It doesn't read like it was written in 1917, for Bab could have been a girl of anytime. While I read it I had to remind myself that this is a book of another time, because I could easily imagine Bab living now.
It just goes to show that even if times change we basically don't.
Bab by the way is hilarious and yes, all those spelling errors in the book are not a product of bad editing or writing. They are supposed to be there because this is a girls diary, spelling mistakes and all.
I will say, Bab is consistent with her spelling. Such as the way she refers to her Familey.
More importantly are the scrapes Bab gets herself into. In the opening of the book she tells us how she feels being a sub-debutant which in her world is equal to being invisible. She can't become a debutant and have boys pay attention to her until her older sister gets married. So, she creates an imaginary boyfriend which might normally not go very far, but for Bab it does. I think that TV shows have borrowed some of their plots from Bab's escapades.
In a second story, Bab becomes infatuated with a celebrity. I swear Bab was Lucy before Lucy was.
In a third story Bab is given a thousand dollar a year allowance for clothes and other necessities (even now I think that's a lot). Giving Bab money is not really a good idea and she ends up with a secret car and a plot to capture a thief.
In the last story the world is at war so Bab creates a local girls group to support the troops which somehow leads her to suspect the house servants of being spies.
It's a funny book and the most interesting is how fresh and honest it comes across. And Bab is honest about her self-delusions. She honestly has no idea how she gets into these predicaments. It just happens.
I'm always happy to discover a new favorite author, even if the author has been around for a hundred years. I plan to read more of her books.
You can find free Kindle editions of her books at Amazon.
Books by Mary Roberts Rinehart
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