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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
j'aime toujours autant la féerie d'anne, qu'ell a transmise à ses enfants; mais certaines formulations m'ont dérangée (un peu sexiste, ou je ne sais quoi)
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It’s been a while since my last book from the Anne series and returning to it is like picking up a warm cup of tea on a slow day. It’s one of those books that’s just welcoming no matter how long it’s been and is such a lovely reminder to slow down and marvel at the world around.
Anne of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery picks up a few years after the last book and Anne and Gilbert now have a large brood of children. Comfortably settled in their house with housekeeper Susan, various children are spotlighted throughout the book in a sweet ode to childhood.
Anne may be the titular character but we don’t get her perspective till the last chapter. Instead, Montgomery employs ensemble storytelling, introducing most of the children to us. It was a nice way of breathing new life into the series because new blood is always welcome. And what lovely children they were! From baby Rilla to firstborn Jem, each child brought something different to the read. My favourite had to be Nan just because her wild imagination resonated so much with me. This style of writing also does shake up Montgomery’s style a little, her last experiment being book 4, keeping things fresh for loyal readers.
One gripe I had about this book was that it didn’t feel like Anne’s, perhaps because we don’t hear much from her. I found myself yearning for her quirky perspective and infectious joie de vivre. The absence of her voice made me reflect on the female presence in society. Is it that we are only deemed interesting before motherhood, after which we should step back and let others take centre stage? Perhaps I’m reading too much into things, but I dare say that I missed Anne herself terribly in these pages. Still, it was fun being introduced to the children. I guess I’m just conflicted as to the direction the series is heading.
Diversity meter:
-
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
I really had a hard time getting through this book. I read the series because I love Anne, but I don't really like her kids or care about their little stories. I was especially bothered by the story about Jenny Penny, who was imaginative and created a whole alternative life to the one she actually lived (honestly reminded me a bit of Anne as a kid, always fantasizing of a better reality). But Jenny Penny was a "bad" kid, and most of the badness seemed wrapped up in the fact that her family was poor and her home was dirty. She had created this fantasy of a beautiful home, idealizing her little world, but when Di or Nan (tbh, I can't rememeber which) gets there and finds the house old, run-down and dirty, she starts to lose interest in Jenny. Yes her siblings were a little rough, but no more so than the family Anne willingly sent Walter to stay with (those children teased Walter so badly that he Ran Away, a 6 mile walk home), but that family was "fine" and respectable. I just couldn't believe the Anne who had been judged as the little orphan girl, the one who wasn't allowed to be friends with lots of kids because their parents didn't trust her Unknown origins, was now this judgy mom. She seemed like a different and much less likeable character. On multiple occasions she says she doesn't want her kids to be little snobs, but it seems like she is.
Also, it felt like Susan was more of a mom and in more of the stories than Anne, like Anne was just off in the background somewhere. But Susan as housekeeper seems to really take more of a lead in parenting. Gilbert is busy with work, Anne is doing who knows what. In the last few chapters the story refocused on her and how burnt out she was and tired of parenting duties. And I felt confused, like what has she been doing this whole time?! Because she generally felt absent. We don't hear of her having a writing career, or any special hobbies. And yet it seems like Susan does all the cooking, cleaning, and most of the childcare. We hear earlier in the story that the community sees Anne as a "gad-about" and that seems like an accurate comment, because we never get an explanation as to where she is much of the time, she just pops in here and there in important moments.
Anyway, this book starts the transition away from Anne and towards her children. It is basically just a book of short stories about her young children's adventures. None of them really feel all that distinct as characters I care about, except for Walter. I really felt terrible for him when he got shipped off while Anne was in labor, if he had only been given some sort of warning it could have saved him such a massive distress, instead we live through a heart wrenching journey of his fear that his parents no longer love him or that his mom is going to die. It was the most memorable short story, but the most painful. After which we almost never see Walter again in this story, he is only mentioned.
The next book will be focusing just on the kids and the last story is focused on Rilla (the youngest).
Also, it felt like Susan was more of a mom and in more of the stories than Anne, like Anne was just off in the background somewhere. But Susan as housekeeper seems to really take more of a lead in parenting. Gilbert is busy with work, Anne is doing who knows what. In the last few chapters the story refocused on her and how burnt out she was and tired of parenting duties. And I felt confused, like what has she been doing this whole time?! Because she generally felt absent. We don't hear of her having a writing career, or any special hobbies. And yet it seems like Susan does all the cooking, cleaning, and most of the childcare. We hear earlier in the story that the community sees Anne as a "gad-about" and that seems like an accurate comment, because we never get an explanation as to where she is much of the time, she just pops in here and there in important moments.
Anyway, this book starts the transition away from Anne and towards her children. It is basically just a book of short stories about her young children's adventures. None of them really feel all that distinct as characters I care about, except for Walter. I really felt terrible for him when he got shipped off while Anne was in labor, if he had only been given some sort of warning it could have saved him such a massive distress, instead we live through a heart wrenching journey of his fear that his parents no longer love him or that his mom is going to die. It was the most memorable short story, but the most painful. After which we almost never see Walter again in this story, he is only mentioned.
The next book will be focusing just on the kids and the last story is focused on Rilla (the youngest).
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the last one Montgomery wrote, outside of the short stories in The Blythes are Quoted, and it really shows. It’s the only one written after Windy Poplars, so Rebecca Dew features but Aunt Chatty and Aunt Kathy are presumably dead.
This isn’t so much a novel as a collection of short misadventures for Anne’s children, and Anne features in it very little honestly.
There’s a moment near the end where she’s worrying if Gilbert doesn’t love her anymore that struck me as very un-Anne-ish, even taking into account her jealousy of Christine Stewart in book 3. (And how on earth does Montgomery want me to believe Anne doesn’t know the Seven seas? She’s got a BA and she taught school!!)
This isn’t so much a novel as a collection of short misadventures for Anne’s children, and Anne features in it very little honestly.
There’s a moment near the end where she’s worrying if Gilbert doesn’t love her anymore that struck me as very un-Anne-ish, even taking into account her jealousy of Christine Stewart in book 3. (And how on earth does Montgomery want me to believe Anne doesn’t know the Seven seas? She’s got a BA and she taught school!!)