BONNIE, ISLAND GIRL
By
From Cynthia of Bee Tree Hollow (1948) and other stories with southern settings for this age group, Genevieve Fox turns to the northern New England Islands. Her heroine Bonnie's story is that of a musically inclined girl who learns life's real values- joy and hard work rather than making a name for herself. Though there is good regional atmosphere in the descriptions of the sea island and a fisherman's family's days- the narrative gets contrived in its efforts to show Bonnie's many realizations. After high school on the coast and her troubles with ""city folk"", Bonnie is given the rush by a wealthy boy, Greg, who has moved to the island. Then Greg's mother sends her to study at Music Hill where she discovers the meaning of effort and, with time to reflect, that her real love is the boatbuilder Jimmy with whom marriage can be a happy combination of housekeeping and music teaching. Made-up but made ""right"".