The Getting of Wisdom

"The Getting of Wisdom" by Henry Handel Richardson is a story set in the late 1800s that follows Laura Rambotham's journey as a young girl facing the challenges of growing up and figuring out school life when leaving her family home to attend an all-girls boarding school. From her early childhood innocence spent playing with her siblings in the garden, the story fast forwards as we see her relationship with her mother, and her changing identity as she prepares for her departure to boarding school, where she encounters both the exciting and difficult parts of pursuing wisdom and carving out individuality, contrasting with the stern new reality that she is about to enter. The story explores how she navigates the complexities of social expectations and learns valuable lessons about herself and the world around her.