The Getting of Wisdom (Penguin Classics)

By Henry Handel Richardson

Book Overview

In "The Getting of Wisdom," Henry Handel Richardson crafts a seminal coming-of-age narrative set in 1880s Australia, exploring the tumultuous journey of a young girl, Laura, as she navigates the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140436197
• ISBN13: 9780140436198
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.7" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

An Australian Rebel

I remember reading this book as a teenager, and thinking, "Yes, I understand!" every time the heroine, Laura, found herself at odds with the relentless conformity of school society. Set at a turn-of-the-century boarding school in Melbourne, Australia, "the Getting of Wisdom" is a classic tale of a girl who thinks for herself and, thus, is forever out of step with both her society and her classmates. Laura tries desperately to fit in, but never quite does. Still, in the end, the reader is sure that Laura will be the one to soar high in life -- not her more conventional peers. As Richardson says, "She could not know then, even for the squarest peg, the right hole may ultimately be found; seeming unfitness prove to be only another aspect of a peculiar and special fitness." Almost 100 years old, the book's message is still fresh today, which is why Richardson is considered one of Australia's greatest novelists.