Not just for boys (Ragged Dick - Alger Jr. Horatio)

Member Name: crazyminx

Product:	Ragged Dick - Alger Jr. Horatio
Date:	25/06/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good writing and great characterisation

Disadvantages: Odd introduction

As I am a 20 year old woman and am well aware that Alger's fiction was aimed at teenage boys, I thought I may not enjoy this book. However, I had to read it for university, and I found that it's a great read.

It tracks Dick's ascent from a boot black on the streets of New York to a 'respectable' young man who can read, write, has money in the bank and can rent a house. He achieves a very modest version of the American dream, and with it comes happiness.

Dick is incredibly likeable as a character and the book is very well written and easy to read - I read it in just two sittings. You quickly become absorbed in Dick's journey, hoping that he will accomplish all he wishes and counting every penny with him.

The only problem is the overuse of coincidence. Dick seems to enjoy a great deal of luck and in a world where Alger insists success is achieved by personality and hard work, it grates a little to rely so heavily on coincidence in his story.

It's definitely worth a read though - a good old-fashioned, relaxing book, like the classic adventure stories that your parents read to you.

However, there is a strange, suitable-for-adults-only foreword that focuses on whether Alger had ulterior motives for writing about young men. I would advise you to ignore the introduction, ignore Alger's slightly suspect reputation, and enjoy this book for what it is rather than reading too much into Alger's portrayal of boys. There are no obvious paedophilic parts to this book and to go looking for such things takes away from the simplicity and good-natured atmosphere of the novel.

This book can be bought for £4.99 from Amazon.co.uk.

(updated from my review on Amazon.co.uk)

Summary: Unlike Yorkies, it's suitable for girls too