Canadian author L.M. Montgomery is most well-known for charming readers across the globe with her best-selling Anne of Green Gables series and its iconic red-headed protagonist, Anne Shirley. Anne’s uncontrollable imagination, cozy adventures on Prince Edward Island, and dramatic yet poignant way of looking at the world have established her as one of the most beloved fictional characters. More than 50 million copies of Anne of Green Gables have been sold since its publication in 1908, and countless film, television, musical, and play adaptations have been made as well.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that most people, even non-readers, are familiar with the name Anne of Green Gables. But do they know about the rest of Montgomery’s works? She has written three other series and many stand-alone novels, short story collections, and poems–all of which have never come close to reaching the same heights as Anne of Green Gables. Yet they have the same intimate prose and irresistible characters that make Anne Shirley and Avonlea so popular. So, since it’s autumn and also the stressful first weeks of school, come and find a new L.M. Montgomery book to fall in love with!
RILLA OF INGLESIDE
by L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley has been immortalized as a forever young, vivacious girl who mournfully calls her red hair her “lifelong sorrow” and shares a romantic rivalry with the playful Gilbert Blythe. However, there’s more to their story! In the finale of the series, Anne and Gilbert are married, well into their middle-aged years, and parents to six children. As the title suggests, they’re no longer in Avonlea but have moved to the seaside village of Glen St. Mary. Anne has also passed the torch to her youngest daughter, the high-spirited, silly Marilla “Rilla,” who is forced to grow up quickly when World War I threatens all she’s ever known. The emotional stakes are much higher here than in any of the previous books, as the boys whom you’ve read about for years are sent to fight and die in the trenches of Europe. Meanwhile, surrounded by the strong women left behind, Rilla goes from being the baby of the family to a young woman capable of so much courage and love. It’s a heartbreaking yet absolutely perfect conclusion to a world that all began with one orphan girl.
“It does not do to laugh at the pangs of youth. They are very terrible because youth has not yet learned that ‘this, too, will pass away.”
EMILY OF NEW MOON
by L.M. Montgomery
Emily of New Moon is the first book in the Emily Starr trilogy that follows the titular protagonist. When Emily’s father dies of consumption, she is sent to live with her spinster aunts and cousin at New Moon Farm. Unlike Anne, Emily is a much more introverted, serious character surrounded by cruel and troubled adults. She pours out her sadness, frustrations, and frank, introspective thoughts in letters to her dead father with humorous spelling mistakes scattered in between. Out of all the Prince Edward Island heroines, Emily also has the strongest passion for writing and a peculiar sensitivity to the otherworldliness of the natural beauty around her. She makes fiercely loyal, if not a bit unconventional, friends with dreams of their own and even become closer with her severe Aunt Elizabeth in a touching arc. Through Emily’s perspective, Montgomery perfectly encapsulates how it feels to be a child in such an ugly, dark world and yet never lose that beautiful sense of curiosity and wonder.
“‘You make me believe in fairies, whether I will or no,’ he told her, ‘and that means youth. As long as you believe in fairies you can’t grow old.'”
THE BLUE CASTLE
by L.M. Montgomery
The Blue Castle tells the sweeping, compelling romance of Valancy Stirling, a 29-year-old unmarried woman who has been ridiculed and controlled by her strict family her entire life. She’s reminded every day that she’s an “old maid” with no beauty or chance at love and a happy future. As an escape from this suffocating reality, she daydreams about a Blue Castle where she can finally be free from all the restrictions and pressures placed on her. This escape suddenly becomes tangible when the doctor tells Valancy that she only has one year left to live because of a fatal heart disease. After this startling diagnosis, Valancy decides to truly live for once before it’s too late and throws off the shackles she’s been stifled by for so long. She then blossoms into a completely changed person, finding freedom, friendship, and her very own Blue Castle in a beautiful corner tucked away from the rest of the world, which she can share with the man she loves.
“Isn’t it better to have your heart broken than to have it wither up? Before it could be broken it must have felt something splendid. That would be worth the pain.”
A TANGLED WEB
by L.M. Montgomery
A Tangled Web is decidedly unlike anything else L.M. Montgomery has written. It begins with a gathering of the dysfunctional Dark and Penhallow clans, who have married each other and kept to themselves for as long as anyone can remember. There, their bitingly sarcastic, dying matriarch, Aunt Becky, tells them that she’s left a prized heirloom jug in her will to one of them. However, there is a catch–the next owner of the jug will not be revealed for a year. A sly, chaotic comedy then ensues, as all the Darks and Penhallows try to get their hands on the jug by being on their absolute best behavior. There’s an extensive, colorful cast of characters with their own humorous and heart-warming storylines. Among them are hilariously petty resentments and family squabbles, as well as long buried passions, old lovers being united, and romance found in the most unexpected of places. One warning I do have about this book is that it ends with a jarring, completely out-of-character racial slur!
“‘Decency’s a dull dog,’ retorted Aunt Becky. ‘I parted company with it long ago.'”
Works Cited
Qiao, Vicky. “L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables named most translated Canadian book.” CBC, 18, Nov. 2021, www.cbc.ca/books/l-m-montgomery-s-classic-anne-of-green-gables-named-most-translated-canadian-book-1.6233214
Montgomery, L.M. Rilla of Ingleside. Virago, 2014.
Montgomery, L.M. Emily of New Moon. Sourcebooks Fire, 2014.
Montgomery, L.M. The Blue Castle. Sourcebooks Fire, 2014.
Montgomery, L.M. A Tangled Web. Sourcebooks Fire, 2014.
Photo Credits
https://pin.it/3BoUmCl
www.amazon.com/Rilla-Ingleside-Virago-Modern-Classics/dp/034900451X
www.amazon.com/Emily-New-Moon-L-M-Montgomery/dp/140228912X
www.amazon.com/Blue-Castle-L-M-Montgomery/dp/1402289367
www.amazon.com/Tangled-Web-L-M-Montgomery/dp/1402289332
Great job Anise! Though a lot of people don’t like the last couple of Anne books because they focus on her children instead of on her, I’ve always enjoyed them, and Rilla of Ingleside is such a beautiful story! Have you read The Story Girl? It (and the sequel) are two of my favorite Montgomery novels.
yes, I love rilla of ingleside so much! I have yet to read the story girl books but it’s definitely up on my tbr list. I’ll probably read them over break!
YES ANISEEEEEEEE BLUE CASTLE REP LETS GO
😤 OF COURSE
Great article Anise!! I didn’t know about a lot of her other books and now I can’t wait to read them!
aww, I’m so happy! that was what I wanted to do w my article. hope you enjoy <3
Finally! It’s time for Emily of New Moon and the other heroines that Mrs. Montgomery dreamed up to get more of the spotlight! I love Emily – she is more real to me, and at times I feel that I’m like her.
If Emily is who we see in ourselves, then Anne is what we want ourselves to be.
Yes, give Rilla more love. Her arc from a silly girl to a strong woman was touching. I loved the last Anne books, because I thought the Blythe children were hilarious.
I am a little surprised that “The Story Girl” books didn’t pop up on the list, but they are a bit short.
“If Emily is who we see in ourselves, then Anne is what we want ourselves to be.” THIS. this is so true! love your comment and yes, I unfortunately haven’t read the story girl books–yet! I’ll make sure to amend that error soon.