Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan. This is a cover of the book on a computer screen. A woman in a large straw hat and brownish-red sleeveless dress over a white bouse holds a picnic basket. She leads an boy in a similarly wide-brimmed straw hat and overalls, a girl in a blue dress, and a dog, down a winding path through flat fields. There's a barn and silo in the background.

I’ve often heard that Sarah, Plain and Tall is a very good book, but somehow I hadn’t read it before.

It’s a deceptively simple story, short, with easy-to-read language. Despite its simplicity, the story packs a big emotional punch.

Sarah, who is in fact plain and tall, comes from her home near the sea to the Nebraska prairies. She’s supposed to marry Anna and Caleb’s father, but there’s a trial period. She, naturally, misses her home, and Anna and Caleb worry that she will leave them–as their mother left them (quite unwillingly, we’re sure) by dying not long after Caleb was born. It’s a melancholy story, with lots of yearning underneath the surface.

Though this isn’t my favorite of the Newberys I’ve read recently, I like it. I would recommend it, especially for those who like historical fiction and those who struggle with reading but want decent stories. To find more of my book reviews, check out the bookshelf tab of my website. You can also connect on Goodreads or Librarything.