Carrie’s Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge“officially” ends today.

Last year I just read the first Anne book, Anne of Green Gables. This year I’ve read Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars for this challenge, and watched Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (all linked to my reviews) because it covers all three books.

I’ve started Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic, a sort-of biography of LMM by Irene Gammel, but I am only a third of the way through it. I’ll finish it because I wanted to do so while the books were still fresh in my mind and because I’d rather finish it now than pick it up again next year. I am having mixed emotions about it so far — I’ll tell you more when I finish it. 🙂

I had originally wanted to get to Anne’s House of Dreams, as it was my second favorite of the series after the first book, but I had thought it was the fourth book — I had forgotten about Windy Poplars. I thought about going ahead and reading it, but I think I will probably keep it for next year’s challenge and really give myself something to look foreword to! Plus, as much as I love Anne, I’m ready to read some other things.

I’ve really enjoyed the challenge. I had read the books several years ago after the films first came out on PBS — somehow I had never heard of them before. I’ve wanted to read them again, but it was a bit daunting to think of going through the six Anne books plus the two about her children. But this challenge has been just perfect to read a few at a time with the added bonus of doing so when others are reading them, too, and being able to share and discuss them.

So, thank you, Carrie! I am already looking forward to next year!

Carrie’s Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge, includes any of the films based on LMM’s books as well as the books themselves. I’ve read Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island and  Anne of Windy Poplars (linked to my reviews) for this challenge, and I wanted to rewatch Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel at this time because it covers all three books. I had watched it (originally titled Anne of Avonlea on VHS) when it was first shown on PBS years ago.

“Covers” is not the right verb: it’s kind of a mash-up.

Anne of Avonlea deals with Anne’s first two years of teaching in Avonlea school, Anne of the Island with her four years at college, and Anne of Windy Poplars with her years of being a principal at Summerside High School (Kingsport Ladies’ College in the film) while Gilbert is in medical school.

The film begins at the end of Anne’s years of teaching in Avonlea. It leaves out completely Anne’s years at Redmond College and her almost-fiance from that time, Royal Gardiner, but it projects that relationship onto a father of one of Anne’s students at Kingsport. The Harris family is an amalgam of several different people from the books. In the books Anne and Gilbert are engaged at the end of Anne of the Island and then Anne teaches for three years while he finishes medical school, but the film has Anne leaving Avonlea to teach partly to get away from Gilbert’s pursuits and ends with their engagement after only one year of Anne’s being at Kinsgport.

Despite the jumble of plots and characters, many of the lines from the film are verbatim from the books, though some are said by different characters and in different settings. I think much of the spirit of the books is captured, from Anne’s feeling out of place and regretting everyone’s growing up and changing in Anne of the Island and her spirit in Anne of Windy Poplars. Her winning over of the snobbish Pringle family happens differently in the film than the book, but many of the elements are there. “Katherine with a K” with all her “prickles and stings” is portrayed excellently — I could feel and sympathize with the stark bleakness she saw her life to be. Her “transformation” was taken a bit father and faster than portrayed in the books.

I do have mixed emotions about the film. I loved seeing the characters come to life, the beautiful scenery, the lace on even the most severe characters, the old-fashioned pins and brooches (when these films first came out, many I knew dressed, not just like the films, but using many elements from them. I still love old-fashioned lace and brooches. I wish people still wore hats like the ones there!) I can understand the mash-up better than I can the atrocity that was done in Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. I think the film could have worked covering the sequence of events as they were in the books, but even some dedicated Anne fans feel that the Island and especially Windy Poplars lag a little bit, so, again, I can understand why the film was done this way, despite my purist preferences. I did miss Anne’s “House O’ Dreams” with her college chums and china dogs amd Aunt Jamesina as well as Rebecca Dew and some other characters from the books. But the film was a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of evenings, and I am sure I’ll watch it again and again in years to come.

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme centering on the subject of books which poses a question or a thought for participants to discuss. The question for this week is:

What’s the largest, thickest, heaviest book you ever read? Was it because you had to? For pleasure? For school?

That’s easy: the 1,463 page unabridged version os Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (linked to my review). I read it for pleasure. I had seen a recording of the 10th anniversary presentation of it and read two different abridged versions and wanted to read the whole thing in context. Normally I am a book purist who doesn’t like abridgments, but in this case I would definitely recommend an abridged version. I’m glad to have read the whole volume once, but if I read it again I will probably either skip over some of it (like the histories of convents and sewer systems) or go back to the abridged.

I am participating in Carrie‘s third annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge and finished Anne of Windy Poplars, the fourth in her Anne of Green Gables series.

In this book, Anne and Gilbert are engaged (sorry if that is a spoiler for anyone, but most people who are at all familiar with the books or films are aware that they do eventually marry), but Gilbert has three years of medical school left, so Anne takes the position of a principal at Summerside High during those three years. It’s far enough away that she can’t live at home, yet close enough to visit Avonlea over weekends. As Anne adjusts to her new job, living arrangements, and community, she finds that she is up against a couple of unexpected foes: sarcastic, brittle coworker Katherine, and the entire Pringle clan, the leading family who seems to run much of the town. One of the Pringle relatives was up for the job that was given to Anne, so immediately they are all against her. Most of her students are Pringles or half-Pringles who make her job especially difficult.

Yet Anne finds unexpected treasures in little Elizabeth, a neighbor girl in a strictly controlled loveless home, and various characters she meets, and she sets herself to change the tide of the Pringle sentiments and win Katherine’s friendship.

Even though I am an Anne fan, I have to say this is not my favorite of the first four books, for several reasons:

• We see very little of the old Avonlea characters.
• We see very little of Gilbert even though they are now engaged.
• Much of the book is written in the form of Anne’s letters to Gilbert. A few would have been fine, and even though Anne’s letters are long and more narrative than we usually see these days…it’s just not as enjoyable as reading a story.
• Anne seems a little….overbearing and almost smug at times in her setting people straight.
• There seems to be a little more meanness than in the other books. There have always been gossipers and snipes who are generally the antagonists in LMM’s books,  but they just seemed a little more caustic this time. For example, one girl says to Anne, “Amy hates you because she wanted to be my bridesmaid. But I couldn’t have anyone so fat and dumpy now, could I?” Even Anne said, “If I stayed any longer I’d either go crazy or slap Mrs. Gibson’s nutcracker face.”

However many moons ago I first read the Anne books, I then found everything else by Lucy Maud Montgomery I could read, and found a couple of books of her short stories. I don’t remember the titles now, but I remember thinking she was almost better at shorter stories than full-length books. This books almost seems like a collection of short stories. There are plot threads running throughout of Anne’s interactions with the Pringles, Katherine, and the ladies Anne boards with, but many of the chapters focus on isolated individuals or families. Some of their situations are comedic, some tragic. Almost all of them have some problem they want Anne to help with — or that she decides to help with unasked. She “begins to suspect…[she] is an inveterate meddler in other people’s business — always with excellent intentions, of course.” Some people like all the excess characters. I enjoyed some of them but I could have done with a few less.

But despite those caveats, there is much of the old Anne-ishness there. It was good to see her maturing and even getting into a “scrape” or two. Some of the dialogue is wonderful and some of the characters, particularly Katherine and Elizabeth, excellently drawn.

The only other quote I marked from the book was this: “Sarcasm, in man or woman, was the one weapon Anne dreaded. It always hurt her…raised blisters on her soul that smarted for months.” Such an apt description. May I always be careful of blistering anyone’s soul.

I’m curious: have you read this installment of Anne, and did you like it?

(This review will also be linked to Semicolon‘s Saturday review of books.)

The folks at 5 Minutes For Books host What’s On Your Nightstand? the fourth Tuesday of each month in which we can share about the books we have been reading and/or plan to read. You can learn more about it by clicking the link or the button.

Wow, January has flown by — I can’t believe there is less that a week of it left. But I am glad — I look forward to February and Valentine’s Day, and then spring isn’t far behind!

Since last time I have read:

Snow Day by Billy Coffey, reviewed here.

Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery, reviewed here.

Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery, reviewed here.

The Anne books were read in conjunction with Carrie‘s third annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge. I just finished the next book in the series, Anne of Windy Poplars, and hope to review it later today or tomorrow.

I also made headway in 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning From Spiritual Giants of the Faith by Warren Wiersbe but admittedly set it aside to concentrate on the Anne books this month. I’ve been dabbling in it for a long while and need to make a dedicated effort to finish it.

I have a whole stack to choose from this next month. I don’t often accept requests for reviewing books, but something about Song of Renewal by Emily Sue Harvey spoke to me, so that will definitely be in the queue for this month. Also lined up are A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin, Faithful by Kim Cash Tate (won from Mocha With Linda‘s Booking the Holidays giveaways) and Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones.

I also have on hand Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic, a biography of LMM by Irene Gammel. I wanted to read it in conjunction with the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge but it is not likely I would finish it in time. But I would like to read it while the Anne books are still fresh in my mind. I haven’t decided yet whether to go ahead with it or save or for next year’s challenge. I also can’t decide whether to go on to Anne’s House of Dreams, which I was really looking forward to as, if memory serves, it was my second favorite of the series next to the first one, or to leave it for next year’s LMM challenge. The challenge ends this week, so I can’t do both by then…decisions, decisions!

Happy Reading!

I am participating in Carrie‘s third annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge and finished Anne of the Island, the third in the Anne of Green Gables series.

Anne of the Island covers Anne’s four years of college and her continuing growth into young womanhood. The excitement of finally going to college is mixed with the bittersweetness of leaving all that is familiar and dear in Avonlea. She boards with old friend Priscilla, meets a new frivolous but sweet friend in Philippa, and has regular outings with Gilbert, whom she is trying to keep as a friend only, and Charlie Sloan. She and her girlfriends find an ideal “house o’ dreams.” She undertakes her first writing for publication — with comical results. As she returns home for Christmas and summer vacations, she finds dear old Avonlea not quite the same as the children have grown, old friends face new crises, and even her relationship with bosom friend Diana Barry is not quite the same with Diana engaged. Her romantic ideals take a blow when her first proposal falls far below her dreams and she finds refusals more painful than romantic. And even when a Prince Charming does arrive on the scene, Anne finds the whole situation…not quite what she expected.

This brought back some of my own feelings during college — an exciting time of growth and change and missing home yet not feeling quite the same there. I thought Montgomery captured all of that beautifully as well as Anne’s own maturing when real life turned out differently from her dreams. New adventures and characters as well as the same beloved ones balance out the growth and change. Though Anne’s character is refined and tempered with sadness and disappointments, her “spunk,” love of life, and idealism remain.

I didn’t mark as many quotes from this book as I did from Anne of Avonlea, but here are a couple I liked:

“Charlie Sloan…talked unbrokenly on and never, even by accident, said one thing that was worth listening to.” May I strive to be “worth listening to” rather than just babbling.

At Diana’s wedding: “The only real roses are the pink ones… They are the flowers of love and faith.” That tickled my pink-rose-loving heart.

I loved this chapter in Anne’s life, and I especially loved how it ended — though I’ll leave that for you to discover if you haven’t yet.

(This review will be linked to Semicolon‘s Saturday review of books.)

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme centering on the subject of books which poses a question or a thought for participants to discuss. The question for this week is:

Even I read things other than books from time to time … like, Magazines! What magazines/journals do you read?

I subscribe to:

Frontline

Victoria from my “adopted mom” who has kept me supplied with it for years.

Family Fun, which I’ve loved, but am not going to renew because it’s mainly for families with younger kids. Love some of their neat ideas for parties and holidays.

Taste of Home

Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate. Love the numerous neat ideas for special occasions.

Southern Lady

Martha Stewart Living

Real Simple

I also sometimes pick up Romantic Homes — I used to subscribe but a new editor and focus changed it too much for me — and some of Better Home and Garden’s specialty magazines like Do It Yourself or a craft magazine.

The problem is — I usually prefer to read books rather than magazines, so they stack up until I can’t stand it any more and then go through a big pile of them at one time. So I think I am going to let Martha Stewart and Real Simple run out — though sometimes they talk me into resubscribing with a good deal. 🙂

I am participating in Carrie‘s third annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge and finished Anne of Avonlea this week.

This book takes up where Anne of Green Gables left off, covering Anne’s first two years of teaching beginning at the tender age of 16. Her beloved Matthew is gone and Marilla has rented part of the farm and is having trouble with her eyesight. Neighbor Mrs. Lynde is still the town gossip though waylaid a bit by her husband’s illness. Anne and Gilbert study together some times in hopes of pursuing college in the future, and Anne still has outings with her friends, mainly her “bosom friend” Diana Barry. Yet Anne has a new responsibility in teaching a classroom full of young charges.

I enjoyed seeing Anne’s natural enthusiasm and wonder mature a bit. I found the changes in the people and situations very natural, the course things might take in any young person’s life as they’re in that transition from youth to adulthood.

I had completely forgotten about Marilla’s taking in young orphans Davy and Dora from my previous reading. At first I thought the book lagged a little bit in recounting various “scrapes,” but by the time Montgomery introduced Lavendar Lewis (whom I had also forgotten), I was once again “hooked.” Her story ended perhaps a bit too perfectly and fairy-tale-ish, but, really, it was the ending I hoped for. I can’t imagine her story ending any other way without changing the whole tone of the book. And “happily ever after” is nice some times. I wasn’t terribly interested in Anne’s grumpy new neighbor, Mr. Harrison, at first, but later in the story I was. Anne’s visit from author Mrs. Morgan is very Anne-ish.

The book ends with yet another series of major changes facing Anne, changes that make her “glad with her head, sorry with her heart,” and yet also with a little glimmer of the joys to come.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this book:

Anne: “It does people good to have to do things they don’t like…in moderation” (p. 55).

Mr. Harrison, of Mrs. Lynde: “She can put a whole sermon, text, comment, and application, into six words, and throw it at you like a brick” (p. 66). (Sadly, I’ve known people who take great delight in having that ability.)

Anne: “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid and wonderful and exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string” (p. 160).

She held over him the unconscious influence that every girl, whose ideals are high and pure, wields over her friends, an influence which would endure as long as she was faithful to those ideals and which she would as certainly lose if she were ever false to them (p. 168).

Mr. Harrison: “You’ve got a very expressive face, Anne; your thoughts come out on it like print” (p. 221).

She must leave many sweet things behind…all the little simple duties and interests which had grown so dear to her…which she had glorified into beauty and delight by the enthusiasm she had put into them (p. 230)

Charlotta the Fourth to Anne after a fanciful description: “Oh, Miss Shirley, ma’am, what is that in prose?” (p. 258).

Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps…perhaps…love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath (p. 276).

I’m looking forward to Anne of the Island next. I had hoped to read through to Anne’s House of Dreams this month, thinking that book was the fourth, but I just noticed yesterday it was the fifth. So we’ll see! I am making myself wait to rewatch the DVD of Anne of Green Gables; The Sequel until I finish the books that it covers, but already I can see that it veered from the books more than I thought.

I’m enjoying revisiting this series again in all its wholesomeness and sweetness.