11 h 46 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 46 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Can a country girl stay true to herself in a house where the right dress seems to matter most?
Fourteen-year-old Polly Milton leaves her loving country family to visit Fanny Shaw in the city. Fanny worries about clothes, parties and what people think. Polly has little money, but plenty of good humor. In the wealthy Shaw household, her plain ways draw attention, and Tom Shaw’s teasing tests her resolve.
Louisa May Alcott makes this meeting of country and city a warm, gently funny story about growing up. Polly finds a kindred spirit in Grandma, Madam Shaw, while Fanny’s fashionable circle pulls her toward dresses and admirers. Beneath the visits and parties lies a question: how do you belong without giving up what matters to you?
What you’ll discover
- A girl who stands firm Meet a cheerful heroine whose kindness and plain habits challenge a household devoted to appearances.
- Friendship beyond fine clothes Watch Polly and Fanny discover what their different homes and values can teach each other.
- A grandmother worth knowing Spend time with Madam Shaw, whose firm opinions make Polly feel less alone.
- Mischief meets honest friendship Follow Tom’s teasing encounters with Polly, where good humor and firmness answer his rudeness.
- Simple values under pressure Explore modesty, family loyalty and honest work in a world drawn to fashion and show.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy warm family stories, young people finding their feet, kind humor, and quiet lessons about friendship, work and home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A country girl meets a city family
- Polly keeps her honesty among city secrets
- Polly's troubles make her feel caged
- Little things bring sunshine to a house
- Scrapes, a journal and an honest apology
- Grandma's cabinet and the goodbye party
- Polly grows up and earns her own living
- Ruin, remaking and what old-fashioned means
Who’s who
- Polly MiltonA fourteen-year-old country girl, honest and cheerful, who visits the Shaws and later works as a music teacher to help her brother.
- Tom ShawFanny's red-haired brother, a teasing, neglected boy with a warm heart who wants his father's notice and gradually learns to deserve it.
- Fanny ShawPolly's fashionable friend, who loves dress and novels, is easily bored, and slowly learns the value of honest friendship and work.
- Maud ShawFanny's spoiled little sister, who craves amusement and affection and grows into a practical, loving girl.
- Madam ShawThe old grandmother, lonely among her keepsakes, who longs for real children and tells stories of a simpler time.
- Mr. ShawA busy businessman who has been too occupied with money to know his children and is warmed by Polly.
- Miss MillsPolly's landlady, a plain, brisk, generous woman who shelters the poor and teaches Polly how to be of use.
- Arthur SydneyA gentleman friend of the Shaws, courteous and kind, who likes Polly and helps those in trouble.
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An Old-Fashioned Girl
by Louisa May Alcott · 1870
A plainly dressed country girl visits a fashionable city family and changes everyone in it.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a fourteen-year-old girl stepping off a train in a plain coat and a hat without a single feather. The friend who invited her stays home to protect her curls, and the friend's brother is sent to fetch her.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A country girl meets a city family
The story opens with a small act of cowardice. Fanny Shaw will not go to the station in the rain, because she fears for her curls. Her brother Tom must bring home her friend Polly. He mistakes a stranger in sashes, ruffles and feathers for the visitor, and she crushes him with a cool stare.
Polly finds him instead, running down the platform with a cheerful face. She is polite enough not to say red hair or pug nose. Tom answers her kindness with mischief. He offers her peanuts, climbs up beside the driver, and leaves her afraid that the man is drunk.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1870
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 7 h 40 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Alcott, Louisa May. An Old-Fashioned Girl. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-old-fashioned-girl.
Alcott, L. M. (2026). An old-fashioned girl. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-old-fashioned-girl (Original work published 1870)
Alcott, Louisa May. An Old-Fashioned Girl. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-old-fashioned-girl.
@book{alcott2026oldfashioned,
author = {Alcott, Louisa May},
title = {An Old-Fashioned Girl},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-old-fashioned-girl},
note = {First published 1870}
}
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What is An Old-Fashioned Girl about?
It follows Polly Milton, a simple country girl who visits a rich city family, the Shaws, and later returns as a young music teacher. Her honesty and kindness slowly change the family, especially Tom and Fanny.
Who is the old-fashioned girl in the title?
Polly Milton is the old-fashioned girl. Her friends call her this because she dresses plainly, speaks truthfully, respects older people and enjoys simple pleasures, while the girls around her chase fashion.
When was An Old-Fashioned Girl written?
Louisa May Alcott wrote the first part in 1869. After readers asked for more, she added a second part that carries Polly forward six or seven years. The story is fiction, but it reflects real city life of her day.
The author
Louisa May Alcott
1832–1888 · American novelist
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) was an American novelist born in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She lived mainly in Massachusetts, including Boston and Concord. She wrote Little Women, published in two parts in 1868 and 1869, An Old-Fashioned Girl in 1870, Little Men in 1871, and Work: A Story of Experience in 1873.
More by Louisa May Alcott
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