Review: A Little Slice of Life in the "Good Old Days"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 26, 2014
“The Little Girl Praying on the Hill” by Olga D’Agostino is rather a unique story in which a young girl narrates to readers an overview of her life as she was growing up. The girl resided in an agrarian society, served by a small town, with a single church situated high on a hill.As should be the case, the opening sentence in this book sets the stage for the rest of the tale. That sentence is: “I was born in a strange place, beautiful to look at but hard to live in.” Throughout the story our young narrator juxtaposes her vivid descriptions of the natural world around her, with her laments of the harsh life faced by villagers and farmers alike.This story is not a book children will appreciate, nor is it a full blown novel for adults. In both content and character, it is well suited to middle-grade students, and possibly of greater interest to girls than boys, although that is my own prejudice coming into play. (Hey, I’m old. What did you expect?)“The Little Girl Praying on the Hill” is a very realistic cameo of post-WWII rural European life. In that regard it should also be of considerable interest to history buffs, particularly those who are most intrigued by that time and place. The apparent lack of any “modern” conveniences in the context of this story also serves to make it relevant to many places in today’s world, where people still live much the same as did their ancestors hundreds of years previously.At no point in this story did D’Agostino suggest she was telling of her own childhood, or possibly her mother’s childhood. However, if I were a gambling man I’d be happy to lay down a bet that such is the case. I was expecting a children’s book, as that is what D’Agostino usually writes, but finding a little slice of life at a different time and place was a most delightful surprise.I cannot decide which genre best fits this story. That notwithstanding, I can and do recommend this as being both entertaining and educational. All readers with an interest in the so-called “good old days”, or intrigued by how different life was before iPads and Facebook, should take the time to read and savor “The Little Girl Praying on the Hill” by Olga D’Agostino. It may help you keep your own life challenges in perspective.