Looking for Anne of Green Gables - Review

Looking for Anne of Green Gables by Irene Gammel

Rating: 1 Star

Description:  This book is supposed to be an in-depth look at both Montgomery herself and the people and events around her that influenced the writing of her most famous book Anne of Green Gables.

Genre: Non-Fiction

My Impression: I've read books where either the writing style or the subject matter didn't interest me. I've read books where the characters or their decisions irritated me.  Very rarely do I come across a book that I actually dislike intensely.  Unfortunately, Looking for Anne was on of those books but because I had read all of Montgomery's books this year I felt like I should finish it.  There were really 2 primary problems with the book.  The first is that I never warmed to Montgomery.  I've read her books since I was a child but never read much about the author herself other than the basic summary that is included in the back of the books.  I knew she had been raised by and then taken care strict elderly grandparents.  I knew she had married later in life.  However, it seems that Montgomery was stuck in a prolonged adolescent.  Her feelings were regularly gravely injured and she was jealous and clingy in the majority of her relationships.  How books like Rilla of Ingleside came from the person shown in journal entries is a mystery to me.  My second problem with this book is the basic writing style.  Several times throughout the book she halfway introduces someone and then says "We'll get back to them" but when the story comes around to them I only had about a half memory of who they were.  The book followed no logical layout and the overly dramatic style wasn't really held up by her discoveries.  The only good thing that resulted from this book is I now have zero interest in collecting Montgomery's journals.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Absolutely not

Would I Recommend this Book?: Again, absolutely not.

L.M. Montgomery Wrap Up

On December 26th I finished the last of L.M. Montgomery's 32 books.  I started the year of with the Story Girl in January and finished with At the Altar at the end of December.

Favorite Series: The Story Girl and The Golden Road.  This is the story of the King family and what the Disney series Avonlea was very loosely based on.  The characters are wonderful and flawed all at the same time.  The chapters of the first book use the title of the story that The Story Girl (otherwise known as Sara Stanley) tells during the chapter.  This is one of her best books and would be a fabulous read aloud book for a younger child.

Least Favorite Series: Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat.  I disliked both of these books intensely.  The character development was minimal at best.  Nothing actually happened except Pat wandering around complaining about change way past the point of healthy.  I was very very glad this series only took 2 books.

Favorite Stand Alone Book: The Blue Castle.  The main character in this book is an adult which is nice.  I liked Valancy and I loved watching her find her own identity.

Favorite Short Story Collection: Against the Odds. While I loved most of the short story collections the story of people overcoming adversities and ending up with the happiness they needed was very nice to read.

Book I'm Most Likely to Recommend: Rilla of Ingleside.  To me this book provided a look at life on the home front during World War 1 which is very rare.  I sobbed like a baby through most of the book but there is an interesting developed story here that I think even many of the Anne books are missing.

Montgomery is still one of my favorite authors even though that Pat series almost made me through in the towel.  All the dreaminess can get tedious but that makes characters like Jane and Valancy from Jane of Lantern Hill and The Blue Castle respectively all the more refreshing.  For the most part all of her books and short stories are nice old fashioned stories where good hard working people are justly rewarded in the end.  While that might not be the most exciting praise it makes for some nice reading.

L.M. Montgomery Short Story Collection Part 4

 With this review I have accomplished one of my 2 challenges for 2013.  I wanted to read all of L.M. Montgomery's books in 1 year and I finished up the last short story collection last night!

Among the Shadows
Rating: 4 Stars
This collection focuses on Montgomery's darker stories.  Many have a supernatural element and several discuss alcoholism and the effects of the addiction.  This was one of my least favorites.  While I liked several of the stories some of the morals seemed very outdated and a few were just way too long.

Christmas with Anne
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a selection of short stories and 2 excerpts (one from Anne of Green Gables and the other from Anne of Windy Poplars) all involving Christmas both in time period and spirit.  This is a delightful Christmas-y book and I'll probably read it every year around this time.

At the Altar
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a fun little book containing stories that all involve a wedding or proposal. The main characters range from children to comfortable middle age.  There is also a mix between new loves and reuniting.  The stories are sweet, many are funny and all are just nice.

L.M. Montgomery's Short Story Collection Part 3

The third review of Montgomery's short story collections is about Along the Shore, Akin to Anne and The Road to Yesterday.                                                                                                                                                                                         I rated all 5 stars.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Along the Shore consists of a collection of short stories involving the sea.  This is probably one of Montgomery's darkest collections. There are a few that have tragic endings such as a "The Waking of Helen" and "Mackereling Out in the Gulf".  Some are about people overcoming odds or reuniting with old loves and a two are pretty much copied straight out of the Anne books.                                                                                                                                                                                                 Akin to Anne is her shortest collection and one of my favorites.  Most of are over the top sweet with people being reunited with long lost relatives or family friends.  Most involve a substantial increase in fortune but of course that's not the most important thing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            The Road to Yesterday  is kind of the last of the Anne books.  All have some mention of the Blythe family and in some Anne has a starring role.  I loved the ones that were set years after the Anne books ended and dealt with Anne's grandchildren.  How perfect that Jem and Faith names a child after Walter and that Rilla and Kenneth had a son named Gilbert.  It was a lovely way to check in on the family and the stories were fun on their own as well.                                                                   

L.M. Montgomery Short Story Collection Part 2

After Many Days - this is one of the first short story collections from Montgomery that I ever read.  All the stories revolve around time passing.  Sometimes they're children adopted or otherwise or siblings coming back after making good.  Sometimes they're couples being reunited after a long period of time.

Across the Miles - these stories all involve letters. There are several involving pen pal type relationships, one or two that involve letters from the past and at least one that has someone switching letters so that people don't necessarily get letters they're supposed to get but do get the one that they need to get.

Both of these collections were sweet and old fashioned.  While they're not necessarily fine literature they are a fun break and I thoroughly enjoyed both books.  I gave each of them 5 star ratings.

The Doctor's Sweetheart is a little different.  There is no theme to the stories and the title comes from one of the longer stories in the collection.  This feels like where the editor decided to put all the stories that didn't fit into the other books.  Unfortunately, many of these were stories written very early in her career and they were a bit slow going.  While I didn't dislike the stories I definitely didn't get the same level of enjoyment out of this one.  I ended up rating it 3 stars.

L.M. Montgomery Short Story Collection Reviews - Part 1

I'm going to review the remaining 12 Montgomery books in sets of 3.  These are all short story books and most were compiled in the late 1980s to mid 1990s.  Many aspects of these stories show up in her full length books and she reusues many names.
I rated all 3 of these books 5 stars.

Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea are the 2 exceptions to that.  They were both compiled by Montgomery and published in the 20s and 30s.  There really isn't a common theme to these two other than that all the stories take place in or around Avonlea.  Anne makes small appearances in all of them.  Sometimes she is just mentioned, other times she is an actual side character and in one she is the narrator.  I enjoyed all the stories in Chronicles and most of the stories in Further Chronicles.  They're nice little old fashioned stories.  Feuds are had and made up, the good and honest are rewarded and the vain or unjust have their eyes opened.  The only dark spot was in Further Chronicles the final story - Tannis of the Flats.  The language and beliefs are so racist and dated it is hard to identify with.

Against the Odds is one of the more recent additions to the Montgomery books.  These stories were originally published separately in different magazines and Rea Wilmshurst compiled them.  The stories in the book are about people overcoming odds either financial, family or environmental.  This collection is probably one of my favorites.  The stories are predictable - good get rewarded - but it's still enjoyable reading.

Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 4 Stars

Description:  Marigold Lesley is born shortly after her the death of her father and spends weeks unnamed as her mother is very ill.  When Marigold falls ill the Lesley clan is in a panic lest the child die unnamed.  They finally decide to name her after the doctor who saves her - a woman named Marigold.  The rest of the book is about the adventures Marigold has throughout her childhood.

Genre: Children/Classic

My Impression: This was a sweet little stand alone but definitely not my favorite.  Marigold is an usual Montgomery child because she is dearly loved and has a pretty charmed life.  Marigold is an imaginative little girl who spends quite a bit of time with imaginary friends in imaginary lands.  It's a fun sweet little book but not much of it really stuck with me.  Marigold is the youngest character and by the end she's only about as old as Anne was at the start of Anne of Green Gables.  This book I think is definitely geared more towards a younger reading audience.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Probably not though it would be a good read aloud book for a little girl.

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Jane of Lantern Hill

Rating: 5 Stars

Description:  Jane has lived in the unhappy house at 60 Gay Street with her adored mother and mean spirited grandmother for as long as she can remember.  She has spent most of her life feeling stupid and clumsy, being compared unfavorably to her cousin and believing her father is dead.  That belief gets a nasty shake when a classmate teases her that Jane's parents don't live together and its all Jane's fault.  Then one day summons come from her father for Jane to spend the summer with him on Prince Edward Island.

Genre: Children's Classic

My Impression:  This is one of Montgomery's classic stories where a girl finds her confidence and comes into her own.  The main difference between this and many of Montgomery's other stories is that Jane not only comes from a family of status and means but is very much loved by both her parents.  Jane is a nice bright girl with a very practical way of thinking.  She isn't given to massive flights of fancy or spending much time living in an imaginary world.  Out of all Montgomery's lead characters Jane is the one I'd most like to have as a friend (though Gilbert runs a very close second).

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes

A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery - Review

A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 4 Stars

Description:  Over the years 60 Darks have married 60 Penhallows leaving a confusing web of Penhallow and Dark families.  The family matriarch, Aunt Becky calls the mass of Penhallows and Darks together for one last gathering before her death to hand out her worldly possessions including the famous family heirloom the Dark jug.  During the party she announces embarrassing past incidents that most of the family would rather be forgotten and has her usual too truthful sharp observations but the biggest bombshell of all is that ownership of the Dark jug won't be revealed until a year after her death.  This book is the story of that year.  Relationships are altered irrevocably either for better or worse and the whole family waits for the year to be up.

Genre: Children's Classic

My Impression:  This book has a massive character list and it could have easily gotten extremely confusing.  Luckily, Montgomery draws each of the characters strongly enough that they are memorable and also sticks to a main core group.  This is one of the few books that doesn't center around a child.  In fact, with the exception of Brian Dark I can't think of any child that is an actual character.  Some children are mentioned but are never seen.  This is a fun book and a quick read.  The ending was handled very entertainingly.  It is really a collection of woven together short stories but never feels disconnected or disjointed.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Obviously

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes.  This would be a good Montgomery book for those that like children's lit but aren't Montgomery fans.  There aren't the speeches that some people find tedious and there's a lot more doing than talking/thinking.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery - Review

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 5 Stars

Description:  Valancy has lived her entire 29 years trying to please everyone and succeeding in pleasing no one.  When a doctor gives her maybe a year left to live she decides its time to please the one person she's never thought about - herself.

Genre: Childrens/YA

My Impression:  This is one of my favorite of Montgomery's standalone books but I didn't actually discover this one until I was an adult.  I love how things work out for Valancy and how her personality develops as she does what she wants.  Since her actions consist of moving in to help take care of a school friend who has fallen on hard times she remains likable and easy to cheer for.  Also, watching her extended family try and figure out what to do and how to react is pretty funny.  This is a fun story where the good win and the bad end up looking foolish.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Of course!

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  Golden boy Eric Marshall does a favor for a friend after he graduates college by taking over the friend's school in a tiny town on Prince Edward Island.  While there he meets a girl that throws his whole charmed existence on its ear.  Kilmeny is a beautiful talented girl who has lived a very sheltered life to hid both the stain of her birth and the fact that she cannot speak.  Can the educated rich boy and the poor sheltered girl find a future together?

Genre: Children/YA

My Impression:  This is Montgomery's shortest stand alone novel and it isn't terribly developed.  Eric is handsome, rich and charming.  Kilmeny is beautiful, plays the violin and isn't able to speak.  The characters aren't really drawn much deeper than that.  I like Eric - everyone likes Eric - and the family he rents his room from.  The Gordon's are also an interesting family.  I felt that the "stain" surrounding Kilmeny's mother and Kilmeny's birth was actually fairly realistic.  The emotions that came from it were appropriate for the situation.  However, the romantic relationship between Kilmeny and Eric was a little creepy.  Kilmeny is so sheltered and such a child that her becoming romantically involved with Eric just a bit wrong.  This is a very simple story with a small list of characters and the time period stretches out over several months.  This is probably my least favorite of the stand alone novels but it is still a fun lightweight read.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes, obviously.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Not over Montgomery's other books.

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Rating:  5 Stars
Description: This book takes place during World War 1 and centers around Anne's youngest daughter, Rilla.  The books sees the 3 Blythe sons and their childhood friends go off to war and deals with the effects of that.  As well are new home place challenges like starting Red Cross Leagues, adopting a war baby and just the endless waiting and agony of having loved ones at the front.

Genre: Children-YA/ Classic

My Impression:  I had a really hard time getting started on this book.  I'd read it before and knew what was going to happen and watching it happen to the children of Rainbow Valley wasn't something I really looked forward too.  To be honest, I cried through most of the book.  Not just teared up but full out cried to the point I have a headache today.  This is by far the darkest book of the series but in many many ways it is the most relevant interesting book.  There is much about life on the homefront for those left behind that you don't really read much about in history.  This is the war history that intrigues me the most and the history that I most identify with and Montgomery does a good job portraying the mix of joy, tedium and anguish.  Anne is for the most part a paper character in the background, even Gilbert is fleshed out a bit more than she is.  That used to be a flaw in my eyes but with after reading it again I'm not sure the book would've been bearable if it had been through Anne's eyes.  Reading her thoughts and feelings as she sends her sons off to war and watches her daughters' worry and anguish over there sweethearts would've been just about unreadable.  In my opinion this is an amazing book and a fairly realistic peak into life of those left behind during a war but do not go into it expecting a light and happy Anne book.  There is some romance but it is very secondary and the male character is in Europe for most of the story.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, of course.  I'm looking forward to reading a lighter happier Montgomery book next.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes definitely though I'm not sure I'll be rereading it anytime soon.

Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery - Review

Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 4 Stars

Description:  The Blythe children are getting older and have found wonderful playmates in the Meredith children, the loved but somewhat neglected children of the minister.  Adventures abound and new friends are made.

Genre: Children Classic

My Impression:  This is truly the story of the Blythe children.  Anne shows up some but it is very infrequent and the stories are never about her.  The children really come into their own in this book and are much more developed than they were in Anne of Ingleside.  I love the Blythes and I love the Merediths but I never warmed to Mary Vance.  This is definitely more of a character driven book versus a plot driven book but I think it is necessary to read this one before Rilla's book so that you really know who the children are.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes but it's not my favorite of the series.

Anne of Ingleside and The Rubber Band - Reviews

Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 3 Stars

Description:  This is the 5th book of the series in between Anne's House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley.  It's a mix between the story of Anne as a mother of 6 and the story of Anne's children with their own adventures.

Genre:  Children Classic

My Impression:  This is probably my least favorite book of the series.  Montgomery wrote it 15 years after the publication of the next 2 books and it has the disjointed feel of something added in afterwards.  The book can't seem to make up its mind about if it wants to be about Anne or about her children.  I was frustrated by the lack of development of Anne and especially Gilbert as adults.  Gilbert is one of the best male characters ever in my opinion and you only get tiny hints of his personality.  I loved the end scenes between Anne and Gilbert and the beginning with Anne and Diana but as a whole the characters were to shallowly drawn to be satisfying.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Yes but not based off this book

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Probably not unless it was someone reading the entire series and it would be more of a "Might as well" then a true recommendation.

The Rubber Band by Rex Stout

Rating: 1 Star

Description:  The story starts with a pretty clear cut case of an employee stealing money out of an executive's desk. Then the accused employee hires the famed detective Nero Wolfe to investigate the identity of a man her father had saved 40 years ago who was supposed to give him and a bunch of other people money as repayment.  When 2 of those people are found murdered things get a bit more serious.

Genre: Mystery

My Impression:  I know Nero Wolfe is supposed to be one of the best fictional detectives - up there with Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.  I also know that Rex Stout is one of the best classic mystery authors.  Despite all that I didn't care for this book at all.  To me it read like someone was giving an explanation to what happened "And then she said this, then I walked over and got some coffee, then he told me to get the door".  I was definitely never pulled into the story and was never particularly interested in who did the murdering or the identity of the man who owed everyone money.  I was very disappointed that I didn't enjoy it since I'm always looking for new authors and Rex Stout would provide me with quite a reading list.  However, since I didn't care about the mystery or the characters at all I'll be giving his other books a miss.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:  Unfortunately no

Would I Recommend this Book?:  No.

Anne of Windy Poplars - Review

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

Rating: 5 stars

Description:  After graduating from Redmond College Anne takes a position as principal of Summerside High School while waiting for Gilbert to finish medical school.  Friends are made, adventures are had and challenges are overcome.  It's told in a combination of narrative and letters to Gilbert.

Genre:  Children/YA, Classic

My Impression:  When I first read this series this was my least favorite book.  I was ready for her and Gilbert to get married already.  I didn't reread it for probably close to 20 years because of that but was amazed how much I loved it when I picked it up again.  This is Anne at her best.  She is still Anne but her poetic way of speaking has been toned down.  The book has a good mix of touching stories and funny stories.  Also, if my memory serves me correctly, this is the last book that Green Gables plays a major role

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, this is my 2nd one this month and I'm about 50 pages into my 3rd one for the month.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Yes, even to those who don't particularly care for Anne.

Reviews: When Beauty Tamed The Beast and Anne of the Island

When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James
Rating: 3 stars

Description:  Linnet is beautiful, well off and altogether ruined.  Her family comes up with a scheme to marry her off to the Earl of Marchant who is supposed to be desperate for a wife.  Rumors of his desperation for a wife were greatly exaggerated, rumors of his temper and foul disposition were not.

Genre: Romance

My Impression:  I've read 2 short stories and a novella by this author.  The short stories I didn't like the novella I did so I wasn't sure what to expect with the full length novel. The characters were interesting and entertaining.  It was nice at the hero had a job that was clearly shown in the book.  They both had parent issues that they needed to work through.  I also like that Linnet wasn't perfect - she was beautiful and she knew it, her tongue and her temper weren't always ladylike and she was very good at making fun of people.  With all that there was something about the last 50/60 pages that kind of turned me off from the book.  On page 200 I would've have gladly read another by the end I wasn't so sure.

Would I read more of this series/author?:  Possibly though I probably won't go out of my way to search her out.  If I see one at the library or on kindle loan I'd probably get it.

Would I recommend this book?:  Only if it was a regular romance reader.

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Rating: 5 stars

Description:  This is the 3rd book of the Anne series.  In this book Anne goes to college, meets new friends, sees the home she was born in and gets something that belonged to her parents.  She also learns some important lessons about letting her imagination get in the way of what and who she really loves

Genre:  Children/Young Adult/Classic

My Impression: This is my favorite of the Anne books so far.  The scenes at Patty's Place are fun and the part where she goes to her parents' home is very touching.  Also, this book has one of the best endings of all books ever.

Would I read more of this series/author?:  Yes, definitely.  I'm trying to read all of Montgomery's books this year so I've got 4 more to read this month.

Would I recommend this book?: Yes though probably not starting with this one.  I think you'd need to read the earlier books to really understand the characters and their relationships.