An Old-Fashioned Girl

Polly Milton arrives in the city carrying nothing but a modest trunk and an old-fashioned heart. Her friend Fanny Shaw lives in a world of parties, fine clothes, and careful social positioning - everything Polly has never known and cannot pretend to understand. At first glance, it seems Polly is the one who doesn't belong. Her country ways embarrass Fanny. Her simple clothes draw pity from the household servants. But slowly, almost without trying, Polly begins to illuminate what's missing in the Shaw household: genuine warmth, honest affection, the willingness to be rather than to seem. Written when America was grappling with its own rapid modernization, this novel holds up a mirror to any generation tempted to measure worth by wealth or style. It's a gentle book, but underneath its tender surface runs a steely conviction about what matters and what doesn't.