The L.M. Montgomery Bookshelf

The L.M. Montgomery Bookshelf is a project launched by the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island in November 2022. It is described as, "a physical and digital collection of some of Montgomery's most-loved or most interesting reads." The bookshelf is curated by Dr. Emily Woster, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota in Duluth.

It's interesting to consider what a writer reads and how books influence them. Which books did L.M. Montgomery own, quote from, and give as gifts to others? This website helps explore these questions, and the book collection will continue to expand over time.

Image credit:
Screencapture adapted from The L.M. Montgomery Bookshelf website.

Created May 27, 2024.
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L.M. Montgomery and War

In 2017, L.M. Montgomery and War was published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. This book of scholarship examines how war influenced L.M. Montgomery's life and work. It was edited by Andrea McKenzie and Jane Ledwell. The volume contains contributions by Jonathan F. Vance, Irene Gammel, E. Holly Pike, Susan Fisher, Laura M. Robinson, Sarah Glassford, Maureen O. Gallagher, Caroline E. Jones, Andrea McKenzie, and Elizabeth Epperly.

Here's the description of the volume from McGill-Queen’s University Press:

War marked L.M. Montgomery’s personal life and writing. As an eleven-year-old, she experienced the suspense of waiting months for news about her father, who fought during the North-West Resistance of 1885. During the First World War, she actively led women’s war efforts in her community, while suffering anguish at the horrors taking place overseas. Through her novels, Montgomery engages directly with the global conflicts of her time, from the North-West Resistance to the Second World War. Given the influence of her wartime writing on Canada’s cultural memories, L.M. Montgomery and War restores Montgomery to her rightful place as a major war writer.

Reassessing Montgomery’s position in the canon of war literature, contributors to this volume explore three central themes in their essays: her writing in the context of contemporaneous Canadian novelists, artists, and poets; questions about her conceptions of gender identity, war work, and nationalism across enemy lines; and the themes of hurt and healing in her interwar works.

Drawing on new perspectives from war studies, literary studies, historical studies, gender studies, and visual art, L.M. Montgomery and War explores new ways to consider the iconic Canadian writer and her work.

Reviews

“L.M. Montgomery and War is a delight to read. The use of biography, journals, and historical context is admirable. The writing is clear and engaging, always with an eye towards the general readership that Montgomery engages, and the range of issues evoked by a focus on war in Montgomery’s work is truly amazing and illuminating.” Holly Blackford, Rutgers University

“Andrea McKenzie and Jane Ledwell’s edited collection has much to offer anyone interested in how readers remember female authors who do not abide by the cultural scripts defining the topics appropriate to them.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly

The book includes the following essays:

Part One: The Canons of War

1. “Some Great Crisis of Storm and Stress”: L.M. Montgomery, Canadian Literature, and the Great War by Jonathan F. Vance
2. Mapping Patriotic Memory: L.M. Montgomery, Mary Riter Hamilton, and the Great War by Irene Gammel
3. Education for War: Anne of Green Gables and Rilla of Ingleside by E. Holly Pike
4. “Watchman, What of the Night?”: L.M. Montgomery’s Poems of War by Susan Fisher

Part Two: Gendering War

5. L.M. Montgomery’s Great War: The Home as Battleground in Rilla of Ingleside by Laura M. Robinson
6. “I Must Do Something to Help at Home”: Rilla of Ingleside in the Context of Real Women’s War Work by Sarah Glassford
7. Across Enemy Lines: Gender and Nationalism in Else Ury’s and L.M. Montgomery’s Great War Novels by Maureen O. Gallagher

Part Three: Healing or Hurt?
The Aftermath

8. The Shadows of War: Interstitial Grief in L.M. Montgomery’s Final Novels by Caroline E. Jones
9. Women at War? One Hundred Years of Visualizing Rilla by Andrea McKenzie
10. Emily’s Quest: L.M. Montgomery’s Green Alternative to Despair and War? By Elizabeth Epperly


Image credit:
Book cover of L.M. Montgomery and War from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

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Created May 26, 2024.
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Booked: A Traveler's Guide to Literary Locations Around the World

My husband and I were roaming in a bookstore recently, and he was looking through a travel book of literary locations. He came over to show it to me because the book featured Prince Edward Island and Anne of Green Gables, and he knew I'd love to see it. The book is titled Booked: A Traveler's Guide to Literary Locations Around the World, and it's by Richard Kreitner. I love to read and explore, so I thought the concept was really fun.



Booked was published in 2019 by Black Dog & Leventhal, which is part of the Hachette Book Group. Here's the book's description from the publisher's website:

A practical, armchair travel guide that explores eighty of the most iconic literary locations from all over the globe that you can actually visit.

A must-have for every fan of literature, Booked inspires readers to follow in their favorite characters footsteps by visiting the real-life locations portrayed in beloved novels including the Monroeville, Alabama courthouse in To Kill a Mockingbird, Chatsworth House, the inspiration for Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice, and the Kyoto Bridge from Memoirs of a Geisha. The full-color photographs throughout reveal the settings readers have imagined again and again in their favorite books.

Organized by regions all around the world, author Richard Kreitner explains the importance of each literary landmark including the connection to the author and novel, cultural significance, historical information, and little-known facts about the location. He also includes travel advice like addresses and must-see spots.

Booked features special sections on cities that inspired countless literary works like a round of locations in Brooklyn from Betty Smith’s iconic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn and a look at the New Orleans of Tennessee Williams and Anne Rice.

Locations include:
Central Park, NYC (The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger)
Forks, Washington (Twilight, Stephanie Meyer)
Prince Edward Island, Canada (Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery)
Kingston Penitentiary, Ontario (Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood)
Holcomb, Kansas (In Cold Blood, Truman Capote)
London, England (White Teeth, Zadie Smith)
Paris, France (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo)
Segovia, Spain, (For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway)
Kyoto, Japan (Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden)

Image credits:
Photograph of a page on Anne of Green Gables in Booked by Richard Kreitner taken by World of Anne Shirley and cover image of Booked by Black Dog & Leventhal.

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Created May 20, 2024.
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Emily of New Moon Audiobook

An Emily of New Moon audiobook read by Megan Follows was produced by Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre and Design Sound Productions in 2021. Megan Follows is well-familiar with L.M. Montgomery's works, having starred as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed Anne of Green Gables (1985) by Sullivan Entertainment and its sequels Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000).

In an interview with the CBC, Follows reflected on her return to L.M. Montgomery's world saying, "It was a fun revisiting of the author, to hear her language again, to be transported to that time and place. Even though it's obviously a different series with the Emily of New Moon books, but still obviously so strongly the voice of Lucy Maud Montgomery, who I'm a fan of. It was a fun opportunity to just sit in the booth and talk." Follows recorded the audiobook during the pandemic. She reflected on the creative experience saying, "I guess it was perfect, given the world that we were all living in at the time. We were in COVID. The recording studio had just opened back up. This is back in the winter. It was going from the isolation of one space into a recording studio all sanitized down, in this cocoon-like world. In a way, the true beauty of the literature is that I got to be transported to outside my circumstances and situations into someone else's life. That's really the beautiful thing about her work."

Megan Follows has a deep understanding of L.M. Montgomery's voice and her characters. She says, "I think there is something that people identify with — being ostracized, being bullied, being excluded, the fear of not fitting in, not being wanted. What is my voice? How do I belong? How do I find a voice and a place in the world? That is as much a part of our present day situation."

I don't often listen to audiobooks, but I'm going to seek out this one.


Image Credit:
Artwork for the Emily of New Moon Audible audiobook by Design Sound Productions.

Reference:
CBC Books. (2021, Jul 14). Megan Follows returns to Lucy Maud Montgomery's world with Emily of New Moon audiobook. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/books/megan-follows-returns-to-lucy-maud-montgomery-s-world-with-emily-of-new-moon-audiobook-1.6101013

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Created May 19, 2024.
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Anne around the World: L.M. Montgomery and Her Classic

Anne around the World: L.M. Montgomery and Her Classic was published in May 2013 by McGill-Queen’s University Press. This book of scholarship examines the broad and lasting international appeal of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. It was edited by Jane Ledwell and Jean Mitchell. The volume contains contributions Yoshiko Akamatsu, Doreley Carolina Coll, Brooke Collins-Gearing, Margaret Doody, Elizabeth R. Epperly, Barbara Carman Garner, Caroline E. Jones, Paul Keen, Jane Ledwell, Jennie MacDonald, Susan Meyer, Jean Mitchell, Mary Henley Rubio, Gholamreza Sami, Wendy Shilton, Cynthia Sugars, Tanfer Emin Tunc, Åsa Warnqvist, Elizabeth Hillman Waterston, and Budge Wilson.

Here's the description of the volume from McGill-Queen’s University Press:

What makes Anne of Green Gables an international, time-honoured classic? International audiences have described reading L.M. Montgomery's most celebrated novel as an experience in enchantment. Balancing criticism and celebration, Jane Ledwell and Jean Mitchell bring together essays that consider the sources of the wonder that Montgomery's work inspires.

The popular appeal of Montgomery's classic is undeniable, but the reasons for its worldwide resonance are less obvious. From a range of perspectives, the contributors to Anne around the World focus on the numerous themes the novel raises, showcasing why it has charmed readers across the globe - from Iran to Australia, and from Sweden to Japan. Essays consider issues of class, race, and colonial history, discuss Anne's place in children's literature, her passion for writing, and the ways in which L.M. Montgomery and her red-haired protagonist are celebrated by legions of fans.

Featuring contributions from many international writers, Anne around the World traces the meaning and influence of a story that spread far from its place of origin on a small Canadian island to distant and culturally diverse places.

Contributors include Yoshiko Akamatsu (Notre Dame Seishin University, Japan), Doreley Carolina Coll (University of Prince Edward Island), Brooke Collins-Gearing (School of Humanities and Social Science, New South Wales), Margaret Doody (Notre Dame University), Elizabeth R. Epperly (emeritus, University of Prince Edward Island), Barbara Carman Garner (Carleton University), Caroline E. Jones (Texas State University-San Marcos), Paul Keen (Carleton University), Jane Ledwell, Jennie MacDonald (PhD, University of Denver), Susan Meyer (Wellesley College), Jean Mitchell, Mary Henley Rubio (emeritus, University of Guelph), Gholamreza Sami (Sussex University), Wendy Shilton (University of Prince Edward Island), Cynthia Sugars (University of Ottawa), Tanfer Emin Tunc (Hacettepe University, Turkey), Åsa Warnqvist (Stockholm University, Sweden), Elizabeth Hillman Waterston (emeritus, University of Guelph), and Budge Wilson (author).

Reviews

"Anne around the World is a notable and memorable collection of essays which should become an important reference text in the academic field and an attractive read for general readers around the world who have an interest in L.M. Montgomery." Joy Alexander, School of English, Queen's University, Belfast

The book includes the following essays:

Situating Montgomery and Her Classic

Anne of Green Gables - and Afterward by Elizabeth Hillman Waterston
Lasting Images of Anne of Green Gables by Elizabeth R. Epperly
Uncertainties Surrounding the Death of L.M. Montgomery by Mary Henley Rubio
A Century of Critical Reflection on Anne of Green Gables by Barbara Carman Garner

The Terrain of the Classic: Allusions and Intertexts

L.M. Montgomery and the Significance of “Classics,” Ancient and Modern by Margaret Doody
“So- so- commonplace”: Romancing the Local in Anne of Green Gables and Aurora Leigh by Paul Keen
“Matthew’s school of critics”: Learning to Read Anne of Green Gables by Cynthia Sugars
Anne of Green Gables as Centre and Circumference by Wendy Shilton

Provoking the Classic: Class, Colonialism, and Christianity

“Nice Folks”: L.M. Montgomery’s Classic and Subversive Inscriptions and Transgressions of Class by Caroline E. Jones
Civilizing Anne: Missionaries of the South Seas, Cavendish Evangelicalism, and the Crafting of Anne of Green Gables by Jean Mitchell
Narrating the “Classic” on Stolen Ground: Anne of Green Gables by Brooke Collins-Gearing

Anne and After: The Local and Global Circulation of the Classic Text

Teaching and Reading Anne of Green Gables in Iran, the Land of Omar Khayyam by Gholamreza Samigorganroodi
Reading Anne of Green Gables in Montevideo by Doreley Carolina Coll
Teaching Anne and Antonia in Turkey: Feminist Girlhood in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and Willa Cather’s My Antonia by Tanfer Emin Tunc
The Continuous Popularity of Red-haired Anne in Japan: An Interview with Yoshiko Akamatsu by Yoshiko Akamatsu
“I experienced a light that became a part of me”: Reading Anne of Green Gables in Sweden by Åsa Warnqvist

Paratext and Aftertexts: Further Words on Anne

“I just love pretty clothes”: Considering the Sartorial in Anne of Green Gables by Jennie MacDonald
Writing after Anne: L.M. Montgomery’s Influence on Canadian Children’s Literature by Susan Meyer
Writing Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson


Image credit:
Book cover of Anne around the World: L.M. Montgomery and Her Classic from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

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Created May 18, 2024.
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The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables: The Enchanting Island that Inspired L. M. Montgomery is a book by Catherine Reid explores the environment of Prince Edward Island and how L.M. Montgomery used nature as a source of creativity to write Anne of Green Gables. Published in 2018, the book is filled with lush photography, biographical information about L.M. Montgomery, and L.M. Montgomery's own photos and quotes. It was published by Timber Press in Portland, Oregon, which is part of the Hachette Book Group. The book was acclaimed as one of Smithsonian magazine’s Ten Best Books About Travel of 2018.

Here is the book's description from the Hachette Book Group:

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables explores L. M. Montgomery’s deep connection to the landscapes of Prince Edward Island that inspired her to write the beloved Anne of Green Gables series. From the Lake of Shining Waters and the Haunted Wood to Lover’s Lane, you’ll be immersed in the real places immortalized in the novels.

Using Montgomery’s journals, archives, and scrapbooks, Catherine Reid explores the many similarities between Montgomery and her unforgettable heroine, Anne Shirley. The lush package includes Montgomery’s hand-colorized photographs, the illustrations originally used in Anne of Green Gables, and contemporary and historical photography.

Reviews

“This book will be treasured by Montgomery’s legions of fans.” —Carolyn Strom Collins, author of The Anne of Green Gables Treasury; editor of After Many Years: Twenty-one “Long-Lost” Stories by L. M. Montgomery

“In L. M. Montgomery’s beloved book, Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada, played a role that is arguably just as important as the series’ protagonist, Anne Shirley. Wanting to bring the island to life years later, author Catherine Reid explores the very places that inspired Montgomery and became immortalized in her prose.” —The Smithsonian Magazine

“There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing gorgeous pictures of sunsets, shores, and gardens alongside snippets of Montgomery’s musical, flowery prose. Reid’s love letter to Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery, and Prince Edward Island is sure to delight. Anne enthusiasts will learn more about what inspired Montgomery, while nature lovers will find a kindred spirit in Reid, who clearly has a passion for all things green and growing.” —Booklist starred review

“This is not just a book filled with beautiful photos; it’s a satisfyingly rich and layered combination of the visual and intellectual. Readers will gain a new appreciation not only for Montgomery but also for the landscape that meant so much to her.” —Library Journal

“Whether you read the Anne saga growing up (particularly popular with young girls) or are brainstorming now for a summer vacation jewel, this new The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables is certain to delight. Author Catherine Reid exuberantly jumped into Montgomery's archives—her journals, scrapbooks, photographs—to create this lush tribute to Montgomery, Green Gables and PEI. It is graced with positive quotes, poems and anecdotes; festooned with fascinating history; dressed in scores of images from yesteryear and today. . . . Reid herself deserves ample applause for this wet-kiss, well-crafted ode to all that makes Prince Edward Island and its most esteemed native resonate with readers and visitors. Oh, Canada!” —Forbes

“For readers looking for a deeper understanding of the book, the author, and how they both came together to create a timeless classic, this is a must-read. Filled with beautiful colour images and original illustrations from the book's 1908 edition, The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables is an easy, enjoyable read, but it is packed with much more fascinating information than your average coffee-table book. . . . readers are prompted to reflect on how the landscapes of their worlds speak to their own internal lives.” —The Cardinal Press

Image credit:
Photograph of The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables by Timber Press.

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Created May 16, 2024.
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Alice Munro (1931-2024)

Alice Munro passed away this week. She's a Canadian legend, a literary giant, and a writer whose short stories about the lives of women were poignant, shocking, challenging, and devastating. She was a marvelous storyteller who didn't waste words. For her work she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.

As a child, Alice Munro loved to read. Her Nobel Prize biographical page describes how she enjoyed reading books by fellow Canadian author L.M. Montgomery, as well as Dickens, Tennyson, and Emily Bronte. After Alice Munro completed college, she moved to Victoria, British Columbia. She and her then-husband James opened a bookstore. Munro began publishing stories of everyday women, often set in rural Ontario, Canada, stories that others might not find worth telling about women that others might never notice.

I sometimes think about the fact that three of my favorite authors are L.M. Montgomery, Alice Munro, and Margaret Atwood. All three authors are Canadian women who have written memorable and meaningful stories about girls and women.

One of the most poignant and puzzling films I've watched in the past couple years was Away from Her (2006), a film directed by the Canadian filmmaker and writer Sarah Polley. There's an L.M. Montgomery connection here too. Sarah Polley once starred as Sara Stanley in Road to Avonlea, a television series that was based on L.M. Montgomery's stories. After retiring from acting, Sarah Polley began telling stories in her own way on film. Away from Her was Polley's directorial debut. The film was based on Alice Munro's short story, "The Bear Came over the Mountain," which was published in the short story collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. I re-read Munro's short story a couple years back and reflected on it here. It's the story of what happens to a man and his wife when the wife develops Alzheimer's disease.

Two summers ago, I visited Victoria, British Columbia for the first time. I had read about Munro's Books as being a special bookstore to visit, at first not realizing that it was once Alice Munro's bookstore. But once I knew, I had to go. Visiting the store was somewhat of an unintentional pilgrimage, but maybe one that was meant to be. I bought a copy of one of Alice Munro's books there (pictured above).

Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

Created May 15, 2024.
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Becoming Green Gables

Becoming Green Gables: The Diary of Myrtle Webb and Her Famous Farmhouse is a book by Alan MacEachern that will be published by McGill-Queen’s University Press in June 2024. Myrtle and Ernest Webb owned the farm that their cousin L.M. Montgomery based "Green Gables" upon. According to The Green Gables Diary website: "In spring 1924, Myrtle Webb began keeping a diary about her life on an ordinary farm in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Ordinary but for one thing: it was growing famous as the inspiration for Anne of Green Gables, written by her cousin L.M. Montgomery."

MacEachern's book tells "The story of the family whose home inspired Anne of Green Gables and how that literary connection enriched - and upended - their lives." His book examines the history of Green Gables and how the popularity of L.M. Montgomery's novel affected the Webb family and tourism to Prince Edward Island.

A digital exhibition that will accompany the book called "The Green Gables Diary" will launch this spring at: https://greengablesdiary.ca/

Here's the description of the book from McGill-Queen’s University Press:

In 1909 Myrtle and Ernest Webb took possession of an ordinary farm in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Ordinary but for one thing: it was already becoming known as inspiration for Anne of Green Gables, the novel written by Myrtle’s cousin Lucy Maud Montgomery and published to international acclaim a year earlier. The Webbs welcomed visitors to “Green Gables” and soon took in summer boarders, making their home the heart of PEI’s tourist trade. In the 1930s the farm was made the centrepiece of a new national park - and still the family lived there for another decade, caretakers of their own home. During these years Myrtle kept a diary. When she first picked up the pencil in 1924, she was a forty-year-old homemaker running a household of eight. By the time she set the pencil down in 1954, she was a seventy-year-old widow, no longer resident in what was now the most famous house in Canada. Becoming Green Gables tells the story of Myrtle Webb and her family, and the making of Green Gables. Alan MacEachern reproduces a selection of the diary’s daily entries, using them as springboards to examine topics ranging from the adoption of modern conveniences to the home front hosting of soldiers in wartime and visits from “Aunt Maud” herself. While the foundation of Becoming Green Gables is the Webbs’ own story, it is also a history of their famous home, their community, the nation, and the world in which they lived.

Reviews

“Humorous in some places and a tearjerker in others, Becoming Green Gables captures an untold story about the famed Green Gables and home-grown tourism prior to the founding of the national park.” Catharine Anne Wilson, author of Being Neighbours: Cooperative Work and Rural Culture, 1830-1960

“Becoming Green Gables provides an appreciation of the complex grassroots history of one of Canada’s most beloved historical sites.” Melanie J. Fishbane, author of Maud: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery

I am looking forward to reading this book and the launch of the digital exhibit.

Image credit:
Book cover of Becoming Green Gables: The Diary of Myrtle Webb and Her Famous Farmhouse by Alan MacEachern from McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Official website:
The Green Gables Diary

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Created May 14, 2024.
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L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon: A Children's Classic at 100

Last month, on April 23, 2024, L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon: A Children's Classic at 100 was published by the University Press of Mississippi. This new book of scholarship on the Emily of New Moon series was edited by Yan Du and Joe Sutliff Sanders of the University of Cambridge. The scholarly volume contains contributions by Yoshiko Akamatsu, Carol L. Beran, Rita Bode, Lesley D. Clement, Allison McBain Hudson, Kate Lawson, Jessica Wen Hui Lim, Lindsey McMaster, E. Holly Pike, Katharine Slater, Margaret Steffler, and Anastasia Ulanowicz.

Here's the description of the volume from the University Press of Mississippi:

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) was a Canadian author best known for writing the wildly popular Anne of Green Gables. At the time of its publication in 1908, it was an immediate bestseller and launched Montgomery to fame. Less known than the dreamy and accidentally mischievous Anne Shirley is Emily Byrd Starr, the title character in the trilogy that followed much later in Montgomery’s professional career, Emily of New Moon. Published in 1923, Emily of New Moon is the first in a series of novels about an orphan girl growing up on Prince Edward Island, a story that mirrors Anne’s but intentionally resists many of the defining qualities of Montgomery's most famous creation.

Despite being overshadowed by the immense popularity of Anne of Green Gables, the Emily of New Moon trilogy has become a subject of endless fascination to fans and scholars around the world. The trilogy was conceived during an important phase in Montgomery’s career during which she turned from Anne and plunged into more intricate aspects of gender, adolescence, nature, and authorship. While the novels have attracted rich critical attention since their publication, book-length studies proved surprisingly scarce. L. M. Montgomery’s "Emily of New Moon": A Children’s Classic at 100 is the first scholarly volume exclusively dedicated to the trilogy, coalescing different research perspectives. It offers a fresh point of entrance into a well-loved classic at its one-hundredth anniversary.

Reviews

"Du and Sanders present a robust collection providing new, unique, and exciting approaches to L. M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon series." - Ashley N. Reese, author of The Rise of American Girls’ Literature

"A hundred years after the first installment of Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon, this essay collection makes clear that Emily Byrd Starr’s coming-of-age story is as relevant as ever." - Dawn Sardella-Ayres, research associate for the L. M. Montgomery Institute

Image credit:
Book cover of L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon: A Children's Classic at 100 by the University Press of Mississippi.

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Created May 11, 2024.
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Finding Anne on Prince Edward Island

Finding Anne on Prince Edward Island is a guidebook that features locations that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write Anne of Green Gables. The travel guide was published by Ragweed Press as part of their "Island Pathways" series. The book was edited by Kathleen Hamilton and Sibyl Frei. The color photography is by John Sylvester, and the book includes many archival photos from the Prince Edward Island Public Archives.

It's a small spiral bound travel guide. I own a copy of the third printing, which was published in 1998. The guidebook features quotes from L.M. Montgomery's journals and from the Anne of Green Gables novels. The book's introduction states:

"This guidebook is designed for all those who are looking for ANNE and her creator, L.M. Montgomery, and it features the Island locations that you will most want to visit. The chapters are arranged alphabetically by location; each describes a different community on the Island, outlining the places of importance to L.M. Montgomery, and the ANNE attractions to be found there. Entertaining quotations from Anne of Green Gables and the other ANNE books are sprinkled through the chapters."

The contents include the following chapters:

Introduction
Belmont
Bideford
Cavendish
Charlottetown
French River
Hunter River
Kensington
Lower Bedeque
Malpeque
New London
Park Corner
Anne Day Tour
Select Bibliography
Index of Featured Attractions

Each chapter is subdivided into three sections: (1) The Setting, (2) About L.M. Montgomery, and (3) Attractions and Activities. Although so much information is readily available online, I still like to have a guidebook on hand when traveling. I like this one because it is focused on L.M. Montgomery's experiences and perspectives.


Image credit:
Photograph of the Finding Anne on Prince Edward Island book cover by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created May 9, 2024.
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Anne of Green Gables Audible Audiobook

A new Anne of Green Gables audiobook published by Audible Originals dramatizes L.M. Montgomery's classic story. The performances were directed by Megan Follows, who starred as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed Anne of Green Gables (1985) and its sequels Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel (1987) and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000).

A Canadian cast brings the story to life. Anne of Green Gables is narrated by Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy, Killing Eve, The Chair), an Asian-Canadian-American actress. Anne Shirley is voiced by 17-year-old Canadian actress Michela Luci (Dino Dana), who won a Daytime Emmy Award. Marilla Cuthbert is voiced by Canadian Emmy Award winner Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Home Alone, Schitt's Creek). Matthew Cuthbert is voiced by the Canadian actor Victor Garber (Alias, Milk, DC's Legends of Tomorrow), who has received multiple Emmy and Tony nominations.

This retelling of Anne of Green Gables was released on November 30, 2023, which is L.M. Montgomery's birthday. L.M. Montgomery's story was adapted by Abi Hynes, and the production has an original score and immersive sound.

In an interview with the CBC, Megan Follows says, "I loved the idea of going back and deeply immersing myself in the text, in the writing of Lucy Maud Montgomery." Follows goes describe Anne as rare considering the historical period saying, "That advocacy of a female to have the right to speak up and to be heard and to be seen was unheard of at that time. She was revolutionary in that way — to have an imagination, to have feeling, to express feelings, and for girls to express anger."


Official Websites:
Anne of Green Gables Audible Audiobook - watch the trailer, and view a behind-the-scenes video
Anne of Green Gables Audible audiobook at Amazon.com

Image Credit:
Promotional image for the Anne of Green Gables Audible audiobook.

Reference:
Yarr, Kevin. (2023, December 3). Anne of Green Gables audiobook 'a whole new world,' says Megan Follows: Follows directs all-star Canadian cast in latest dramatization of Montgomery work. CBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-anne-green-gables-audible-audiobook-1.7043654

Created May 8, 2024. Last updated June 5, 2024.
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Ten Books You’ll Enjoy if You Love Anne of Green Gables

Which books strike the same chord as L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables? What stories have charming, imaginative heroines and themes of discovering one’s place, finding true friends, and self-discovery? Here is a list of ten books you might enjoy if you’re a fan of Anne of Green Gables:

1. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett – Published in 1905, the tale of Sara Crewe is one of my favorite stories of all time. Sara has a vivid imagination and a kind heart. Her father sends her to a boarding school in London after she lived with him in India. Sara has enjoyed a life of luxury, but her beloved father’s sudden death leaves her a penniless orphan who is alone in the world. Like Anne, Sara remains optimistic despite her grim reality.
   
   
2. The Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery – Like Anne, Emily Starr becomes an orphan after losing her father, but in contrast with Anne, Emily has an extended family that raises her. L.M. Montgomery based many of Emily’s qualities on herself. For example, Emily loves to write and is determined to be a writer. She has dreams and goals that she actively works towards.
   
   
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – Alcott’s Little Women is the well-loved story of the four March sisters, who are growing up during the Civil War. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy have unique personalities and their own goals and dreams. I often wish that Jo ended up with Laurie, as Anne did with Gilbert.
   
   
4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – The Secret Garden is the story of Mary Lennox. Mary is orphaned after a cholera outbreak in India and is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, England. Mary’s uncle is reclusive, so she begins to explore his vast estate alone. Mary discovers a neglected garden that was locked off and surrounded by walls. She begins restoring the garden, finding purpose and peace, and making friends along the way.
   
   
5. The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace – This series of books is the story of Betsy Ray, her best friend Tacy, and close friend Tib as they grow up in Deep Valley, Minnesota. Betsy is imaginative and charismatic and dreams of becoming an author. A member of the Sullivan Anne of Green Gables forum recommended these books to fellow Anne fans years ago, and I read and enjoyed them all. The stories are a beautiful example of deep and lasting friendship that spans across the years.
   
   
6. Heidi by Johanna Spyri – Heidi is a cheerful young girl who was orphaned as a young child. She is sent to live with her cranky, reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Heidi’s joyful nature wins her grandfather over. Later on, Heidi must leave her grandfather and the mountains she loves to work in Frankfurt, but homesickness overwhelms her. Much like Anne, Heidi has a sense of where she belongs and where she is needed.
   
   
7. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter – This is the story of Elnora Comstock, a girl who lives on the banks of the Limberlost Swamp in Indiana. Elnora is resourceful and intelligent, but must cope with her cruel mother who attempts to spoil her dreams. Determined to pay for her own education, Elnora sells artifacts and specimens that she collects in the Limberlost. Stratton-Porter’s writings show her deep love and appreciation for nature, similar to L.M. Montgomery's stories.
   
   
8. The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder – These stories are based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood growing up on the Western frontier. Young Laura and her family travel west as pioneers and encounter many adventures along the way. The books and TV series are beloved classics.
   
   
9. Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter – Published in 1913, the novel tells the story of an eleven-year-old orphan named Pollyanna Whittier. She is sent to live with her stern Aunt Polly in Vermont. Pollyanna has a bright and optimistic philosophy, which positively influences those around her. She plays what she calls “The Glad Game” and attempts to always find something to be glad about to cope with difficult situations.
   
   
10. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin – Published in 1903, this novel tells the story of ten-year-old Rebecca Rowena Randall who goes to live with her two aunts on their farm in Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca is sent there to help relieve the economic burden on her family following her father’s death. Much like Anne, Rebecca is bright and imaginative with a keen love of beauty. She names their farm Sunnybrook.

Image credits:
Combined graphic of ten book covers: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter, The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin.

Created May 3, 2024. Last updated May 13, 2024.
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