A review by ruthie_the_librarian
A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery

4.0

When I first read this back in my early twenties, I didn't really like it - I was all about Anne at the time, and this is quite a different kind of story. I'd re-read since then, but still I didn't rate it much. But it came up in November for a re-read on the kindred spirits email list, and so I thought I'd give it another go. Christmas, and other books, got in the way a bit as I started the first few chapters then it got lost in a pile on my table, but yesterday I sat & read the last 3/4 of it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is waspishly funny. It has an absolutely huge jumble of characters, and somehow they sit perfectly together as real individuals, in an enormous interwoven family group. The skill of LMM as a writer is on display throughout, as she captures character, dialogue, plot, scene setting, emotional punches and humour. It's cleverly done, I had totally forgotten the resolution to the story so it kept me guessing. I found myself caught up in all the multiple stories - goodness knows how she kept them all straight in her head as she wrote.
It's a shame it ends on a racist note - I wonder if now publishers would edit that final brief chapter out, since it's unnecessary to the story?
Anyway, I'm glad I came back to it again to see what a gloriously deft writer she was.