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