Helping Himself, or Grant Thornton's Ambition
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Horatio Alger, Jr.
Helping Himself, or Grant Thornton's Ambition deals with the grit and determination of Grant, a 15 year old farmer's boy whose father is dead and in order to pay his minister father's debts, and to help his mother deal with their abject poverty young Grant postpones his college education to take a job as a Wall Street broker's clerk. The first step is to deal with the avaricious and greedy man who is keeping them from obtaining the meager amount due them and which will at least allow them to eat. Grant's wits, pluck and sheer determination are tested time and time again and each time he rises to the occasion. Read of his struggle to feed his mother and himself and then to rise in the world despite great odds. I can say with great confidence that in the end, he might succeed! (Summary by phil chenevert) (5 hr 34 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Horatio Alger's plots seem to be more or less the same...
lanternland
...but I like them anyway! They're simple minded and have happy endings. I wish real life was like that. And I always appreciate Alger's glimpses of a long ago New York City. I enjoyed this one but don't think it was one of his best. I was sort of let down by the ending. Why was the arch villain only sentenced for forgery and not hung for kidnapping? His no good mama should have also been arrested as an accomplice. I want to reopen this case! Most excellently read by what I suppose is the Killmer husband and wife team taking turns on the chapters.
Don't make this your introduction to Alger
Pvoelker
Helping Himself (1886) is another rags to riches Alger tale. Just when you think it's over though, a related lengthy story is tacked onto the end. I agree with lanternland. The conclusion is not as satisfying as typical Alger stories. The readers alternate chapters and do a nice job, warming up to the material as the story goes along. I'd check out other Horatio Alger books first and save this one for true fans.
great story
Lynn
The book is great and i love it, but it is not really based in reality; no one in real life gets that many breaks! The description of it is incorrect, though. His father is not dead; he is just a poor minister who struggles along on the small amount of money given him by the stingy deacon of his congregation.
Enjoyable Read!
JeanieCat
Very well read by the Kilmers! A typical Horatio Alger story! I enjoy them immensely even though I of course realize that they bear very little semblance to real life!
Excellent Story
Very good moral story.