Carney's House Party (Deep Valley Book)

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Summary: Waited a long time for this book -- it's worth the wait!
Review: A long-time Betsy-Tacy fan (fanatic?) I am lucky enough to have a copy (passed down from my mother) of this wonderful book. It is probably my favorite of all of the Lovelace books--though it's hard to choose one favorite; they are ALL so good--and I am delighted that it's being reprinted at last. I love the way Romance (in the form of a "baby hippo") comes to cool, level-headed, forehanded Carney.

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Summary: Carney's House Party will be reprinted
Review: Good news Maud Hart Lovelace fans! Harper Collins publishers will be reissuing the Betsy-Tacy books, including Carney, Emily of Deep Valley, and Winona's Pony Cart beginning in December 1999. They will have NEW cover art and retain the Lenski and Neville illustrations inside.

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Summary: Rejoice -- Carney's House Party is back in print!
Review: HarperCollins made an excellent choice when they decided to reprint Maud Hart Lovelace's other Deep Valley books. Carney's House Party is, of the three being reprinted, the most essential to the events in the post-high-school Betsy-Tacy books, and it's hard to see why it was ever allowed to go out of print in the first place.

This book is wonderful for many reasons. First, it gives us more insight into Carney Sibley, always one of the most interesting characters in the series. It answers the question that the other books leave us wondering about: whatever happened with Carney and Larry? Carney's devotion to Larry was one of the mainstays in the Betsy-Tacy high school books, and readers will thoroughly enjoy seeing how the relationship plays out.

It is also fascinating to see Deep Valley through another character's eyes, and to see other characters' opinions of Betsy Ray (the Betsy-Tacy books were largely autobiographical, and Betsy, the main character in most of the books, is Lovelace's fictional alter ego). Since the book has been out of print for so long, many readers will be thrilled to see new episodes involving the Crowd. Sadly, Herbert and Tacy do not figure in, and there's not enough of Cab, but, happily, Joe Willard makes a brief cameo.

Lovelace's stories wear so well; Carney's experiences at Vassar, her uncertainty about how well she fits in in the East, and her emotional turmoil (well, as close as Carney will ever come to emotional turmoil) over Larry are all still engaging and relevant. The Crowd is wonderful as always, with lots of singing, dancing, and inside jokes (young Lochinvar!). Don't miss this bonus trip to Deep Valley!

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Summary: Another great view of Deep Valley
Review: I finally got ahold of a library copy of "Carney's House Party," and I am so excited to have read it! It was another great look at Deep Valley life, and for me it was great to *finally* see where the heck Sam came from. (If you go right from the high school books to "Betsy's Wedding," you don't get much explanation who this Sam guy is and what happened to Larry.)

This book made me feel like I was right there at the house party, with my good pals from high school Betsy and Carney and Bonnie. I hope the publisher sees fit to reissue this title, as well as "Emily of Deep Valley" and "Winona's Pony Cart," so that those of us that are B-T nuts can finish our collections.

Only thing is that I wished there had been more about Tacy, since she always was my favorite character. But a very small flaw, indeed. The Betsy-Tacy world is a magical place, and very soothing to read about.

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Summary: Oh, to go back to Deep Valley!
Review: I have 5 sisters and each and every one of us read all the Betsy Tacy books when we were girls. I read the ones of their childhood when I was little and then "graduated" to the High School and past, series as I grew older. Oh, so many fun hours reading them, trying to copy the wonderful Vera Neville illustrations, wishing I could live in Deep Valley just for awhile. Several years ago I startled the customers near me when I whooped with pleasure at finding these books in a bookstore -- just like I did a few minutes ago when I saw here on Amazon recommendations "Carney's House Party"! THANK'S Amazon!! I didn't know that that one, and "Emily of Deep Valley", had been re-published. I've just ordered both, (for me!) as well as two complete sets of the younger-age books for my two eldest granddaughters. This tradition is one I am happy to pass on -- I can't wait to give them this treat. By the way -- I don't agree with the 9-12 age rating for the books that are set in high school and beyond: they are really for a bit older, although there is certainly nothing harmful in them for little girls: on the contrary. But they are intended for a bit older -- say 12 and up.

Rating:
Summary: A great addition to any Betsy-Tacy library
Review: I loved the book for the same reasons everyone else does -- it's a fresh perspective on the Deep Valley Crowd AND it solves the mystery of what happened to Carney's high school ideal Larry.

I have only two quibbles:

1) The illustrations look somewhat recycled from other Betsy-Tacy books.
2) Carney mysteriously loses her eyeglasses. I noticed this in the illustrations and also wondered what happened while she's hanging on to the bumper of Sam's car in the rain: wouldn't they have fogged up? :) It's a small thing, but one of the reasons Carney was always my favorite is that she wore glasses and so do I.

A great book overall to add to our collections!

Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Perspective on Deep Valley and the Crowd
Review: I vaguely remembered reading Carney's House Party over 35 years ago in my public library but the details certainly faded with the years. Now that I replenished my Betsy-Tacy library, thanks to Amazon, I decided to get Carney's House Party as well. What an interesting view it is of Deep Valley and the Crowd, as it is from Carney's perspective. As Carney's personality is markedly different from Betsy's, her opinions of events differ from those we'd expect from our beloved, but admittedly more dramatic, Betsy. I also found the description of college life at Vassar to be interesting and so different from my own at a women's college in the early 70's. Finally, Carney's romance is both surprising to those of us who followed the series and ultimately right for her.

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Summary: I went to Deep Valley and Saw Carney's House
Review: I was thrilled to see that Carney's House Party is back! I grew up on a farm near Mankato, MN (Deep Valley) which was featured in Betsy and Joe. I loved these books as a child and now am so happy to be able to share them with my own daughters. Carney was always one of my favorite characters beause of her calm good sense combined with a love of fun. Her loyalty to her friends and respect and love for her family are powerful messages for today's young women. I only wish I could find comparable literature for my son.

Rating:
Summary: I went to Deep Valley and Saw Carney's House
Review: So... was glad to be able to order the one Betsy book I had never read. It's lovely - all MH Lovelace's Betsy books are. And FINALLY, finally, you get to find out what happened to Larry and where Sam came from. When I first got on the 'net last year, I was so glad to be able to order books I could never quite find, and also to find there were (adult) Betsy fans everywhere - what a pleasant surprise. But if you've never been to Mankato, you want to know about the house (it was a "side trip" when visiting Mall of America). Well, Betsy's high school house is gone, but I was only disappointed briefly, because you can see Tacy's house (being restored), and Tib's house and the big hill (the hill is somewhat different than the image the books present) - but Carney's house looks just as described in the book. I wondered exactly what that add-on structure in back was - well "Carney's House Party" explained that. Bonnie's house, which I would like to have seen, across the street from Carney's, is gone also. One nice surprise - on Front Street there is a charming 2nd-hand bookstore, which my sister loved, probably about the size Mr. Ray's shoe store was. The proprietor there directed us to the library where you can purchase some Betsy items, the main one being a booklet with very nice pictures of most of the crowd when they were in high school, so at long last I also got to see what they all looked like, including Carney. I think part of the enduring attraction of this series is that it is autobiographical and therefore also historical. As a history buff, that's why I have stayed a fan of a book series discovered as a young person.