Susan

Amy WaltonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 240K words
Chapters: 24

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Susan by Amy WaltonAuthor: Walton, Amy, 1848-1899,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Apr 27, 2007

Editor's review

Susan is another children's work by Amy Walton, released in the Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook series and classified under juvenile belles lettres. The available information suggests a family and coming-of-age story centered on a girl named Susan, with a length and subject suited to an introductory classic children's book. Its value lies less in intricate plotting than in showing how girlhood, family duty, and daily life were written about in that era; it can be read alongside the author's other works to observe continuity in characterization. Readers might note the narrator's tone in judging Susan's words and actions, for that is where the era's attitudes leave their mark. As a free electronic text, it is well suited to casual reading and to lower-difficulty English reading practice.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in classic coming-of-age stories about girls and in older children's literature
Learners with basic English who want short narratives for reading practice
Language or English teachers seeking public-domain texts as classroom supplements
Readers interested in Amy Walton's works who wish to read them as a group

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking genre plotting such as suspense or fantasy
Readers hoping for contemporary views on childhood and equality
Readers needing detailed author biography and textual scholarship

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to gauge the narrative pace and vocabulary difficulty before planning your progress.
Read it alongside the author's Penelope and the Others and compare how characters are drawn.
For English practice, summarize each chapter in two or three sentences to check comprehension.
Note the narrator's evaluative language about Susan and jot down passages that reflect the era's attitudes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book related to Penelope and the Others?

Both are children's works by the same author, Amy Walton, and both are Project Gutenberg public-domain ebooks. The available information does not indicate any direct connection in characters or plot, so they are best read as separate works by the same author.

Why is the book description so brief?

The available summary mainly describes the Project Gutenberg platform and the book's metadata rather than outlining the story. The recommendations therefore rest on limited information such as author, category, and publication context; readers should rely on the actual text.

Is it suitable for use as an English textbook?

As a public-domain children's narrative, its language is relatively accessible and it can serve as supplementary reading. But it was written long ago, and some vocabulary and sentence patterns are not idiomatic today; teachers should read through and select passages beforehand and prepare necessary explanations.

Where can I read this book?

The book is published by Project Gutenberg, where you can search for the title to obtain the electronic text. Available formats and download methods are as described on its page.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Amy Walton Author · English · 1848–1899

Amy Walton (1848–1899) was a British writer of children's literature in the Victorian era. She produced a number of children's books, ten of which are held in this collection. Her representative works include Penelope and the Others: Story of Five Country Children, White Lilac or the Queen of the May, Thistle and Rose: A Story for Girls, Black, White and Gray: A Story of Three Homes, The Hawthorns, Susan, A Pair of Clogs, and Our Frank. Because public information is limited, the details of her life are little known; her works nonetheless show that she was skilled at portraying family life and rural childhood in a warm and delicate style. She focused on children's daily lives, family affection, and emotional worlds, and her stories often centre on girls and families. Her plain, natural language suits young readers, and she holds a place in the children's literature of her time.