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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
medium-paced
Listened to Librivox recording. I like Montgomery's writing, but I scored this story lower than I would her other books. I think it may have been because I read The Blue Castle just before this and the two female characters between them felt so different. Kilmeny seemed to only be valued because she was physically attractive. Yes, she could communicate well, but her looks were mentioned often enough that appearance seemed to be her redeeming quality. What if she had been ugly? Would Eric have noticed her or sought her out? And, I would have liked to see Kilmeny develop on her own without it being based on the status of a relationship. I think in her later writings that Montgomery did this type of character growth in a more intriguing manner.
This story may be best enjoyed if read as a fairytale.
I think Montgomery has more dimensional characters than these. Still fun to find new stories by her, though.
This story may be best enjoyed if read as a fairytale.
I think Montgomery has more dimensional characters than these. Still fun to find new stories by her, though.
Heh. OK, 3 stars is being a little generous just because it’s L.M. Montgomery. This is not her best work. It’s honestly pretty bad. Like a story I would have written in high school, only even more flowery. And read through the lens of 2024 … a little iffy … Kilmeny being SO innocent, you could make a case for Eric taking advantage if you were cynical-ly inclined. But Kilmeny was innocent and beautiful and perfect to the point of ridiculousness, so you hardly even notice. I don’t remember if I read this when I was younger. I thought not, but the plot was so predictable it was hard to tell if I was guessing it or remembering. Not sure what I would have thought then if I had.
Don’t read this one — read Montgomery’s other book for adults, The Blue Castle. It’s so much better and you’ll love Valancy a lot more than Kilmeny. (Although they’re really both fine for young readers by today’s standards. They just both deal with or at least mention babies born out of wedlock, though it’s on a technicality in Kilmeny’s case.)
Don’t read this one — read Montgomery’s other book for adults, The Blue Castle. It’s so much better and you’ll love Valancy a lot more than Kilmeny. (Although they’re really both fine for young readers by today’s standards. They just both deal with or at least mention babies born out of wedlock, though it’s on a technicality in Kilmeny’s case.)
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am as yet undecided how I feel about this book. It was a quick, easy read and full of L.M. Montgomery's trademark beautiful imagery, which I loved.
But it has my least favourite protagonist of any of Montgomery's works that I've read (including short stories), Eric Marshall. He was a bit too confident in himself and I missed the lovely, interesting and strong heroines of her other works. Even the Story Girl, although is was narrated by a young man, had several main female characters. This book had only one main female character and two minor ones.
Then there's the ending. I really liked that Kilmeny was dumb. It made for a really interesting and different heroine. And for it to be resolved as simply and quickly as it was at the end kind of annoyed me! I wish it wasn't such an easy fix.
I'm glad it's a standalone novel, because I don't know that I'd want to read any sequels!
But it has my least favourite protagonist of any of Montgomery's works that I've read (including short stories), Eric Marshall. He was a bit too confident in himself and I missed the lovely, interesting and strong heroines of her other works. Even the Story Girl, although is was narrated by a young man, had several main female characters. This book had only one main female character and two minor ones.
Then there's the ending. I really liked that Kilmeny was dumb. It made for a really interesting and different heroine. And for it to be resolved as simply and quickly as it was at the end kind of annoyed me! I wish it wasn't such an easy fix.
I'm glad it's a standalone novel, because I don't know that I'd want to read any sequels!
A friend gave me this book years and years ago--I think it's a first edition. On Anne Osterlund's recco, I took it down to look at it.
I can see why many love it still--the true star of the book is the scenery, rather than the characters. The way that Montgomery writes about nature shifts you to liminal space, within a heartbeat of the numinous.
The reason, though, that I hadn't reread it in all these years was because the basic plot feels like a short story stretched out into a novel. That, and the two central characters are. . . problematical. I am not fond of the Wounded Animal hero or heroine, and Kilmeny is the apotheosis of the Wounded Animal--blind, beautiful, and utterly perfect, right down to her amazing violin talent. The schoolteacher who comes to town and falls in love with her at first sight just wants to look at her, because she's so perfect--and all the town immediately falls in love with him because of his heroic good looks.
It's a comfort book--perfect for that dreamy thirteen year old in your life--and perfect for you if you really need a quiet novel at sustained pace set in the glories of nature.
I can see why many love it still--the true star of the book is the scenery, rather than the characters. The way that Montgomery writes about nature shifts you to liminal space, within a heartbeat of the numinous.
The reason, though, that I hadn't reread it in all these years was because the basic plot feels like a short story stretched out into a novel. That, and the two central characters are. . . problematical. I am not fond of the Wounded Animal hero or heroine, and Kilmeny is the apotheosis of the Wounded Animal--blind, beautiful, and utterly perfect, right down to her amazing violin talent. The schoolteacher who comes to town and falls in love with her at first sight just wants to look at her, because she's so perfect--and all the town immediately falls in love with him because of his heroic good looks.
It's a comfort book--perfect for that dreamy thirteen year old in your life--and perfect for you if you really need a quiet novel at sustained pace set in the glories of nature.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Great little book by my fav author. I wish it was longer and maybe a little more fleshed out, but tbh it's pretty great the way it is! Love the characters and the vivid descriptions.
I am a fan of LM Montgomery’s “Anne” books and I will be the first to admit that aside from the first “Emily” book I haven’t read anything else by this Canadian author. This week I went up to the cottage and this small book seemed to be exactly what I wanted to read. Told exclusively from the male protagonists point of view, Kilmeny of the Orchard is a story of love at first site and the obstacles that need to be overcome if two people are to be together for the rest of their lives. All in all I thought that it was a cute story. The prose was certainly imaginative and evocative of the island (a place I can picture far better now that I have been there) and while I could figure out early on where the plot was going (i.e. how the two main characters were to meet and fall in love) I was quite surprised by the twists at the end. I give this book a solid three out of five.