11 h 46 minAudiobook12 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 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
For readers who love Little Women and Alcott's warm, moral family storytelling, or enjoy gentle novels about friendship, growing up and staying true to personal values.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A country girl arrives in the city
- A house where show matters most
- Tom teases and Polly stands firm
- Grandma becomes Polly's closest friend
- Fashion, parties and a hard lesson
- Six years later, Polly earns her own living
- What the story says about old and new ways
- How Alcott tells the story
Who’s who
- Polly MiltonA cheerful, plain country girl who values family, honest work and kindness, and who tries to stay true to herself in a world of fashion.
- Fanny ShawPolly's city friend, a pretty girl who cares about dresses and parties and who has yet to learn what else matters in life.
- Tom ShawFanny's mischievous brother, who teases Polly at first and slowly learns from her honest friendship how to behave better.
- Madam ShawThe wise old grandmother of the household, who values the old ways and finds in Polly a kindred spirit.
- Maud ShawThe youngest Shaw child, a spoiled little girl who is used to getting her own way until Polly shows her something better.
- TrixA clever, flirtatious friend of Fanny, who sees social life as a game to be won and who tempts others to play along.
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- Audiobook
- 11 h 46 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 12 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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An Old-Fashioned Girl
by Louisa May Alcott· 1870
Country girl Polly Milton enters a rich city household where fashion and show put her plain values to the test.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 8
A country girl arrives in the city
The story opens with fourteen-year-old Polly Milton leaving her quiet country home for a visit to her friend Fanny Shaw in the city. Polly comes from a large, loving family with little money. Her father is a country minister, and the household is busy, cheerful and plain. She travels with simple clothes and a simple heart, and she expects to be welcomed as a friend.
The Shaw house is nothing like home. It is large, handsome and full of servants, and everyone in it seems to be in a hurry to be somewhere else. Fanny is a pretty girl who thinks a great deal about her dresses, her hair and what her friends will say. She greets Polly kindly, but she is a little worried by the old coat and the plain hat her friend has brought.
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What is An Old-Fashioned Girl about?
It follows Polly Milton, a plain country girl who visits her rich city friend Fanny Shaw. Polly's simple values and kindness change the Shaw household, and later she returns as a young woman earning her own living.
Who are the main characters in An Old-Fashioned Girl?
The main characters are Polly Milton, her friend Fanny Shaw, Fanny's brother Tom, little sister Maud and their grandmother, Madam Shaw. Fanny's friend Trix also plays a part among the city girls.
When was An Old-Fashioned Girl written?
Louisa May Alcott first published it as a magazine serial in 1869, and it appeared as a book in 1870. She later added chapters that follow Polly several years on, as a working woman.
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.
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