I followed the story faithfully for the first couple d ...more

Extremely enjoyable, far more so than I expected. The only thing I didn't care for was that the girl's exchanges with their fellas was quite cheesy at times. But other than that, it was a cute story.
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It's very simple, actually. I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. The end.
Just kidding, I have more to say. But it really is wonderful - I can't think of a single thing I disliked about it. It's one of those books that makes you feel all warm and happy inside, yet is not at all lacking in serious elements of sickness, family issues, and a bit of danger as well (very mild; nothing scary). The thing I really loved was the writing style. The authors' writing styles were distinguishable from each other's just enough ...more
Just kidding, I have more to say. But it really is wonderful - I can't think of a single thing I disliked about it. It's one of those books that makes you feel all warm and happy inside, yet is not at all lacking in serious elements of sickness, family issues, and a bit of danger as well (very mild; nothing scary). The thing I really loved was the writing style. The authors' writing styles were distinguishable from each other's just enough ...more

This story, told through letters between two sisters, was a fun read. The authors seemed to have a pretty good feel for the time of the Great Depression and I enjoyed the characters. It's not a long book, but neither is it short. It's a great length for an afternoon read. The reason this book didn't get a higher rating was because of the use of what I consider swear words: good L! good G! While I know such expressions were used during that time period, there are many other things that could have
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This was a good book.
Although it was written as though it's letters sister to sister, I think the attempt was good, but it needed a little more work. It didn't work like letters. I didn't feel like it was letters, more like chapter breaks and POV changes. I mean really, who writes down an entire conversation in a letter? And so yeah.
But the story was very sweet! I loved the innocent clean romance. The way the sisters held each other up and loved each other was very cute and encouraging.
I do fee ...more
Although it was written as though it's letters sister to sister, I think the attempt was good, but it needed a little more work. It didn't work like letters. I didn't feel like it was letters, more like chapter breaks and POV changes. I mean really, who writes down an entire conversation in a letter? And so yeah.
But the story was very sweet! I loved the innocent clean romance. The way the sisters held each other up and loved each other was very cute and encouraging.
I do fee ...more

This is precisely the sort of light, cheerful fare I like to read in the spring or while on vacation. Something I can read in small bits, set down often because I've been interrupted yet again, and yet still keeps me interested enough that I want to pick it up again next chance I get.
Ain't We Got Fun is a collection of letters from two sisters during the Great Depression. It's gentle and sweet -- nothing really terrible happens to anyone. It's got a little bit of the parable of the Prodigal Son ...more
Ain't We Got Fun is a collection of letters from two sisters during the Great Depression. It's gentle and sweet -- nothing really terrible happens to anyone. It's got a little bit of the parable of the Prodigal Son ...more
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Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 4 | May 30, 2015 11:02AM |
Emily Chapman is the author of CRY OF HOPE and co-author of AIN'T WE GOT FUN. She writes "to taste life twice" and because she thrives off of stories.
She blogs sometimes frequently, sometimes infrequently, at Even the Sparrows. ...more
She blogs sometimes frequently, sometimes infrequently, at Even the Sparrows. ...more
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