this is a synopsis of Brookline of St. Mary's Asylum
Brookline of St. Mary’s Asylum is a delightful story about a girl named Brookline who is sent to live at an orphan asylum. She possesses a special perception that manifests through dreams. Through her dreams, which are strange and unusual, things are revealed to her about people, yet she does not understand them.
The story begins with Brookline pondering over a recent dream she had. In it she envisions that Miss. Nora, her foster mother, had gives her and the two other foster children each a suitcase. The old woman than sends the children outside, telling them to wait there. She returns into the house and closes the door behind her. Outside the children wait, not knowing for what. Growing tired, the children try to return inside, but the door is locked. They knock on the door but they are not answered. Brookline does not understand the dream. She does not know that it reveals the departure of her and the two other foster children from the home they know and love.
Brookline is sent to live at St. Mary’s Asylum. The asylum is unlike the typical idea of an orphan home. There are no rigid rules. Although the home is poor, it is comfortable, and the children love it. Since the home is located in a rural area the children can wonder and play to their hearts content without disturbing anyone, except Horatio Loften. In fact the children are encouraged by the nuns and priest, who run the home, to get out, play, and indulge in outdoor activities.
Naturally, Brookline is homesick for her foster home, but soon she grows to like the asylum. After a short while she feels that she has been living there all of her life. She develops a good friendship with Missy and Jane, two of her roommates, and she enjoys the other children. She also forms a friendship with Robert, a girl who lives in the area, and with Angie, a girl who lives in town and has extremely strict religious parents. Brookline likes the carefree environment created for the children.
Of course not all of the asylum children are amiable. Brookline has frequent encounters with George, a typical, gross, annoying boy who is always eager to do mischief. Brookline avoids Cleo, who is a girl with an arrogant and grudgeful nature. She has a strong dislike for Brookline.
Even though she lives at an orphan asylum, Brookline still experiences a normal child’s life. She looks forward to the holidays. She come up with creative ideas. She is admired, and she is hated. She has her fears and her moments of courage. She has childish joys and disappointments. She can be sneaky, stubborn, and very foolish. Yet, throughout the story she is proven to be sharing, loyal, and mild-mannered.
Brookline has a variety of personal interesting childhood experiences. Among them is her embarrassment in having to repeat a grade. She unknowingly has the pink eye pink eye, but no one including her friends would tell her. At her encouragement the children build a bridge across the creek in their favorite play spot so it will be easy for them to cross to the other side to poach fruit from Horatio Loften’s property. Her friendship with Angie is strained because of Angie’s extremely strict religious father.
The nature of Brookline and her comrades get them in notable exciting and interesting situations. The girls often go to play down at the creek, a favorite play spot of the asylum children and other children who live in the area. There they and other children trespass onto Mr. Horatio Loften’s orchards and garden to poach fruit. Mr. Loften, is given a ridiculous nick name by the mischievous children because of his weakness for strong spirits. Because of his constant intoxicated stated the children boldly harry him. However, in one of his sober days he out wits the children, capturing Brookline, Missy, George and some
others, Forcing them into his filthy home he tells them they must clean his small shabby house from top to bottom, or else.
Brookline and her friends encounters Amelia Merlinsworth is an old, strange woman. She lives in seclusion with her faithful housekeeper in an old house with a wildly overgrown yard. On one occasion Brookline, Jane, George, and some other children have to take refuge at the old woman’s home out of a rainstorm. At the time the woman was celebrating her 100th birthday. She gives a grand party for herself, inviting all of her old friends who no longer exist. She addresses the children by the names of deceased people, and she converses with unseen guests. The children play alone with the woman to good humor her because there was no other place to take refuge out of the storm.
When the time came for Mrs. Merlinsworth to give up the ghost, she sends for all the children who were at her party. The children are told to sing to the woman, and they listen to her startling confession. Poor George was traumatized by the experience.
Life goes along well at the asylum until a new nun, Sister Quartince, comes. Sister Quartince replaces Fr. Langley as the director of the asylum. She is a disagreeable woman, and she is disliked by the children. She makes rigid rules and changes at the asylum that no one likes. Fr. Langley and the other nuns manage to keep Sister Quartince from being too harsh.
The most hated one is prohibiting the children from leaving the asylum grounds. They must all play within the boundaries of the asylum when outdoors. However, the children disregard her. Eventually she has a tall brick wall built around the property, which is a big mistake for her nerves sake. The only good act that the nun does is allow the children to attend a special Christmas party at a millionaire’s house.
From the start Brookline does not like Sister Quartince, but her dislike is for a reason different from the others. She discerns that there is something very odd and strange about the woman. However, she can never figure out what that something is. Sister Quartince notices the girl’s looks. The looks annoy her.
Among the changes Sister Quartince brings is adopting out the adoptable children. Often prospecting parents come to the asylum to view the children. The children who do not want to be adopted stay away from the asylum during the day to avoid meeting the "special guests". Brookline, Jane, and Missy were apart of the fleeing children. They are successful at avoiding the prospecting parents until when one day they were caught off guard. A couple by the name of Mr. And Mrs. Broadacreson come to the asylum, to look for a daughter to adopt. Mrs. Broadacreson shows an interest in Brookline who behaves rudely towards her. Brookline is terrified of the woman because she has seen the woman’s face in an unusual dream she had in the past.
At the end of the story Brookline gets adopted by the Broadacresons. Missy and Jane are sad and disappointed about losing their friend. Brookline is like a sister to them. Brookline is sadden as well. Although she does not like the Broadacreson, on the day of her departure Brookline comes to the opinion that perhaps it is best that she is leaving the asylum. She leaves with her new parents to start a new interesting life which continues in Brookline and the Broadacresons.
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Brookline of St. Mary's Asyulm has the fun, comedy, and mystery that teens, mature minded children, and young adults. enjoy. The novel is the first of a series of novels about Brookline. As Brookline ages the subject matter will mature.
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