Thompson Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Library,
The William Charvat Collection of American Literature
Call No. PS2698.R8 G65 1907 

"Rachel, here's my wife! Here's your little grandmother that's come to be a playmate for you."

Grandmother: The Story of a Life that Never Was Lived by Laura E. Richards is a 132-page sentimental novel about a grandfather remarrying a young woman who is the same age as his granddaughter, 18. The story follows the aging of the "Little Grandmother," which is caused by emotional distress. Chapters are separated into the changes from aging such as "How the First Line Came in her Face," from her encounter with her long lost love, and "How Her Hair Turned White," from witnessing the preventable death of Rachel's baby. The story almost has a fairy tale quality to it, with the disruption of the family by an outsider and the heightened drama of the narrative. The book was $.75, and has four illustrations of scenes from the book. Richards herself was 57 at the publication; her children would have been in their thirties at this time, so while not 18, she might have been a young grandmother herself at this time.