I wish I could say that I loved this book. I really wanted to, but the cumbersome and old fashioned language, and at times the advice, slowed me down so much and often made me say, "That's not going to work now-a-days." I love history and old books and honestly would love it if many of these principles could be lived out these days, but the way they are presented would not work for my girls.

I was happy to see a re-release of Beautiful Girlhood, as it was a book that I remembered reading when I was younger.

The advice overall is sound, though some of it I do not fully agree with as an adult - but majority of it is simply helpful advice about how to protect a young girl's innocence early in life and grow into a mature adult.

I think as long as you read the book beforehand and decide what parts are right for your daughters and your family, it can still be a valuable read overall.

***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***

I'm glad to see a re-release of this lovely book. I used this book with my girls when they were much younger. The advice is sound, but it's sure to upset feminists. Some of the advice is perhaps bordering on legalism, but only if one makes it so. Much of it is simply common sense advice about how to protect a young girl's innocence and reputation, help her navigate challenging relationships, and grow into maturity. The hemlines may have changed, but not the intent toward a modest and mature heart. The book is lovely and lyrical. I highly recommend this book if you'd like to raise girls who are more innocent than jaded.

I gratefully received a free ARC digital copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion.

The world needs more young women comfortable in their faith and leading with boldness and grace. The Lord has designed women to fill a special place in society, one uniquely theirs. The world needs women (and men) who don't shy away from their own purposes, gifting, and destinies. Beautiful Girlhood was written as a guide helping young women through these challenges of character building, handling disappointment, obedience, responsibilities, and more.

This 100 year old book set for re-release sets out to usher young girls into womanhood. While these quick chapters may have been useful in the early 1900's, they are clearly outdated today. According to Hale's advice, girls should be meek and obedient, without any indication that they should also know their worth. Other examples of its outdatedness are Hale's inferences that crime books should be off limits as well as being out in public. Hale also speaks of a girl's need to know basic skills like cooking, cleaning, and homemaking. And while I agree that these are skills all young people should know, there's no instruction in these areas or indication in how to grow in these skills.

While I love the concept of a guidebook during this transition from girlhood to womanhood, this book is so clearly outdated that it's not worth the time or money to read it. The ideas in Beautiful Girlhood are so repressive; they spoil the beauty of strong Biblical womanhood. I cannot recommend this book in any capacity.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Oh my. I read a soon-to-be-re-released version of this 100 year-old book and I cringe to think that people are still trying to teach girls to live this way. This book may have been helpful for some girls in the early 1900's (no, not really) but what 21st century young woman is going to relate to a woman preaching to her about the sins of wanting to ride in fancy carriages or wearing an extravagant hairstyle?

The book gives all the standard old fashioned advice about how important it is to be obedient, helpful, kind, meek, etc. Girls should not be friends with boys. If you dress provocatively (like showing arms) you not only are asking for any awful things that are said about you, but you are harming the "good" boys who might have sinful thoughts put in their heads by overhearing nasty things boys might say about you. Don't act like a boy. Nobody wants a boyish girl or a girlish boy. Don't hold hands or play games with boys, etc.

"She should always remember that Father has the right to direct her life, to say what she shall and shall not do...". And so on. It's all straight out of a Duggar family handbook -- shame, guilt and victim-blaming and all.

The book goes on and on with talk about how a girl should act and what she should do, but it also gives almost no actual instruction. The author says that a girl should know how to cook, clean, dust, keep herself healthy, make money if something happens and she needs to, etc. but doesn't tell how to do these things. There are just lots of stories about young girls the author knew and how they (mostly) failed or shined. At best, it makes for interesting history but in a really depressing way.

At one point the author even says that nowadays girls are allowed to "go out in public" as if that's a bad thing. Oh, and reading mystery or crime books is sinful too, almost as much as befriending the kinds of people in those books.

I am saddened that people today are still trying to say this stuff is good advice for anyone. While I love reading historic books, this isn't one that I would recommend.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.