Sarah Doudney's 'Kun me olimme tyttöjä' (When We Were Girls) is a Victorian-era novel that feels surprisingly immediate. It was first published in 1872, but its questions about family, duty, and personal happiness are timeless.

The Story

The story centers on two sisters, Agnes and Lucy. Agnes is the responsible, steady older sister, while Lucy is more spirited and dreamy. Their quiet life is upended when they find their late mother's old diary. Reading her private thoughts, they uncover a chapter of her life she never spoke about: a deep friendship, a lost love, and a significant sacrifice she made for her family's sake. This discovery sends ripples through their present. It makes them look at their own choices, their relationship with each other, and the silent expectations placed upon them in a new, often uncomfortable, light. The plot follows how this secret from the past helps them navigate their own futures.

Why You Should Read It

What I loved most was how real the sisters feel. Doudney doesn't paint one as 'good' and the other as 'bad.' They are just two different people trying to figure things out, and their sometimes-frustrating, sometimes-tender relationship is the core of the book. The mother's story, revealed through her diary, is quietly powerful. It shows the weight of the choices women had to make in that era, often with little fanfare. This isn't a book with wild plot twists. Its strength is in the emotional honesty and the slow, satisfying way it explores how understanding the past can free you to live your own life.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys character-driven historical fiction. If you like authors like Louisa May Alcott or Elizabeth Gaskell, you'll find a friend in Sarah Doudney. It's also a great pick for a book club—there's so much to discuss about sisterhood, sacrifice, and the different paths women's lives can take. Don't go in expecting high drama; go in expecting a thoughtful, heartfelt story that feels like a conversation with a wise friend.