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A review by quietjenn
A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery
3.0
2022 reread: Maybe 3/12 this go-around? In some ways, this book has held up better than some others. It's one where various things about it have stuck with me, since the time I originally read it. There are still a pretty overwhelming number of characters and it's difficult to get a handle on them all. And I in know way think this qualifies as a children's book, despite the fact that Montgomery wrote it and some kids read/have read it. It can still feel too slow and wordy and I rolled my eyes a lot at these characters and it still ends with a racist joke. But I did find it easy to settle in and immerse myself in it once it got going.
Original: It's pretty easy to see why this is not one of L.M. Montgomery's most famous and well-loved - although the plethora of gushy four and five star reviews here are evidence enough that it is still very beloved. If I'd read it when I was younger, I might be among them but today - not so much. It's incredibly slow and hard to get into. I think I actually started it at least three time before finally feeling it and that's mostly due to the fact that it's pretty confusing for the first third of the book. There are literally dozens of characters and they're all related and thus have very similar names and they are all super-invested in inheriting a jug. I think a little befuddlement and incredulity is warranted.
That said, once I hit about the forty percent mark, I was all in and I devoured the rest of the book with gusto. It's definitely melodramatic and it reminded me a lot of Peyton Place, if everyone was Canadian, related to each other and not quite so scandalous. But there are certain characters and story lines that resonated in a very satisfying way.
But then we came to the end and the book, quite literally, ends on a racist joke. Which - totally not expecting and while I know it is a product of its time was still really jarring and disappointing.
Original: It's pretty easy to see why this is not one of L.M. Montgomery's most famous and well-loved - although the plethora of gushy four and five star reviews here are evidence enough that it is still very beloved. If I'd read it when I was younger, I might be among them but today - not so much. It's incredibly slow and hard to get into. I think I actually started it at least three time before finally feeling it and that's mostly due to the fact that it's pretty confusing for the first third of the book. There are literally dozens of characters and they're all related and thus have very similar names and they are all super-invested in inheriting a jug. I think a little befuddlement and incredulity is warranted.
That said, once I hit about the forty percent mark, I was all in and I devoured the rest of the book with gusto. It's definitely melodramatic and it reminded me a lot of Peyton Place, if everyone was Canadian, related to each other and not quite so scandalous. But there are certain characters and story lines that resonated in a very satisfying way.
But then we came to the end and the book, quite literally, ends on a racist joke. Which - totally not expecting and while I know it is a product of its time was still really jarring and disappointing.