For the first time ever, a young adult novel about the teen years of L.M. Montgomery, the author who brought us ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery -- Maud to her friends -- has a dream: to go to college and become a writer, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott. But living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island, she worries that this dream will never come true. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman's place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. Luckily, she has a teacher to believe in her, and good friends to support her, including Nate, the Baptist minister's stepson and the smartest boy in the class. If only he weren't a Baptist; her Presbyterian grandparents would never approve. Then again, Maud isn't sure she wants to settle down with a boy -- her dreams of being a writer are much more important.
But life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother's plans for her, which threaten Maud's future -- and her happiness forever.
Initial Thoughts: Such a charming book! It does seem romanticized at points, because it was more uplifting/positive than some straight biographies I have read of Montgomery's life, but I do think Fishbane fairly touches on both Montgomery's struggles and successes. And someone who wrote Anne of Green Gables must have been able to see on the bright side in many of the unpleasant situations she encountered. The pacing of the novel is occassionally on the slower side, but the plot and characters are wonderful. Overall, very engaging, and I am usually very skeptical of fictionalized accounts of authors' lives.
Reading updates
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21 May, 2017:
Finished reading
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21 May, 2017:
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