I picked up this book while preparing for a trip to Scandinavia, hoping to learn more about the way people lived and interacted in Sweden. I didn't feel like that information was there- the family could have just as easily been in Oregon or Tasmania for all I knew. Nothing made me feel like I was really there in Lapland with them.

Considering what the book was, instead of what it wasn't, it was ok. The Franzons had a powerful faith that was present in their everyday lives. They seem to have been Baptists, rather than Lutherans, the current Swedish majority. They lived by their faith- it was a regular part of their daily life. The writing style was very simple and that made the characters seem very simple also. At times I felt that I was reading someone's *idea* of what the people were like, rather than what they were *really* like.

Mama's many pregnancies and births were lightly glossed over, so anyone looking for insight into that would find it lacking. Their ideas on why the children looked like they do would have been comical if the parents hadn't taken them so seriously. Some children were more "fleshed out" than others and there was absolutely no explanation given for the source of their nicknames. Beating, switching and hitting the children were taken for granted, and I am very happy that it is now illegal to hit children in Scandinavian countries. Even the children knew the switchings didnt' help their behaviour but the parents didnt' figure that out.

Food and housework were mentioned more often than just about anything else. Maria (Mama) was obviously Supermom to maintain her immaculate house and to bake and cook regularly for the family. They didnt' do laundry except in the summer so maybe that's how she kept up.

References to the yard mystified me a little. A more thorough description would have helped as I still dont' understand the sand yard.

The sea voyages to America were hardly mentioned. I would have loved to know more about how they really felt and how they lived day-to-day on the ships. I would have liked to have "met" some of their fellow travellers- after all, my Grandparents could have been on the same ship as they were.

If you view this as a light book about a girl who gets her (older) man, lives the life of her dreams as a Preacher's Wife who gets to emigrate to America, then you will be satisfied. If you're looking for insight on early 20th Century Swedish life, look further.

I found this book to not be about a young woman getting her man and having children. It's a beautiful depiction of a simple life that reminds us to take a step back from all of our ambition and things that we find important. It's a testemant to Mama's faith. She focused on what was important to her in life, which is what we all should do. She shows us how the jobs like mother and wife, which are often thought lightly of in the current time and play second fiddle to professions, are the most important of them all. Mama makes me want to be a better person.

This book has been a good friend for more than 30 years. I read it in junior high school and loved it; I love it still and re-read it frequently. The lovely descriptions of home and family life are relaxing and refreshing in today's hurry-up times. Mrs. Bjorn wrote several other books about her family and her faith; I especially enjoy her nonfiction.

Papa's Daughter is the story about a young Swedish Ministers daughter that comes to the United States with her family as a part of her mothers dream. Button is a very rebellious girl that makes you laugh through her stages of life and ends up finding happiness and reliving her life through her children. A must read book!