Book Description

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), the author of the classic novel for children, Anne of Green Gables, kept extensive journals for most of her life, beginning them in 1889 when she was fourteen and continuing them until shortly before her death. The much anticipated final volume of The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery caps the publication of the unique and powerfully told life-story of this gifted writer. Providing an intimate portrait of the last years of her life as well as a fascinating social history of life in a Toronto suburb, this final volume covers the years 1935 to 1942, the year of Montgomery's death. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

I've been waiting so long
These journals, are beautifully put together.I remember when I found the first one and then each suceeding volume.I knew this one was coming.I even called the author at Guelph University to ask her how much longer I would have to wait.

She said then that they had to wait for some of the people in the journals to die before they could publish them.I would guess Dr. Stuart Macdonald was one of them.

They thrill me and make me feel closer to thise amazing woman.I've read everything she's written now.The sad thing is that once this volume is finished there is nothing new to read.

My greatests thanks to L. M. Montgomery and to Drs. Rubio and Waterson for their great work.

Fascinating
Poor poor woman. I could scarcely put it down. But it brings up many questions.Why did she think that Mr. Leard, the Love of her life, was not worthy of her?Why did no one ask her husband Mr. McDonald what the heck was bothering him?Why did she not know in 5 years of courtship that something was terribly wrong with him? Poor, poor woman.The synthesis of this book is when she asks herself why a woman that she felt was mean and hateful was happy and she was not.Indeed, why?

The Life of Canada's Most Beloved Author
This is the most interesting and enjoyable diary I've ever read. It's no wonder that this was a best-seller when it was first published. L. M. Montgomery, who liked to be called Maud, was a remarkable novelist and diarist. Most of her readers love her for the Anne and Emily books, and I'm a fan of her fiction myself, but I believe her greatest literary achievement was her journals. I also believe that her best novels which will live on are the first two Emily books, Anne of Green Gables, Anne's House of Dreams, Rilla of Ingleside, and the Blue Castle. Also, of her thousand or more poems and short stories, about a dozen of them are outstanding little works which should not perish.

These early journals start when Maud was 14 and end when she's 36, a year before her marriage to the Rev. Ewan Macdonald. Maud's ability to pen a compelling narrative makes the journals read almost like a novel. She writes about her teenage years full of friendships; her year-long stay with her father and his bitchy new wife with whom she didn't get along; her college days full of classes and courtships (she would turn down several marriage proposals); her years as a teacher when she met and fell madly in love with the eldest son of the family she was boarding with; and then the dull and frustrating years of living with and looking after her aging grandmother, which nevertheless did have its happy days, including professional success as a writer, the peak of which was the publication of her classic "Anne of Green Gables." This journal is a most remarkable achievement of a most remarkable woman.

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"

The journals
This is a fabulous work.As a teenager, I read all the novels published by L.M. Montgomery and absolutely loved them.The journals, though, add another dimension to her writing.I have read all 4 volumes of the published journals (supposedly there is one more to come) multiple times.These books offer a fascinating look into the upper middle class life style from the late 1800s to the mid 1930s when the author passed away.Some of issues she covers:
-a powerful look at World War I from the view of Ontario resident
-childbirth in the days before pain killers (she said a toothache was worse)
-her awe at scientific advance (when vitamins were discovered she realized why she was always so lethargic all winter)
-her husband's mental illness in the days before drugs
-meeting the who's who of Canada at the time
Absolutely fascinating for anyone who loves history!

I enjoyed this book very much
I give this book a very high recommendation and think anyone who reads it will love it as much as I did.I have read a few biographys on L. M. Montgomery but reading her own thoughts, in her own words was even more interesting and insightful.I am looking forward to reading the next journal. ... Read more

Book Description

A loving look at the life of the best selling author of Anne of Green Gables by people who knew and loved her. Not only does this book uncover fascinating sides of the author and provide fresh anecdotes, but it includes many photos that are published for the first time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Maud Montgomery Comes to Life!
Where to begin? Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote one of my favorite books, "Anne of Green Gables". A book that inspired many lovely childhood dreams. The dreams became a reality when I went to Prince Edward Island in 1998 - Searching for Anne, Green Gables and all the magic of LM Montgomery!

While on the Island I bought a number of books and visited many Anne related sites. All of this made me want more! The other books I read were well written and informative; but, this book about Maud by Alexandra Heilbron grabbed my attention from the very first page. I enjoyed her question and answer approach. This way we got the actual thoughts and feeling of the people she interviews. We did not get the authors (AH) thoughts and feelings on LMM. Once I started reading it was very hard to put down.

I like the fact that Alexandra Heilbron actually went to the Island to do her interviews ; it provided such authenticity to her writing. To actually show pictures of the people she interviewed was something new. And, there were new LMM pictures , a delight to see; when so many other publications use the same photos over and over again.

Towards the back of the book there are examples of some of Maud's ( she preferred being called "Maud") poetry. Charming. There are reviews of Maud's work written at the time of her books publication. There is even a published review that Maud did herself about writing and other authors! As I said, I found it hard to put this book down.

It is obvious from the way the book was written that the author (AH) is well acquainted with her material, many small details add to the charm of the book. I like the physical size of it, too. Large, soft covered and easy to hold when reading.

On a scale of 1 to 10; I give it a 9 1/2. Why not a 10? Because if I give it the highest mark, Ms. Heilbron might not write another LMM book. I sincerely hope she does, this one was a delight! ... Read more

Book Description

Despite the enormous popularity of her books, particularly Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery's role in the development of Canada's national culture is not often discussed by literary historians. This is curious as some of Canada's leading writers, including Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, and Jane Urquhart, have acknowledged their indebtedness to Montgomery's fiction.

That scholars have not mined the 'Canadianness' of Montgomery's writing is redressed by this collection. It is the first systematic effort to investigate and explore Montgomery's active engagement with Canadian nationalism and identity, including regionalism, canon formation, and Canadian-American cultural relations. It examines her work in relation to the many dramatic changes of her day, such as the women's movement and the advent of new technologies; and it looks at the national and international consumption of Anne of Green Gables, in the form of both 'high' culture and cultural tourism.

The wide range of contributors represent views from across disciplines and boundaries, including feminist, biographical, psychoanalytical, historical, and cultural approaches. The scholarly reflections are punctuated to great effect by creative pieces, personal reflections, and interviews.

This ground-breaking collection will appeal to all fans of Montgomery's work and to students of Canadian letters. It places Montgomery and her work squarely in the mainstream of Canadian literary history, affirming her importance to our country's cultural development. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Presbyterian Record, published by Presbyterian Record on November 1, 2000. The length of the article is 390 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lucy Maud Montgomery album.
Publication: Presbyterian Record (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2000
Publisher: Presbyterian Record
Volume: 124Issue: 10Page: 21

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thompson Gale ... Read more

Reviews (1)

groundbreaking bio
This to date has been the best biography on L. M. Montgomery, as most of the others simply re-hash each other both in content and in photos. This one covers new ground though, and covers old ground in a new and more insightful and thorough way. I especially liked how Mollie Gillen brings out Maud's contradictory nature, showing us that the public Maud (cheerful dutiful wife of a minister) was often at odds with the private Maud, a woman who often felt repressed, depressed, and stressed over events in her life.

A new comprehensive biography for many years now been in the process of being written by Mary Rubio about the life of L. M. Montgomery, and I read somewhere that it's supposed to be published later this year. I can't wait. It'll be interesting to see how it stands against this book. I have high hopes.

David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness" ... Read more

Book Description

This book offers beautiful contemporary photographs and historical images of sites closely associated with Lucy Maud Montgomery. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Anne Revisted
When the thousands of Lucy Maud Montgomery fans make their pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island every year they expect to find everything in its place. Nancy Rootland, a writer from sunny California, has some insights to share about this in her illustrated book entitled Anne's World, Maud's World: The Sacred Sites of L.M. Montgomery (Nimbus). Her text slides easily from Montgomery's childhood, memorable moments and quotes from Anne of Green Gables to Rootland's own feelings as she enters these 'sacred sites' and experiences the places she has only ever read about but of which she feels so much a part. Add to this a collection of high quality photographs and you have a book that is a delight to the eye and a joy to read. Rootland delights in placing herself in scenes from both Maud and Anne's lives. Looking at herself in the china cabinet she sees the reflection of Katie Maurice. She visits the beach and watches Nate, Maud, and Amanda talking about their teenage hopes and dreams as the sun sets. She stands on the platform of Kensington Station with Maud and her grandfather waiting for the train that will take them to Prince Albert. Rootland surmises that in 1880 they did not know the future anymore than she does for herself a century later, except that she knows she will return to the sacred sites someday. Rootland experiences deja vu. Everything is where it should be, right down to Marilla's amethyst brooch on her night stand, "where it belongs", where she, and thousands like her, expect it to be, every day, every year, now and forever.

Homage to home,a tribute to the 'sacred sites' of Lucy Maud
"The Sacred Sites of L.M. Montgomery" seems a pretty silly subtitle for a book unless you're a total fan of Lucy Maud. I am not one. However, to my surprise, I found this small book, titled Anne's World, Maud's World, to be readable, enjoyable - even at times - thought-provoking. How Nancy Rootland came to write it is a remarkable story in itself. "In January of 1981," she relates, "I was browing in a bookstore in Southern California when the title Anne of Green Gables caught my eye...I slid the book off the shelf and started leafing through the pages - and that was it. I could barely put it down long enough to get over to the sales desk, and while I was driving home my eyes kept wandering over to the package on the seat next to me." She finished the story in one sitting, amazed at how Anne's experiences paralleled her own. She found she shared the author's and Anne's perception of nature. That summer she read all 20 of L.M. Montgomery's novels. For 11 years, Nancy Rootland learned more about her favourite author while waiting for the time when she'd be free to make the long journey to Prince Edward Island. This book is the record of what she found there and how she reacted to the "sacred sites." She was not disappointed . A fine writer herself, Rootland knows how to convey atmosphere, feelings, the sense of past and present meeting - all that's so difficult to articulate without sounding silly. She doesn't sound silly. Here's an example. "Such is the beauty and spiritual grandeur of this enchanted isle and the remarkable sons and daughters of its history, that access to the sacred, which thrives in sites both natural and constructed, is always possible. So convinced am I of this power of place that I invite you, reading these words, to come here and find out for yourself. All you need to take with you on your journey is an open heart and a bit of imagination." No need to spell out how Anne's World, Maud's World, conveys the spirit of home. Rather I'll mention what a beautiful little (110 page) book this is. Fine, coloured photographs of the " sacred sites" alternate with Rootland's commentary, which, in turn, is studded with quotations from Montgomery. First we see Anne's World, then Maud's. Two simplified maps at the end show the relevant places of PEI and in the Cavendish area. For an Anne-lover or Montgomery-lover, this book would make a perfect present. But anyone who's wondered about the mystery of how a character can some alive enough to fill an area with his or her presence will also appreciate Anne's World, Maud's World.

Author brings us closer to 'Anne'
Nancy Rootland's book explores environment of Montgomery and Anne. Through the writing of LM Montgomery, the world has an opportunity to look in on a beautiful rural community. A sense of home and of belonging are strong themes in the Anne books and Nancy Rootland uses this message to show us some of the places that were so dear to the author of Anne of Green Gables and places that have become sacred to readers. In Anne's World, Maud's World: The Sacred Sites of L.M Montgomery, Nancy Rootland has transported us to that place where Anne and her people live. Rootland expects to see Anne and Marilla or Matthew emerge from the fields or orchard at any time, and so do we. The photographs of the places that are so pivotal to the world of Anne and of Maud herself, will captivate the reader and invigorate the imagination of those who have read and re-read the books. The author invites the reader to experience this incredible place and uses her prose to evoke the writing style of Maud Montgomery, the pictures lead us on a journery of discovery for Anne and for our own sense of peace and tranquility. Rootland's background in teaching and as a teacher of child psychology provides some of the insights for her portrayal of the emotional story of the orphaned Anne and the lonely Maud. There is real feeling and caring for the child that Anne charaterizes and that Maud really was. Beautiful photos, and evocative text permit the reader to join Anne and Maud on the journey home.

This was the worst of all books concerning Montgomery....
This book was horrible. As a long time Anne of Green Gables fan, I must say I was very disappointed. ... Read more