History Literature / TheStoryGirl

* FragileFlower: Pale, plaintive Sara Ray is crying more often than not. Somewhat understandable given how cold and strict her mother is.

* PinballProtagonist: Beverly King, our narrator, and a character so flat that it is possible to make it through the entire book without noticing his first name. Somehow, Montgomery manages to spin this as a legitimate personality, even poking fun at his status as the StraightMan a few times. Bev later grows up to become a newspaper editor, which the novel defines as a job that entails bringing out the best in other people without over-meddling yourself into their creations.
* SceneryPorn

A novel duology by [[Literature/AnneOfGreenGables L.M. Montgomery]], recently rescued from obscurity by becoming the basis of the TV series ''Series/RoadToAvonlea''.

* IAmNotPretty: The Story Girl firmly believes this of herself, and everyone else largely agrees--especially when contrasting slim, brunette, longish-faced Sara with plump, dimpled, golden-haired Felicity, who's universally acclaimed as a beauty. Reading between the lines, it's clear that--much like [[Literature/AnneOfGreenGables another of Montgomery's heroines]]--Sara's actually extremely attractive, just not as conventionally so.

* WhereAreTheyNow: At the end of ''The Golden Road'', the Story Girl jokingly tells each of her cousins' fortunes; the narration follows up with comments on their accuracy, serving as a sort of epilogue for the reader.

* PinballProtagonist: Beverly King, our narrator, and a character so flat that it is possible to make it through the entire book without noticing his first name. Somehow, Montgomery manages to spin this as a legitimate personality, even poking fun at his status as the StraightMan a few times. Bev later grows up to become a newspaper editor, which the novel defines as a job that entails bringing out the best in other people without contributing anything himself.

When their father lands a new job in South America, thirteen-year-old Beverly King and his younger brother Felix are sent from Toronto to spend a year at the old family homestead in rural Carlisle, Prince Edward Island. It's the first time they've seen the place, but they very shortly feel as though they've lived there always. Rich in both natural beauty and the many traditions and memories of the enormous (and enormously talented, not to say eccentric) King family, it's currently being held down by Uncle Alec, Aunt Janet and their three irrepressible youngsters Dan, Felicity and Cecily.

But the greatest discovery of all is their oldest cousin, fourteen-year-old Sara Stanley, ''aka'' the Story Girl. So-called partly to distinguish her from neighbor Sara Ray, and partly because of her undeniable genius as a storyteller and actress--she's able to quite literally make the multiplication tables fascinating. As it happens she's also a semipermanent guest in the neighborhood, having been dropped off to stay with the kids' Uncle Roger and his sister Olivia at the next farm over while Sara's father, a wannabe artist, wanders Europe.

* CloudCuckoolander: How nearly everyone except The Story Girl sees shy and thoughtful Jasper Dale, known locally as The Awkward Man.

* FeminineWomenCanCook: Much is made of Felicity's cooking skills. Subverted with the Story Girl, however, who despite her best efforts never becomes a good cook. [[ValuesDissonance It being the time and place it is]], she considers this seriously humiliating.

* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Applies to the Story Girl and Felicity even if they are cousins. Despite their constant bickering, the vivid, effervescent Story Girl secretly wishes she were as useful and domestic as Felicity, and unimaginative, conventional Felicity secretly wishes she were as interesting as the Story Girl. (She also is jealous of Sara's expensive clothes.)

* PinballProtagonist: Beverly King, our narrator, and a character so flat that it is possible to make it through the entire book without noticing his first name. Somehow, Montgomery manages to spin this as a legitimate personality, poking fun at his status as the StraightMan a few times and suggesting he and Sara share a close bond as the oldest of the cousins. Bev later grows up to become a newspaper editor, which the novel defines as a job that entails bringing out the best in other people without contributing anything himself.

* PinballProtagonist: Beverly King, our narrator, and a character so flat that it is possible to make it through the entire book without noticing his first name. Somehow, Montgomery manages to spin this blandness as a legitimate personality trait, poking fun at his status as the StraightMan a few times and suggesting he and Sara share a uniquely close bond thanks to his comparatively mature ability to appreciate her talent. Bev himself later grows up to become a newspaper editor, which the novel defines as a job that entails bringing out the best in other people without contributing anything himself.

* SpoiledSweet: The Story Girl's father has a small fortune, and enjoys spending it on his daughter. She is sometimes a little tactless about parading her expensive and rather showy European clothing in front of the other girls, but on the whole is kind-hearted and thoughtful.

* WickedWitch: Most of the children think Peg Bowen is one at first, even believing she bewitched the cat Paddy. Averted in ''The Golden Road'' when she takes them in during a snowstorm and turns out to be eccentric and sharp-tongued but fundamentally decent.

* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Applies to the Story Girl and Felicity even if they are cousins. The Story Girl openly wishes she were as useful and domestic as Felicity, and unimaginative, conventional Felicity secretly wishes she were as interesting as the Story Girl. (She also is jealous of Sara's expensive clothes.)

* OneSteveLimit: Averted with the two Saras, even down to the same spelling. The children have corrected this themselves by almost always referring to Sara Stanley as "the Story Girl".
* ParentalAbandonment: A mild case of ValuesDissonance can lead modern readers to see The Story Girl's wealthy but widowed father as guilty of this. At the time it was considered perfectly natural (if not precisely ideal) for single fathers to leave children in the care of more stable relatives as necessary; nowadays, he comes across much more as having fobbed Sara off just for the freedom to go travelling.

* SpoiledSweet: The Story Girl's father has a small fortune. She is sometimes a little tactless about parading her expensive clothing in front of the other girls--seeing them, understandably, as a connection to the beloved parent who sent them to her--but on the whole is kind-hearted and thoughful.

When their father lands a new job in South America, thirteen-year-old Beverly King and his younger brother Felix are sent from Toronto to spend a few years at the old family homestead in rural Carlisle, Prince Edward Island. It's the first time they've seen the place, but they very shortly feel as though they've lived there always. Rich in both natural beauty and the many traditions and memories of the enormous (and enormously talented, not to say eccentric) King family, it's currently being held down by Uncle Alec, Aunt Janet and their three irrepressible youngsters Dan, Felicity and Cecily.

* WhereAreTheyNow: As noted, at the end of ''The Golden Road'', the Story Girl's fortunetelling serves as a sort of epilogue for the reader.

* BrutalHonesty: Peg Bowen, who makes some frank but cruel observations about the children when they take refuge at her home during a blizzard. She goes too far when she tells Cecily she looks too sickly to live until adulthood, and Dan tells her to shut up.
** Later when she goes to church she keeps interrupting the service with comments about how stuck-up and hypocritical most of the parishioners are.
* CatUpATree: The Story Girl's cat Paddy is often lost, sick or otherwise endangered. [[spoiler: He finally uses up his nine lives shortly before the Story Girl leaves with her father for Paris.]]
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Felicity and Peter, very gradually.
* CloudCuckoolander: How nearly everyone except The Story Girl sees The Awkward Man.

* DeadpanSnarker: Dan, especially with Felicity.

* TheDrifter: The Story Girl's wealthy and talented but somewhat aimless father who spends much of her childhood travelling in Europe. He returns at the end of ''The Golden Road'', however, and makes plans for them both to settle in Paris.

* FeminineWomenCanCook: Much is made of Felicity's cooking skills. Subverted with the Story Girl, however, who despite her best efforts never becomes a good cook.

* FullNameBasis: Sara Ray is almost always referred to by her full name.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Applies to the Story Girl and Felicity even if they are cousins. The Story Girl wishes she were as useful and domestic as Felicity, and Felicity who is unimaginative and conventional wishes she were as interesting as the Story Girl. (She also is jealous of Sara's expensive clothes.)
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Cecily develops a mild but persistant cough after being caught out in a snowstorm. [[spoiler: Hints through the rest of the novel suggest that she dies of consumption before reaching adulthood.]]
* MaidenAunt: Aunt Olivia who at 29 is seen by the children as too old to ever find a husband. She's far too young to fit the trope for elderly unmarried female relatives, but that's how the children see her. [[spoiler: She does end up getting married in ''The Golden Road''.]]

* OneSteveLimit: There are two Saras--Sara Stanley and Sara Ray. The children have corrected this themselves by almost always referring to Sara Stanley as "the Story Girl".
* ParentalAbandonment: Bev and Felix's rather poor father sends them to live with their aunt and uncle so that he can go to Rio de Janeiro for work he badly needs. The Story Girl's wealthy father leaves her in the care of her aunts and uncles so that he can...travel? This could be an example of ValuesDissonance, where a widowed father would seek the aid of female relatives to raise a daughter.

* SpoiledSweet: The Story Girl's father has a small fortune. She is sometimes a little tactless about parading her expensive clothing in front of the other girls, but on the whole is kind-hearted and thoughful.

* TeenGenius: The Story Girl's extraordinary storytelling and acting skills are noted by virtually everyone. She even makes the multiplication tables fascinating when she recites them
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: [[spoiler: Cecily who grows progressively frailer throughout ''The Golden Road'' (perhaps with tuberculosis) and who the Story Girl realizes will not live to grow up.]]

* WhereAreTheyNow: At the end of ''The Golden Road'', the Story Girls tells everyone's fortunes, which serves as a sort of epilogue for the reader.
* WhenSheSmiles: Poor weepy, nondescript Sara Ray looks pretty on the rare occasion when she smiles.
* WickedWitch: Most of the children think Peg Bowen is one at first, even believing she bewitched the cat Paddy. Averted in ''The Golden Road'' when she takes them in during a snowstorm and turns out to eccentric and sharp-tongued but fundamentally decent.
* WrongSideOfTheTracks: Peter whose mother works as a washerwoman and whose alcoholic father walked out on them. Like other L.M. Montgomery characters in similar circumstances he is determined to better himself, and in fact, next to the Story Girl, comes across as the most gifted of the children.

When their father lands a new job in South America, thirteen-year-old Beverly King and his younger brother Felix are sent from Toronto to spend a few years at the old family homestead in rural Carlisle, Prince Edward Island. It's the first time they've seen the place, but they very shortly feel as though they've lived there always. Rich in both natural beauty and the many eccentric traditions and tales of the enormous (and enormously talented, not to say eccentric) King family, it's currently being held down by Uncle Alec, Aunt Janet and their three irrepressible youngsters Dan, Felicity and Cecily.

But the greatest discovery of all is their oldest cousin, fourteen-year-old Sara Stanley, ''aka'' the Story Girl. So-called partly to distinguish her from neighbor Sara Ray, and partly because of her undeniable genius as a storyteller and actress--she's able to quite literally make the multiplication tables fascinating. As it happens she's also a semipermanent guest in the neighborhood, having been dropped off to stay with the kids' Uncle Roger and his sister Olivia live at the next farm over while Sara's father, a wannabe artist, wanders Europe.

When their father lands a new job in South America, thirteen-year-old Beverly King and his younger brother Felix are sent from Toronto to spend a few years at the old family homestead in rural Carlisle, Prince Edward Island, and very shortly feel as though they've lived there always. Rich in both natural beauty and the many eccentric traditions and tales of the enormous (and enormously talented, not to say eccentric) King family, it's currently being held down by Uncle Alec, Aunt Janet and their three irrepressible youngsters Dan, Felicity and Cecily.

But the greatest discovery of all is their oldest cousin, fourteen-year-old Sara Stanley, ''aka'' the Story Girl. So-called partly to distinguish her from neighbor Sara Ray, and partly because pf her undeniable genius as a storyteller and actress--she's able to quite literally make the multiplication tables fascinating. As it happens she's also a semipermanent guest in the neighborhood, having been dropped off to stay with the kids' Uncle Roger and his sister Olivia live at the next farm over while Sara's father, a wannabe artist, wanders Europe.

reshen their father lands a new job in South America, thirteen-year-old Beverly King and his younger brother Felix are sent to spend a few years at the old family homestead in rural Carlisle, Prince Edward Island, and very shortly feel as though they've lived there always. Rich in both natural beauty and the many eccentric traditions and tales of the enormous (and enormously talented) King family, it's currently being held down by Uncle Alec, Aunt Janet and their three irrepressible youngsters Dan, Felicity and Cecily.

A novel duology by [['Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' L.M. Montgomery]], recently rescued from obscurity by becoming the basis of the TV series ''Series/RoadToAvonlea''.

Sara Stanley is only fourteen, but she can weave tales that are impossible to resist. In the charming town of Carlisle, children and grown-ups alike flock from miles around to hear spellbinding tales. And when Bev King and his younger brother Felix arrive for the summer, they, too, are captivated by the Story Girl. Whether she's leading them on exciting misadventures or narrating timeless stories -- from the scary "Tale of the Family Ghost" to the fanciful "How Kissing Was Discoverd" to the bittersweet "The Blue Chest of Rachel Ward" -- the Story Girl has her audience hanging on every word.

A sequel, ''The Golden Road'', continued the adventures of the Story Girl and her cousins. The novels were written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''. The novels were partially adapted into the TV series ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'', which fused the cast of of ''The Story Girl'' with that of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' and transposed the setting to Avonlea.

* PinballProtagonist: Beverly King, a character so flat that it is possible to make it through the entire book without noticing his first name. The novel pokes fun at his status as the StraightMan a few times. He eventually becomes a newspaper editor, which the novel define as a job were someone brings out the best of other people without contributing anything from himself.

A sequel, ''The Golden Road'', continued the adventures of the Story Girl and her cousins. The novels were written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''. The novels were partially adapted into the TV series ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'', which fused the cast of of ''TheStoryGirl'' with that of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' and transposed the setting to Avonlea.

* ChristmasCake: Aunt Olivia who at 29 is seen by the children as too old to ever find a husband. [[spoiler: She does end up getting married in ''The Golden Road.'']]

A sequel, ''The Golden Road'', continued the adventures of the Story Girl and her cousins. The novels were written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables''. The novels were partially adapted into the TV series RoadToAvonlea, which fused the cast of of ''TheStoryGirl'' with that of ''AnneOfGreenGables'' and transposed the setting to Avonlea.