This is a sweet, little, predictable book suitable for children. When I was seven, it would have been a favorite, no doubt. It has a poor boy who is orphaned, rich ladies who are gracious and generous, old houses that have sat unoccupied and are now brought back to life, circus life, horses, a dog that does tricks like spelling its name with blocks, a boy’s first ever birthday party, and a tea party with two girls and eleven dolls!

Louisa May Alcott writes excellent children’s fare and if I were rating this from that point of view I could give it another star for sure. But, I opened it as an adult and I’m grading it as fare for an adult, and of course it doesn’t measure up. It read quickly enough and I have no doubt I will forget it almost as rapidly. If you have a child seven or eight years old, this should be an excellent read for them; if you are looking for something for yourself, you should probably pass.
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En esta hermosa y tierna novela juvenil la autora relata las aventuras del niño Ben Brown cuando, al alejarse del circo donde trabajaba, con Sancho su perro amaestrado, conoce a unas hermanitas que juegan bajo las lilas.
Ben trabajará como cochero y se hará amigo de los lugareños, esperando siempre que su padre regrese a buscarlo. Mientras tanto se suceden graciosas y emocionantes aventuras, como cuando un grupo de niños va a conocer el circo que actúa en un pueblo vecino, o cuando Sancho desaparece y aparece de otro color y... ¡sin cola!

Boys used to dream about running away to join the circus, right? Lots of stories about that. Well, in this one, a boy ran away from the circus, where he had been happy until his father left for "the West", promising to come back to get him as soon as he saved up some money. Of course, he didn't return, and without his protection, young Ben began to suffer ill treatment at the hands of the man who ran the show. So off he struck, with faithful performing dog companion, Sancho (a poodle, yet), sleeping in barns, and generally falling on hard times...until he and the dog were discovered by two little girls whose mother cared for the "big house" on an estate with no master or mistress in residence. Soon enough, along comes the young mistress and her recuperating even younger brother (why is there always such a time gap between siblings in these stories?) to settle in. Lovely frolics and tea parties and poetry recitations ensue, all the while Ben's getting educated and properly clothed, and brother Thorny is grower stronger after his long and mysterious illness (illnesses never had names in the 19th century, did they?) and Betty and Bab have such fun...until Bab fails at minding Sancho and the poor critter gets kidnapped to be taken, we assume, back to the circus, and Ben gets word that his father has died in California... *sigh* There are fine pen and ink drawings illustrating the copy I read, and there's a happy ending as preposterous as it is predictable. I contemplated skimming from time to time, but in the end I managed to read it all. If I were raising young people in the late 1800's, I suppose this is just the sort of book I would have wanted them to read. But honestly, no one in it, with the possible exception of Bab, behaves in a recognizable human manner, and I don't think that's just because I'm reading it so far out of its time. ( )

Forgettable, happily-ever-after. Disappointing effort from Alcott. ( )

I'm delighted that this title showed up on my book group list. We all enjoyed its old fashioned sweetness. The generosity and kindness of some of the characters is an inspiration. The bad guys are very bad. Not at all like my everyday life. A wonderful escape. ( )