I’ve been spending a little time in Deep Valley, Minnesota. Feeling a little harried and craving some comfort (and a fun summer story), I picked up Carney’s House Party to read on the T one morning, and of course it wasn’t long before I was immersed in the high school adventures of my beloved Betsy Ray and her merry Crowd. I’ve been carrying the books around with me, spending my lunch breaks reading about school dances and the Essay Contest, Merry Widow hats and summers on Murmuring Lake, and the group of boys and girls who are so jolly and fun that I want them for my own friends.
(Image via New York Magazine)
These books never fail to delight me with their descriptions of gorgeous party dresses, delicious Sunday night lunches at the Ray house, vivid details of the seasons changing in Deep Valley, and the highly entertaining adventures of Betsy, Tacy, Tib and their posse of friends. Singing around the piano, ice skating on the pond, shopping for Christmas ornaments and drinking coffee at Heinz’s – what fun! But I also love the books for Betsy’s occasional moments of quiet reflection – particularly the ones when she realizes she’s neglected her writing and determines to rededicate herself to it.
I’ve struggled lately to find both inspiration and discipline for my writing, and it’s always heartening to read that Betsy struggled with the same problems, and always overcame them in the end. I love picturing her curled up next to Uncle Keith’s trunk, the print of a long-legged bird on the wall beside her, or floating on a rowboat at Murmuring Lake, scribbling away at a poem or a story with her freshly sharpened pencils.
cakes, tea and dreams 
I loved these as a kid!!!
You know, I’ve never read any of these books. I am interested in reading them now because I know that so many women love them.
I loved these books so much when I was a young girl, and every time you or another blogger writes about them, I crave to read them again and return to that wonderful world. I’m almost afraid to because I think I just might be too old, and it would make me sad. I’m glad they still speak to your heart – how wonderful to write something that women of many generations can love and remember so fondly!
[…] House Party, Maud Hart Lovelace This is a perfect summer book – who wouldn’t want to spend a summer in Deep Valley, going to parties and drives and dances with the Crowd? Carney is so appealing – honest and […]
[…] of Deep Valley, Maud Hart Lovelace I’ve loved Betsy Ray for a long time, but only met Emily Webster last fall. She struggles with loneliness, despair […]