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A review by quoththegirl
Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
5.0
These continue to be delightful. I remember now that this book was what made me love the name Leslie (subsequently ruined for me by an unpleasant boss named Leslie--perhaps the name can be redeemed yet). Captain Jim is a lovely character who reminded me so much of a neighbor we befriended several years ago. He was a WWII vet with a knack for storytelling and woodworking, and he had kept a book of all of his life events too. Sadly, the neighbor passed away last year at the age of 97, and no Owen Ford has come along to transform his life-book into the next great American novel.
I wouldn't really call these books young adult by this point in the series; they seem to be written for an adult audience by this point, the exception being that there is zero mention or allusion to sex. Anne and Gilbert reach their new home on their wedding night and...have dinner with all the new neighbors until late in the evening? That would not have been my first choice on how to spend my wedding night. Also the hints that Anne is pregnant later in the book are so vague that I genuinely missed them as a kid and was rather surprised by the eventual birth of Joyce.
If Anne's life feels just a little too perfect to be believable up to the birth of Joyce, I think it's because much of Anne's experience is Lucy Maud Montgomery's experience, idealized. Montgomery had an incredibly sad marriage to a man she didn't love, a stillborn child, recurrent depression, experienced the death of her best friend (her Diana equivalent), and was cheated of her own writing and film proceeds. I can't blame her for writing a happier version of life.
I wouldn't really call these books young adult by this point in the series; they seem to be written for an adult audience by this point, the exception being that there is zero mention or allusion to sex. Anne and Gilbert reach their new home on their wedding night and...have dinner with all the new neighbors until late in the evening? That would not have been my first choice on how to spend my wedding night. Also the hints that Anne is pregnant later in the book are so vague that I genuinely missed them as a kid and was rather surprised by the eventual birth of Joyce.
If Anne's life feels just a little too perfect to be believable up to the birth of Joyce, I think it's because much of Anne's experience is Lucy Maud Montgomery's experience, idealized. Montgomery had an incredibly sad marriage to a man she didn't love, a stillborn child, recurrent depression, experienced the death of her best friend (her Diana equivalent), and was cheated of her own writing and film proceeds. I can't blame her for writing a happier version of life.