THE HIRED GIRL

Rachel Botchan's unadorned expression aptly represents the youthful journaling of Joan, a 14-year-old girl in 1911 whose life on her family's farm consists of rough, monotonous caring for three unappreciative brothers and a father who has made her leave school. Botchan's expressions of the father's harsh, crass comments contrast with Joan's passion for learning and reading, and her desire to become more "refined." Botchan's guileless tone takes on new meaning when Joan runs away, pretends to be 18, and becomes a hired girl in the Rosenbachs' wealthy, intellectual Jewish home. Her portrayal of Joan's naïveté, artless attempts at cover-up, and desire to please effectively contrasts with her depictions of the cultured Rosenbachs. Joan's romanticism, overactive imagination, and impulsivity are amusing and endearing. S.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2015]