6 h 36 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 36 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a house full of sisters, how do you find room to become yourself?
The Madigan sisters share a lively, noisy home where growing up means living close to people who know you well. They quarrel, compete, and compare themselves with one another. In Miriam Michelson’s The Madigans, family life brings both warmth and friction, and each sister faces the task of finding her own place among the others.
Rivalry sits at the heart of this family story, but so does the daily closeness that shapes the sisters. Their household offers protection while leaving little room to stand apart. Michelson brings a journalist’s ear to their voices and a lively sense of detail to a world where humor and hurt often share the same room.
What you’ll discover
- A household with spirit Enter a noisy family home where shared lives shape each sister’s sense of herself.
- The sting of rivalry Explore how sisters measure themselves against one another while trying to find their own place.
- Room to grow Discover the pull between a crowded childhood and the wish to become your own person.
- Lively voices and details Enjoy Michelson’s ear for how people talk and her eye for the telling detail.
- Warmth beside friction Find the humor and hurt that come from sharing a home with those closest to you.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy family comedy, quarrelling sisters, sharp child's-eye humor, and a vivid Western mining town.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Good intentions meet a noisy family
- A broken agreement starts a rebellion
- A gruff father offers unexpected kindness
- Rivalry gives way to quiet care
- The twins turn quarrels into games
- Irene imagines a more splendid belonging
- Family laughter keeps sorrow at bay
- Pride meets help on the mountain
- Public battles hide a private bond
Who’s who
- Sissy (Cecilia) MadiganThe third sister, a proud and plump perfectionist who longs to be good, to be first in her class and to be admired.
- Irene (Split) MadiganThe second sister, a fearless, quick-tempered dancer and singer who dreams of noble parentage and hates being bossed.
- Kate MadiganThe eldest sister, a graceful, bookish girl who is learning to pretend to be a young lady and to face duty.
- Bessie (Bep) MadiganThe blonde twin, slow with words and quick with superstition, who wants to be taken seriously and to win her bets.
- Florence (Fom) MadiganThe dark twin, a clever quibbler who wants to outwit her sister and to run the doll world as she pleases.
- Frances (Frank) MadiganThe youngest Madigan, who loves to tell dramatic stories about herself and to belong to every sister's games.
- Francis MadiganThe girls' bitter, irritable father, who lives in his locked room and cannot forget being cheated out of a mine.
- Aunt AnneMadigan's gentle, absent-minded sister, who keeps house badly and writes endless letters, hoping someone will save the girls.
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The Madigans in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Madigans
by Miriam Michelson · 1904
Eleven-year-old Sissy Madigan writes ten promises to be good, and her sisters start breaking them before breakfast.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Rome was in the same part of Carthage as Carthage was of Rome.”
In short
What happens when an eleven-year-old writes herself a contract of ten promises, and a sister slides ice down her back before breakfast? Cecilia Madigan, called Sissy, finds out on the first of April.
The Madigans at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 45 min3 h fast, 4 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 53,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1904by Miriam Michelson
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A good girl's ten promises meet reality
The book opens with a written pact. Sissy promises herself ten things. She will be first in her class, be patient with her father, set a good example, spare Aunt Anne's sensitive plant and practice a piece called The Gazelle. The tenth promise is about her sister Irene, and Sissy doubts she can keep it.
She folds the paper, kisses it for lack of a seal, and buttons it inside her dress. She feels so virtuous that keeping the promises already seems unnecessary. We can see the pride hiding inside the goodness.
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Which edition is right for me
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Details
- First published
- 1904
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Michelson, Miriam. The Madigans. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-madigans.
Michelson, M. (2026). The Madigans. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-madigans (Original work published 1904)
Michelson, Miriam. The Madigans. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-madigans.
@book{michelson2026madigans,
author = {Michelson, Miriam},
title = {The Madigans},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-madigans},
note = {First published 1904}
}
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What is The Madigans by Miriam Michelson about?
It is a comic novel about six sisters and their father and aunt in the silver mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. Each chapter is a short story of games, quarrels, school, parties and family pride.
Why is Irene called Split in The Madigans?
The nickname honors a gymnastic feat, the splits, which no other Madigan can do half as well as the second sister. Irene is an athlete, dancer and singer, and the name suits her bold, restless spirit.
What is Old Mother Gibson in The Madigans?
It is the family's favorite game, a cross between a war dance and a cakewalk. Each player chants a made-up couplet that teases someone present, and the rhyme that hits hardest wins the cheers.
The author
Miriam Michelson
1870–1942 · American novelist and journalist
American writer.
“Rome was in the same part of Carthage as Carthage was of Rome.”
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