Book Review: Emily of Deep Valley: A Deep Valley Book by Maud Hart Lovelace

Release Date: October 12, 2010 (reprint edition)
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Age Group: Defies Categorization
Pages: 336

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Summary:
Emily Webster, an orphan living with her grandfather, is not like the other girls her age in Deep Valley, Minnesota. The gulf between Emily and her classmates widens even more when they graduate from Deep Valley High School in 1912. Emily longs to go off to college with everyone else, but she can’t leave her grandfather. Emily resigns herself to facing a “lost winter,” but soon decides to stop feeling sorry for herself. And with a new program of study, a growing interest in the Syrian community, and a handsome new teacher at the high school to fill her days, Emily gains more than she ever dreamed...

In addition to her beloved Betsy-Tacy books, Maud Hart Lovelace wrote three more stories set in the fictional town of Deep Valley: Winona’s Pony Cart, Carney’s House Party and Emily of Deep Valley. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be delighted to find the Deep Valley books available again for the first time in many years. (from Harper Perennial)
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This is the first book I've read by Maud Hart Lovelace. I know of the Betsy-Tacy books, but I've never tried them; all I know was that the people who like them really like them.*

And now I think I know why.**

The first fifty pages of Emily of Deep Valley are charming--frilly dresses, a phonograph, ice cream and old-fashioned celebrations. They are also a little dull. Emily Webster loves high school. She likes learning and being on the debating team. Unfortunately, graduation day comes and spoils that. Most of Emily's friends are heading to college and starting new chapters in their lives, but she is stuck in Deep Valley. Her parents are dead, and she lives with her good-natured grandfather, who is too elderly to be left alone, so Emily gives up college to stay with him.

While fun-loving, Emily was never the center of her social circle, and she lives through her friends' pre-college jitters. She also has a crush on Don, a boy she is clearly too good for. In one scene, Don drops by unannounced and says,
"What, no cookies?"
"Why should there be cookies?" [Emily asked.]
"I'm used to having cookies brought out at my approach."

Emily gets him some cookies. Don continues to behave obnoxiously, and Emily makes excuses for his pomposity.

When Emily's friends leave for college, she becomes downcast--but the book becomes excellent. Emily of Deep Valley was originally released in 1950, but I found it still relevant. Girls are still making excuses for impolite boys, people still feel confused after high school, and dark moods still feel like this:

Depression settled down upon [Emily], and although she tried to brush it away it thickened like a fog. . . . "A mood like this has to be fought. It's like an enemy with a gun," she told herself. But she couldn't seem to find a gun with which to fight.

Emily eventually defeats her bad mood, and she decides to pick herself up and make something of her time. Through her new activities, Emily makes new friends and discovers that her education can continue without college.

She meets boys, too. Emily's love story is beautiful, and I'm having a hard time not posting spoilers. Suffice it to say that the romance is cute, semi-unexpected, and enjoyably sensible. Emily is a girl with a spine.

The most important thing Emily does with her time, though, is reach out to the community of Syrian immigrants just outside Deep Valley. The townspeople and children give the immigrant community a hard time because of their odd manners and broken English. Immigrants still come to America, and people still forget that poor English is not a synonym for "stupid." While idealistic, Emily of Deep Valley challenges readers to rethink their gut reactions to people who are different in manner and custom.

What really kept me reading, though, was the fun and romance. I loved being in Emily's world. (It's reminiscent of the Anne of Green Gables movies. No, I haven't read those books either. Shame on me.) Since the book is meant for children, it's written clearly, which means a fast, effortless read for teens and adults. That said, this book isn't reserved for children. I recommend Emily of Deep Valley to anyone looking for a cozy hot cocoa read with a brain, a heart, and enduring appeal complete with turn-of-the-century up-dos and manners. I'm adding the Betsy-Tacy books to my reading list.
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*The Betsy-Tacy Society, anyone?
**I didn't expect to be completely enamored of this book, but I can't stop telling my roommate how much I like it. She's going to throw something at me soon.