The Lark - E. Nesbit - Bookniverse

The Lark is a spirited novel by Edith Nesbit. Published in 1922, this story captures a unique moment in history when young women were beginning to find their voices in ways they never had before. When Jane and Lucilla's guardian loses their inheritance and disappears to South America, the young girls are left with nothing but a small cottage. They decide to turn their misfortune into a "lark"— a British slang term for a fun adventure. They run the cottage as a guesthouse to earn a living. The story follows their hilarious attempts to keep their heads above water. It is a celebration of "making do" and finding beauty in the simple things.****************************Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) was not a typical Victorian lady. She was a rebel who cropped her hair short, wore "rational" clothes instead of tight corsets, and was a founding member of the Fabian Society, a group dedicated to social reform. While many people know her for her famous children's books like The Railway Children, Nesbit wrote The Lark toward the end of her life. By this time, she had experienced both wealth and poverty. She knew exactly what it felt like to worry about the rent, which is why Jane and Lucilla’s struggles feel so real.