Who Cares? A Story of Adolescence
by Cosmo Hamilton (?–1942)
- Free to read
- 6 hours to read
- 38 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"Who Cares? A Story of Adolescence" by Cosmo Hamilton is a novel written in the early 20th century. It explores the coming-of-age journey of young Joan, who grapples with the constraints of her old-fashioned family life and yearns for freedom and excitement. As Joan navigates the challenges of adolescence, her encounters with love, societal expectations, and personal desires unfold against the backdrop of a world coming to life in spring. At the start of the story, we are introduced to Joan, an eighteen-year-old girl feeling isolated in a household dominated by elderly family members. She expresses her deep dissatisfaction and longing for connection in a letter to her friend Alice, revealing her frustration with the stifling atmosphere of her home. As spring blossoms outside, Joan's inner restlessness grows, igniting a desire for adventure and a rebellion against her confining circumstances. Her life dramatically changes when she meets Martin Gray, a young man who resonates with her youthful spirit. Their initial interactions set the stage for a budding friendship that suggests both companionship and the potential for love, prompting Joan to dream of a life filled with the vibrancy and opportunities she craves.
- Love stories
- New York (State)
Read the opening
Chapter I
SPRING IN THE WORLD AND ALL THINGS FOR THE YOUNG
Birds called. Breezes played among branches just bursting into green. Daffodils, proud and erect, stood in clumps about the dazzling lawn. Young, pulsing, eager things elbowed their way through last year's leaves to taste the morning sun; the wide-eyed celandine, yellower than butter; the little violet, hugging the earth for fear of being seen; the sturdy bourgeois daisy; the pale-faced anemone, earliest to wake and earliest to sleep; the blue bird's-eye in small family groups; the blatant dandelion already a head and shoulders taller than any neighbor. Every twig in the old garden bore its new load of buds that were soft as kittens' paws; and up the wrinkled trunks of ancient trees young ivy leaves chased each other like school-boys.
Spring had come again, and its eternal spirit spread the message of new-born hope, stirred the sap of awakening life, warmed the bosom of a wintry earth and put into the hearts of birds the old desire to mate. But the lonely girl turned a deaf ear to the call, and rounded her shoulders over the elderly desk with tears blistering her letter.
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About this edition
This free edition of Who Cares? A Story of Adolescence by Cosmo Hamilton comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3641, released 2003-01-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, British Literature.
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