In an idyllic and pastoral French setting, romance flourishes between one of the twins (Landry), and the urchin Fadette, a romance that defies credulity given the insurmountable gulf that the author created between the protagonists. Yet Fadette "steals the show" when the plot and the action turn to her, revealing her as heroine of unimpeachable worth. In the end not only does she win the best and most eligible boy in the village, but she also enjoys a complete vindication of all suspicions and vilification she had suffered for most of her life. This is a fast-moving veritable bildungsroman fit not only for young adults for all adult readers who may well learn from the virtues of youngsters.