Leave it to Doris — A Closer Reading

The General in Command

The opening chapter gives Doris the nickname "the General," and the excerpts show her exercising that rank. She orders her father to speak up, scolds him for dumping the mending basket, and later, when a bishop arrives unexpectedly, she takes stock of the pantry with dismay: "For the first time she almost wished she had chosen the cow instead of the car — real cream would cover so many breakfast shortages." Her authority is not tyrannical but practical; she is the one who notices the lack of milk and the single can of peaches saved for a special occasion.

Her sisters, however, do not always obey. Rosalie teases her, Zee complains about a borrowed ribbon, and Treasure defends her papier-mâché as "very scholastic." Doris responds with a mix of exasperation and affection, closing the door on the girls tangled in bedclothes and telling them to get dressed and help. The dynamic is less about strict discipline and more about a family that knows how to push and yield.

The Bishop's Arrival and Domestic Comedy

The bishop's unexpected visit throws the household into a flurry. Doris worries about breakfast: "They could not have oatmeal, for Rosalie and father had finished off the milk. There were three eggs — she might cook them for the bishop, and tell him the family was on diet — ridiculous!" She decides on pancakes, which will keep her in the kitchen and away from the bishop — though she admits curiosity about whether he is "truly as young as he had looked in the moonlight."

The sisters' reactions are equally comic. Rosalie forgets the bishop entirely when Zee accuses her of "snitching" a ribbon, and the two end up wrestling on the bed. Treasure insists on the scholarly value of her sticky craft project. Doris's command to "please get dressed and come and help me" is met with penitent promises, but the chaos suggests that the Artman household runs on a blend of crisis management and good-natured disorder.

Voice and Structure in the Excerpts

The narrative voice is brisk and lightly ironic, with a fondness for parenthetical asides and dashes that mimic the rush of domestic life. For example, when Doris considers the pantry, the text runs: "Fortunately there was one can of peaches in the cellar — they were being saved for a special occasion, but nothing could be any more special than a bishop." The dialogue is peppered with exclamations and interruptions: "'Oh, mercy, I forgot the bishop,' cried Rosalie."

The structure of the excerpts — jumping from the opening scene of paternal anxiety to the bishop-morning chaos — suggests a episodic plot built around household incidents. The chapter titles, such as "The General," "The Imp," and "The Serpent," hint at character-driven comedy. The excerpts do not reveal the full arc, but they establish a pattern: a problem arises, Doris takes charge, and the family responds with a mix of rebellion and cooperation.

The excerpts from Leave It to Doris show a family comedy centered on a capable young woman whose authority is both earned and tested. Readers who enjoy domestic humor, sibling banter, and the gentle satire of clerical life will find the Artman household engaging. The novel's episodic structure and lively dialogue reward reading in short bursts, much like the interruptions Doris herself must manage.

That gray afternoon, with rain ticking the windows, Doris’s brisk commands over her sisters’ chaos felt like a warm hearth—a orderliness born of love. The same quiet domestic glow lingered when I later picked up Christmas Stories — A Closer Reading. It felt less like a choice, more like the kettle’s steam curling toward the same shelf, offering another family’s tender, hurried moments. A natural next room in the same house.