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forestidylls's review against another edition
5.0
No matter how many times I read this book, I never tire of it. Possibly the sweetest, most innocent, beautiful romance written, it is one of my very favorites.
appaloosa05's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't like this as much as some of L.M. Montgomery's novels. There were definitely some cringy attitudes about disability. Eric also came across a bit condescending to me. There was some pretty blatant stereotyping as well, which was rather off-putting. It was more obvious than in her other novels, in my opinion.
laila4343's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Please read The Blue Castle or Jane of Lantern Hill instead of this one if you want to try other Montgomery books. This one is just laughably awful.
abbycostello1999's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
LMM’s writing is always beautiful, but I didn’t find the story or the characters compelling. The love interest grossed me out. I hate how he always referred to Kilmeny as a child and how he loved how “innocent” she was, and he even kept her out of school. It felt like he was grooming her, and that’s not romantic.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
Again, makes you want to go to PEI. Still, not fabulous like Anne.
claudiamccarron's review against another edition
3.0
Lacks the realism and humor that I love in Montgomery. There still are some beautifully written descriptive passages, but the plot and characters reminded me more of Anne's melodramatic stories in the Green Gables books. That's okay! They can't all be winners.
There's some interesting (and VERY early twentieth-century, so keep that in mind) use of race, class, and disability as well. I did enjoy reading this one, but it's not one I see myself rereading any time soon.
***5/3/22***
Currently reading The Alpine Path, where Montgomery mentions that Kilmeny was actually written prior to the first Anne book and originally published serially. The gap in writing quality now makes a lot more sense.
There's some interesting (and VERY early twentieth-century, so keep that in mind) use of race, class, and disability as well. I did enjoy reading this one, but it's not one I see myself rereading any time soon.
***5/3/22***
Currently reading The Alpine Path, where Montgomery mentions that Kilmeny was actually written prior to the first Anne book and originally published serially. The gap in writing quality now makes a lot more sense.
rebroxannape's review against another edition
2.0
Hoo boy. I agree with other reviewers that this one came across as something Anne Shirley would have written when she was 11 years old. Or perhaps not unlike Jo March’s precious story that Amy threw in the fire. Some have speculated that this was probably L.M. Montgomery’s first attempt at prose as a young teen. I can well believe it.
I’m not going to re-iterate the unconscious bigotry towards foreigners, the whiffs of pedophilia, the emphasis on a girl’s beauty, purity, and sweetness as the source of mature love, etc. etc. which jars a reader in 2018. It was another time. I’ll just let the book speak for itself.
Her face was oval, marked in every cameo-like line and feature with that expression of absolute, flawless purity, found in the angels and Madonnas of old paintings, a purity that held in it no faintest strain of earthliness…Her eyes were of such blue as Eric had never seen before, the tint of the sea in the still, calm light that follows after a fine sunset; they were as luminous as the stars that came out…in the afterglow, and were fringed about with long, soot-black lashes…and so on and so forth.
Eh. Somehow I just cant relate to this girl. She can’t even have short eyelashes?
Poor Eric watches her lithe graceful motions with delight; every movement seemed poetry itself. She looked like a very incarnation of Spring—as if all the shimmer of young leaves and glow of young mornings and evanescent sweetness of young blossoms in a thousand springs had been embodied in her.
Clearly, He doesn’t stand a chance. It’s fortunate for him that Kilmenny is “divinely beautiful” to borrow a phrase from the beloved Anne of Greengables, because Eric “could never love an ugly girl.” Yes, that came right out of his mouth. One doesn’t wonder for a second that if Kilmenny’s “sad defect” were, say, crossed eyes or, a spotty complexion he would give her the time of day. Even if she could play the violin as if it sounded like “the laughter of daisies.”
The final conflict in the story is our Eric’s father’s understandable skepticism over the low-born illegitimate, isolated girl's suitability as a life partner for his beloved son. Even if she can now speak. She's never left her property even to go to church.
I hope your young lady hasn't got her aunt's mouth." "Kilmeny's mouth is like a love-song made incarnate in sweet flesh," said Eric enthusiastically. "Humph!" said Mr. Marshall. Indeed, sir!
Unfortunately, Mr. Marshall buckles upon his first look at her angelic visage.
Kilmeny held out her hand with a shyly murmured greeting. Mr. Marshall took it and held it in his, looking so steadily and piercingly into her face that even her frank gaze wavered before the intensity of his keen old eyes. Then he drew her to him and kissed her gravely and gently on her white forehead. "My dear," he said, "I am glad and proud that you have consented to be my son's wife—and my very dear and honoured daughter."
3 more lines concerning the glorious vista of Eric’s future and then THE END.
If I were a young aspiring writer, I would be very inspired reading this little novella. To think that the writer of this sentimental flowery prose would go on to craft so many beloved characters and novels is a revelation. As such, 2 stars. It is written with such innocence and sincerity that I can’t be too mean.
I’m not going to re-iterate the unconscious bigotry towards foreigners, the whiffs of pedophilia, the emphasis on a girl’s beauty, purity, and sweetness as the source of mature love, etc. etc. which jars a reader in 2018. It was another time. I’ll just let the book speak for itself.
Her face was oval, marked in every cameo-like line and feature with that expression of absolute, flawless purity, found in the angels and Madonnas of old paintings, a purity that held in it no faintest strain of earthliness…Her eyes were of such blue as Eric had never seen before, the tint of the sea in the still, calm light that follows after a fine sunset; they were as luminous as the stars that came out…in the afterglow, and were fringed about with long, soot-black lashes…and so on and so forth.
Eh. Somehow I just cant relate to this girl. She can’t even have short eyelashes?
Poor Eric watches her lithe graceful motions with delight; every movement seemed poetry itself. She looked like a very incarnation of Spring—as if all the shimmer of young leaves and glow of young mornings and evanescent sweetness of young blossoms in a thousand springs had been embodied in her.
Clearly, He doesn’t stand a chance. It’s fortunate for him that Kilmenny is “divinely beautiful” to borrow a phrase from the beloved Anne of Greengables, because Eric “could never love an ugly girl.” Yes, that came right out of his mouth. One doesn’t wonder for a second that if Kilmenny’s “sad defect” were, say, crossed eyes or, a spotty complexion he would give her the time of day. Even if she could play the violin as if it sounded like “the laughter of daisies.”
The final conflict in the story is our Eric’s father’s understandable skepticism over the low-born illegitimate, isolated girl's suitability as a life partner for his beloved son. Even if she can now speak. She's never left her property even to go to church.
I hope your young lady hasn't got her aunt's mouth." "Kilmeny's mouth is like a love-song made incarnate in sweet flesh," said Eric enthusiastically. "Humph!" said Mr. Marshall. Indeed, sir!
Unfortunately, Mr. Marshall buckles upon his first look at her angelic visage.
Kilmeny held out her hand with a shyly murmured greeting. Mr. Marshall took it and held it in his, looking so steadily and piercingly into her face that even her frank gaze wavered before the intensity of his keen old eyes. Then he drew her to him and kissed her gravely and gently on her white forehead. "My dear," he said, "I am glad and proud that you have consented to be my son's wife—and my very dear and honoured daughter."
3 more lines concerning the glorious vista of Eric’s future and then THE END.
If I were a young aspiring writer, I would be very inspired reading this little novella. To think that the writer of this sentimental flowery prose would go on to craft so many beloved characters and novels is a revelation. As such, 2 stars. It is written with such innocence and sincerity that I can’t be too mean.
kecb12's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
3.5
LM Montgomery can do no wrong, in my mind. This book fits right in with all the others of hers that I love so dearly—good, kind, noble characters; breathtakingly gorgeous nature descriptions; an awareness of the human condition; and the beauty in life that can be found despite the difficult and ugly parts of life. I first read this book as a child, but I enjoyed it just as much now as I did then. When I read it all those years ago, I’m not sure I noticed the veiled references to Neil’s Italian-ness or the slightly infantilistic perspective Eric has about Kilmeny. There are certainly some things here that give the reader pause. But overall, I would say this is a nice little love story written at a different time in history.