A collection of (I assume) semi-autobiographical short stories about the author's growing up in San Francisco, the child of Norwegian immigrant parents. The keystone that holds the family together is Mama, around whom each story/chapter focuses. Though originally published in 1943, this has aged remarkably well. Reading it in 2021, the language still felt fresh, and the stories engaged me. It's mostly a sweet and heart-warming collection. ( )

In PB reprint from 1943: this trove of delightful little gems about an indomitable Norwegian matriarch of early twentieth-century San Francisco. Mama manages five kids, her own squabbling siblings, money problems, medical crises, and a growing number of boarders with optimism and insight. A fine antidote to our own coarse and indulgent times. I was saying Mama's mantra "is good, is good" and grinning ear to ear by the middle of the book. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book. It showed the transition from an immigrant to an adapted lifestyle. Very wise woman. ( )

In episodic chapters, the author draws on the experiences of her Norwegian immigrant grandmother to describe a family in San Fransisco in the early 1900s, and their steadfast Mama.

I picked this up from the library on a whim, because as I was looking at the book, I was almost certain that I'd read it before. Or part of it. I'm still not entirely sure. Two of the stories - "Mama and the Graduation Present" and "Mama and Uncle Elizabeth" - I believe were in one of my literature books as an elementary or middle school student. I really enjoyed these heartwarming and often funny stories. Each chapter could be read nearly on its own, though time moves on, and some references are made to past chapters. The importance of family, and Mama's oft-repeated phrase, "It is good," are at the heart of this story. ( )

In this true story, the author was told by a more experienced writer that she should write about things she knows. And this book proves the other author was right. Telling only about the things with which she was most familiar: her family of Norwegian descent, San Francisco in the early 1900's, etc., Kathryn Forbes has woven a tale which I am only too glad to read over and over. it never lets me down. ( )