Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace

Her writing career, which had been so important to her in previous books, is barely mentioned, except for when she turns down a writing job with the excuse “ I already have a job…And it’s important, and very hard. Betsy mentions a few times the desire for a child but, when none appears, no comment is made as to her disappointment. Betsy is full of resolutions when she gets married and, as she adjusts to married life, there are some fleeting reflections as she learns to adapt to life with Joe but, for the most part, any serious issue is ignored. I suddenly felt very thankful that neither of them had featured in Betsy and the Great World.Īfter reading two other Maud Hart Lovelace books, I should have known not to expect any emotional depth but, even so, I was disappointed by how shallow this book was. This was my first introduction to Tacy, already married and, before the book is over, a mother of two, and to their other great friend, Tib, an outgoing German-American blonde whose speech is unnaturally peppered with German exclamations. They have their family nearby and almost all of their friends have stayed in the area (Betsy has been reunited with her beloved “Crowd”, who she missed so much while in Europe) so most of the book is devoted to Joe and Betsy’s interactions with others. The book covers the first few years of Betsy and Joe’s marriage, as Joe works and Betsy struggles to cook and keep house. Less than a week later they are married and setting up house near Betsy’s family in Minneapolis.

Their past quarrels are forgotten and, now assured on one another’s love, the two young people are only too eager to start their life together. Waiting for her when she docks is Joe Willard, the boy she has loved since high school. Betsy’s Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace begins where Betsy and the Great World ended: it is September 1914 and Betsy is on a ship, coming back to America after having spent the last nine months touring Europe.

Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace