Thinking About ~ L.M. Montgomery

By Unknown author - Wikimedia

 Thinking About

Lucy Maud Montgomery

aka L.M. Montgomery

 Anyone familiar with L.M. Montgomery's works knows her as  the author of the Anne of Green Gables books. She brought Anne Shirley, that is Anne with an "e" to life, and we, the readers for several generations, were allowed to live for a time on Prince Edward Island and Green Gables home. Now I do have to admit I preferred Anne before she became a mother, I think she lost something of herself when she had her children and sort of faded into the background. But I loved the final book in the series Rilla of Ingleside though it was filled with the heartbreak of loss as the war in Europe claimed some of the characters we had come to love. 

As much as I loved Anne, Diana, Gilbert, Rilla, and Walter I have to say my favorites come from Lucy's other books. My absolute favorite is the Emily Trilogy - Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily's Quest. I just loved Emily, her friends Ilse, Teddy, Perry, Cousin Jimmy, Aunt Elizabeth, and Aunt Laura. Every summer I would reread these books as soon as summer vacation began. I savored life with Emily as she went from the despair of losing her father to the new life she claimed when she moved to New Moon. Emily's life touched something within and made me want to visit her every year.

I also loved the Pat of Silver Bush books - Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat. Pat hates change and she wants to do everything she can to keep Silver Bush and all she holds dear the same but life brings changes as Pat all too soon discovers. Some changes are welcome while others have the potential of breaking our hearts.

There are several of Lucy's standalone novels that are also well worth reading. Kilmeny of the Orchard finds a young woman hidden away who doesn't speak - her family thinks she lives under a curse. The Blue Castle finds Valancy Stirling living life through the books of her favorite author but a terminal medical diagnosis finds her seeking to live life before she dies. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the works of L.M. Montgomery but these are my personal favorites that I have read multiple times and recommend often to others. There is something about her books that speaks to the reader's heart and mind. These aren't books that one outgrows but rather grows with. These are books that leave you with a feel-good feeling and with the current situation we find the world in we can all use a feel-good book or two or three.