Audiobook · read by volunteers
Pollyanna
Eleanor H. Porter (1868–1920)
Read by Mary Anderson · 32 chapters · 6 h 54
About the book
When her father dies, eleven-year-old Pollyanna Whittier goes to live with her wealthy but stern Aunt Polly in a small New England town. She brings with her a remarkable philosophy, which her father taught her: the Glad Game, in which you always try to find something to be glad about, no matter how difficult things seem. Little by little, her cheerfulness begins to change the lives of her aunt, the servants and the neighbors. Eleanor H. Porter's best known novel is both sweet and surprisingly thoughtful, asking what it takes to look for the good. Thirty-two chapters and nearly seven hours, read by LibriVox volunteers. Sweet, funny and moving, it has been loved for more than a century, and it is a lovely choice for the whole family. The Glad Game has a charm that few readers can resist, and Pollyanna remains one of the most famous girls in fiction.
Introduction
Eleanor H. Porter (1868 to 1920) was an American author whose most famous creation, Pollyanna, entered the English language: today a Pollyanna is a person of relentless optimism. The novel was published in 1913, and it was so popular that it was followed by sequels and adaptations for the stage and the screen.
The story is simple. A young orphan goes to live with an aunt who does not welcome the extra work, and the girl's good cheer, her curiosity and her lack of fear win over the household. At the center is the game itself, which Pollyanna explains to anyone who will listen, and which she herself is tested on by events. The novel can be read as a gentle fable about gratitude, as well as a portrait of village life in the early twentieth century.
Some readers have found Pollyanna's optimism too sweet, and the word has sometimes been used as a gentle insult. Yet the book is more nuanced than its reputation, and Porter lets her heroine face real difficulty. The humor, the warmth and the small-town characters, from the servants to the doctor, keep it fresh.
The recording consists of thirty-two chapters and runs for nearly seven hours, read by volunteers of LibriVox. It is a good choice for family listening and for anyone in need of a gentle lift. For listeners who grew up with film adaptations, the original book offers many details that the films leave out, as well as the pleasure of hearing the story told at a relaxed pace. Its message about attention and gratitude is gentle and sincere, and it can be appreciated by adults as much as by children, perhaps even more.
Public domain
Eleanor H. Porter died in 1920: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text