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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

By: Kate Douglas Wiggin
Narrated by: Lorna Raver
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About this listen

 The indomitable 10-year-old Rebecca has been sent away from her home at Sunnybrook Farm to live with her two spinster aunts in the quiet town of Riverboro in order to be brought up as a proper little lady.

Precocious, curious, and full of creative energy, Rebecca isn't quite ready to be tamed yet. The prim and demanding Aunt Miranda has her hands full. But soon, Rebecca's irrepressible spirit and bright intelligence win the hearts of all in Riverboro, including her rigid aunt...and she even manages to become a fine young lady in the process.

The unconventional and charismatic Rebecca, a wholly new kind of girl character when she was first introduced in 1903, has since become one of the most beloved characters in children's literature.

(P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc. Classics Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Fiction Teen Fiction History For Kids Kids Literature

Critic reviews

"Beautiful and warm and satisfying." ( Mark Twain)
"Why could [Rebecca] not have been my daughter? Why couldn't it have been I who bought the 300 cakes of soap? Why, O, why?" ( Jack London)
All stars
Most relevant
It was as Ann of green witch I some a read of good books are glad be found

Good yet

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I used to love this book as a child, was really overjoyed to see it as an offering on audible.

Lovely trip down memory lane!

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I love how in a book written in 1903 we have a 10 year old child giving a 'teacher' a lecture, on how it is completely possible and grammatically correct to use gender neutral pronouns. It really does go to show.

I enjoyed the gentle pace and nature of this book. I found the 'meta' moments where the writer talks directly to the reader interesting but also annoying. As when this happened it was mostly to pit the female characters against each other. Or to general put down everyone save Rebecca. The way the writer can never let her have flaws or failings is also annoying.

However the most troubling part of this book was the 'romantic' relationship with the older man. If I have this right Rebecca was 13 and he was 30 when they met. While they don't get married or do anything in the book. It is clear where things are headed. The fact that he repeated says that he wants her to remain young (as in a child) is just disturbing. I know that it was a different time and all but the guy is such a predator.

Unsurprisingly for a book of its time. There is a lot of racist comments and attitudes. Which is quite impressive when you think there aren't any black characters. At least that's my reading of it. Mind you there are a lot of characters to keep track of.

Another interesting/annoying thing about this book is the portrayal of the best friend. Firstly she is described as dumb and later as good at maths. And yet she fails to graduate. While Rebecca is portrayed as extremely intelligent and yet average at the same time. She is also easily distracted and very creative.

Personally I feel this book is worth a read. But should be treated with sceptical eye.

A Good Read but hasn't Aged Well

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It's been a very long time since I first met Miss Rebecca and I have enjoyed making her acquaintance all over again. A great plot and wonderful characters. More action than description when compared to L M Montgommery's Anne books. A pleasant narration.

A pleasant reminder of innocent days

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My reason to listen to this book is that my favourite Japanese band (REBECCA) took their name from the book. Having seen them in concert earlier in the year and listening almost only to their music from that point on, I felt it was time to familiarise myself with the book that inspired the name. Overall, Rebecca (the book version) is like a female Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Fin. With my interest in symbolism, I found the discussion about the name of the farm interesting. There was also things that spoke to my death studies/grief research, which I wasn't expecting. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I can understand why the band might like it and why they took the name REBECCA. And while there is no mention of a boat club in Wearham, a town that features in the book, I imagine that REBECCA's song "Wearham Boat Club" is also inspired by the book. After finishing the book, I decided to watch the 1938 movie (directed by Allan Dwan). While I understand that the film is very well regarded - it's so very different from the book and in the end I gave up watching it part way through.

Really enjoyable

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