Hitty: Her First Hundred Years is often classified as a fantasy, but it has few of the usual fantasy characteristics. The only unrealistic element in the novel is the narrative method. The story is told by a little wooden doll with vivid powers of perception and a well-developed moral consciousness. The device is highly original and successful. From her detached point of view, Hitty is able to offer her often perplexed, often amused comments on human behavior.

There is no plot in the usual sense.

Instead, there is a series of episodes unified by the central character of Hitty that cover a time span of about one hundred years. The narration is extremely fast-paced. Hitty has scarcely begun her life before she is dropped on the church floor and left there for several days. Shortly after her rescue, she is off on an adventure that leaves...