Pollyanna's glad all over (Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter)

Member Name: Grimsbygal

Product:	Pollyanna - Eleanor H. Porter
Date:	10/08/01 (229 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a good read, cheers you up

Disadvantages: different to film

Whilst on Dooyoo a couple of weeks ago I noticed an opinion on Pollyanna. This brought back many memories of me watching the film over and over again as a child. I used to love watching Pollyanna enthusiastically skipping down the road making everyone happy and just enjoying her own life. I decided I would refresh my mind by buying the book. Some people may think I am crazy reading a book aimed at children but as I loved it as a child so much I felt I had to. It was an extra bonus when I discovered it on Amazon for just a pound.

Many of you will be familiar with the film but the book has many differences.
The story begins with Polly Harrington receiving a letter informing her that her brother in law had just passed away leaving her niece Pollyanna without a home. Aunt Polly feels forced to take the child so she arranges for the child to come and live with her. When Polly arrives the adventure begins.

The characters are all memorable and don’t change a great deal from the film.

Pollyanna – She is just eleven years old and full of life. To say she never shuts up talking is an understatement. She has not had the best of lives with her mother dying when she was very young and then her father passing away. She is still a very happy child and always makes the best out of everything. Her favourite word is glad and she forever goes around telling people of the glad game. She tells people about her experiences with the Ladies Aiders back home who donated clothes and toys to her.

Aunt Polly Harrington – She is one of the most stubborn people you could possibly imagine. She is not used to children and doesn’t treat Pollyanna like one. From the start she sets Pollyanna some rules and makes one thing perfectly clear, she wants no talk of her father.

Nancy – She is Aunt Pollys maid who does the cooking, cleaning and also looks after Pollyanna. As Pollyanna cannot play the glad game with Aunt Polly
she plays it with Nancy. They grow very close and build a great friendship.

Mrs Snow – She is bed ridden and until Pollyanna arrived she spent most of her days miserable in bed planning her death. Aunt Polly sends her some food every week and she always complains saying she wanted something else. When Pollyanna arrives she realises life is worth living and she looks really forward to her visits.

Jimmy Bean – Pollyanna meets young Jimmy on the street. He has escaped from the local orphanage and is looking for a new family to stay with. Pollyanna tries her best to find him a home. He looks mischievous but he is prepared to work for his living.

John Pendleton – He is an older man who passes Pollyanna in the woods on a daily basis. She tries to be nice to him but he is a bit grumpy. She does not give up though and when she finds him laid in the woods with a broken leg she has to act quick. A friendship then blooms and Pollyanna finds herself visiting him as often as possible. She gives him a new lease of life.

Dr Chilton – He is a doctor in the town although he his not Pollyanna’s family doctor as Aunt Polly has a personally problem with him. More is revealed throughout the book. Pollyanna is a great friend of his and he begins to prescribe her to his patients as medicine.

There are many more characters that Pollyanna befriends throughout the story. The main feature has to be the game she plays with everyone apart from Aunt Polly. It is called the ‘Glad Game’. Her father taught this game to her when she received a barrel from the Ladies Aiders. She was expecting a doll but instead she got a pair of crutches. At first she cried and was very unhappy but her father gave her something to be glad about. She was to be glad because she didn’t need the crutches. She finds something to be glad about in every situation.

I will not tell you anymore about the book, as some of
you may not have watched the film. This book is not just for children; it can be enjoyed by anyone. It definitely makes you feel better and I have to admit when I have been filing at work since reading this book I have had many reasons to feel glad. It is very different to the book, which disappointed me in some ways but also gave me an unpredictable ending.

If you are feeling down, cheer yourself up and have a read. I am know reading Pollyanna Grows Up.

ISBN I 85326 145 9
Author: Eleanor H Porter


Grimsbygal

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