The Very Small Person

Donnell, Annie Hamilton, 1862-1943Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 155K words
Chapters: 16

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.The Very Small Person by Annie Hamilton DonnellAuthor: Donnell, Annie Hamilton, 1862-1943,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jul 13, 2009

Editor's review

The Very Small Person is a short work by Annie Hamilton Donnell, available in the Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook collection. Donnell was active in American popular writing from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, often drawing on everyday life, family relationships, and a child's perspective, with a gentle tone and fine observation. The book is short and revolves around a "very small person," making it a good sample for understanding American sketches of life and light narrative style of the time. Its value lies not in grand plot but in small windows onto the everyday: the subtle gaps between personal relationships, a child's view, and the adult world often reveal warmth within a short span. As a free electronic text, it is also convenient for teachers selecting short reading materials, or for readers to finish in one sitting during a commute or before bed. If you prefer compact stories and a light, brisk tone, this little book is a low-threshold way to try English in the original.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners practicing reading with short English originals
Readers who enjoy everyday family themes and a gentle tone
English teachers or book clubs needing short classroom material
Readers interested in early twentieth-century American sketches of life

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot, suspense, or adventure
Readers hoping for long, complex character arcs
Readers impatient with old-fashioned children's narrative style

Reading tips

Can be read in one sitting; afterward, reflect on how the "small person" perspective shifts narrative focus.
Mark everyday dialogue and scene descriptions to see how a short story builds character through detail.
If used in class, have students rewrite a scene and compare the effects of different narrative perspectives.

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 long? Is it suitable for reading in fragments of time?

Judging from its presentation as a public-domain ebook, it is a relatively short work, suitable for reading in one or two or three sittings. It can be picked up during a commute or before bed without the burden of remembering a long serialized plot.

What subjects does Donnell mainly write about?

Annie Hamilton Donnell was an American writer from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Her works mostly draw on everyday life and family scenes, with a gentle tone. This book continues that light narrative style of revealing the large through the small, making it a good sample for understanding popular short fiction of the time.

Is the English original hard to read?

The language overall is fairly everyday, with short sentences, and is less difficult than classic long novels of the same period. Readers with basic English reading ability can finish it with a dictionary; beginners are advised to read through for plot first, then revisit detailed descriptions, rather than scrutinizing every word from the start.

Comments

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About the author

Donnell, Annie Hamilton, 1862-1943 Author

Annie Hamilton Donnell (1862–1943) was an American writer of children's literature, though details of her life are limited in publicly available sources. Eight of her works are held in the collection, including Gloria and Treeless Street, Four Girls and a Compact, Rebecca Mary, Three Young Knights, Miss Theodosia's Heartstrings, Judith Lynn: A Story of the Sea, Glory and the Other Girl, and The Very Small Person. These works show that she specialized in stories for children and young readers, with warm, vividly observed plots centered on friendship, growing up, family life, and seaside adventure. Her light, lively style emphasizes characterization and delicate emotional expression, and her stories, often following the everyday experiences of young girls, convey kindness and courage in an accessible way well suited to young readers.