Name: Kathleen Pearce
Employment: Nuthatch Book Store co-owner
Most recent book: Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan
Favourite book: I don’t recall what I enjoyed the most as a young child, but our family had several red leather-bound volumes of folktales, fairy tales and nursery rhymes and they were well worn. I loved my Nancy Drew books, but my very favourite book was A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter.
What I loved about it: A Girl of the Limberlost was first published in 1909. It is a story of Elnora, a teenage girl living on a hobby farm with her very poor, widowed mother who shows her no love.
There is a limberlost, or swamp, at the edge of the property where she spends all her free time, collecting butterflies, moths and Indian artifacts. Her hobby ends up financing her education in the city school, her life improves, and in the end, it is her collection that saves the farm.
It is a moving story about love, determination and the human spirit.
Why I would recommend it: I think it was this book that piqued my interest in the beauty of nature. It also was the first book I read, which dealt with family issues – sorrow, love, hate, forgiveness and support.
It was also the first book I read that spoke of women’s careers. It’s a great book for a young girl, showing her the power of love, determination and the reward of hard work.
