Pat of Silver Bush is a coming-of-age novel, picturesque, warm, and pure. Patricia Gardiner, known as Pat, is a sensitive, sweet, and fiercely loving child of seven. Perhaps Pat’s most unique and defining characteristic is her ability to “love people…and things”; so dearly that it hurts her dreadfully to see them change. Pat’s gentle parents, brothers and sisters, the wise and witty Judy Plum, her best friends Elizabeth “Bets” Wilcox and Hilary “Jingle”, and ultimately the house of Silver Bush are all foundations of life for young Pat, and any slights cast upon them ignites in Pat a fierce anger.
As Pat grows up, life brings in rapid waves the inevitable: change. Pat’s hatred of change of any kind to anything she loves is repeatedly flared up. As Pat’s quiet and loving soul matures, however, she slowly learns to accept and live along with the flow of life. Surprises and changes and losses and goodbyes, she learns, may seem obtrusive yet are an undeniable part of life and should be embraced. Pat grows into a spirited, open-hearted, and loving young woman, with her unquenchable love for her home inspiring her to become the “chatelaine of Silver Bush”.
Published through the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library
Dec 24, 2018
Link: https://hpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/144094125
