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Feb 28, 2020 Nina ( picturetalk321 ) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: a-reviewed, theme-het, publdate-19thc, in-german, europe, author-woman, 4-star, europe-germany, z-read-gelesen-2020, genre-ya

Emmy von Rhoden single-handedly invented the Backfischroman (the novel for teenage girls, what would morph into YA over 100 years later) in 1883 with her post-humously published mega-bestseller about a wild young tomboy (aged 15) who is sent away to boarding school in order to become a young lady. There is a taming-of-the-shrew element to the story: of course, the girl's wildness must be tamed; she must learn to suppress and manage her urges and stubborn tantrums -- but she is not subdued; she r Emmy von Rhoden single-handedly invented the Backfischroman (the novel for teenage girls, what would morph into YA over 100 years later) in 1883 with her post-humously published mega-bestseller about a wild young tomboy (aged 15) who is sent away to boarding school in order to become a young lady. There is a taming-of-the-shrew element to the story: of course, the girl's wildness must be tamed; she must learn to suppress and manage her urges and stubborn tantrums -- but she is not subdued; she retains a natural freshness and has a big heart; and above all, this book is a celebration of female friendship.

The women teachers at the school, though at times stern, are nearly all gentle, supportive and loving. The friendship circle of the main character, Ilse, is a delight; deeper than Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers, without any of the competitiveness of Tom Brown's Schooldays, these are the girls who would, 130 years later, be the One Direction fans of this century. They stick together through thick and thin; they engage in gentle mockery of each other's foibles; they love clothes; they have their eccentricities; they make their own bags and sashes and whatnots; one of them is a poet; another good at French. The central friendship is between Ilse and her room mate, the orphan from England, Nellie.

In true nineteenth-century-style, there is a tragic death (though not of any of the main characters) and the story ends in three happily ever afters, with some loose strings tied up in a most delightful way. And somehow, despite all its moral veneer, there is no suppressing of the energy of the girls, and one of the most memorable moments remains the night when Ilse climbs out of her bedroom window and to the very top of the enormous apple tree, as high as the school's roof.

The prose style reads surprisingly modern. The pace is snappy; the dialogue natural and charming; the characterisations clear and precise. It was lots of fun to learn of German youth jargon of the 1880s: "famos" (noted as a recent trend), "klassisch", "furchtbar reizend!". And the woman-centred point of view extends to the few male characters one of whom has a "pretty and slightly sun-tanned face" ("das hübsche, von der Sonne etwas gebräunte Gesicht", another of whom has "wonderful pearly teeth shimmering through his dark blonde beard" ("wunderbare Perlenzähne schimmerten durch den dunkelblonden Bart").

The girls are innocent and naive, as is expected of their adolescent virginity but at the same time, there is an undertone of fear that certainly (and enragingly) continues to resonate: One of the girls wants to travel home alone but her school companion tells her: "Aber du bist hübsch ... und das ist gefährlich. Denk' einmal, wenn dir unterwegs ein Abenteuer begegnete!" ("But you are pretty ... and that is dangerous. Just think if you should meet with an adventure en route!")

Delightful. Charming. Fresh. Full of verve. Celebrates the lives of girls.

Format: free download; uploaded to Kindle. Excellent formatting with page numbers. Some glitches in the transferral from German Fraktur-font to Roman font. ...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Corinna rated it really liked it

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Sep 25, 2010 Daisy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: children-youth

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Around the World in 80 Books