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The Education of Bet
When Will and Bet were four, tragic circumstances brought them to the same house, to be raised by a wealthy gentleman as brother and sister. Now sixteen, they've both enjoyed a privileged upbringing thus far. But not all is well in their household. Because she's a girl, Bet's world is contained within the walls of their grand home, her education limited to the rudiments of reading, writing, arithmetic, and sewing. Will's world is much larger. He is allowed--forced, in his case--to go to school. Neither is happy.
So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try: They'll switch places. She'll go to school as Will. Will can live as he chooses. But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.
So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try: They'll switch places. She'll go to school as Will. Will can live as he chooses. But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
54 books472 followersLauren grew up in Monroe, CT, where her father owned a drugstore at which her mother was the pharmacist. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, where she majored in psychology. She also has what she calls her “half-Masters” in English from Western Connecticut State University (five courses down, another five to go…someday!).
Throughout college, she worked semester breaks as a doughnut salesperson, a job that she swears gave her white lung disease from all the powdered sugar she breathed.
Upon graduation, she began work at the venerable independent spacebookseller, now sadly defunct as such, Klein’s of Westport. There, she bought and sold for the better part of 11 years.
In November 1994, Lauren left the bookstore to finally take a chance on herself as a writer. Success did not happen over night. Between 1994 and May 2002 – when Red Dress Ink called with an offer to buy THE THIN PINK LINE – Lauren worked as a book reviewer, a freelance editor and writer, and a window washer, making her arguably the only woman in the world who has ever both hosted a book signing party and washed the windows of the late best-selling novelist Robert Ludlum.
Since Red Dress Ink’s call in 2002, Lauren has been kept very busy with writing more novels and checking her Amazon ranking on a daily basis. She still lives in Danbury, with her husband and daughter, where she has lived since 1991.
In addition to writing, Lauren’s daughter keeps her busy, accounting for the rest of her time.
Lauren’s favorite color is green.
Lauren’s favorite non-cat animals are penguins.
Lauren wants you to know that, however you are pronouncing her last name, you are probably pronouncing it wrong.
Throughout college, she worked semester breaks as a doughnut salesperson, a job that she swears gave her white lung disease from all the powdered sugar she breathed.
Upon graduation, she began work at the venerable independent spacebookseller, now sadly defunct as such, Klein’s of Westport. There, she bought and sold for the better part of 11 years.
In November 1994, Lauren left the bookstore to finally take a chance on herself as a writer. Success did not happen over night. Between 1994 and May 2002 – when Red Dress Ink called with an offer to buy THE THIN PINK LINE – Lauren worked as a book reviewer, a freelance editor and writer, and a window washer, making her arguably the only woman in the world who has ever both hosted a book signing party and washed the windows of the late best-selling novelist Robert Ludlum.
Since Red Dress Ink’s call in 2002, Lauren has been kept very busy with writing more novels and checking her Amazon ranking on a daily basis. She still lives in Danbury, with her husband and daughter, where she has lived since 1991.
In addition to writing, Lauren’s daughter keeps her busy, accounting for the rest of her time.
Lauren’s favorite color is green.
Lauren’s favorite non-cat animals are penguins.
Lauren wants you to know that, however you are pronouncing her last name, you are probably pronouncing it wrong.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
March 24, 2010
Eh.
I'm a sucker for all the hijinks that result when a female character has to disguise herself as a boy to do what she wants to do (Tamora Pierce, this is all your fault), so there was never a chance I wasn't going to read this one.
But it was awfully boring.
It started off very promising - Bet wants to go to school! Will doesn't! They hatch a plan! - but then it turns out that the whole thing was just a build up to "Bet falls for her roommate who thinks she's a boy oh no!". I can get behind that (sometimes), because it's one of my very favorite girl-disguised-as-a-boy hijinks. But usually there's at least some attention paid to the original reason for the disguise in the first place (Alanna wants to be a knight!, to name one). Not so much with this one.
So, again I say: eh.
I'm a sucker for all the hijinks that result when a female character has to disguise herself as a boy to do what she wants to do (Tamora Pierce, this is all your fault), so there was never a chance I wasn't going to read this one.
But it was awfully boring.
It started off very promising - Bet wants to go to school! Will doesn't! They hatch a plan! - but then it turns out that the whole thing was just a build up to "Bet falls for her roommate who thinks she's a boy oh no!". I can get behind that (sometimes), because it's one of my very favorite girl-disguised-as-a-boy hijinks. But usually there's at least some attention paid to the original reason for the disguise in the first place (Alanna wants to be a knight!, to name one). Not so much with this one.
So, again I say: eh.
May 16, 2012
Bet longs to go to school, despite being a girl and the less-than-important daughter of a housemaid. Meanwhile, Will—Bet’s privileged childhood playmate—squanders his own opportunities, managing to get himself expelled from four educational institutions. When he is accepted to a fifth school—which he disdains—Bet’s jealousy bursts into frustration.
And into a plan to take Will’s place. He will go into the military—his own personal dream. And she will disguise herself as a boy in order to attend the Betterman Academy School for Boys. Of course, her decision would have been a more informed one had Will told her about bullies. And compulsory sports. And dances.
Though even Will can’t be blamed for not warning her about the unforeseen dilemma of falling in love with her roommate.
A light romantic read set during an unspecified era in the 1800’s. I enjoyed the entire cast of characters (with the exception of a few bullies), the unanticipated wave of Bet's secret supporters, and, of course, Bet’s foray into fencing lessons!
And into a plan to take Will’s place. He will go into the military—his own personal dream. And she will disguise herself as a boy in order to attend the Betterman Academy School for Boys. Of course, her decision would have been a more informed one had Will told her about bullies. And compulsory sports. And dances.
Though even Will can’t be blamed for not warning her about the unforeseen dilemma of falling in love with her roommate.
A light romantic read set during an unspecified era in the 1800’s. I enjoyed the entire cast of characters (with the exception of a few bullies), the unanticipated wave of Bet's secret supporters, and, of course, Bet’s foray into fencing lessons!
April 23, 2010
I'm of two minds over The Education of Bet. On the one hand, this had all the makings of a historical novel I love. Feisty heroine, madcap adventures, romance, family secrets and its set somewhere in the 1800's. However, maybe due to the slim nature of the volume the story didn't feel complete. By the time the ending chapters occur I felt as if the author rushed to a conclusion too abruptly.
The story is very much like Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (of which Bet grows to love) or maybe more accurately the Amanda Bynes' movie from about half a decade ago She's the Man (in which Bynes dresses like her twin brother, and attends school in his place, all while he's off having some sort of musical epiphany). Actually that's an apt description; much of what happens to Viola in the movie (it is a direct update of Twelfth Night) is mirrored in The Education of Bet. That's not a bad thing! Amanda Bynes in general, and She's the Man in specific, entertains me a lot. It just made me feel like dejavu.
What works best for this novel is when Bet is struggling to be more 'boy' like, but ending up being even less so. To that point Bet lived a very sheltered life, having never left the estate since her and Will had moved in with their Uncle. All her knowledge of what boys are like come from Will, his stories and her books. She doesn't understand why there is so much social posturing, bullying, arguing and a sort of defeatism. While this makes sense, it also marks her as being very very naive. There's no doubt that at the all-girl schools similiar, if less hands-on and violent, things happen between the students. Just whereas boys will use their fists first, girls use their words. Bet never had that experience however, being the bastard daughter of a maid. She often will question things that happen or things that her room-mate, James, acts as if are ordinary.
The characters over all are shallow feeling, with very little depth given to the vast majority of them. Bet longs for an education and to go to school, but we're never shown exactly why (for the freedom of it? Just because she wants to? The author implies several different reasons, but doesn't seek to expand on them). Similiarly Will longs to join the military, but has such a romantisized view of it that it made me wonder at if he was at all intelligent. James is quiet, and feared and likes to keep a low profile--but until the end we aren't told very much of his backstory. I'm still wondering why the other students kept a wide berth from him (just because he was so weird?).
There is also a certain amount of uneveness to the narrative. For the first fifty pages Bet goes back and forth with memories and stories she was told of her family before moving in with Gardner. Once she's at the school, other than infrequent letters to Will, its almost exclusively dedicated to the present. This makes the news Bet receives seem like it come out of no where. Truly when she said "I hadn't thought about it" (that's the paraphrase, if I put the quote in it would be a spoiler) in a surprised manner I believed her. I certainly hadn't thought about it. The scattered clues leading to the revealation were just there in the story.
Though this is a critical review, I did enjoy the novel. Bet's interactions with Will and later James are amusing, as is her commentary on what its like to be a boy. Just reading about her trying to keep all the lies straight is entertaining. Unfortunately it suffers from being entirely too short. 192 pages was clearly not enough time for Baratz-Logsted to flesh out this story suitably.
And a minor pet peeve: the exact year this is set is never said or shown. Nor are there any clues as to when it is! While I don't think knowing whether it was set in 1804 or 1876 is critical to the plot, it would have at least kept me from trying to figure it out.
The story is very much like Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (of which Bet grows to love) or maybe more accurately the Amanda Bynes' movie from about half a decade ago She's the Man (in which Bynes dresses like her twin brother, and attends school in his place, all while he's off having some sort of musical epiphany). Actually that's an apt description; much of what happens to Viola in the movie (it is a direct update of Twelfth Night) is mirrored in The Education of Bet. That's not a bad thing! Amanda Bynes in general, and She's the Man in specific, entertains me a lot. It just made me feel like dejavu.
What works best for this novel is when Bet is struggling to be more 'boy' like, but ending up being even less so. To that point Bet lived a very sheltered life, having never left the estate since her and Will had moved in with their Uncle. All her knowledge of what boys are like come from Will, his stories and her books. She doesn't understand why there is so much social posturing, bullying, arguing and a sort of defeatism. While this makes sense, it also marks her as being very very naive. There's no doubt that at the all-girl schools similiar, if less hands-on and violent, things happen between the students. Just whereas boys will use their fists first, girls use their words. Bet never had that experience however, being the bastard daughter of a maid. She often will question things that happen or things that her room-mate, James, acts as if are ordinary.
The characters over all are shallow feeling, with very little depth given to the vast majority of them. Bet longs for an education and to go to school, but we're never shown exactly why (for the freedom of it? Just because she wants to? The author implies several different reasons, but doesn't seek to expand on them). Similiarly Will longs to join the military, but has such a romantisized view of it that it made me wonder at if he was at all intelligent. James is quiet, and feared and likes to keep a low profile--but until the end we aren't told very much of his backstory. I'm still wondering why the other students kept a wide berth from him (just because he was so weird?).
There is also a certain amount of uneveness to the narrative. For the first fifty pages Bet goes back and forth with memories and stories she was told of her family before moving in with Gardner. Once she's at the school, other than infrequent letters to Will, its almost exclusively dedicated to the present. This makes the news Bet receives seem like it come out of no where. Truly when she said "I hadn't thought about it" (that's the paraphrase, if I put the quote in it would be a spoiler) in a surprised manner I believed her. I certainly hadn't thought about it. The scattered clues leading to the revealation were just there in the story.
Though this is a critical review, I did enjoy the novel. Bet's interactions with Will and later James are amusing, as is her commentary on what its like to be a boy. Just reading about her trying to keep all the lies straight is entertaining. Unfortunately it suffers from being entirely too short. 192 pages was clearly not enough time for Baratz-Logsted to flesh out this story suitably.
And a minor pet peeve: the exact year this is set is never said or shown. Nor are there any clues as to when it is! While I don't think knowing whether it was set in 1804 or 1876 is critical to the plot, it would have at least kept me from trying to figure it out.
November 15, 2019
Reread (2023):
I had my phone read the book aloud so I didn’t notice some of the grammatical stuff that I was annoyed by last time.
Still, it was highly entertaining even if ridiculous in parts.
3.5 Stars
Original Review (2019):
Oh boy, this book was not the best but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to DNF it.
For starters, this seemed like it was not edited well. The author loved using exclamation marks! Every other sentence! Seriously!
Secondly, the flashbacks to when Bet was young. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe that four-year-olds know enough to be mad at the world. And speak in complex sentences.
3 Stars
I had my phone read the book aloud so I didn’t notice some of the grammatical stuff that I was annoyed by last time.
Still, it was highly entertaining even if ridiculous in parts.
3.5 Stars
Original Review (2019):
Oh boy, this book was not the best but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to DNF it.
For starters, this seemed like it was not edited well. The author loved using exclamation marks! Every other sentence! Seriously!
Secondly, the flashbacks to when Bet was young. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not believe that four-year-olds know enough to be mad at the world. And speak in complex sentences.
3 Stars
November 27, 2010
Summary
The 1800s were not a good time for women in want of an education, as young Bet well knows. Inspired by her desire to learn, Bet jumps at the opportunity to attend boarding school. The only catch? Bet must disguise herself as her cousin Will in order to gain admittance. Donning the garb of a young man and lowering the pitch of her voice, Bet believes she will have no trouble blending in. But boys will be boys, as the old adage says, and Bet soon learns it takes more to be a boy than a swaggering walk. She soon finds herself struggling to navigate the unspoken social rules of boys, but her biggest challenge arises when she realizes she has fallen in love with her roommate.
Review
Ah, I feel like a drug pusher with all of my Lauren Baratz-Logsted posts. "Hey, hey you, blogger, ya wanna read something good? Come on, I got something for you." After reading The Twin's Daughter I'm pretty sure I entered into cheerleader status. Now it's safe to say that I'm in full on fangirl mode.
I didn’t intend to finish this book so quickly. I planned on going to sleep at a perfectly reasonable time. I got in bed and thought to myself, “I’ll just read the first chapter.” Pfft, famous last words of readers everywhere! Well, one chapter turned into two, which turned into three, and then four. By the time I realized how late it had gotten I was so invested in Bet’s story that I decided to just ignore the clock and read until the end.
And what an ending! But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning. Bet captured my heart from the very first. She’s sweet and loyal with a backbone of steel. Bet saw an opportunity and she seized it, despite all the dangers and all of the arguments to the contrary. I admired her bravery, but I also adored her for her weaknesses. Bet begins the book as a terribly naïve and sheltered girl. She expects boys to behave one way, but soon realizes her assumptions were very wrong. She is charmingly stubborn at first, but eventually she learns to adapt to these realities and triumph over them.
Then there is James, Bet’s roommate. I can completely understand why Bet fell for him. He is so sweet and attentive, but also admirable in that he always stays true to himself. James early on recognizes Bet’s oddities and decides to take her under his wing to protect her from bullies. Of course James believes Bet to be Will, and so his acceptance of Bet’s strange ways is all the more noble. In this manner, we see that James is not simply nice to Bet because he finds her attractive, but rather because he is a good person.
The supporting “good” characters are beyond charming. I loved them. They sometimes seemed a little too good to believe, but that didn’t bother me one bit. They were the type of people I'd fantasize about if I were to picture a "perfect" cast with myself as the star. Loving, supporting, understanding, accepting, helpful, and fun. This was a happy book through and through, and I loved that. This is the kind of book that warms my heart, makes me smile, and earns itself a spot on the Special Shelf.
This happiness is what I liked best about The Education of Bet. The characters nestled their way into my heart. With each passing scene I felt the smile on my face growing wider and wider. I had to stifle giggles to make sure I didn’t wake anyone. Each scene was perfectly crafted in a way that was both entirely relatable (in emotion, if not in situation- though wouldn't that situation be fun?) and wholly enjoyable to read. I wasn’t expecting much from such a short book, but I am happy to say I totally underestimated Bet and her story.
The 1800s were not a good time for women in want of an education, as young Bet well knows. Inspired by her desire to learn, Bet jumps at the opportunity to attend boarding school. The only catch? Bet must disguise herself as her cousin Will in order to gain admittance. Donning the garb of a young man and lowering the pitch of her voice, Bet believes she will have no trouble blending in. But boys will be boys, as the old adage says, and Bet soon learns it takes more to be a boy than a swaggering walk. She soon finds herself struggling to navigate the unspoken social rules of boys, but her biggest challenge arises when she realizes she has fallen in love with her roommate.
Review
Ah, I feel like a drug pusher with all of my Lauren Baratz-Logsted posts. "Hey, hey you, blogger, ya wanna read something good? Come on, I got something for you." After reading The Twin's Daughter I'm pretty sure I entered into cheerleader status. Now it's safe to say that I'm in full on fangirl mode.
I didn’t intend to finish this book so quickly. I planned on going to sleep at a perfectly reasonable time. I got in bed and thought to myself, “I’ll just read the first chapter.” Pfft, famous last words of readers everywhere! Well, one chapter turned into two, which turned into three, and then four. By the time I realized how late it had gotten I was so invested in Bet’s story that I decided to just ignore the clock and read until the end.
And what an ending! But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning. Bet captured my heart from the very first. She’s sweet and loyal with a backbone of steel. Bet saw an opportunity and she seized it, despite all the dangers and all of the arguments to the contrary. I admired her bravery, but I also adored her for her weaknesses. Bet begins the book as a terribly naïve and sheltered girl. She expects boys to behave one way, but soon realizes her assumptions were very wrong. She is charmingly stubborn at first, but eventually she learns to adapt to these realities and triumph over them.
Then there is James, Bet’s roommate. I can completely understand why Bet fell for him. He is so sweet and attentive, but also admirable in that he always stays true to himself. James early on recognizes Bet’s oddities and decides to take her under his wing to protect her from bullies. Of course James believes Bet to be Will, and so his acceptance of Bet’s strange ways is all the more noble. In this manner, we see that James is not simply nice to Bet because he finds her attractive, but rather because he is a good person.
The supporting “good” characters are beyond charming. I loved them. They sometimes seemed a little too good to believe, but that didn’t bother me one bit. They were the type of people I'd fantasize about if I were to picture a "perfect" cast with myself as the star. Loving, supporting, understanding, accepting, helpful, and fun. This was a happy book through and through, and I loved that. This is the kind of book that warms my heart, makes me smile, and earns itself a spot on the Special Shelf.
This happiness is what I liked best about The Education of Bet. The characters nestled their way into my heart. With each passing scene I felt the smile on my face growing wider and wider. I had to stifle giggles to make sure I didn’t wake anyone. Each scene was perfectly crafted in a way that was both entirely relatable (in emotion, if not in situation- though wouldn't that situation be fun?) and wholly enjoyable to read. I wasn’t expecting much from such a short book, but I am happy to say I totally underestimated Bet and her story.
November 30, 2009
To be honest, its really a 3.5 star book, but I'm a sucker for this theme, so I couldn't help rating it up.
Bet, or Elizabeth Smith, our heroine, is 16 and wants a education. Raised with a young man named William, who wants to skip out of school to join the military, she devises a plan to take his place in his new school while he goes out to war. She practices to become a boy and eventually ends up at the Betterman Academy. Unfortunately, the reality of this world is nothing near what she imagined. She struggles and gets bullied and what not. Fortunately, she has an awesome hot roommate who she falls for and dresses up like a girl to dance with. Does this sound familiar? It's like a popular fanfic story. But historical and the girl doesn't really think far enough to figure out what to do with her education.
Unfortunately for this book, it was greatly underdeveloped in the motivations of each of the characters. For example, Bet was living during a time period when women were not educated, while her feminist rant was entirely 20th century. In fact, some of her speech was 21st century. The real William was also 16, but his dreams of entering the military was not really explored. William also considered Bet as a sort of sister, so knowing how boys are, I can't imagine how he allows her to impersonate him. James Tyler... we never really know what he's thinking, but he accepted Bet's sex too readily.
It was all just TOO SHORT. I wanted so much more to the story, but it was just an edited historical fanfic. It was "historical", but without the necessary historical details. The thoughts of all the characters were all too modern. The whole gender-bending situation was all too easy. Afterall, it was Bet's first time out in the "real" world. The romance was all too convenient. And there was no real romantic tension developed between the two. It was just that he was hot, a great friend and supposedly felt uncomfortable near her (because of her pheromones).
Still, I enjoyed the book, so I will still recommend it to those who like the theme.
Bet, or Elizabeth Smith, our heroine, is 16 and wants a education. Raised with a young man named William, who wants to skip out of school to join the military, she devises a plan to take his place in his new school while he goes out to war. She practices to become a boy and eventually ends up at the Betterman Academy. Unfortunately, the reality of this world is nothing near what she imagined. She struggles and gets bullied and what not. Fortunately, she has an awesome hot roommate who she falls for and dresses up like a girl to dance with. Does this sound familiar? It's like a popular fanfic story. But historical and the girl doesn't really think far enough to figure out what to do with her education.
Unfortunately for this book, it was greatly underdeveloped in the motivations of each of the characters. For example, Bet was living during a time period when women were not educated, while her feminist rant was entirely 20th century. In fact, some of her speech was 21st century. The real William was also 16, but his dreams of entering the military was not really explored. William also considered Bet as a sort of sister, so knowing how boys are, I can't imagine how he allows her to impersonate him. James Tyler... we never really know what he's thinking, but he accepted Bet's sex too readily.
It was all just TOO SHORT. I wanted so much more to the story, but it was just an edited historical fanfic. It was "historical", but without the necessary historical details. The thoughts of all the characters were all too modern. The whole gender-bending situation was all too easy. Afterall, it was Bet's first time out in the "real" world. The romance was all too convenient. And there was no real romantic tension developed between the two. It was just that he was hot, a great friend and supposedly felt uncomfortable near her (because of her pheromones).
Still, I enjoyed the book, so I will still recommend it to those who like the theme.
November 21, 2009
Elizabeth could speak, write, and read as well as Will, but there is something that Will can do that she cannot: attend school. But Bet is determined and when Will confesses that he dreams to join the military rather than go back to school, Bet proposes that they switch places and in her case, genders.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted has a habit of underwhelming me with her books. The last book I read by Baratz-Logsted was Crazy Beautiful, stunning cover with a sinful synopsis, but it fell to impress. Now with The Education of Bet it has a pretty cover and an intriguing synopsis (I admit that I have several graphic novels with the similar synopses, but I cannot get enough) I was immediately excited. And I gave a half-hearted shrug once I finished.
In my past experience with first person narratives, I feel like they give the most extreme emotions. I felt like I can relate better to the main character yet with The Education of Bet there was distance between Bet and I. The pace of the novel is brisk and was written in mostly paragraphs detailing the adventure and what an adventure! An adventure, I felt, was over so quickly with not enough hoops to jump through and not enough trouble that makes a full-grin read.
A part of me still does not believe in the James and Bet relationship. It was so complete-180 for me that made me reluctant in the whole thing. Once I got over the quick turnabout I do so love their forbidden love as you will.
Quite frankly, however, The Education of Bet had nothing bad about it, least not a scene or subplot that made me tsk and shake my head over. It was just a lack of exuberance and energy that I thought I would read. There are two scenes that held great energy: the fencing and the climax, but those were two scenes out of many.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted has a habit of underwhelming me with her books. The last book I read by Baratz-Logsted was Crazy Beautiful, stunning cover with a sinful synopsis, but it fell to impress. Now with The Education of Bet it has a pretty cover and an intriguing synopsis (I admit that I have several graphic novels with the similar synopses, but I cannot get enough) I was immediately excited. And I gave a half-hearted shrug once I finished.
In my past experience with first person narratives, I feel like they give the most extreme emotions. I felt like I can relate better to the main character yet with The Education of Bet there was distance between Bet and I. The pace of the novel is brisk and was written in mostly paragraphs detailing the adventure and what an adventure! An adventure, I felt, was over so quickly with not enough hoops to jump through and not enough trouble that makes a full-grin read.
A part of me still does not believe in the James and Bet relationship. It was so complete-180 for me that made me reluctant in the whole thing. Once I got over the quick turnabout I do so love their forbidden love as you will.
Quite frankly, however, The Education of Bet had nothing bad about it, least not a scene or subplot that made me tsk and shake my head over. It was just a lack of exuberance and energy that I thought I would read. There are two scenes that held great energy: the fencing and the climax, but those were two scenes out of many.
May 24, 2010
It's a book review! Ya! I finally have a review i can post on here after seemingly so long. Anyways.... I love a good gender bender and "The Education of Bet" certainly delivers. The book is set in an undisclosed period of time in the 1800's. My guess is sometime in the very late 870-1890's. I believe this because Bet mentions Dickens whom wrote the majority in the 1850-60's before dying in 1870. Also the fact that Bet's only complaint in dress is a corset. Therefore it's obvious the book is set after the hoop skirt trend of the 1860's. Trains haven't made itself to be known yet therefore i don't place it anytime in the late 1890's. But i'm getting off of the point here. The book centers around Bet and, as the excerpt clearly states, her adventures in an all male school parading as Will. The book is rather short at 186 pages and thus you really don't get info into her daily life or happenings at the Betterman's academy. The shortness of the whole thing is really my chief complaint. I really enjoyed reading the story and didn't want it to stop. It was like letting someone have a bite of chocolate cake and then whipping the rest out of their hands. I wanted to read more about Bet's adventures as Will and her attempts to keep her feelings about James secret. I also wanted to see more interaction between Bet, Mrs. Hunter, and Mrs. Smither's. The whole issue of women's rights was at the authors door step and the only she did was jump on it once, ring the door bell, and then run away. As my endless complaining clearly states i thought the book too short (Yep we've seen that tree before in this review).
Final rating: 4 1/2 stars. Great writing that left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver the pizza.
Final rating: 4 1/2 stars. Great writing that left me wanting more. Unfortunately, the author didn't deliver the pizza.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2009
THE EDUCATION OF BET took me completely by surprise! Before this novel, I'd never read anything by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, but I was intrigued by the description.
I found the lengths Bet and Will go to in order to disguise Bet as a boy entertaining. I was skeptical that Baratz-Logsted would be able to make this aspect of the novel believable, but I actually found it very convincing. I especially loved that there were adults at the school aiding Bet in her quest for an education.
It was inspiring to see Bet fight so hard for something she wanted... something other than a boy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but it was refreshing to see the main character so passionate about something else. It definitely reminded me how lucky I am to have the opportunity to go to school... with all the stress, homework, and insane costs, it's easy to forget that.
But wait! There's romance too! Which, honestly, I should have anticipated, but I really hadn't. It was interesting an interesting and memorable romance, since, during the development of the romance, Bet is still disguised as Will. Understandably, this leads to some awkward moments, but Baratz-Logsted did a wonderful job making their story believable.
I found the lengths Bet and Will go to in order to disguise Bet as a boy entertaining. I was skeptical that Baratz-Logsted would be able to make this aspect of the novel believable, but I actually found it very convincing. I especially loved that there were adults at the school aiding Bet in her quest for an education.
It was inspiring to see Bet fight so hard for something she wanted... something other than a boy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but it was refreshing to see the main character so passionate about something else. It definitely reminded me how lucky I am to have the opportunity to go to school... with all the stress, homework, and insane costs, it's easy to forget that.
But wait! There's romance too! Which, honestly, I should have anticipated, but I really hadn't. It was interesting an interesting and memorable romance, since, during the development of the romance, Bet is still disguised as Will. Understandably, this leads to some awkward moments, but Baratz-Logsted did a wonderful job making their story believable.
October 8, 2010
I feel a little stingy giving this book two stars, but for better or for worse, I'm becoming harder to impress when it comes to YA books. There are so many good ones out there, but for every good, solid piece of writing (let alone any amazing, astounding piece of writing), there's a pile of clichés and tropes that have been done to death. I think that this book has a lot going for it, but all the delicate balancing the author does in the beginning of the book -- nestling her characters and their world into Victorian England, with all its literary baggage -- falls like a disturbed soufflé. There is a lot to like in here -- Bet isn't a flat character by any means, there are a lot of interesting observations that I didn't think about, and you want Bet to succeed. There's an almost Bronte voice at work sometimes. But it falls into this 21st century feeling -- things I doubt Bet would have thought to do in the 1800s, but a girl in 2010 would be okay with. It's like it's two halves of a different world.
That all said, it's a perfectly fine read -- goes quick, and it's likable. It's just not gonna blow your mind.
That all said, it's a perfectly fine read -- goes quick, and it's likable. It's just not gonna blow your mind.
May 6, 2010
I absolutely loved this book! I loved everything about it: the characters, the story, the writing, the list goes on and on. This book was so cute and I loved Bet's voice.
I loved reading about all of Bet's adventures at schools while she was pretending to be a boy. This was so much fun to read. I also kept waiting for her to get caught. Bet falls for her roommate, who thinks she is a boy, and that is absolutely priceless watching them. I absolutely loved her roommate, James. He was definately swoonworthy. At first, you don't really know what to think of him, but as the book goes on he really grows as a character and you see him and "Will" really start to become good friends. Mrs. Smithers was another character I really liked. At first, I figured she'd be a stern lady with not much character to her, but I was very wrong. She was one of my favorite characters of the book!
I do wish we had gotten to hear a bit more of the story. The Education of Bet was only 192 pages, so there was no length issue of going longer. Don't delay, go get this book and read it as soon as you can!
I loved reading about all of Bet's adventures at schools while she was pretending to be a boy. This was so much fun to read. I also kept waiting for her to get caught. Bet falls for her roommate, who thinks she is a boy, and that is absolutely priceless watching them. I absolutely loved her roommate, James. He was definately swoonworthy. At first, you don't really know what to think of him, but as the book goes on he really grows as a character and you see him and "Will" really start to become good friends. Mrs. Smithers was another character I really liked. At first, I figured she'd be a stern lady with not much character to her, but I was very wrong. She was one of my favorite characters of the book!
I do wish we had gotten to hear a bit more of the story. The Education of Bet was only 192 pages, so there was no length issue of going longer. Don't delay, go get this book and read it as soon as you can!
December 16, 2009
1.5 stars
A girl disguises herself as a boy, in order to get precious education denied to her in 19th century, for reasons never really built upon or explored, and upon arrival does very little learning and instead falls for her roommate. She is ready to throw it all away (which is her choice), even though getting this education was her big goal. None of the characters appealed to me overmuch, Bet was not a convincing boy and anyone with a brain would easily have discovered her secret. The writing was somewhat ... overtly plain.
A girl disguises herself as a boy, in order to get precious education denied to her in 19th century, for reasons never really built upon or explored, and upon arrival does very little learning and instead falls for her roommate. She is ready to throw it all away (which is her choice), even though getting this education was her big goal. None of the characters appealed to me overmuch, Bet was not a convincing boy and anyone with a brain would easily have discovered her secret. The writing was somewhat ... overtly plain.
March 10, 2015
A fun book to read about a girl in the 1800s who wants to go to school, while the boy she has been raised with wants to join the military. She pretends to be him so that he can join the military and she can get an education. And boy is there a lot for her to learn.
September 16, 2020
Overall rating: 5/5
Actually read this book ages ago cause it was one of the few English books lying around in the house. I was surprised by its quality and read it a few times. For a historical fiction book, I thought it was very good. The plot was "deep" and the characters were very likeable. I remember 10-12-year-old me re-reading all the Bet X Will scenes because I shipped them so much. Overall a really solid historical fiction. Would recommend.
Actually read this book ages ago cause it was one of the few English books lying around in the house. I was surprised by its quality and read it a few times. For a historical fiction book, I thought it was very good. The plot was "deep" and the characters were very likeable. I remember 10-12-year-old me re-reading all the Bet X Will scenes because I shipped them so much. Overall a really solid historical fiction. Would recommend.
July 21, 2020
Short but really cute and not as predictable as it seems like it would be
July 27, 2026
This book. I LOVED IT. It was so amazing and like different in small ways to other books with this trope, which I’m an expert at, if I do say so myself- ehem having read 20+ books with this trope. What can I say, I’m a sucker for it-
What I liked about this book was the the conversations that the characters would have- there was a lot of comical dynamics and so on, with fun and witty talking.
Spoilers coming up:
And I really loved the unusual ways the author handled moments… for example when her roommate found out, it wasn’t accidental where he then got super mad at her- she decided to reveal it herself to him! So he wouldn’t be confused about his feelings anymore! She TRUSTED him!!!! I’ve got a little.. not tired, but to close to it how often this tropes reveal is handled either where the other character knew all along (which I actually really really hate) or where they get super angry that they weren’t told).
I also loved how Bet often stood up for herself and what she wanted. I can’t say that enough. I love characters who do it. They do it scared, with doubts… and more… but they do it. Those moments where they can turn tail and instead bare their teeth, and show steel. Hah! Bet’s stubbornness and unwillingness to be a rug to get stepped on by the bullies was so funny, but also inspirational. She always found some way… to not be trampled on without a fight. I was hoping for more exploration though of when her roommate said that she’d gotten just as bad as the bullies- her response to that had been interrupted. I feel like it’s an interesting theme that should’ve been explored. Are you just as bad as the bullies if you bully them back? But if no one helps you, and your back is against the wall, what other choice do you have?
Speaking of observations, Bet often had those. I love how sometimes she’s look at situations and ask big questions, or have thoughts about more abstract philosophical things, like dreams not ever being what we really imagine them to be, or how we might fall in love with people’s personalities instead of external stuff… or like the feeling of belonging, and not quite belonging in a specific group. Like her being never quite a servant and never quite family. I would’ve like more exploration on the snitching issue though- maybe an explanation such as how it was super difficult to expel someone here since it was last ditch for the boys there - so like if they got expelled it was done and so people sent their kids there so they had a school where they wouldn’t get expelled from- and hence, trying to get someone else in trouble meant nothing but that you couldn’t really be trusted??? Maybe something like that??? I also liked that moment where Bet says to James that if boys all like one same thing since he’d said all girl liked to dance!! And she does like dancing! She was just challenging him to not generalize on stuff and to be fair about people- yes!! You go mc! Also the setting of her and Will growing up in the same household but never having actually seen each other until they were 4?? Wow. Living to fully different lives at their beginnings. And both being happy… wow. Also I have to say I love that one passage where she describes the sickness so textbooky so she doesn’t have to dwell on the emotion. Wow.
Also I love how when other female characters found out- they weren’t threats and going to expose her or freaked out or anything- their responses were so WHOLESOME, they just took it in their strides and even offered hell and son. It’s something simple and yet I rarely ever see this in this book trope. They WHOLLY supported the mc. Like they had their reason and were EXCITED for her, and actually did help with her goal!!! Like the shoes? And the sports skipping? Like, it was so cute!!! People supporting others…. They were all like “I wish I had gotten an education too! Imma support ur dream” AW- just AW… 🥹 I’m sad bet doubted the wife of whatever his name was, but I get that that had more to do with just not knowing her that well more than anything else.
Also, Bet going straightforwardly for the boy she likes??? Yassss. Her feeling were just so uncomplicated about that. Her doing the first kiss? Then running away after while laughing and having so much joy in her voice as she demand he doesn’t follow? Or like her Literally sewing her own dress and climbing out windows for someone she likes??? Hello??? She’s such a Prince Charming, I can’t 🤣
As much as I liked this book, I also had some problems with it… more personal taste, cuz who am I to be the be all end all of judgement.
At the end of the book I would’ve hoped that there would be a mention of Bet’s education- a furthering plan of what she’d do know after she was expelled… but it was a nice ending. But I would’ve like some anger or some apologies for Christopher kind of betraying her, or for James exposing her even if it was to save her.
Furthermore it would’ve been nice to have Will having taken something from his experience at war which had been set up as his big dream- as fun and nice it was to hear him talk and act (he was an interesting character) it would’ve been nice to explore him and learn stuff like WHY, he wanted to go to war, and for his whole going to war and coming back ending in not just a massive disappointment of his dream, and. I know he’s not the main character, but it would’ve added depth, because it just kind of focuses on Bet (nothing wrong… but y’know) - maybe something like him going to war has made him realize he wants a career as a medic or something since he saw how important they were first hand??? Or like where he meets important friends or something, you know? Also I hated that he never sent her letters that we got to read where we saw some smidgeons of honesty. Like dude, please, she caught ur lying, respect her (admittedly funny way of saying I’m OFFENDED, that u lied to not worry me), so please do tell about ur life and Ben if it’s not glamorous. Talk about friendships thoughts, feelings. Something REAL, PLEASE. She deserved that much.
(also I love their relationship so much- so loving annoying sibling coded *wink wink* )
The other thing I didn’t like was how her secret was revealed… James saying “her” in order to save her… I get it… but… I just… why??? Let her get punched in the face. PLEASE. She’s trying to live out her dream, so what if she gets punched? She’s out so much in the line to get an education and the reveal threw that away. Sigh. Also James, WHY, just WHY, are you trying to get the girl to drink and smoke even though her disguise has been working for months- why would people start suspecting now???? I have to say it made me feel like he was kind of shady for that, even though I know he’s not- it just going to say THAT behavior didn’t really align with the rest of him throughout the book.
Also I did not like at all Bet doing that hand over James hand and confusing him- that is NOT the only way to comfort someone, girl, please 😭😭😭
A strong point but also a weakness was how comical some of the characters were. The bullies, for example, were a little dumb…. Can’t lie, but it kind of made a bunch of situations really funny. When I say the characters were funny and comical I meant it- some of it was just so.. absurd, and I can’t lie I liked it. Like the uncle? Help???? 🤣🤣🤣 the roommate’s dad’s response and reason for sending James to that school??? 😭😭😭
Also liked how Bet could impersonate Will’s voice perfectly- that makes the disguise much more likely to succeed and I haven’t seen a lot of other books that figured out how to solve that problem even if I don’t know how realistic this solution was?
The book started of a little slow, but I liked the preparation part for the plan and how Will was against it the whole time, but I would’ve liked more passion for his “dream”. More conviction and more reason why he wants it.
I love how the mc is passionate, silly, determined, a weirdo, straightforward and so on. I loved the detail that she sucks at singing and the bully literally was like PLEASE StOp ✋
Also help- I loved when the mc asked Will if he thought she was smart enough. Yes- girl was INSECURE. YEA!!! A super human characteristic that we can all relate to??? Hell yeah, no Mary Sue in sight :)
Also her and James trying to save Stephen even though it was unsuccessful that one time??? Hell yeah! Action! Morals! No passivity there!!! >:D
Overall this book was very entertaining to read, made me laugh a lot, some of the characters could use more exploring and depth, and this book had refreshing differences from other books with this trope, and I loved the wholesome uncomplicated but honestly maybe dare I say more realistic reaction people had to the reveal?
I rated this by the vibes I got. It has strengths and weaknesses which means some people might not agree with 5 stars, regardless, I really liked it :)
What I liked about this book was the the conversations that the characters would have- there was a lot of comical dynamics and so on, with fun and witty talking.
Spoilers coming up:
And I really loved the unusual ways the author handled moments… for example when her roommate found out, it wasn’t accidental where he then got super mad at her- she decided to reveal it herself to him! So he wouldn’t be confused about his feelings anymore! She TRUSTED him!!!! I’ve got a little.. not tired, but to close to it how often this tropes reveal is handled either where the other character knew all along (which I actually really really hate) or where they get super angry that they weren’t told).
I also loved how Bet often stood up for herself and what she wanted. I can’t say that enough. I love characters who do it. They do it scared, with doubts… and more… but they do it. Those moments where they can turn tail and instead bare their teeth, and show steel. Hah! Bet’s stubbornness and unwillingness to be a rug to get stepped on by the bullies was so funny, but also inspirational. She always found some way… to not be trampled on without a fight. I was hoping for more exploration though of when her roommate said that she’d gotten just as bad as the bullies- her response to that had been interrupted. I feel like it’s an interesting theme that should’ve been explored. Are you just as bad as the bullies if you bully them back? But if no one helps you, and your back is against the wall, what other choice do you have?
Speaking of observations, Bet often had those. I love how sometimes she’s look at situations and ask big questions, or have thoughts about more abstract philosophical things, like dreams not ever being what we really imagine them to be, or how we might fall in love with people’s personalities instead of external stuff… or like the feeling of belonging, and not quite belonging in a specific group. Like her being never quite a servant and never quite family. I would’ve like more exploration on the snitching issue though- maybe an explanation such as how it was super difficult to expel someone here since it was last ditch for the boys there - so like if they got expelled it was done and so people sent their kids there so they had a school where they wouldn’t get expelled from- and hence, trying to get someone else in trouble meant nothing but that you couldn’t really be trusted??? Maybe something like that??? I also liked that moment where Bet says to James that if boys all like one same thing since he’d said all girl liked to dance!! And she does like dancing! She was just challenging him to not generalize on stuff and to be fair about people- yes!! You go mc! Also the setting of her and Will growing up in the same household but never having actually seen each other until they were 4?? Wow. Living to fully different lives at their beginnings. And both being happy… wow. Also I have to say I love that one passage where she describes the sickness so textbooky so she doesn’t have to dwell on the emotion. Wow.
Also I love how when other female characters found out- they weren’t threats and going to expose her or freaked out or anything- their responses were so WHOLESOME, they just took it in their strides and even offered hell and son. It’s something simple and yet I rarely ever see this in this book trope. They WHOLLY supported the mc. Like they had their reason and were EXCITED for her, and actually did help with her goal!!! Like the shoes? And the sports skipping? Like, it was so cute!!! People supporting others…. They were all like “I wish I had gotten an education too! Imma support ur dream” AW- just AW… 🥹 I’m sad bet doubted the wife of whatever his name was, but I get that that had more to do with just not knowing her that well more than anything else.
Also, Bet going straightforwardly for the boy she likes??? Yassss. Her feeling were just so uncomplicated about that. Her doing the first kiss? Then running away after while laughing and having so much joy in her voice as she demand he doesn’t follow? Or like her Literally sewing her own dress and climbing out windows for someone she likes??? Hello??? She’s such a Prince Charming, I can’t 🤣
As much as I liked this book, I also had some problems with it… more personal taste, cuz who am I to be the be all end all of judgement.
At the end of the book I would’ve hoped that there would be a mention of Bet’s education- a furthering plan of what she’d do know after she was expelled… but it was a nice ending. But I would’ve like some anger or some apologies for Christopher kind of betraying her, or for James exposing her even if it was to save her.
Furthermore it would’ve been nice to have Will having taken something from his experience at war which had been set up as his big dream- as fun and nice it was to hear him talk and act (he was an interesting character) it would’ve been nice to explore him and learn stuff like WHY, he wanted to go to war, and for his whole going to war and coming back ending in not just a massive disappointment of his dream, and. I know he’s not the main character, but it would’ve added depth, because it just kind of focuses on Bet (nothing wrong… but y’know) - maybe something like him going to war has made him realize he wants a career as a medic or something since he saw how important they were first hand??? Or like where he meets important friends or something, you know? Also I hated that he never sent her letters that we got to read where we saw some smidgeons of honesty. Like dude, please, she caught ur lying, respect her (admittedly funny way of saying I’m OFFENDED, that u lied to not worry me), so please do tell about ur life and Ben if it’s not glamorous. Talk about friendships thoughts, feelings. Something REAL, PLEASE. She deserved that much.
(also I love their relationship so much- so loving annoying sibling coded *wink wink* )
The other thing I didn’t like was how her secret was revealed… James saying “her” in order to save her… I get it… but… I just… why??? Let her get punched in the face. PLEASE. She’s trying to live out her dream, so what if she gets punched? She’s out so much in the line to get an education and the reveal threw that away. Sigh. Also James, WHY, just WHY, are you trying to get the girl to drink and smoke even though her disguise has been working for months- why would people start suspecting now???? I have to say it made me feel like he was kind of shady for that, even though I know he’s not- it just going to say THAT behavior didn’t really align with the rest of him throughout the book.
Also I did not like at all Bet doing that hand over James hand and confusing him- that is NOT the only way to comfort someone, girl, please 😭😭😭
A strong point but also a weakness was how comical some of the characters were. The bullies, for example, were a little dumb…. Can’t lie, but it kind of made a bunch of situations really funny. When I say the characters were funny and comical I meant it- some of it was just so.. absurd, and I can’t lie I liked it. Like the uncle? Help???? 🤣🤣🤣 the roommate’s dad’s response and reason for sending James to that school??? 😭😭😭
Also liked how Bet could impersonate Will’s voice perfectly- that makes the disguise much more likely to succeed and I haven’t seen a lot of other books that figured out how to solve that problem even if I don’t know how realistic this solution was?
The book started of a little slow, but I liked the preparation part for the plan and how Will was against it the whole time, but I would’ve liked more passion for his “dream”. More conviction and more reason why he wants it.
I love how the mc is passionate, silly, determined, a weirdo, straightforward and so on. I loved the detail that she sucks at singing and the bully literally was like PLEASE StOp ✋
Also help- I loved when the mc asked Will if he thought she was smart enough. Yes- girl was INSECURE. YEA!!! A super human characteristic that we can all relate to??? Hell yeah, no Mary Sue in sight :)
Also her and James trying to save Stephen even though it was unsuccessful that one time??? Hell yeah! Action! Morals! No passivity there!!! >:D
Overall this book was very entertaining to read, made me laugh a lot, some of the characters could use more exploring and depth, and this book had refreshing differences from other books with this trope, and I loved the wholesome uncomplicated but honestly maybe dare I say more realistic reaction people had to the reveal?
I rated this by the vibes I got. It has strengths and weaknesses which means some people might not agree with 5 stars, regardless, I really liked it :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2010
Bet and Will, though having lived in the same house when they were little children, never had much of a relationship. But a tragedy that results in both of Will's parents and Bet's mother's deaths finds them suddenly being raised by Will's rich uncle. At the inception of the story both are sixteen and while Bet stays home with Will's uncle reading to him and providing companionship, Will goes off to boarding school. But Will cannot seem to manage his education and has so far been expelled four times. Upon his last return and just before he is being sent off to yet another school, Bet hatches a plan that will supposedly give them each what they want. Bet yearns for a type of education that her era(Victorian England) will not allow her: a classroom, teachers and rigorous learning. Bet's plan relies in part on the fact that she and Will look alike and could be mistaken for siblings and that Will's uncle is nearly blind. The plan is that she will transform herself into a boy going off to Will's school, pretending to be him while Will can go off to join the army which is what he has always wanted.
But most plans do not take into account the unexpected elements of life and Bet's plans are no exception. When she goes off to school as Will she finds herself subject to bullies, trying to live down Will's past misdeeds from his former schools and worst of falling in love. This is a short story that will warm the hearts of lovers of period pieces. On one hand, I wish it were longer so that Bet and Will's stories could be further explored but on the other hand, I think that a story like this actually benefits from brevity. Despite sometimes thinking that parts of it were a bit cliched, I found this book funny, mostly true to its time and overall very charming.
*Review copy provided by Amazon.com's Vine Program.
But most plans do not take into account the unexpected elements of life and Bet's plans are no exception. When she goes off to school as Will she finds herself subject to bullies, trying to live down Will's past misdeeds from his former schools and worst of falling in love. This is a short story that will warm the hearts of lovers of period pieces. On one hand, I wish it were longer so that Bet and Will's stories could be further explored but on the other hand, I think that a story like this actually benefits from brevity. Despite sometimes thinking that parts of it were a bit cliched, I found this book funny, mostly true to its time and overall very charming.
*Review copy provided by Amazon.com's Vine Program.
May 2, 2015
To be blunt, this book was a huge disappointment. I had such high hopes for it in the beginning - girl masquerades as boy to get an education? What's not to like? Perhaps I saw this as a novel in the same vein as the wonderful "Alanna" series by Tamora Pierce. I couldn't have been further off the mark.
I found most of the characters in the book very shallow, and highly unrealistic. There was also little or no meaningful character development over the entire course of the novel. All the women in the book support Bet's commitment to gaining education, and wish they had an opportunity to do the same when they were younger. All the men are either typical teenage boys, sexist old men, or falling in love with Bet.
The characters in the book all behave exactly as they ought to, which I found very irksome. Neither the schoolboys, Bet's family, nor Bet herself show any depth of character. The story unraveled in the exact way you predict it to in Chapter 5.
* Warning! Spoilers ahead!*
I found Bet, for her part, to be a completely unbelievable, obnoxious character. At first I couldn't help liking her. After all she is the protagonist, and she is a girl trying to gain an education in a man's world. That, at least, seemed to show some promise! But as the novel wore on she seemed to become shallower, more conceited, and devastatingly foolish. I also appear to have been under the mistaken impression that Bet wanted an education because she actually wanted to make something of her life. If you're looking for a strong feminist ending this book isn't for you. Surprise - Bet goes to school for a year, falls in love with her roommate, and throws away all her academic achievements and opportunities to get married before age 25. Luckily there were only a few more pages to get through after this disastrous ending, or I might have had to stack this in my "unfinished" shelf.
I found most of the characters in the book very shallow, and highly unrealistic. There was also little or no meaningful character development over the entire course of the novel. All the women in the book support Bet's commitment to gaining education, and wish they had an opportunity to do the same when they were younger. All the men are either typical teenage boys, sexist old men, or falling in love with Bet.
The characters in the book all behave exactly as they ought to, which I found very irksome. Neither the schoolboys, Bet's family, nor Bet herself show any depth of character. The story unraveled in the exact way you predict it to in Chapter 5.
* Warning! Spoilers ahead!*
I found Bet, for her part, to be a completely unbelievable, obnoxious character. At first I couldn't help liking her. After all she is the protagonist, and she is a girl trying to gain an education in a man's world. That, at least, seemed to show some promise! But as the novel wore on she seemed to become shallower, more conceited, and devastatingly foolish. I also appear to have been under the mistaken impression that Bet wanted an education because she actually wanted to make something of her life. If you're looking for a strong feminist ending this book isn't for you. Surprise - Bet goes to school for a year, falls in love with her roommate, and throws away all her academic achievements and opportunities to get married before age 25. Luckily there were only a few more pages to get through after this disastrous ending, or I might have had to stack this in my "unfinished" shelf.
January 14, 2015
The Education of Bet
By Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Review:
I figured this book was not going to be a favorite, but it was much worse than I expected. It looked like a quick fun read, but was rather boring and took me longer than I thought it would. I had to force myself to finish the last 40pgs. I did not want to come that far and not finish, but I was tempted to just abandon it.
So, what was wrong with this book?
Writing style - I understand that it can be difficult to write a book that is to span an entire year, but I have seen it done much better. This book was just so choppy. We jumped a month or more at a time sometimes. Most of the important events are told after the fact, so it is hard to feel in the moment. And whole sentences were repeated more times than necessary.
The characters - Bet was amusing, but most of the other characters were unbelievable and most of them seem flat. The characters got worse the more the book progressed.
James' father is truly the most unbelievable character in the entire book. I had a really hard time accepting that all the characters in the book were so understanding and forgiving of Bet , but James' father topped them all. When I read the letter James wrote to Bet, I could not believe what I was reading. If this letter was not so close to the end (the last two pages) I would have stopped reading right then and there.
Oh, and that surprise at the end? Totally saw that coming. In fact, I had forgotten that we did not already know that bit of information! So I was only surprised that I was supposed to be surprised.
The book was poorly written and had a poorly planned plot. I would not recommend it.
By Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Review:
I figured this book was not going to be a favorite, but it was much worse than I expected. It looked like a quick fun read, but was rather boring and took me longer than I thought it would. I had to force myself to finish the last 40pgs. I did not want to come that far and not finish, but I was tempted to just abandon it.
So, what was wrong with this book?
Writing style - I understand that it can be difficult to write a book that is to span an entire year, but I have seen it done much better. This book was just so choppy. We jumped a month or more at a time sometimes. Most of the important events are told after the fact, so it is hard to feel in the moment. And whole sentences were repeated more times than necessary.
The characters - Bet was amusing, but most of the other characters were unbelievable and most of them seem flat. The characters got worse the more the book progressed.
James' father is truly the most unbelievable character in the entire book. I had a really hard time accepting that all the characters in the book were so understanding and forgiving of Bet , but James' father topped them all. When I read the letter James wrote to Bet, I could not believe what I was reading. If this letter was not so close to the end (the last two pages) I would have stopped reading right then and there.
Oh, and that surprise at the end? Totally saw that coming. In fact, I had forgotten that we did not already know that bit of information! So I was only surprised that I was supposed to be surprised.
The book was poorly written and had a poorly planned plot. I would not recommend it.
July 13, 2010
When I first heard that this book was being released I was very excited. At that point the only Lauren Baratz-Logsted books I read were some of her "Sisters 8" series (i.e. Annie's Adventures, Durinda's Dangers, etc.), which I loved I might add. Recently though, I've read both Crazy Beautiful (which was full of plot holes yet was still fantastic) and How Nancy Drew Saved My Life (which was VERY disappointing)... so I was a little worried when I did pick this up. The first third to half was a slow go, and I was really worried I was going to be very 'meh' about this one... thankfully the pace picked up after that point.
The story concept is not really a new one, the classic "girl masquerades as boy to accomplish something" is on display here. That said however, it was an enjoyable read. I loved how Bet dealt with the different situations that came her way. I loved the character of James and how the romance 'felt right' right from the beginning, and yet had all the tension of neither being sure how to deal with it. The ending was a little too neat, but overall a fluffy teen romance that is sure to please a variety of YA lit fans.
The story concept is not really a new one, the classic "girl masquerades as boy to accomplish something" is on display here. That said however, it was an enjoyable read. I loved how Bet dealt with the different situations that came her way. I loved the character of James and how the romance 'felt right' right from the beginning, and yet had all the tension of neither being sure how to deal with it. The ending was a little too neat, but overall a fluffy teen romance that is sure to please a variety of YA lit fans.
May 28, 2010
I’m starting to like historical fiction more and more. I like that a book can take me back to a different place and era and I just love imagining myself there.
I like Education of Bet and the name is very fitting for the premise of the story. I know it has been done before, but I think I’ll always like and read books about girls or women who impersonate boys or men. I just love reading about the challenges they will face and what they’ll ended up learning from the experience.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted writes about Elizabeth aka “Bet” who transforms into her “brother in spirit”, the boy who she’s been raised with and thinks of as her brother, in order to get a formal education. I have to give Bet a ton of credit because impersonating a man in the 18--’s has to be WAY more difficult then trying to do the same in this day and age. Bet thinks she’s thought of everything before heading of to school and that she has a great plan, but once she gets to school, she finds out she’s more clueless then she would like to be. Bet has so much drive in this book and she never gives up at anything during the course of it, even when she gets put down over and over.
The one and only complaint(and it’s not really a complaint) is that I wish the book were a bit longer and detailed. The story was told well during 190 or so pages but I would like more. That’s very weird for me, usually I think some books are too long and the story drags on.
This book is a great historical fiction novel about a girl who has to overcome everything put upon her for just being a women, I recommend it!
I like Education of Bet and the name is very fitting for the premise of the story. I know it has been done before, but I think I’ll always like and read books about girls or women who impersonate boys or men. I just love reading about the challenges they will face and what they’ll ended up learning from the experience.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted writes about Elizabeth aka “Bet” who transforms into her “brother in spirit”, the boy who she’s been raised with and thinks of as her brother, in order to get a formal education. I have to give Bet a ton of credit because impersonating a man in the 18--’s has to be WAY more difficult then trying to do the same in this day and age. Bet thinks she’s thought of everything before heading of to school and that she has a great plan, but once she gets to school, she finds out she’s more clueless then she would like to be. Bet has so much drive in this book and she never gives up at anything during the course of it, even when she gets put down over and over.
The one and only complaint(and it’s not really a complaint) is that I wish the book were a bit longer and detailed. The story was told well during 190 or so pages but I would like more. That’s very weird for me, usually I think some books are too long and the story drags on.
This book is a great historical fiction novel about a girl who has to overcome everything put upon her for just being a women, I recommend it!
September 11, 2010
Aargh! Second time posting this review.
This is a nice historical "lite" with mild feminist leanings for the reluctant girl reader.
Unfortunately I wasn't terribly impressed. There were too many character contradictions. A girl who poses as boy to get an education, but accepts her "station" in life. A girl smart enough to be first in her class, but not smart enough to hide her girl gear with one of her two female secret keepers at the school. A girl who professes willingness to give up her dream of an education because the cute boy's feelings are more important.
And then the whole story feels rushed. It's as if someone did a hack job of the editing. Every time there is the beginning of any kind of tension it is rushed, skimmed over or resolved too easily.
A perfect example is when the school bully beats Bet after she bests him in a fencing match. One moment we're getting a bit of detail about how Bet is feeling and the details of what she is doing to him and the next we're getting a vague second hand telling of a fierce beating.
One of the best scenes in the whole book is when the same bully discovers Bet's girl gear in "Will's" trunk. A chase ensues and Bet/Will is cornered by the bully who believes that will is an "abomination." That scene was fleshed out, but the turmoil that ensues is kind of compressed and rushed.
My advice to the author....slow down and tell me more.
This is a nice historical "lite" with mild feminist leanings for the reluctant girl reader.
Unfortunately I wasn't terribly impressed. There were too many character contradictions. A girl who poses as boy to get an education, but accepts her "station" in life. A girl smart enough to be first in her class, but not smart enough to hide her girl gear with one of her two female secret keepers at the school. A girl who professes willingness to give up her dream of an education because the cute boy's feelings are more important.
And then the whole story feels rushed. It's as if someone did a hack job of the editing. Every time there is the beginning of any kind of tension it is rushed, skimmed over or resolved too easily.
A perfect example is when the school bully beats Bet after she bests him in a fencing match. One moment we're getting a bit of detail about how Bet is feeling and the details of what she is doing to him and the next we're getting a vague second hand telling of a fierce beating.
One of the best scenes in the whole book is when the same bully discovers Bet's girl gear in "Will's" trunk. A chase ensues and Bet/Will is cornered by the bully who believes that will is an "abomination." That scene was fleshed out, but the turmoil that ensues is kind of compressed and rushed.
My advice to the author....slow down and tell me more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2011
Ugh, what mediocrity. This is Hana-Kimi, Volume 1 (a manga I adored) if the heroine was actually stupid (instead of just cheerfully ignorant). The plot is the exact same – girl disguises self as boy to attend boarding school, falls in love with roommate. And yet this book is even more ridiculous, in a bad way.
I mean, Bet doesn’t even have a goal. Or a plan, really. Her whole idea is: (1) dress up as a boy (2) ???? (3) profit! It’s stupid. It’s beyond stupid. And then all the women help her for female solidarity reasons. But, seriously, what was she hoping to get out of this??? It’s not like a few years at boarding school would give her ANYTHING in that period.
Plus, what the hell, a teenage boy going into British school in the 19th century with no Latin/Greek would be noticeable (Bet doesn't even have the basic education of a grammar school student when she goes to boarding school). And no way in hell could she be first in her class if she had honestly started Latin that one year. And then she threw it all in danger by having maybe one of the STUPIDEST plans to get the boy she liked, which involved pretending to be her own twin. Ouf.
It was all in all ridiculous, and not in the good way.
I mean, Bet doesn’t even have a goal. Or a plan, really. Her whole idea is: (1) dress up as a boy (2) ???? (3) profit! It’s stupid. It’s beyond stupid. And then all the women help her for female solidarity reasons. But, seriously, what was she hoping to get out of this??? It’s not like a few years at boarding school would give her ANYTHING in that period.
Plus, what the hell, a teenage boy going into British school in the 19th century with no Latin/Greek would be noticeable (Bet doesn't even have the basic education of a grammar school student when she goes to boarding school). And no way in hell could she be first in her class if she had honestly started Latin that one year. And then she threw it all in danger by having maybe one of the STUPIDEST plans to get the boy she liked, which involved pretending to be her own twin. Ouf.
It was all in all ridiculous, and not in the good way.
December 22, 2011
I honestly thought this book was going to be amazing, but not everything in life is as you expect. Don't get me wrong, i liked the book. I'm all for Girls fighting for their dreams and what they believed in. But as i was reading it was like Bet wrote it herself. Like she didn't have a real solid plan.
First, The whole Will/Bet thing was pretty obvious. It was clear that they were related in some way. And the way she handled it. Calm. Cool. Collected. As if she didn't receive what i think the biggest news of her life.
The book also had flaws in the dialogue. It really didn't follow the time period.
Every problem Bet had she fix it like she magical powers. The sheets, her period, the fact that she didn't have a dress, that she didn't have shoes, everything was fixed with little or no complications. You would think that impersonating a boy in a all boy's school would be difficult, but for Bet.
And James. For 3/4 of the book i honestly thought that he was Gay. The way he was presented to me showed some signs that he had feelings towards Will. But once the ball came and he danced and kissedBet Elizabeth the way he spoke changed drastically. Even when Bet revealed herself to him he really didn't react as I thought he was going to. Like Bet he just shook it off.
It was an okay book. I enjoyed reading it and it killed all the extra time I had during this 3 day weekend.
First, The whole Will/Bet thing was pretty obvious. It was clear that they were related in some way. And the way she handled it. Calm. Cool. Collected. As if she didn't receive what i think the biggest news of her life.
The book also had flaws in the dialogue. It really didn't follow the time period.
Every problem Bet had she fix it like she magical powers. The sheets, her period, the fact that she didn't have a dress, that she didn't have shoes, everything was fixed with little or no complications. You would think that impersonating a boy in a all boy's school would be difficult, but for Bet.
And James. For 3/4 of the book i honestly thought that he was Gay. The way he was presented to me showed some signs that he had feelings towards Will. But once the ball came and he danced and kissed
It was an okay book. I enjoyed reading it and it killed all the extra time I had during this 3 day weekend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2010
'An Education of Bet' is a short yet exceedingly sweet story. It's premise is fairly familiar: to achieve something society does not allow girls to do, she must become a boy. When Bet finds out that Will, the boy she has been raised with, is going to start at a new school yet does not wish to go, she begins the deception by cutting off her hair and learning to speak, write, and walk like a young man. Her plan goes extremely well; that is, until she meets her extremely handsome roommate. In the end, I thought this was the best kind of book: a book you do not want to end.
However, a week out from reading this book, it's been clear that it was rather fluffy, and won't stay with me for very long. It was too much like other favorite books and films ( Tamora Pierce's books about Alanna, She's the Man) without having elements that made it stand out above the pack. Then again, what's wrong with a bit of YA fluff now and then?
One comment about the cover... While I think the dress on the cover is pretty, I really don't like "headless girl" covers, of which there seems to be a lot in young adult fiction. So, while the cover certainly told me something about the period, it was really the description of the actual story that drew me in most.
However, a week out from reading this book, it's been clear that it was rather fluffy, and won't stay with me for very long. It was too much like other favorite books and films ( Tamora Pierce's books about Alanna, She's the Man) without having elements that made it stand out above the pack. Then again, what's wrong with a bit of YA fluff now and then?
One comment about the cover... While I think the dress on the cover is pretty, I really don't like "headless girl" covers, of which there seems to be a lot in young adult fiction. So, while the cover certainly told me something about the period, it was really the description of the actual story that drew me in most.
December 2, 2009
I thought this was really interesting. I mean, it's got a fairly low rating here on Goodreads and I usually steer clear of those, but the premise sounded so promising. So I went for it.
I thought it was cute. I love that Bet was willing to face all kinds of scandal just to get an education. She was just a cool main character to have. Her spunk was awesome.
Ok, there were parts that were just a little corny or predictable. One plot "secret" was pretty obvious from like, page 3. I wouldn't have needed to finish reading it to know it was going to come out.
Wow, this is really choppy. I guess I just want to say that I liked it. I liked Bet, Will, Uncle, and James. There were pretty cool. It was a cute story.
I thought it was cute. I love that Bet was willing to face all kinds of scandal just to get an education. She was just a cool main character to have. Her spunk was awesome.
Ok, there were parts that were just a little corny or predictable. One plot "secret" was pretty obvious from like, page 3. I wouldn't have needed to finish reading it to know it was going to come out.
Wow, this is really choppy. I guess I just want to say that I liked it. I liked Bet, Will, Uncle, and James. There were pretty cool. It was a cute story.
August 11, 2010
In the 1800s girls didn’t…well, were not allowed to go to school. Born to a maid and orphaned as a child, brought up by a wealthy along with a boy named Will whom her mother served, Elizabeth (Bet) wants nothing more than to get an education. When she and Will scheme to change their lives, Bet assumes the life of Will, goes to boarding school in his place and gets an education not only through books, but also in living the life of a boy among boys.
All things happen for a reason and in this story all things play out just as Bet plans for the good and then some. A good story, even if it does have a little too much good luck and not quite as developed a plot as there could have been.
All things happen for a reason and in this story all things play out just as Bet plans for the good and then some. A good story, even if it does have a little too much good luck and not quite as developed a plot as there could have been.
August 16, 2010
While not the most original story, "Bet" was still fun.
Girl wants to go to school, girl can't because 'women aren't allowed', girl knows boy, boy wants to go to military, girl 'becomes' boy and goes to school and of course falls in love.
We've all read something like this or at the very least watched a similar movie, but this one is such a fast-paced, good hearted read.
Ending is not likely, but atleast it was happy.
3.5 stars
Girl wants to go to school, girl can't because 'women aren't allowed', girl knows boy, boy wants to go to military, girl 'becomes' boy and goes to school and of course falls in love.
We've all read something like this or at the very least watched a similar movie, but this one is such a fast-paced, good hearted read.
Ending is not likely, but atleast it was happy.
3.5 stars
August 24, 2011
Cute short book. A girl dresses as a boy in order to get what she wants in life. The characters were fun (even if they could have been a little better developed) and the story itself was also fun. I was a little frustrated that there wasn't a better historical setting (I really couldn't tell when it was supposed to take place). In the end I would give this 3.5 stars. Fast fun read, but not too much more to it then that.
March 22, 2016
A smart, funny girl with ambition who wants to learn and make something of herself??? Add in the impropriety and humor of some of the situations...yes, please! I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick and fun read. Bet was extremely likeable and I found myself rooting for her to succeed.
When I started the book I was a little worried that it would be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a nice, quick read.
When I started the book I was a little worried that it would be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a nice, quick read.
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