
1. Jean Finds a Stranger
2. New York Cousins
3. Exhibit A
4. Christmas at the Ellis Place
5. New York Dreams Come True
6. Leaving Home
7. Aldo from Italy
8. Jean Meets a Contessa
9. Letters from Home
10. At the Art Academy
Jean Craig, the eldest of four lively siblings, has just traded Long Island’s bustle for a quiet Connecticut farm. As the first snow of the season settles, a pink express card arrives, bearing a heartfelt letter from Ralph, a handsome young ranch hand who has captured her imagination. While her family busies itself with holiday preparations and the promise of fresh evergreen wreaths, Jean finds herself torn between the comfort of home and the yearning for the distant world of art she left behind in New York.
The story follows Jean’s quiet struggle to balance duty, family, and her own creative spirit. Through lively kitchen chatter, seed catalogs, and the occasional visit from friends, she discovers that expression can take many forms—whether in a brushstroke, a knitted wreath, or a whispered promise from afar. As Christmas approaches, the mystery of the express package hints at possibilities that could reshape her future, inviting listeners to share in her hopeful, coming‑of‑age journey.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (160K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2021-04-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Best known for the Jean Craig books, this mid-century writer brought nursing school, family life, and young adulthood together in warm, readable stories for younger readers. Her novels have a practical, everyday feel that still makes them an interesting glimpse of girls' fiction in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
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