2015 Bookshelf: The Blythes Are Quoted
Meg Chaney
I'm so excited to share my next read for Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2015 Reading Challenge. I've now finished 10 out of 12! Only two more to go. Check out the books I've read, and some of my ideas for the last few on my Pinterest board.
A Book By A Favorite Author:
L.M. Montgomery has long been a favorite of mine. The Anne of Green Gables series is precious to me, an old friend that I've read over and over again. So when I stumbled across this book I'd never read before, I had to give it a go.
This book was submitted to publishers shortly before L.M. Montgomery's death in 1942. Parts of it were published posthumously as The Road to Yesterday in 1974, but with some of the stories edited and the dialog between Anne and her family between stories removed. Why? Critics really aren't sure, but they do think it might have something to do with these stories being so much darker than others by L.M. Montgomery. Her outlook on WWII was depressing. To someone who lived through the Great War, the thought of another was disheartening. And so, edits were made, nearly a hundred pages were cut out, and readers didn't get the full picture of what L.M. Montgomery was writing (see Afterword by Benjamin Lefabvre, p.511)
Personally, I loved her short stories and poems in this volume. The short stories give a peak into life on Prince Edward Island, while the Blythe family is growing up. Sometimes you get the smallest peak into how Anne's family is doing, but for the most part, it is the stories of their neighbors and friends. Some of the stories are dark and mysterious, others joyous, some, almost supernatural!
My favorite stories from the collection:
Some Fools and a Saint- definitely keeps you guessing!
Fancy's Fool: the supernatural element makes you wonder, just how much of it was a dream?
The Pot and the Kettle: Surprisingly sweet ending
One last word: Don't read this volume thinking that you're getting another story about Anne. It's really not about her. But do read it if you love L.M. Montgomery's short stories. There are definitely a few in this collection that you'll read over and over again!