| Title | : | Michael O'Halloran (Library of Indiana Classics) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0253210453 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780253210456 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 576 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1915 |
Michael O'Halloran (Library of Indiana Classics) Reviews
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This is my favorite Stratton-Porter book of all time. I will never forget it. Something in my heart shifted because of the characters in this story and changed me forever. I don't say that about books very often, unless it's the Bible.
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OH. MY. GOODNESS. This is one of the best books ever! My only complaint is that Porter's writing style is a little too wordy for me. Not that she uses a big words, but she just uses A LOT of words, with some unnecessary description. Other than that, I ADORED this book!
Michael (aka "Micky") is just the sweetest, wisest, most honorable, and lovable boy you will find in the streets of NYC. I love his slang! ("Nix on the swell dames!") <3 His sense of responsibility and honor for one so young is inspiring, and his relationship with Lily (aka "Peaches") is just charming!
Peaches is so sweet, and is most of the time very content, patient, and happy, even with a crippled back. She is so precocious, lovable, loyal and such a spit-fire, it is hard not to want to wrap her up in a big bear hug!
The rest of the characters are also amazing! I love them all; Douglas, Leslie, "Daddy", the "Angel Lady", Mr. Milton, and on and on. The story is also stupendous, heartwarming, and inspiring. It is just too hard to sum it up! A wonderful read for just about anybody! I would recommend it for ages 11+, only because the writing is somewhat hard to follow, but it would make a great read-aloud. Not a drop of language, explicit content, or violence. Just pure goodness! -
This has quickly become my favorite Gene Stratton-Porter book! Oh how wonderful and pure and wholesome this book is!! You "Laddie" loving friends (all 27 of you on my friends list that have read Laddie) simply must read this!! It's available on Librovox FYI.
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I had a real love-hate relationship with this book. I love GSP, even when she pushes the boundaries of sentimentality and preachy morals to their very edge, but there were a few adult characters in this book that were simply insufferable. Luckily, the children more than made up for it - they were what kept me reading.
Another thing that really bothered me was her over use of exclamation points - I don't remember noticing it in any of her other novels, but it was very distracting in this one. And for the first time I found her nature descriptions tedious - especially the whole flower basket and bird song story lines.
I would say if you haven't read GSP before, don't start here - try Girl Of The Limberlost, The Keeper Of Bees, or The Harvester instead. -
Story of a spunky 10y/o orphan boy named Michael. It starts with Michael living alone, hiding from the Children's home, working as a newsboy, and following the rules his Mother gave him before she died. He is quite precocious and meets several interesting people in his day to day activities. Eventually he happens on a poor, dirty, little crippled girl wailing because her abusive granny has died and the Children's Home will be coming after her. Michael manages to get her to his home, clean her up, and claim her as his family. A lot of responsibility for a 10 year old, which he soon discovers and plots to remedy. Quite an enjoyable tale.
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I LOVE Gene Stratton-Porter and contrary to everyone who thinks Freckles is her shining masterpiece, I think Michael O'Hallaran outshines them all. There is a reason that she was making this book into a movie when she had her accident and died. She must have loved this book since she was working tirelessly to create it into a film. This story is so endearing and really teaches us what self-sacrifice and true love really look like.
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"Come on, be square!"
The opening line of this novel, wherein Michael O'Halloran urges his competitor to be fair and square in their business, is a grabber. The story remains interesting and nigh on a century after its release, it still compels. One of my all-time favorites. -
A charmed story about a young boy and his optimistic, influential life in saving and helping so many others as he lands new family and friends. The boy could do no wrong. His life was tough but he was tougher. Like all Porters books, this one was tender, positive and too good to be true.
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This book changed me. It was the right book at the right time. My soul was encouraged and challenged by the characters and plot.
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How to write a review about a book like this?
Gene-Stratton Porter created such a character in Michael O'Halloran. Such a perfect kid.
Mickey as he is often called is a little orphan boy in Multiopolis. He sells papers to keep himself above water. One day he hears what he thinks is a little kitten but ends up finding a dirty crippled little girl named Peaches. This little boy who has nothing took it upon himself to save this little girl.
And he changes her name to Lily Peaches. Because once he washes her and cuts her matted hair she sees how white and delicate she is.
In the mean time he meets Douglas who wants him for his "little brother". I guess this is a precursor to the big brother movement of today. So he along with his best girl Leslie gets Mickey to be his friend. Mickey starts to work for him and make more money for lLily and himself.
There are so many stories going on, and for a long time I couldn't figure out why. The wealthy family that lost their little girl, the Hardings.
And in each instance Mickey did something wonderful for them. They all did wonderful things for him as well but all of it comes from his " keep it square" attitude.
More than once Micky's love for Lily Peaches brought me to tears. I love those two so much.
The story is so sweet and amazing. If you love old books with a sweet story then you must read this! -
I first heard of Michael O'Halloran when coming across the 1948 movie title on the internet. I wanted to watch it, but couldn't find an available copy. Then I stumbled across the book at a library about a week later!
Published in 1915, the reader travels back to days of a lifestyle, mentality, and language different than today. Yet, the fears, joys, and tragedies the characters face are still relevant as ever. Mickey is quite a character; his spunk and vocabulary often made me chuckle. There are three different plots that eventually assemble towards the latter half - sort of like a Dickens novel. During this time, orphan homes were a thing and readers are given a glimpse of child poverty and homelessness.
I recommend to fans of old books. Gene Stratton-Porter is better known for her Freckles and Girl of the Limberlost, but this book is just as good. -
A wonderful classic about a well mannered orphan boy who works as a newspaper boy. He stumbles upon a small cripple girl alone and in bad condition after her cruel grandmother dies and is removed from the tenement. The story revolves around his caring for her and the people he befriends along the way. Although there are sad parts the overwhelming position and uplifting outlook of Mickey makes this a gem.
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In general I love GSP, and while this one is still a sweet story, it was a bit of a slog for me. Perhaps because Micky is so loquacious.
Part of me loves Stratton-Porter’s idealistic characters, and another part of me wants a little more realistic grit and struggle before problems are neatly tied up.
This is my “Lesser known book by a well-known author” for the Literary Life 19 Books In 2021 Book Challenge. 14 down, 5 to go. 😳 -
Micky is an orphan living by his wits in the streets of the city. One day he finds another orphan who is crippled and he is determined to love and protect her. Here is a delightful book of high-quality of friendship, family, and loyalty. Sometimes I'd be irritated at the characters but I couldn't help but love and admire them.
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A pretty old fashioned book, and the title character is sugary sweet - way too much so. But it is a sweet story with some good themes. Plus a nice window into the past, especially to see the difference in how children lived when this was written as opposed to today. So much more independent as such a young age!
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I didn't remember I had read this one...or I didn't remember the name of that one book I'd read...
Anyway, this was good. I think I'll always like Elnora and Freckles best because I was exposed to them first, and Laddie and his crew are also pretty good. But this one wasn't bad. -
Great story by an amazing author. I love how she captures the details & dialect of the times she writes of! And the sweetness she packs into her stories!
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A great story by a great author
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It was a fun engaging story though at times the main character came across as much too saintly.
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Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/9... -
This book will make you think about who you are.
