Elsje

I was intrigued by the titel, because the heroine is my namesake. Or better the other way round, because she was born some 50 years earlier. It's a coming of age story typical for the beginning of the 20th century. written from the viewpoint of a happy, boisterous 14 year old country girl who moves into the household of her ladylike aunt en pretty but very egotistical niece. Class differences are much more important than nowadays and the upperclass atmosphere stifles her. But things get better. She meets nice people and slowly adjusts to the ways she is expected to behave. And it all ends happily when she is engaged to a nice cousin who has witnessed her struggle and wants het to be just the way she is and live with him on his farm. The story is simple but well written en very satisfying.