Scan barcode
leslielikesthings's review
4.0
This was my first time rereading this book in many years, and I still found it highly enjoyable. Most of these characters make ridiculous decisions, but for the most part the book acknowledges their folly, and is making a statement about the folly of allowing yourself to be swept away by infatuation.
Warning: the book ends with an out-of-the-blue awful racist joke complete with offensive, racist language. A sad reminder that although I derive a lot of comfort from L. M. Montgomery's world and works, not everybody is welcome there.
Warning: the book ends with an out-of-the-blue awful racist joke complete with offensive, racist language. A sad reminder that although I derive a lot of comfort from L. M. Montgomery's world and works, not everybody is welcome there.
diptiramblesaboutbooks's review
4.0
As always, I've fallen in love with the PE setting, the way everyone speaks to each other, the talking behind, the quirks, everything. Aunt Becky does a great job of getting you hooked to the story at the very beginning, and although it IS indeed a tangled web among all the characters and you feel like you may never catch up to what who's doing, it's a beautiful journey to see them all getting better everyday in hopes of that 'damned' jug. And I guess I kinda knew about the future of the jug on some level, but went along to see what they do and what really happens in the end anyway.
linneahedvig's review
4.0
An utterly charming story about a PEI clan fighting over a family heirloom and realizing that the real heirloom is the friends they made along the way. I would have given it five stars because the whole thing was so exactly what I wanted from my last unread L. M. Montgomery novel, except it ends with some REALLY SHOCKING RACISM. If you've read the Montgomery story collection [b:Along the Shore: Tales by the Sea|678703|Along the Shore Tales by the Sea|L.M. Montgomery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1215011720l/678703._SY75_.jpg|1437556] then you've read one of the plotlines of this book and that's the one with the racist ending (it's in the last story in that collection, "A House Divided"). I read that a long time ago and I remembered the whole thing except a character's use of the n-word in a way that is super derogatory. So I guess this means I've made some progress in my own life. Anyway, I still think A Tangled Web is worth reading if you need a Montgomery fix. It really has the most satisfying resolutions to all the main storylines. But yeah, trigger warning for people being extremely racist only in the last paragraph of the book.
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
2.5
This book got very mixed reviews - I'd put mine somewhere in the middle. It was readable, but not as charming as some of Montgomery's other books. There were too many characters and it was hard to focus, plus I lost track of who was who at times with all the similar names. The ones who did get a bit more time, Jocelyn and Gay, were hard for me to sympathize with because there was not much to them except for being in love with the wrong men, and eventually the right one.
I also had a hard time believing all those people would get so worked up about a stupid jug. However, people are strange. And no doubt there was not a lot of other entertainment available in rural Canada at the time - perhaps this was part of the point.
The racist joke in the ending is a negative -- from the character who said it, it was believable. However, not OK for Montgomery to end on that as a humorous send-off -- even coming from a time when such jokes were commonplace, it would still strike an off note.
I also had a hard time believing all those people would get so worked up about a stupid jug. However, people are strange. And no doubt there was not a lot of other entertainment available in rural Canada at the time - perhaps this was part of the point.
The racist joke in the ending is a negative -- from the character who said it, it was believable. However, not OK for Montgomery to end on that as a humorous send-off -- even coming from a time when such jokes were commonplace, it would still strike an off note.
frost_booksnbeatles's review
1.0
1.5 ~ As much as I love L. M. Montgomery and her works, I did not like this novel for a number of reasons. I was going to give it a 3.25 (or thereabouts), but then a cat was intentionally killed, causing my rating to plummet. I am incredibly disappointed in the story, but at least I have now read all of Montgomery's standalones.
annabarbarabittner's review
2.0
a fali czytania powieści Montgomery sięgnęłam po tę, dotąd mi nieznaną, książkę. Przyznać muszę jednak, że była to lektura nad wyraz męcząca i długa. Montgomery nie udało się wyjść ponad sentymentalny schemat, a przyjemności z czytania nie przysłużyła się tytułowa plątanina charakterów, postaci i imion.
Ciotka Becky to seniorka dwóch rodów, które od wielu lat praktykują lżejszą wersję kazirodztwa. Na słynnych podwieczorkach u ciotki spotykają się wszyscy przedstawiciele powiązanych ze sobą ściśle rodów, co jest świetną okazją do wyśmiewania ich przywar, do plotkowania i obserwowania kto, z kim i co. Ciotka Becky szykuje się jednak do umierania i wzywa ród po raz ostatni, by zdecydować komu przekaże słynny dzban - rodzinną pamiątkę. Ciekawość, zawiść i chciwość pędzą wszystkich krewnych na to mało ciekawe i przyjemne spotkanie.
Ciąg dalszy: http://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot.com/2020/09/dzban-ciotki-becky-lucy-m-montgomery.html
Ciotka Becky to seniorka dwóch rodów, które od wielu lat praktykują lżejszą wersję kazirodztwa. Na słynnych podwieczorkach u ciotki spotykają się wszyscy przedstawiciele powiązanych ze sobą ściśle rodów, co jest świetną okazją do wyśmiewania ich przywar, do plotkowania i obserwowania kto, z kim i co. Ciotka Becky szykuje się jednak do umierania i wzywa ród po raz ostatni, by zdecydować komu przekaże słynny dzban - rodzinną pamiątkę. Ciekawość, zawiść i chciwość pędzą wszystkich krewnych na to mało ciekawe i przyjemne spotkanie.
Ciąg dalszy: http://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot.com/2020/09/dzban-ciotki-becky-lucy-m-montgomery.html
mrsmamatess's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lecterclarice's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emilybartonspinks's review
1.0
This book was the unfortunate beginning to my eventual disenchantment with L.M. Montgomery. As someone who has read, and loved the Anne books, Story Girl, and Emily of New Moon, I was honestly surprised by the degree to which I detest this pathetic novel, and how the book led me to like all of her books less. For starters, there is nothing new in this story. I felt like I'd met all the characters before, and had heard all the subplots. It's rather a compilation of all of Montgomery's sappy and predictable romances neatly compiled into one easy to swallow volume. Maybe that wouldn't bother someone who hadn't already read a lot of Montgomery's work, but it's enough that I wouldn't recommend it to someone who had read her before. But this wasn't the real reason I dislike this book. The story (SPOILER ALERT, but honestly, this spoiler doesn't really give away the story, and is a helpful warning) ends with one of the most profoundly sexist and racist paragraphs that I've found in this genre of literature. It was a vivid reminder that white imperialism is thing. And the character who delivers the profoundly offensive statement is one the heroes. The reader is meant to laugh and close the book with satisfaction after this closing statement, but I can assure that this wasn't my reaction, nor would I hope it would be yours. With the removal of the final two paragraphs, this book honestly would of been fine. Not a favorite, or one I'll read again, but tolerable. In fact, I improved my copy by tearing out the last two paragraphs, and burning them. If after all this anyone still feels as if reading this book would be a good use of their limited time on this earth, be my guest. But you can't that you weren't warned.