6 h 4 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 4 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does success mean when a bright, warm-hearted young woman wants to prove her worth?
Patty Fairfield is kind, lively, and quick to laugh. In Patty's Success, Carolyn Wells follows a young woman who wants to show what she can do. Her wish for independence gives this cheerful story its central question: what does it mean to achieve something of your own?
Around Patty is a comfortable American world of families, friends, and neighbors in the early twentieth century. Wells moves briskly from one small episode to the next, keeping the mood light and humorous. Beneath the fun lies a thoughtful interest in ambition, worth, and a young woman's wish to prove herself.
What you’ll discover
- A heroine worth knowing Meet Patty Fairfield, whose warmth and ready laughter make her an inviting companion.
- Ambition treated with respect Follow a young woman's wish to prove herself, without having that wish dismissed as foolish.
- A cheerful social world Step among the families, friends, and neighbors who surround Patty in everyday life.
- Room to consider success Consider questions of worth and achievement within a story that aims to cheer and amuse.
- A light, brisk touch Enjoy short sentences and small episodes that keep the story moving with ease.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you like cheerful American stories with a spirited heroine, witty friends, Christmas parties and gentle comedy about a rich girl learning what real work feels like.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Patty comes home and wants to matter
- Christmas brings friendship and a small jealousy
- A casual boast becomes a real wager
- Embroidery and sewing teach her about pay
- Goldfish and a club ease the ache
- The hat shop shows what skill really means
- An odd advertisement leads to a grand house
Who’s who
- Patty FairfieldA lively, golden-haired girl of eighteen who wants to do something worthwhile and bets she can earn fifteen dollars in a week.
- Nan FairfieldPatty's young stepmother, tactful and loving, who helps her through every attempt while worrying about her health.
- Mr. FairfieldPatty's kind, humorous father, who sets the wager and hopes the experience will teach her something.
- Gilbert HepworthA portrait painter and family friend who tells of Christine's talent and quietly cares for Patty.
- Kenneth HarperA law student and nonsense-loving friend who gives Patty a crystal ball and two goldfish.
- Elise FarringtonPatty's wealthy friend, a little discontented, who admires Patty and hopes to win Kenneth's notice.
- Christine FarleyA talented, shy art student from Virginia who needs a year of training in New York.
- Philip Van ReypenThe teasing, charming nephew of Mrs. Van Reypen, who falls for Patty at first sight.
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Patty's Success
by Carolyn Wells · 1909
Patty Fairfield bets she can earn fifteen dollars in a week and finds every job harder than it looks.
Easy read5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a girl of eighteen stepping off a ship in New York after a year in Europe, with trunks full of fine clothes and not a worry in the world. Within a few weeks she announces that anyone could earn fifteen dollars a week with no training at all.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Patty comes home and wants to matter
The story opens on a cold December day at the New York docks. Mrs. Allen and Kenneth Harper wait for the ship that carries Patty, her father and her stepmother Nan home from Europe. Kenneth thinks he spots Patty's yellow head over the bow. When she steps ashore, he says she looks grown up. Old friends Elise and Roger Farrington seize on her as if they will never let her go.
The customs inspector falls for her smile and handles her best feathered hat like an infant in a cradle. Patty says people are kind if you flatter them a little. The Fairfield house glows with a wood fire and holly wreaths, and the dinner table spells the word Welcome in holly berries.
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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
- 1909
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 55 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Wells, Carolyn. Patty's Success. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/pattys-success.
Wells, C. (2026). Patty's success. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pattys-success (Original work published 1909)
Wells, Carolyn. Patty's Success. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pattys-success.
@book{wells2026pattys,
author = {Wells, Carolyn},
title = {Patty's Success},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/pattys-success},
note = {First published 1909}
}
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What is Patty's Success about?
It follows Patty Fairfield, a spirited New York girl who bets her father she can earn fifteen dollars a week without training. If she wins, he will pay a shy Virginia art student's board for a year.
Who is Christine Farley in Patty's Success?
Christine is a talented but timid young artist from a small Virginia town. Mr. Hepworth believes she has real gifts and needs art school in New York, which is the reason for Patty's wager.
Is Patty's Success part of a series?
Yes, it is one of Carolyn Wells' books about Patty Fairfield. It begins as Patty returns from Europe, and readers can follow it with its lively characters and cheerful tone.
The author
Carolyn Wells
1862–1942 · American humorist and mystery writer
Carolyn Wells (1862–1942) was an American writer born in Rahway, New Jersey. She later lived in New York City, where she died. She wrote poetry, humor, children's books, and mystery novels. Her works include the Patty and Marjorie series, The Clue (1909), and The Gold Bag (1911).
More by Carolyn Wells
All 6 booksMore like this
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