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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Bitter sweet! You read more of things that Gilbert says in this book than the other ones. I do wish the short stories were actually about the Blythes but I love how she wove them into other families happenings. There are definitely darker themes in some and the parts of them grieving and remember Walter are sad. I love Montgomery ability to make her characters feel real.
I had read THE ROAD TO YESTERDAY before, and quite enjoyed it. I'd heard that there was quite a bit more in this book, but most of it is just narratives with the Blythes in between stories, and poetry attributed to Anne and Walter Blythe. Also, the timeline inconsistencies bothered me (which they did in ROAD, too).
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's interesting to compare this late work to Montgomery's earlier books. Quite a different tone, though it's sometimes subtle as earlier tropes and structures are still here.
I'm not quite sure what to think of this book.
The poetry is lovely (of course), and the scenes we get with Anne's family, while rather strange, feel homey to me (since the Anne books are home). But... it's just not the same as the others.
Recommended only to superfans who've read all the other books.
The poetry is lovely (of course), and the scenes we get with Anne's family, while rather strange, feel homey to me (since the Anne books are home). But... it's just not the same as the others.
Recommended only to superfans who've read all the other books.
This has a very different feel from the rest of the Anne of Green Gables series, and it is set up differently as well. The book is a series of short stories, poems (by Anne and Walter) and comments from the family members about the poetry. Split into two parts, with WWI as the dividing point, there is a bit of everything in this—death, romance, misunderstandings.
The Blythes are mentioned in some way in each of the stories (which center around other characters in the neighboring towns of Glen St. Mary)—at times I felt like it was natural but at others it seemed a bit of a stretch used only for the conforming factor of having them mentioned.
The Blythes are mentioned in some way in each of the stories (which center around other characters in the neighboring towns of Glen St. Mary)—at times I felt like it was natural but at others it seemed a bit of a stretch used only for the conforming factor of having them mentioned.
Very torn about this. Intrigued about how Montgomery's views about WWI (the main reason I read the book) had changed since her publication of Rilla in 1921. By 1942, she was a lot more disillusioned. That said, the stories and poetry were not all that compelling -- lots of repetition.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My favorite story was Pat Brewster's. It was a good book overall with better stories than the previous one.
L.M. Montgomery put together this collection of stories, poems and vignettes just before she died by suicide, and it is clearly the work of someone desperately unhappy. In the stories, orphans find loving homes and young people find love but the commentary of older, weary people show that their happiness is temporary and their hopes for the future will likely be dashed. Woven through it are references to Anne's suffocating depression and grief following the death of her son Walter in World War One. It's well written and the concept of seeing the Blythes indirectly through stories about their neighbours is Interesting, but it is a very sad book and I wish I hadn't read it.