Question about Cheaper by the Dozen

[nestof3]

I watched the older (possible oldest) film version of this book and was unimpressed. Does the book portray the oldest daughter as finding her father "old-fashioned" and are the characters in the book as annoying as they are on film?

[Susan in SoCal]

The characters are very richly and honestly drawn. The authors, of course, are two of the children. And I thought the book reflected the very high regard they had for both their parents. Tho, they do speak honestly of their father's quirks and even (if I remember correctly) his somewhat aggressive physical/anger side. And yes, I do believe the girls got frustrated with his "old-fashioned" values a couple times.

The book is a 1000x better than the movie. JMHO.

[jen210]

Highly recommend the book.

Jennifer

[attachedto4]

I think the older daughters might say their dad is old fashioned in the book because he won't let them bob their hair, but it's said with affection and not at all in a snotty teen way. They really love and respect their dad. It's a wonderful book.

[tinkgumby]

This was one of my favorite books as a teen. I remember thinking I wanted to be a parent like that, so I don't think it was too negatively portrayed!

[Starr]

We loved the book. It was great to listen to while we were driving. I find that gives us lot's of opportunity to talk about books together.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

:iagree:Absolutely fabulous book. We own the older version of the movie and like it as well, but, not as much as the book.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I loved this book as a child-and yes, it does portray the daughter as thinking her father old fashioned. It also portrays how much she loves her family. In the book you have two elements coming together-the coming of age of a teenage girl and the transition from the Victorian/Edwardian Period to that of the Roaring Twenties. It was a big change for society and undoubtedly for a young woman to try to define what adulthood means. As I remember, it is not a portrait of disrespect but rather a look at life in a large family that is actually run on love and respect. I first read the book at about age 10 and still love it. I am looking forward to sharing it with my kids.