Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding

Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding

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Editorial Reviews

Betsy and the Great World: Betsy Ray is twenty-one and on the adventure of a lifetime: a solo tour of Europe! There's even a handsome Italian, Marco, who's going overboard for her—if only she could stop thinking about her ex-sweetheart Joe Willard.

Betsy's Wedding: When Betsy's boat docks in New York, Joe is waiting there . . . with a ring! But she's going to learn that marriage isn't all candlelight, roses, and kisses. There's also cooking, ironing, cleaning, and budgeting— and will she be able to find time to forge a writing career?

Customer Reviews

Just keeps getting better!

Reviewed by Melody Murray, 2009-10-08

I have read and re-read this series so many times over the years, and Betsy and the Great World, which started out being my least favorite (Betsy's away from the Crowd! And in boring old Europe!) has become perhaps my most favorite of all (Betsy's maturing on her own! And in fascinating pre-WWI Europe!). Not to mention it has the BEST ending ever. Then to have Betsy's Wedding in the same volume- it's bliss, I tell you, absolute bliss. Such a wonderful series, you owe it to yourself to read it.

My all-time favorite series!

Reviewed by ProfessorMom, 2009-10-05

I read Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables, and loved both, but it was Betsy Ray who really stole my heart! I read each of the "high school and beyond" books over and over when I was in high school, and continued to read them into college and beyond. Betsy's life resonated with me -- from her concern over her social status to her love of writing; her house as a haven for other teenagers to her guilt over times she was not true to herself. I used her a role model -- sometimes of what not to do! (Procrastinate! Neglect what gives you joy, even if it isn't "popular." Keep your feelings hidden -- you'll end up at the most important dance of the year with the wrong boy!)

I learned that decisions have consequences, and that it was worthwhile to think things through a bit. The fact she "lived" so many decades before me didn't matter -- human nature doesn't change that much, and setting limits with boys, seriously considering basic faith beliefs, neglecting schoolwork, and gathering with friends for all kinds of good times (dancing, sledding, talking, plotting, ...) -- are issues that ring true at any time period!

I liked that she was a "typical teenager," with problems and silliness and fun times and worry and heartbreak and joy. I especially liked that Betsy was always, always available. She was a comfort read, she was a steady friend during the sometimes trying times of adolescence, and it was -- and is -- always wonderful to open the pages and walk into the Rays' house again. (Could you pass me a muffin? Oh, and some fudge!)

In this two-volume set, Betsy leaves Deep Valley and finally explores The Great World -- then she returns home, to her first two years of marriage. I can honestly say, as someone who teaches Marriage courses in college, that the description of Betsy's marriage is one of the best I have ever read -- it is true to what happens as two people learn to live together, to make adjustments, to consider another person's feelings (sometimes even before your own). It does not paint marriage as "happily ever after" -- it shows that marriage takes work. I was fortunate to know that from my own parents, but not everyone is, so I recommend "Betsy's Wedding" to anyone considering getting married, no matter how in love they may be.

(And if you like reading about Betsy, make sure you read "Emily of Deep Valley" -- my personal favorite! -- and "Carney's House Party," too!)

Betsy-Tacy got me through my childhood!

Reviewed by Fran Manushkin, 2009-10-04

Is your family not as wonderful as you'd want them to be? Do you yearn to hang out with a warm, supportive, yet not gooey group of girls and young women? Then grab these books! I read them as a kid and re-read them as an adult. Did Maud Hart Lovelace turn me into a writer? Maybe she did. From the very first book in this series--Betsy-Tacy--to the last-- Betsy's Wedding--Miss Lovelace creates characters you can care about, and who their families clearly support (most of the time). Though written many decades ago, the Betsy-Tacy books support girls who want to be opera singers, writers--anything. They accept their kids' religious yearnings too.
Lovers of Ramona Quimby and Junie B. Jones will find kindred spirits in Betsy, Tacy, and Tib in the younger books, and those looking for romance will be equally satisfied by the older books. Try reading a few samples of these books in the "Look Inside" feature, and if you can resist them, I'll eat raw onion sandwiches for dinner tonight.

for all ages

Reviewed by Cynthia M. Price, 2009-10-04

This is the best series I've ever read! Anyone who loves to read will love these books. This one is special because Betsy takes the Grand Tour of Europe right before WWI breaks out. And she comes home to plan a whirlwind wedding. This edition is especially nice, with high-quality paper and bindings. I am so glad these books are back in print!

The Final Two Books in the Betsy Tacy Series -- Once You've Read Them, Start Over Again with Betsy-Tacy!

Reviewed by J. Hart, 2009-10-03

I read these books as a child and reread them to this day. The first four books, Betsy Tacy, Betsy Tacy and Tib, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown are wonderful for a girl age 5 and up. The books progress in reading level as they go, as well as in themes. The final six books in the series, just reissued in 3 2-book volumes, are absolutely amazing. They are Heaven to Betsy/Betsy in Spite of Herself; Betsy was a Junior/Betsy and Joe; Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding and are great for a girl age 9 and up. We follow Betsy through four years of high school, with dances, rides in autos, boys and hijinks. Then she's off for a year of travel in Europe just prior to the outbreak of WWI and then she returns home to marry her high school sweetheart and begin on her writing career. Lovelace based these books on her own upbringing in Mankato, Minnesota and they are simply wonderful. This summer I traveled to Mankato for the Betsy Tacy Convention and saw Betsy's, Tacy's and Tib's house. I cannot wait to read these with my own daughter, but in the meantime, I will continue to reread them. They are my literary equivalent of comfort food. Fans include such bestselling authors as Meg Cabot, Laura Lippman, Anna Quindlen, Nora Ephron, Judy Blume, Nancy Pearl, Joyce Maynard, and Mary Kay Andrews!