Her Father's Daughter

Her Father's Daughter is another delightful coming-of-age story by Gene Stratton Porter. Linda is the daughter of a highly skilled surgeon killed four years before in an automobile accident. Her older sister Eileen, a very superficial, selfish girl, has control of the family finances and keeps Linda in old shoes and shabby clothing while allowing herself everything she could possibly want. Shortly before Linda's eighteenth birthday, Linda decides that it's time to even things out. Simultaneously, there's a great romantic mix-up involved in the story. The book is filled with colorful, well-developed characters. There are also some recipes that sound quite enjoyable -- if you're in an area with access to the plants mentioned, as well as fascinating descriptions of California in the early 1900's. As usual, Porter includes several great observations in the book; her refreshing Arts-and-Crafts-era mentality is, as always, evident throughout. While never stating it outright, she always advocates that one should own fewer things of excellent quality rather than falling into a consumer mentality -- something just as applicable today as it was then. As a product of its time, this book does contain some racist elements which make it unsuitable for children. A subplot of the book involves a Japanese immigrant at the head of the high school senior class; Linda encourages her friend Donald to excel and win back his position as first in the class. While Porter does attribute ulterior motives to Japanese immigrants, her philosophy is not to deny their rights, but to strive to do better to surpass their level of achievement. It appears that she saw that the Japanese were starting to surpass Americans in industry. The key is to enjoy the story without getting bogged down in the racism.