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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised that L.M. Montgomery could write this kind of thing this well. Not that they're truly scary, but some of them are pretty eerie.
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
4.0
For me this was one of my more favorite L.M. Montgomery books. While I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series as an adolescent, I've since become an even bigger fan of her less puritanical later works, especially her short stories, which is exactly what Among the Shadows: Tales From the Darker Side (edited by Rea Wilmhurst and published in 1990), contains.
If you've read any of Montgomery's other books, you shouldn't be surprised that her fascination with the paranormal led her to write enough stories to fill a volume. In the collection are several traditional ghost stories (such as "Davenport's Story" and "The House Party at Smoky Island"), but there are even more tales of strange coincidences or other "magic" ("A Redeeming Sacrifice," "Detected By Camera," "The Deacon's Painkiller," and "White Magic," among others).
There isn't really much more to describe the book as it exactly follows Montgomery's charming style in her other books. While I can gush on and on about the fine points of her novels, when it comes to short story collections, especially one spanning such a wide range of her career, there are just so many beautifully idiosyncratic portraits painted that you can really only gloss the broadest generalities of her style such as the rural coastal Prince Edward Island (Canada) setting from the late 19th or early 20th century and her charmingly folksy yet educated voice.
Essentially, if you're already a fan of Montgomery, you wont be dissappointed by Among the Shadows. If you haven't read any of her books, but think you might like her work, this would be one of the better books to start with. In general I think her later works, the short stories especially, are less of a shock to current readers than her earlier works originally written for Sunday School periodicals (this is how Anne of Green Gables developed). Some of my other favorite later works of Montgomery are A Tangled Web (1931), The Road to Yesterday (published posthumously in 1974), and The Blue Castle. Also, let's see if I can start a fight among the Anne fans out there by saying that the Emily Series - Emily of New Moon (1923), Emily Climbs (1925), & Emily's Quest (1927) - is better.
If you've read any of Montgomery's other books, you shouldn't be surprised that her fascination with the paranormal led her to write enough stories to fill a volume. In the collection are several traditional ghost stories (such as "Davenport's Story" and "The House Party at Smoky Island"), but there are even more tales of strange coincidences or other "magic" ("A Redeeming Sacrifice," "Detected By Camera," "The Deacon's Painkiller," and "White Magic," among others).
There isn't really much more to describe the book as it exactly follows Montgomery's charming style in her other books. While I can gush on and on about the fine points of her novels, when it comes to short story collections, especially one spanning such a wide range of her career, there are just so many beautifully idiosyncratic portraits painted that you can really only gloss the broadest generalities of her style such as the rural coastal Prince Edward Island (Canada) setting from the late 19th or early 20th century and her charmingly folksy yet educated voice.
Essentially, if you're already a fan of Montgomery, you wont be dissappointed by Among the Shadows. If you haven't read any of her books, but think you might like her work, this would be one of the better books to start with. In general I think her later works, the short stories especially, are less of a shock to current readers than her earlier works originally written for Sunday School periodicals (this is how Anne of Green Gables developed). Some of my other favorite later works of Montgomery are A Tangled Web (1931), The Road to Yesterday (published posthumously in 1974), and The Blue Castle. Also, let's see if I can start a fight among the Anne fans out there by saying that the Emily Series - Emily of New Moon (1923), Emily Climbs (1925), & Emily's Quest (1927) - is better.
amibunk's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with a collection of short stories is that there will always be some you don't like and others you do. Even when the author is somebody I adore (yes, despite Kilmeny of the Orchard, I still love you Lucy Maud.) So really, it all comes down to percentages. What percentage of the collection did I enjoy? What percentage didn't make the grade?
Among the Shadows was a success for me. I enjoyed or was entertained by the majority of what I read. Most of the stories retained that sweet old fashioned spirit that emanates from L. M. Montgomery's better written books, despite being stories about murderers or ghosts or nasty characters.
Overall, despite being one of Ms. Montgomery's more obscure works, Among the Shadows was a good read.
Among the Shadows was a success for me. I enjoyed or was entertained by the majority of what I read. Most of the stories retained that sweet old fashioned spirit that emanates from L. M. Montgomery's better written books, despite being stories about murderers or ghosts or nasty characters.
Overall, despite being one of Ms. Montgomery's more obscure works, Among the Shadows was a good read.
salicat's review against another edition
5.0
LM Montgomery was probably one of the most prolific writers in history, and this is a collection of her ghost stories. I recently went back and read these for the first time, with a kind of dreaded anticipation, similar to meeting your first crush twenty years later.
There are ghost stories here, but most of the topics focus on things that are more likely to be everyday news now- i.e. alcoholism, embezzlement, babies born out of wedlock, etc.- stuff that really was in 'the Shadows' a century ago. But even her darker stories are infused with a sweetness that escapes saccharine and leaves the reader with a good feeling she might not get even through reading modern stories that purport to be infused with romance. And some of the stories, e.g. "Some Fools and a Saint" have a cleverness that has yet to be matched by more modern short story writers.
There are ghost stories here, but most of the topics focus on things that are more likely to be everyday news now- i.e. alcoholism, embezzlement, babies born out of wedlock, etc.- stuff that really was in 'the Shadows' a century ago. But even her darker stories are infused with a sweetness that escapes saccharine and leaves the reader with a good feeling she might not get even through reading modern stories that purport to be infused with romance. And some of the stories, e.g. "Some Fools and a Saint" have a cleverness that has yet to be matched by more modern short story writers.
readcover2cover's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun collection to read around Halloween. I always enjoy L.M. Montgomery stories and this was no exception. There was nothing spectacular or very scary, but it was definitely enjoyable.
kecb12's review against another edition
4.0
A fun group of spooky-ish stories and stories that make you think empathetically about the human experience. LM Montgomery has a way of writing people that just seems to get it right every time. I love her, and I love her stories.
idgey's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
barbarajean's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5