The New York Times Book Review Harshly Reviewed Anne of Green Gables in 1908

In 1908, after Anne of Green Gables was published, the novel was reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. The book was harshly reviewed by an anonymous reviewer who said the character Anne Shirley, “greatly marred a story that had in it quaint and charming possibilities.”

Personally, one of the first words I think of in describing Anne Shirley is "charming." It's a bit sad that the reviewer missed out on Anne's charms, don't you think?

In 1924, bylines were required for the The New York Times Book Review, and reviewers had less freedom to be callous because they were no longer anonymous. Read more about the unsympathetic reviews written anonymously for The New York Times Book Review prior to 1924 in "When the Book Review Went Really Harsh" by Tina Jordan published in The New York Times on August 27, 2021.

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Created September 12, 2021.
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Dress Like Anne Shirley

Have you ever wanted to dress like Anne Shirley?

I have, and sometimes do. I love to search out clothes reminiscent of what Anne might wear today—clothing that is delicate, feminine, and pretty. Here are a few blouses that are currently available that reminded me of Anne.

Created September 1, 2021.
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If it had not rained on a certain May morning...

"If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely different."

-L.M. Montgomery
The Blue Castle

Read more quotes by L.M. Montgomery.

Image credit:
Illustration of a woman with an umbrella adapted from a United States Rubber Company advertisement in The Ladies' Home Journal (January 1921). Public Domain.

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Created May 16, 2021. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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The Road to Yesterday

The Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery was published in 1974. L.M. Montgomery had originally penned this book under the title The Blythes are Quoted, but the book was not published during her lifetime. After L.M. Montgomery's death, her manuscript was discovered by her son, Dr. Stuart MacDonald. The original manuscript for The Blythes are Quoted was divided into two parts taking place before and after World War I. Each part was composed of short stories interspersed with narratives of evenings in Anne and Gilbert Blythe's household with the Blythe family listening to Anne's poems.

In preparing The Road to Yesterday for publication, the narrative sections were removed along with all but one of the poems. The sequence of the short stories was reorganized. All of the stories included in The Road to Yesterday mention members of the Blythe family.

The Road to Yesterday includes the poem "Canadian Twilight" and 14 short stories, which are listed below:

"Canadian Twilight" (poem)
"An Afternoon with Mr. Jenkins"
"Retribution"
"The Twins Pretend"
"Fancy's Fool"
"A Dream Come True"
"Penelope Struts her Theories"
"The Reconciliation"
"The Cheated Child"
"Fool's Errand"
"The Pot and the Kettle"
"Here Comes the Bride"
"Brothers Beware"
"The Road to Yesterday"
"A Commonplace Woman"

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Created July 25, 2002. Re-posted online April 30, 2021. Last updated April 30, 2021.
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Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories is a collection of 16 stories by L.M. Montgomery that were gathered and rediscovered by Rea Wilmshurst and published in 1995. Two stories are Christmas chapters from the Anne of Green Gables series, and the other 14 stories are Christmas and New Year stories written by L.M.Montgomery for magazines. The titles of the stories contained in this volume and their original publication dates are listed below:

Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves (from Anne of Green Gables, 1908)
Christmas at Red Butte (1909)
The End of the Young Family Feud (1907)
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket (1903?)
The Osborne's Christmas (1903)
The Unforgotten One (1906)
Clorinda's Gifts (1906)
Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables (from Anne of Windy Poplars, 1934)
A Christmas Mistake (1899)
A Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road (1905)
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner (1906)
A Christmas Inspiration (1901?)
The Josephs' Christmas (1902)
Uncle Richard's New Year Dinner (1910)
Ida's New Year Cake (1905)
Bertie's New Year (1905)

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Created December 27, 2002. Re-posted online April 22, 2021. Last updated April 22, 2021.
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Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery that was published in 1920. The title page of the first impression explains that the stories "have to do with many personalities and events in and about Avonlea, the Home of the Heroine of Green Gables."

In his introduction to the 1920 volume, Nathan Haskell Dole writes,

"There is something in these continued Chronicles of Avonlea, like the delicate art which has made 'Cranford' a classic: the characters are so homely and homelike and yet tinged with beautiful romance! You feel that you are made familiar with a real town and its real inhabitants; you learn to love them and sympathize with them. Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a book to read; and to know."

Further Chronicles of Avonlea contains the following 15 stories:

"Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat"
"The Materializing of Cecil"
"Her Father's Daughter"
"Jane's Baby"
"The Dream-Child"
"The Brother Who Failed"
"The Return of Hester"
"The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily"
"Sara's Way"
"The Son of His Mother"
"The Education of Betty"
"In Her Selfless Mood"
"The Conscience Case of David Bell"
"Only a Common Fellow"
"Tannis of the Flats"

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Created December 22, 2003. Re-posted online April 21, 2021. Last updated April 21, 2021.
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Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans

Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery. Editor Rea Wilmshurst rediscovered these tales and published this volume in 1988. The book contains 19 stories about orphans like Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables, who are characterized by loneliness, hope, and an ability to persevere and overcome adversity. The stories and their original publication dates are listed below:

"Charlotte's Quest" (1933)
"Marcella's Reward" (1907)
"An Invitation Given on Impulse" (1900)
"Freda's Adopted Grave" (1904)
"Ted's Afternoon Off" (1907)
"The Girl Who Drove the Cows" (1908)
"Why Not Ask Miss Price?" (1904)
"Jane Lavinia" (1906)
"The Running Away of Chester" (1903)
"Millicent's Double" (1905)
"Penelope's Party Waist" (1904)
"The Little Black Doll" (1909)
"The Fraser Scholarship" (1905)
"Her Own People" (1905)
"Miss Sally's Company" (1904)
"The Story of an Invitation" (1901)
"The Softening of Miss Cynthia" (1904)
"Margaret's Patient" (1908)
"Charlotte's Ladies" (1911)

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Created January 27, 2003. Re-posted online April 19, 2021. Last updated April 19, 2021.
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Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side

Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery. The stories were rediscovered, collected, and edited by Rea Wilmshurst and published in 1990. This collection of dark, supernatural, and somber tales includes ghost stories and mysteries. The 19 stories in the collection are listed below with their original publication dates in parentheses:

"The Closed Door" (1934)
"Davenport's Story" (1902)
"The Deacon's Painkiller" (unknown publication date)
"Detected by the Camera" (1897)
"From Out the Silence" (1934)
"The Girl at the Gate" (1906)
"The House Party at Smoky Island" (1935)
"The Man on the Train" (1914)
"The Martyrdom of Estella" (1902)
"Min" (1903)
"Miriam's Lover" (1901)
"Miss Calista's Peppermint Bottle" (1900)
"The Old Chest at Wyther Grange" (1903)
"The Red Room" (1898)
"A Redeeming Sacrifice" (1909)
"The Redemption of John Churchill" (1906)
"Some Fools and a Saint" (1931)
"The Tryst of the White Lady" (1922)
"White Magic" (1921)

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Created March 2, 2003. Re-posted online April 14, 2021. Last updated April 14, 2021.
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