Synopses & Reviews
Three classic stories for young adults about the wonder and power of our connections with nature and each other.Gene Stratton-Porter was a pioneer naturalist, wilderness advocate, and author. She wrote both fiction and nonfiction about the woods and swampland that she loved so much, and her tales of finding independence and courage through building a relationship with nature touched millions of readers both when she was writing and to this day. In Wonder, Hope, Love, and Loss: The Selected Novels of Gene Stratton-Porter, three of her most timeless classics are collected in one volume. A Girl of the Limberlost, Freckles, and The Harvester demonstrate the power of Stratton-Porters writing for young people as she explores how the natural world can provide not just a means of sustenance, but also a source of strength in the face of the worlds difficulties and, ultimately, a place where you can be true to yourself.
In both A Girl of the Limberlost and Freckles, we see young Elnora Cornstock and an orphan boy known only as Freckles develop a love of Limberlost Swamp, using it to gain independence and find true connections with others. Taking place in the woodlands of the Midwest, The Harvester tells the story of a young man who lives on his own and who heals an ill girl. In each book, nature is a powerful force that helps the characters deal with the pain of their pasts and the uncertainty of the present. With a foreword by award-winning essayist Scott Russell Sanders, Wonder, Hope, Love, and Loss: The Selected Novels of Gene Stratton-Porter brings together three classic novels that deserve a place on any young adults bookshelf.
About the Author
Gene Stratton-Porter was an American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, and writer. She wrote bestselling novels as well as nonfiction books that detailed the natural history and wildlife of the Limberlost Swamp and other wetlands in her home state of Indiana.
Scott Russell Sanders is the author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including A Private History of Awe and A Conservationist Manifesto. Among his honors are the Lannan Literary Award, the John Burroughs Essay Award, the Mark Twain Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University. He lives with his wife, Ruth, in Bloomington, Indiana.