Nancy of Paradise Cottage

"Nancy of Paradise Cottage" by Shirley Watkins is a story set in the early 1900s that follows the lives of two sisters, Nancy and Alma Prescott, as they deal with being poor and what society expects of them. The book seems to focus on themes like wanting to get ahead, growing as a person, and finding happiness even when money is tight, and it shows how the sisters think differently about life and love. Right from the start, readers see Nancy and Alma doing something as simple as grocery shopping, which shows how ordinary their lives are. Nancy stands out as the sensible one, wanting to make her own way in the world through school and being independent, while Alma obsesses over things that don't really matter, upset that her family doesn't have money or a place in society. The relationship between the sisters hints at a battle between wanting to achieve something real and wanting to show off, as Nancy aims to support herself and Alma dreams of fame and popularity, setting up the different paths they will take and the problems they will face with family, relationships, and society as they try to figure out who they are.