Bücher von Bess Streeter Aldrich

First published in 1928, A Lantern in Her Hand has outlasted literary fashions to touch generations of readers. In this classic story of a pioneer woman, Bess Streeter Aldrich modeled protagonist Abbie Deal on her own mother, who in 1854 had traveled by covered wagon to the Midwest. In A Lantern in Her Hand, Abbie accompanies her family to the soon-to-be-state of Nebraska. There, in 1865, she marries and settles into her own sod house. The novel describes Abbie's years of child-raising, of making a frontier home able to withstand every adversity. A Disciplined writer knowledgeable about true stories of pioneer days in Nebraska, Bess Streeter Aldrich conveys the strength of everyday things, the surprise of familiar faces, and the look of the unspoiled landscape during different seasons. Refusing to be broken by hard experience, Abbie sets a joyful example for her family and for her readers.

The main character of this novel, Ella Bishop, is a healthy, sensitive, energetic, and happy person as she begins her college career in the Midwest in 1876. Her energy and devotion to learning made her an excellent student, then a gifted teacher. People were drawn toward her friendliness and enthusiasm. During her life she was betrayed in love when the man she was to have married was stolen by her young cousin. She was called upon to raise their daughter when the cousin died. Later on in life Ella was sorely tempted to have an affair, but she resisted the temptation.