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A review by avalinahsbooks
After Many Years by L.M. Montgomery
3.0
I've been slowly making my way through the Anne series this summer, and as I saw this book mentioned on someone's blog, I just couldn't pass it through. Luckily, I found it up for request on NetGalley, and I got it right away.
I have to say, Montgomery's stories are definitely pleasant to read, but you can't read too many of them. There's just something a little too cutesy and sugary about them – especially the early ones. It's not hard for me to understand why they are like that – they were published in Christian magazines and were supposed to 'inspire children to be kind', but if you think Anne of Green Gables was a bit much at times – trust me... You haven't seen Montgomery's early stories.
But this might sound like I didn't like it – I did! Although it's a firm 3 stars, and no more. There were definitely some wonderful stories, and it's truly surprising to see Montgomery's writing and topic choices start changing throughout her life – it's strange reading about cars and [almost] self-sufficient ladies in her books, and it's even stranger to read Montgomery write about the war. (Although, I have to say, it was truly amusing to read how much they abhorred the automobile in Prince Edward Island! Cars have always been a given to me, although thought of as a thing that brought progress, I couldn't have thought people feared and hated them! To the extent of campaigning against them..? Wow!)
Anyway. 3 stars it is, but there's still something truly magical about reading stories that have been lost and found, and were written by no less but one of the biggest Canadian literary miracles. If you are a fan of Montgomery's, you will surely enjoy this.
This review does not appear in my blog, but drop by to visit it for other reviews:
My Bookish Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
I have to say, Montgomery's stories are definitely pleasant to read, but you can't read too many of them. There's just something a little too cutesy and sugary about them – especially the early ones. It's not hard for me to understand why they are like that – they were published in Christian magazines and were supposed to 'inspire children to be kind', but if you think Anne of Green Gables was a bit much at times – trust me... You haven't seen Montgomery's early stories.
But this might sound like I didn't like it – I did! Although it's a firm 3 stars, and no more. There were definitely some wonderful stories, and it's truly surprising to see Montgomery's writing and topic choices start changing throughout her life – it's strange reading about cars and [almost] self-sufficient ladies in her books, and it's even stranger to read Montgomery write about the war. (Although, I have to say, it was truly amusing to read how much they abhorred the automobile in Prince Edward Island! Cars have always been a given to me, although thought of as a thing that brought progress, I couldn't have thought people feared and hated them! To the extent of campaigning against them..? Wow!)
Anyway. 3 stars it is, but there's still something truly magical about reading stories that have been lost and found, and were written by no less but one of the biggest Canadian literary miracles. If you are a fan of Montgomery's, you will surely enjoy this.
This review does not appear in my blog, but drop by to visit it for other reviews:
My Bookish Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter