Mary Louise

Blurb

At Miss Stearne's School for Girls, fifteen-year-old Mary Louise Burrows stands apart for her calm judgment and practical mind, even when her classmates rage against the school's strict new rules and shabby conditions. She refuses to rebel blindly, instead questioning whether Miss Stearne's severity may be meant to shield them from the unsettling influence of the local picture theater. That moral seriousness reflects the life she has already lived: a childhood of upheaval, moving from place to place with her mother under the care of her elusive grandfather, Colonel James Weatherby—"Gran'pa Jim." Now in Beverly, Mary Louise enjoys a stable home, a fine library, and the Colonel's careful guidance in manners, charity, and self-control, though his past remains hidden. A sudden recognition by a stranger at the village hotel shatters the household's calm and leads to secret consultations, cryptic warnings, and Mary Louise's painful separation from her mother and grandfather. Sent to board with the Conants in Dorfield, she is told to trust that silence is necessary for Gran'pa Jim's safety. There she finds comfort in Irene Macfarlane, a cheerful, wheelchair-bound girl whose wit, courage, and love of books help Mary Louise endure uncertainty. As summer approaches, a move to the secluded Hillcrest Lodge promises another turn in this story of family secrets, resilience, and growing up under extraordinary circumstances. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.