Samantha by Colleen O’Driscoll

Samantha – an Original American Girl

Bright and curious Samantha Parkington is a little beauty, blossoming both in body and in soul at the beginning of the twentieth century.  Samantha has been an orphan for quite some time, and now lives with her wealthy widowed grandmother, who is grooming Samantha to one day enter polite Victorian society.

The world is changing all around Samantha.  New inventions are popping up everywhere, from light bulbs to vacuum cleaners to the noisy newfangled automobile that Samantha’s Uncle Gard drives to visit her at the estate.  And these astounding creations are not the only new ideas.  Women across the country are protesting, demanding the right to vote in elections like men, including Samantha’s Aunt Cornelia.

However, what really shakes Samantha’s outlook on life is the arrival of a new maid at her neighbor’s home, Nellie O’Malley.  An Irish immigrant, Nellie used to live in the city with her large family before they sent her away, and she is the one who teaches Samantha that change does not mean good times for everyone.

Suddenly, Samantha’s innocent illusions of the world are shattered as she hears Nellie’s tales of poverty, abuse and struggling.  Nellie used to work in a thread factory, with children as young as three years old, risking their lives daily working with dangerous machines that could easily rip off limbs.  And after all that, she was only paid little more than a dollar.

After seeing life through Nellie’s eyes, most people would fall into despair and depression.  But not Samantha.  With courage and compassion, she uses her talents and determination to help make the world a better place, for both of them.

Some of Samantha’s outfits and accessories at Girl AGain boutique and at Girl AGain e-shop