Patty's Success

Back home in America following her European adventures, in ‘Patty’s Success’ Patty begins to learn a little about the world of work. Patty hears about a talented young artist who wants to come to New York City to train but can’t afford it. Believing it should be easy to earn enough money, Patty and her father challenge each other – if Patty can earn $15 in a week her father will pay for the artist’s education. Patty soon finds it harder than she imagined to earn a decent wage, but she is determined to achieve her goal. An entertaining story in the Patty Fairfield series from prolific author Carolyn Wells, ‘Patty’s Success’ is also a fascinating insight into views on acceptable occupations for young women in early 20th century America.



Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was a prolific American novelist and poet, best known for her children’s literature, mystery novels and humorous verse. Following school in New Jersey, Wells worked as a librarian, where she developed her love of reading. It was during 1896 that Wells' first book ‘At the Sign of the Sphinx’ was published. From 1900 she dedicated herself to her literary career, writing over 170 novels in total across a range of genres. Some of her most loved works include the ‘Patty Fairfield’ and ‘Marjorie Maynard’ series for girls, as well as the ‘Fleming Stone’ mystery series for adults. Wells is also well-known for her humorous nonsense verse, and was a frequent contributor of verse to magazines. She published an autobiography ‘The Rest of my Life’ in 1937. Wells died in New York City in 1942.