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دون اوهارا ... الفتاة التي ضحكت
When her brilliant but abusive husband is sent to an institution, New York newspaper reporter Dawn O'Hara Orme takes up a new career in alien territory: the only nominally American city of Milwaukee. She moves into an all-German boardinghouse and joins the staff of the only English-language newspaper in town. Under the guidance of a handsome Austrian physician and an intense, tubercular sportswriter, Dawn explores her new home town and comes to know and love it. She begins to write a novel about her experiences. Inevitably, she falls in love. But Dawn has never divorced her husband, and lives in dread that someday he will walk away from the asylum and demand that she return to him.
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1911
32 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Edna Ferber
277 books286 followersEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 30, 2020
لقد نُشرت هذة الرواية عام ١٩١١ ، زمنٌ بعيد اليس كذلك ؟ ...
ولكن كما لو أنها كُتِبت اليوم ، المرأة التي مهما ادعت الاستقلالية ، والرغبة في تحقيق طموحاتها ، او إنه بإمكانها النهوض مجدداً بعد سقوطها مكتفية بذاتها، يبقى صوتٌ مرتجف يردد بداخلها من حين لآخر إنها بحاجة إلى يدين تحتضن يديها ، ذات قبضة ثابتة مطمئنة ، ذات سلطة ورصانة ، يمكنك القول عقلانية ، كما لو أن تلك القبضة خُلِقت خصيصاً لتمنحها الشجاعة والأمان...
" دون اوهارا" وقد أصابها الارهاق المزمن نظراً لطبيعة عملها كمراسلة صحفية، اُتلِفت اعصابها خاصة بعد اصابة زوجها بالجنون ، و تعاسة رمادية استولت على حياتها ومع ذلك لم يغادرها حس الفكاهة...
الطبيب " فون جيرارد" يطالبها بأن تسمح له بأن يجعلها سعيدة " ولدتِ لتكوني سعيدة ، أنتِ التي تستطيعين الضحك كفتاة رغم آلامك كامرأة "...
في الواقع تكاد السعادة تكون مستحيلة والنهايات مفتوحة ، أما في الروايات السعادة ممكنة والنهايات محسومة ...
اتساءل هل كان علينا ان نقفز بين دفتي كتاب ونحيا هناك لعلنا ننعم بتلك السعادة الممكنة ؟؟...
ملحوظة صغيرة الترجمة لا تمت بصلة ابداً بالتقييم ، أقل ما يمكنني قوله كانت ترجمة بائسة كارثية 🙃
ولكن كما لو أنها كُتِبت اليوم ، المرأة التي مهما ادعت الاستقلالية ، والرغبة في تحقيق طموحاتها ، او إنه بإمكانها النهوض مجدداً بعد سقوطها مكتفية بذاتها، يبقى صوتٌ مرتجف يردد بداخلها من حين لآخر إنها بحاجة إلى يدين تحتضن يديها ، ذات قبضة ثابتة مطمئنة ، ذات سلطة ورصانة ، يمكنك القول عقلانية ، كما لو أن تلك القبضة خُلِقت خصيصاً لتمنحها الشجاعة والأمان...
" دون اوهارا" وقد أصابها الارهاق المزمن نظراً لطبيعة عملها كمراسلة صحفية، اُتلِفت اعصابها خاصة بعد اصابة زوجها بالجنون ، و تعاسة رمادية استولت على حياتها ومع ذلك لم يغادرها حس الفكاهة...
الطبيب " فون جيرارد" يطالبها بأن تسمح له بأن يجعلها سعيدة " ولدتِ لتكوني سعيدة ، أنتِ التي تستطيعين الضحك كفتاة رغم آلامك كامرأة "...
في الواقع تكاد السعادة تكون مستحيلة والنهايات مفتوحة ، أما في الروايات السعادة ممكنة والنهايات محسومة ...
اتساءل هل كان علينا ان نقفز بين دفتي كتاب ونحيا هناك لعلنا ننعم بتلك السعادة الممكنة ؟؟...
ملحوظة صغيرة الترجمة لا تمت بصلة ابداً بالتقييم ، أقل ما يمكنني قوله كانت ترجمة بائسة كارثية 🙃
December 15, 2013
Even though Edna Ferber is known for her stirring epics such as
"Giant" and "Cimarron", for her first book she turned to the
heady world of newspaper reporting, something that her work on
the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal prepared
her for.
I've never been a huge Ferber fan but this book (a 1911 edition
that has seen better days) is very readable. It is a lot of fun
and very nice to read, quite amazing that Edna's mother retrieved
the manuscript from a bin and sent it to the publishers herself.
Edna, while working on the Chicago Tribune, wrote fiction in her
spare time but thought "Dawn O'Hara" hopeless. Yes the first chapter
is very dramatic as Dawn is recuperating from a break down brought
on by over work and the shame of having a husband in an insane
asylum but the rest of the book is pretty light hearted as Dawn
leaves the big city, meets some funny characters and in the end
finds true love!!
Dawn decides to write a book, not a literary tome but a best seller
- a book that will bring her fame and a "little bit of jam on her
bread"!! Ferber has Dawn yearning to be back in the thick of things
in New York (she has finally taken a job at a small town newspaper).
The descriptions of the harassed, chain smoking editor, the hum
and bustle of the busy newspaper offices reminded me of all the
old "got to get a scoop" roving reporter movies I've seen but this
book was written in 1911!! And because Ferber was a crack journalist
she seemed to have an ear for slangy, interesting dialogue -
although it is all very nice, there is no effort to get into the
nitty gritty of poverty. Newshound Blackie is a vivid character who
just jumps out of the book.
Just a lovely episodic ramble about boarding house life in turn of
the century (19th) Milwaukee - Dawn helps a down trodden Viennese
wife get some "Amerikanish nerve", there is a wonderful chapter
"Kaffee and Kaffeekuchen" about a much frequented cake shop, complete
with mouth watering descriptions of tortes, cream horns and
gingerbread and a chapter that explores the harrowing ins and outs
of the children's court and a particular little boy called Bennie!!
"Giant" and "Cimarron", for her first book she turned to the
heady world of newspaper reporting, something that her work on
the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal prepared
her for.
I've never been a huge Ferber fan but this book (a 1911 edition
that has seen better days) is very readable. It is a lot of fun
and very nice to read, quite amazing that Edna's mother retrieved
the manuscript from a bin and sent it to the publishers herself.
Edna, while working on the Chicago Tribune, wrote fiction in her
spare time but thought "Dawn O'Hara" hopeless. Yes the first chapter
is very dramatic as Dawn is recuperating from a break down brought
on by over work and the shame of having a husband in an insane
asylum but the rest of the book is pretty light hearted as Dawn
leaves the big city, meets some funny characters and in the end
finds true love!!
Dawn decides to write a book, not a literary tome but a best seller
- a book that will bring her fame and a "little bit of jam on her
bread"!! Ferber has Dawn yearning to be back in the thick of things
in New York (she has finally taken a job at a small town newspaper).
The descriptions of the harassed, chain smoking editor, the hum
and bustle of the busy newspaper offices reminded me of all the
old "got to get a scoop" roving reporter movies I've seen but this
book was written in 1911!! And because Ferber was a crack journalist
she seemed to have an ear for slangy, interesting dialogue -
although it is all very nice, there is no effort to get into the
nitty gritty of poverty. Newshound Blackie is a vivid character who
just jumps out of the book.
Just a lovely episodic ramble about boarding house life in turn of
the century (19th) Milwaukee - Dawn helps a down trodden Viennese
wife get some "Amerikanish nerve", there is a wonderful chapter
"Kaffee and Kaffeekuchen" about a much frequented cake shop, complete
with mouth watering descriptions of tortes, cream horns and
gingerbread and a chapter that explores the harrowing ins and outs
of the children's court and a particular little boy called Bennie!!
October 3, 2018
لقد عثرت علي هذه الحكايه ، لا شك ، فمن دون الجميع كانت دون اوهارا صديقتي المتعبه والتي لا تمل من الضحك .. رغم كل شيء
مثل حبات السكر جاءتني هذه الحكايه ، ناعمه ولذيذه وتعلق بالبال مطولا ، انها الحكاية الازليه ، وحدك في مواجهة العالم ، فلماذا لا تضحك ؟
هذه الروايه كتبت عام ١٩١١ ، لكنها تلمس الروح كأنها كتبت بالامس فقط ، ودون اوهارا هذه الفتاه الرقيقه واحده من أولئك الذين يسكنون قلبي بلا أن أراهم ، الذين اعرف اني ساحبهم ولو لم اقابلهم .
مثل حبات السكر جاءتني هذه الحكايه ، ناعمه ولذيذه وتعلق بالبال مطولا ، انها الحكاية الازليه ، وحدك في مواجهة العالم ، فلماذا لا تضحك ؟
هذه الروايه كتبت عام ١٩١١ ، لكنها تلمس الروح كأنها كتبت بالامس فقط ، ودون اوهارا هذه الفتاه الرقيقه واحده من أولئك الذين يسكنون قلبي بلا أن أراهم ، الذين اعرف اني ساحبهم ولو لم اقابلهم .
October 28, 2016
This is the story of Dawn O'Hara, who finds the humor in things. She's charming and witty and stubborn and likable. It's her tale of struggle with romance, growing friendships and relationships, sacrifices and overcoming her past and embracing the future. It is a wonderful, easy read and I recommend it to those who enjoy a good story.
September 2, 2013
Dawn is funny, independent, quirky and very good at her job as a young newspaper reporter in the early 1900's. I loved all the settings but most especially that of the very German Milwaukee. (Dawn is amazed to stumble upon a shop that has a sign "English spoken here"!) The descriptions of her boarding house, the meals and residents are charming.
September 13, 2015
What a wonderful, sweet and old fashioned... slightly melodramatic romance and human interest story. I loved it. Being of both Irish and German ancestry made the characters and funny/tragic and intelligent Dawn O'Hara herself especially dear and wonderfully drawn characters to me. Very well written, short and sweet. I will read this again, I know...but also want to read some of Edna Ferber's more well known novels soon. This being the first one of her stories I have read...it was a good introduction to her style of writing and description powers and I find I quite like both.
February 5, 2022
Pleasant short novel, with the usual wit and humor of Ferber’s heroines. Dawn, a newspaper writer, is forced to leave New York after being ill from overworking, and settles in a very German Milwaukee, delighting in the study of the people in her new environment.
May 10, 2012
A solid Ferber. My favorite is the description of food! Makes me crave good German.
August 22, 2018
لقد وجدت هذا الكتاب و قرأته باللغة العربية ، و لهذا فسأترك تعليقي باللغة العربية ... أحببت هذه القصة ، علني لأنني وجدت تشابهًا كبيرًا بيني و بين (دون )... إن (دون) بحسها الفكاهي الذي ورثته عن أجدادها ، و بقدرتها على الضحك في مواقف هستيرية ، أو حتى و هي تبكي ، تكاد تكون أنا . أحببت (دون) هذه القوية التي لم تقبل الخضوع لكل المشاكل التي تعرضت لها ، لدينا ذات الطموحات ، و ذات الذوق ، و ذات الحب للأشياء البسيطة في الحياة .
لقد اختلطت علي الأمور في نهاية القصة ، فلم أدر إن كان علي أن أفرح أو أن أحزن . أظنني حزنت و فرحت في آنٍ معًا . لقد كان موت بلاكي صادمًا و سريعًا ، حتَّى أنَّني توقفت لثوانٍ مشدوهةً أحاول استيعاب ما جرى . بلاكي أصبح صديقي كما صديق دون ، لم أرده أن يذهب ، هو لطيف للغاية دون أن يبدي ذلك ، يعمل بجد و قد كان في انتظار لعطلته الحقيقية هذه كما سمَّاها . كم كان مؤثّرًا و لطيفًا حين طلب منها قبلة الوداع قبل أن يموت ، و كيف سكبتها هي على خدَّهُ المجروح . سيظلُّ معطفه بكل ما عليه من حبر ، و من فتوق معلَّقًا في زاويةٍ في قلبي ، سيظلُّ الطّفل الصَّغيرُ بِني يلعب باللُّعبةِ التّي أهداهُ إيَّاها . بلاكي هذا كان مثالا للإنسانية . أتمنى أن يكون في الجنة التي يحب ... لقد أعجبني وصف الورود الحمراء التي كانت تصل من ( فون ) ورائحتها و كيف كانت تملأ المكان ، كما أعجبني وصف الحلويات بشكل لذيذ ، وصف الأماكن و البشر و ملامحهم و ملابسهم و طرق عيشهم. كانت هذه القصة راحةً لي بانسيابها الجميل . كنت في استمرار أودّ أن أعرف ما الذي سيحصل في النهاية حتى شعرت بالكثير من الحماسة عندما نادى فون جيرارد من وراء الباب بصوت خافت و قال (( يا دون ! أأنت قادمة يا بنت ؟))
فاستدارت دون نحو الباب ، و أجابت بصوت مرتفع : (( نعم قادمة !))
مجرد التفكير بحياتهما معًا ملأ قلبي بطوفانٍ من السَّعادة .
لقد اختلطت علي الأمور في نهاية القصة ، فلم أدر إن كان علي أن أفرح أو أن أحزن . أظنني حزنت و فرحت في آنٍ معًا . لقد كان موت بلاكي صادمًا و سريعًا ، حتَّى أنَّني توقفت لثوانٍ مشدوهةً أحاول استيعاب ما جرى . بلاكي أصبح صديقي كما صديق دون ، لم أرده أن يذهب ، هو لطيف للغاية دون أن يبدي ذلك ، يعمل بجد و قد كان في انتظار لعطلته الحقيقية هذه كما سمَّاها . كم كان مؤثّرًا و لطيفًا حين طلب منها قبلة الوداع قبل أن يموت ، و كيف سكبتها هي على خدَّهُ المجروح . سيظلُّ معطفه بكل ما عليه من حبر ، و من فتوق معلَّقًا في زاويةٍ في قلبي ، سيظلُّ الطّفل الصَّغيرُ بِني يلعب باللُّعبةِ التّي أهداهُ إيَّاها . بلاكي هذا كان مثالا للإنسانية . أتمنى أن يكون في الجنة التي يحب ... لقد أعجبني وصف الورود الحمراء التي كانت تصل من ( فون ) ورائحتها و كيف كانت تملأ المكان ، كما أعجبني وصف الحلويات بشكل لذيذ ، وصف الأماكن و البشر و ملامحهم و ملابسهم و طرق عيشهم. كانت هذه القصة راحةً لي بانسيابها الجميل . كنت في استمرار أودّ أن أعرف ما الذي سيحصل في النهاية حتى شعرت بالكثير من الحماسة عندما نادى فون جيرارد من وراء الباب بصوت خافت و قال (( يا دون ! أأنت قادمة يا بنت ؟))
فاستدارت دون نحو الباب ، و أجابت بصوت مرتفع : (( نعم قادمة !))
مجرد التفكير بحياتهما معًا ملأ قلبي بطوفانٍ من السَّعادة .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2023
Edna Ferber is one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to discover this, one of her earlier works. It is not as strong as her later works _So Big_, _Cimarron_, or _Show Boat_; still, I recognized many "seeds" for her later writing. Themes I love in her other works are found here: a woman seeking her own, independent life; developments of new cities because of dreamers and risk-takers; contributions of incoming immigrants; and a celebration of the Midwest.
Reading this reminded me of what first led me to my library shelves to read as many Ferber works as I could find: she champions the human spirit. Hard work, idealism, and genuine fellowship make a strong community. True, she may try to take on too much "discovery" on the part of Dawn O'Hara, and there may be too much of an encompassing happy ending when Ferber's later works reflect more of Life's bittersweet realities, yet I love this heroine's journey.
Reading this reminded me of what first led me to my library shelves to read as many Ferber works as I could find: she champions the human spirit. Hard work, idealism, and genuine fellowship make a strong community. True, she may try to take on too much "discovery" on the part of Dawn O'Hara, and there may be too much of an encompassing happy ending when Ferber's later works reflect more of Life's bittersweet realities, yet I love this heroine's journey.
February 23, 2018
الرواية من الادب الكلاسيكي الامريكي التي لا تحوي على حبكات قوية بين طياتها الا انها ستنساب الصفحات بين يديك بسرعة لرشاقتها وخفتها لذلك ستنتهي من قرائتها بسرعة .
لم أجد شيء في الرواية وغير بول اوستر فإنني لا اهوى قراءة الأدب الأمريكي وقد جربت كثيراً وفشلت .
الرواية مترجمة ومعربة من دار الرافدين اللبنانية ، وهنا تجدر الاشارة الى إنني لابد وأن أشيد كبيراً وكثيراً بدور المترجمة "نور شرف" وهي فتاة بعمر الورود قامت بترجمة عمل بحرفية المترجمين الكبار دون أضاعة المعنى وصياغته بشكل ممتاز ومتقن جعلت نصوص الرواية لا تختل بالعموم فهو شيء كبير جداً نفتخر به كقرّاء ، ولما كانت نور وهي بعمر ولدي الأكبر قد حققت هذا الانجاز فأن الجيل القادم سيقرأ أكثر وسيترجم أكثر وسيكون فكره منفتحاً أكثر .شكراً جزيلاً للمترجمة التي أدهشتني الصفحة الأخيرة من الكتاب وليس كما أدهشني الكتاب بالكل .
لم أجد شيء في الرواية وغير بول اوستر فإنني لا اهوى قراءة الأدب الأمريكي وقد جربت كثيراً وفشلت .
الرواية مترجمة ومعربة من دار الرافدين اللبنانية ، وهنا تجدر الاشارة الى إنني لابد وأن أشيد كبيراً وكثيراً بدور المترجمة "نور شرف" وهي فتاة بعمر الورود قامت بترجمة عمل بحرفية المترجمين الكبار دون أضاعة المعنى وصياغته بشكل ممتاز ومتقن جعلت نصوص الرواية لا تختل بالعموم فهو شيء كبير جداً نفتخر به كقرّاء ، ولما كانت نور وهي بعمر ولدي الأكبر قد حققت هذا الانجاز فأن الجيل القادم سيقرأ أكثر وسيترجم أكثر وسيكون فكره منفتحاً أكثر .شكراً جزيلاً للمترجمة التي أدهشتني الصفحة الأخيرة من الكتاب وليس كما أدهشني الكتاب بالكل .
February 22, 2018
Oh, please. This book was simply marvellous. So eloquent and delightful and full of the most charming characters, phrases, thoughts and occurrences. It certainly is no epic, but a quaint little darling hug in and of itself. So pure and wonderful, and so apt to have such a bittersweet ending. I didn't give it five stars because it didn't quite take my breath away, but it satisfied me marvellously, and kept me interested, and woke a spark of longing in me for typewriters, idyllic scenery, flowers and lakes and lavish cakes and intense, blossoming loves. What a tale! Time certainly not wasted!
February 17, 2023
There is a saying attributed to Harry S. Truman “The only thing new in the world is the history you do not know.”
I think the same thing goes for novels in the sense that while they are stories from a writer’s imagination, they can give us a view to into everyday life of the period in which they were written. This story is beautifully written but it also paints a picture of the changing roles of men and women during a dynamic period of America’s history.
I think the same thing goes for novels in the sense that while they are stories from a writer’s imagination, they can give us a view to into everyday life of the period in which they were written. This story is beautifully written but it also paints a picture of the changing roles of men and women during a dynamic period of America’s history.
October 12, 2015
Of the handful of written reviews of this book to date, all have been 4-5 stars except one three star review. I give this a two-star "it's okay" because I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't recommend it but some people might enjoy it.
For me, the characters were too thin, too monochromatic, except perhaps Blackie who felt like a real person. The coffee shop was actually a great character too. Beyond that, I could hardly wait until it was over so I could move on to another book.
For me, the characters were too thin, too monochromatic, except perhaps Blackie who felt like a real person. The coffee shop was actually a great character too. Beyond that, I could hardly wait until it was over so I could move on to another book.
April 6, 2019
It took me quite a while to finish this book, but only because I kept putting it off after reading a few pages. It's pretty dull and almost a drag on your senses, so I couldn't wait for this book to get over. Honestly, I finished this book a few minutes ago and all I'm feeling is a sense of relief. Nothing else. I am feeling zero emotions right now. So, yeah, give it a skip until you are looking for books brimming with German culture and lots of cake descriptions.
February 17, 2008
As frivolous and silly as it is, it's a wonderful, romantic story that may have been very popular in its day. It has feminist overtones that are very appealing to me. I think it was ahead of its time re: the heroine's profession, outlook and independence.
September 9, 2018
انت يا من كنت دائما حاضراً لتصادق رجلاً
انت يامن كنت دائما موجوداً لتدافع عن رجل
انت يا من دائماً معك المال لتسعف رجلاً مقضوم الحظ ومحتاجاً للعون
لا شك سيكون مكانك في الجنةِ والغبطه
وسيكون منظرك غريباً في تلك الستره
يوماً ما عندما يصبح الشكر ابتذالاً
ستجد لنفسك اعتدالً
انت يامن كنت دائما موجوداً لتدافع عن رجل
انت يا من دائماً معك المال لتسعف رجلاً مقضوم الحظ ومحتاجاً للعون
لا شك سيكون مكانك في الجنةِ والغبطه
وسيكون منظرك غريباً في تلك الستره
يوماً ما عندما يصبح الشكر ابتذالاً
ستجد لنفسك اعتدالً
Read
September 14, 2018لم تعجبني ترجمة الرواية بهذه اللغة الأقرب للعامية، أنصح لقراءتها باللغة الأُم . محتوى القصة مهم: يدور حول مواجهة المصاعب بروح رياضية، فعلينا عدم الاستسلام بسهولة أمام المصائب التي نواجهها بل من الضروري والمهم المحافظة على شعلة القوة في داخلنا لنحيا .
September 16, 2018
Nicely written tale of a woman reporter, vintage plot. Romantic adventure with human twists. Pleasantly narrated (LibriVox). Recommended.
February 23, 2019
كل تلك البساطة هنا ، البساطة في السرد ، الترجمة ، الحوار و اللغة ،، لكنها تدفعك لتحب دون أوهارا و لتعيش مشاعرها و هدوءها و خيباتها .
November 14, 2022
Dawn O'Hara is a nice book, but too short to fully explore most of its subplots. A few other stories are mixed in but not fully integrated into the whole. The romance is pretty good, but Dawn's martyr-like resignation to becomes contrived and very annoying.
Not bad, but not one of Edna Ferber's must-reads either.
Not bad, but not one of Edna Ferber's must-reads either.
Read
March 9, 2022ولدتِ لتكوني سعيدة ، انت التي تستطيعين الضحك كفتاة رغم آلامك كامرأة …
May 27, 2017
An early work of Edna Ferber--written before Show Boat, Cimarron, So Big, and Giant. Apparently she went on to such a successful writing career she won FOUR Pulitzer Prizes. There is, horribly if you are a feminist as I try to be, the feeling reading this novel, however, which is a sweet romantic tale--that Ferber's life was touched by a deep loss in that she had no serious romantic relationship, apparently, and no children.
Though a slim volume, the tale drags a bit in part because the plot--while okay--is not that involved. She's quite good about including observations and details, though. Like seeing a man laugh--at the right spots (which the heroine knows by looking over his shoulder)--while reading Dickens to himself in a bookstore. Oh and that German bakery--one can gain weight just reading about it.
Interesting, too, that though the book was written, and takes place in 1910-1911--just 15 or so years after the car was invented circa 1896--there are so many cars around. She goes for a drive with her beau and there are cars all over. Also interesting, though, that in the Jackson Pollack-like smashup, its the person who is thrown from the car who is not even injured. Maybe a good thing seat belts didn't exist, as supporters may have been difficult to attract.
Most interesting: the thoughts the book triggered for me about immigration and the powerful emotions in the present-day, against emigrants.
Much of the book is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the time a city that was so German, a shop advertised "English spoken here." Our heroine, the Irish Dawn O'Hara, has no problem living and working in the this German place. Yet over the next thirty-five years, easily within Dawn's expected lifetime, Germans would be responsible for two horrendous world wars and the killing of millions of people. Yet even if Dawn could have sensed what was coming--and there were undercurrents at the time--one has the feeling she would never have viewed the Germans as Muslims, Blacks, even Hispanics--tend to be viewed today.
Perhaps this is because, for what ever reason, she understood an unspoken language among the Germans. So, to her, they were not a bowl of jelly beans containing a few indistinguishable ones laced with cyanide. With the Germans, she believed she could see distinctions. Out of the group of bachelor -engineers, whom she called the "the aborigines", the housewives, the displaced Austrians--she could spot a possible bad actor immediately (e.g. the male displaced Austrian.) If she had lived in a climate of fear, then, very likely she would not have felt fear of all the Germans but only the "bad actor."
For some reason, many Americans do not seem able to do this with today's most popular "other" groups. Too often we tend to allow the bad actor to color or perceptions of everyone else in the boarding house.
[As an aside, this tendency of Americans to accept certain peoples and not others, brings to mind Robert E. Lee. Consider, as someone who repeatedly attacked America and was responsible for killing tens of thousands of Americans, Lee makes Osama Bin Laden look like a piker. Yet we view him with the affection we might grant a kindly great uncle who has experienced great suffering.]
Though a slim volume, the tale drags a bit in part because the plot--while okay--is not that involved. She's quite good about including observations and details, though. Like seeing a man laugh--at the right spots (which the heroine knows by looking over his shoulder)--while reading Dickens to himself in a bookstore. Oh and that German bakery--one can gain weight just reading about it.
Interesting, too, that though the book was written, and takes place in 1910-1911--just 15 or so years after the car was invented circa 1896--there are so many cars around. She goes for a drive with her beau and there are cars all over. Also interesting, though, that in the Jackson Pollack-like smashup, its the person who is thrown from the car who is not even injured. Maybe a good thing seat belts didn't exist, as supporters may have been difficult to attract.
Most interesting: the thoughts the book triggered for me about immigration and the powerful emotions in the present-day, against emigrants.
Much of the book is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the time a city that was so German, a shop advertised "English spoken here." Our heroine, the Irish Dawn O'Hara, has no problem living and working in the this German place. Yet over the next thirty-five years, easily within Dawn's expected lifetime, Germans would be responsible for two horrendous world wars and the killing of millions of people. Yet even if Dawn could have sensed what was coming--and there were undercurrents at the time--one has the feeling she would never have viewed the Germans as Muslims, Blacks, even Hispanics--tend to be viewed today.
Perhaps this is because, for what ever reason, she understood an unspoken language among the Germans. So, to her, they were not a bowl of jelly beans containing a few indistinguishable ones laced with cyanide. With the Germans, she believed she could see distinctions. Out of the group of bachelor -engineers, whom she called the "the aborigines", the housewives, the displaced Austrians--she could spot a possible bad actor immediately (e.g. the male displaced Austrian.) If she had lived in a climate of fear, then, very likely she would not have felt fear of all the Germans but only the "bad actor."
For some reason, many Americans do not seem able to do this with today's most popular "other" groups. Too often we tend to allow the bad actor to color or perceptions of everyone else in the boarding house.
[As an aside, this tendency of Americans to accept certain peoples and not others, brings to mind Robert E. Lee. Consider, as someone who repeatedly attacked America and was responsible for killing tens of thousands of Americans, Lee makes Osama Bin Laden look like a piker. Yet we view him with the affection we might grant a kindly great uncle who has experienced great suffering.]
November 5, 2009
Not a bad book. Depends on what you want to read. Good morals despite an unfortunate situation. But of course the unfortunate situation gets resolved in the ideal way...or pretty close to the ideal way. If I were writing a thesis on early feminist roles in literature this would be a good book to include because it's all about a lady newspaper columnist and her life experience as Cinderella while still fighting to be independent.
May 14, 2017
I ran across this early Ferber work when researching the transportation/auto editor of the Milwaukee Journal, W.W. "Brownie" Rowland. Thinly disguised, he appears as Dawn O'Hara's beloved boss in this 1911 novel.
It's clearly a work of its time: "So Big," the other Ferber novel I've read, feels far more modern. However, if you have a personal connection with either Milwaukee or with the newspaper industry, this would be a must-read, especially since it's a free download off Project Gutenberg.
It's clearly a work of its time: "So Big," the other Ferber novel I've read, feels far more modern. However, if you have a personal connection with either Milwaukee or with the newspaper industry, this would be a must-read, especially since it's a free download off Project Gutenberg.
December 8, 2013
Really good book. A young female newspaper reporter has a nervous breakdown. She is married and her husband us in an insane asylum. She heals and moves from New York to Millwauke. As she heals she and her doctor fall in love but she refuses to divorce her husband. It is a happy ending, but the tension remains in the story until the very last page. Edna Ferber did a great job!
September 12, 2010
I have to say that I prefer Edna Ferber's 'Fanny Herself' and the Emma McChesney books to this one. Still a good story - and interesting, since Dawn O'Hara is a writer - but focuses a bit too much on character sketches and on Dawn O'Hara's recovery from 'nerves.'
June 12, 2012
I am enjoying reading Edna Ferber's books. Good coming of age stories.
August 6, 2012
I just can't get enough of her. I love Edna Ferber!
June 16, 2013
Ferber's earlier works are by far her best. This one was great. If you've ever loved an Edna Ferber, make sure you don't miss it!
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