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Of
all the authors on my reading list, Lucy Maud Montgomery must be the
one I’ve read most of. Anne of Green Gables, Anne of
Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne’s House of
Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside, Jane
of Lantern Hill, The Blue Castle, After Many Days, A Tangled Web,
Emily of New Moon . . . and
finally this one. Which was absolutely totally stunningly epic.
Okay,
maybe I was just missing Montgomery after going—what?—eight or
nine months without her. Maybe I got semi-addicted in the winter of
2011 through the early summer of 2012 when I gorged myself on nearly
all the novels listed above. Or maybe I was just hankering after a
good book after reading some really—oh, I’m sorry, dear people
who worked so hard on them—trashy young adult novels.
But
I am not here to “trash” young adult novels. Because, as
ridiculous as I think it, since it's nothing like the mediocrity if
today’s standard, Emily Climbs,
second in Emily Starr’s trilogy, is actually listed as part of that
genre.
Emily—oh,
dear, sweet, captivating, aggravating Emily! How you annoy me in your
haughtiness yet make me laugh with your sense of humor—which is
“not to be pitied in a woman,” according to your roguish friend Dean “Jarback” Priest. How you seemed so similar
to your friend Anne Shirley, yet entirely different. How beautifully
your creator crafted you—and how graciously she allowed you to
tell your own story (most of the time) through your diary entries and your perfect point of view.
Montgomery’s
novels are never very “plottish” (a word I "coined"! Emily will be
proud of me), but except for sometimes, they don’t fail to interest
a reader. They have their little small-town problems, gossips,
scandals, and romances, and are wonderful just the way they are.
For
some reason I found this book more “adult” than some of others of
hers. It seemed less innocent, but I doubt if it actually was.
Though there is romance and talk of kisses (most of which never come
to fruition), as well as a whole scandal about Ilse Burnley getting drunk (and thus probably the other three--Perry, Teddy, and Emily--becoming drunk too) there’s nothing really objectionable about any of it, simply because Montgomery writes in a very discreet style.
nine
stars.
Delightful! A
definite page-turner—seriously, I couldn’t put it down!—and
I’ll definitely be rereading it.
I started reading this book awhile ago, but I never finished it. I have the one after it, so perhaps one day I will finish this one and read the next.
ReplyDeleteGrace
You should, Grace! I can't believe how fast I devoured this book. I think that's the fastest I've ever read any of Montgomery's books.
DeleteThis is my favorite book ever! Oh, I do love Emily just a ounce or ten more than Anne. I can't help it - she puts all my feelings into words. But odd that just last night while I was thinking of writing, I thought of Lucy and how her books never really have one main plot, but are so well loved. And now today you say nearly the same thing!
ReplyDeleteThis review was perfect - and isn't the book just wonderful? Emily is so alive!
Rebecca
Aw, thanks, Rebecca!
DeleteI think I might like Emily better than Anne too. She just seems more "alive" to me now, as you said it. But then, I haven't read any Anne books in full since last year, so. . . . :)
The Emily books are some of my favorite books ever. Emily Climbs seems to be more about Emily's writing than the others do. I love how she is always so dedicated to her writing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, she is so dedicated--and she loves it so much! I wish I loved it like that.
DeleteSometimes Emily can be so aggravating! But the thing is...I'm more like her than I am like Anne...heehee. I did like the Emily books, although sometimes they frustrated me because things that I wanted to happen weren't happening quickly enough for me (especially in the last book)
ReplyDeleteBut hey...it's LM Montgomery- so of course I still love them :)
Haha, I'm probably more like Emily than I am like Anne, too. Or maybe I'm a mixture of both. I know I have Anne's hot temper and ability to hold a grudge, but then, Emily is pretty similar to Anne in that regard.
DeleteI just started the last book last night. I'm thinking Lucy Maud wrote it quite a few years after Emily Climbs because of the general composition of the chapters and stuff. Which might not make any sense, but the word I want isn't coming to mind right now. !!!!
okay. now i'm gonna have to go read this series. maybe i'll get it at the library on saturday. :)
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to read it! It's really good. I only remembered bits and pieces of "Emily of New Moon" because I was tearing through books so fast (well, fast for me -- haha) last spring and summer. But I really liked "Emily Climbs" and surprised myself by how fast I read it.
DeleteI'm not really working on my speed reading ability anymore--I'm not as concerned about it. Which I think is good. It would be helpful for schoolwork, definitely, but for just leisure reading it's not as important.