10 h 48 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 48 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does a young woman owe to home when her hopes reach beyond the hills?
In Eliot H. Robinson’s 'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands, the Appalachian hills form the world of a warm-hearted romance. Its heroine, known as Smiles, is a bright, kind young woman in a rough mountain setting. The Cumberland ridges and hollows give this story of rural life its home.
The novel belongs to a tradition that looks closely at families, local speech and hard daily work. Its central concerns are love, sacrifice and the courage to dream beyond familiar hills. Through Smiles, it invites you to consider the pull of belonging alongside the hope of a wider life, without dismissing the claims of either.
What you’ll discover
- A bright mountain heroine Meet Smiles, whose kindness stands out against the roughness of her mountain world.
- A place to enter Step among Cumberland ridges and hollows, where rural life gives the story its roots.
- Home and wider horizons Consider the quiet tension between loyalty to family and the courage to pursue dreams.
- Warmth at its heart Spend time with a romance shaped by love, sacrifice and hope beyond the hills.
- The ties of community Explore a world where families, daily work and local speech deserve close attention.
Who will love it
Readers who love warm, heartfelt stories of mountain life, a girl with a calling, and a doctor's work at the bedside. If friendship, faith, hospital scenes and a gentle romance appeal to you, Rose's story will feel like home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A lost doctor tumbles into a cabin
- Big Jerry and jealous Judd share the first supper
- A foundling's story and a dream of nursing
- Letters and gifts carry the friendship through a year
- A mountain minister opens a spiritual clinic
- A wounded arm and a failing heart
- A fight in the hills and a dog's sacrifice
- A blizzard, a telegram and a baby in danger
- A surgery by firelight changes everyone
- Boston, training and a smile that carries others
- What the story is really about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Rose Webb, called SmilesA cheerful mountain girl raised by Big Jerry who is determined to become a trained nurse for sick children.
- Donald MacDonaldA blunt, kind Boston children's surgeon who finds a second home in the mountains and a friend he cannot forget.
- Big Jerry WebbA gentle, iron-gray-bearded giant and former marksman who raised Rose and fears losing her.
- Judd AmosA proud young neighbor who loves Rose fiercely, distrusts the city doctor and makes moonshine.
- John TalmadgeA learned, frail minister who teaches Rose her lessons and opens Donald's mind to faith.
- Gertrude MerrimanA skilled nurse who helps in the cabin surgery and becomes Rose's guide and loyal friend.
- Philip BentleyDonald's witty, devoted colleague and closest friend, who watches over Rose while Donald is away.
- Little Lou AmosJudd's young sister, a golden-haired child who adores Rose and her doll named Mike.
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'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands
by Eliot H. Robinson · 1919
A lost city doctor stumbles into a mountain cabin and meets a barefoot girl whose smile will shape his life.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
A tired city doctor is lost in the Cumberland Mountains with his dog, his rifle and the evening closing in. He fights through laurel and rhododendron, climbs toward a clearing, and bursts through a cabin door in a tumble.
'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 5 min4 h 50 min fast, 7 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 87,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1919by Eliot H. Robinson
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 lost doctor tumbles into a cabin
Donald MacDonald is a children's doctor from Boston, built like the football fullback he once was. On a summer hunting trip, he admits to his dog Mike that they are lost. The sun is sinking behind the western ridge.
He climbs toward a clearing and a weathered cabin. A pack of gaunt dogs rushes him, and he backs toward the door. The latch gives way, and man and dog fall inside together. A kettle of stew clatters to the floor.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1919
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Robinson, Eliot H. 'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/smiles-a-rose-of-the-cumberlands.
Robinson, E. H. (2026). 'Smiles': A rose of the Cumberlands. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/smiles-a-rose-of-the-cumberlands (Original work published 1919)
Robinson, Eliot H. 'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/smiles-a-rose-of-the-cumberlands.
@book{robinson2026smiles,
author = {Robinson, Eliot H.},
title = {'Smiles': A Rose of the Cumberlands},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/smiles-a-rose-of-the-cumberlands},
note = {First published 1919}
}
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What is Smiles: A Rose of the Cumberlands about?
It follows Rose Webb, a mountain orphan called Smiles, who sets out to become a trained children's nurse after meeting a Boston doctor. It is a story of loyalty, friendship, faith and love that moves from a cabin to a city hospital.
Who is Smiles in the book?
Smiles is the nickname of Rose Webb, a girl raised in the Cumberland Mountains by Big Jerry. She is named for her radiant smile, which lifts the people around her and helps her face hardship.
When was Smiles written and is it a true story?
It is a novel by Eliot H. Robinson, set in the 1910s and the years of the First World War. The characters are invented, but the hospital and surgical scenes were drawn with help from real doctors and nurses.
The author
Eliot H. Robinson
American novelist
Eliot Harlow Robinson was an American writer of the early twentieth century. This novel shows his interest in hospitals, children's medicine and the mountain country of Kentucky and West Virginia. He thanks two physicians and a nursing superintendent in Boston for help with its medical chapters. Little else is given here about his life.
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