The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery

by L.M. Montgomery

Book Overview

An instant best-seller in Canada, the first volume of The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery recorded the growing power and imagination of one of the world's best-loved writers, the author of the classic novel for children, Anne of Green Gables. The London Free Press hailed it as "pure gold, the deeply felt, finely evocative rendering of years both heartbreakingly sad and splendidly triumphant," and The Montreal Gazette termed it "one of the most haunting documents in Canadian literary history."
The second volume promises to be equally intriguing and powerful. Ranging from 1910 to 1921, Montgomery's revealing journal documents a time of great upheaval, both in her life and in the world around her. Here she records her thoughts about the death of her rigid, intolerant grandmother, who had ruled her life so strickly...her troubled marriage to the Reverend Ewan Macdonald...the move from her beloved Prince Edward Island to a small Ontario town...her shocked reaction to the First World War...and the rewards and difficulties of being a noted writer.
Spontaneous and frank, these journals are unusual for their narrative interest: Montgomery's gifts as a storyteller are as much in evidence here as in her novels. The autobiographical content will intrigue every dedicated fan of Anne of Green Gables and the other Anne books, but the Montgomery journals are also interesting because they provide a unique social history and the privilege of viewing closely the life of a remarkable woman.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195405862
• ISBN13: 9780195405866
• Release Date: March 1988
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The journals

This is a fabulous work. As a teenager, I read all the novels published by L.M. Montgomery and absolutely loved them. The journals, though, add another dimension to her writing. I have read all 4 volumes of the published journals (supposedly there is one more to come) multiple times. These books offer a fascinating look into the upper middle class life style from the late 1800s to the mid 1930s when the author passed away. Some of issues she covers:-a powerful look at World War I from the view of Ontario resident-childbirth in the days before pain killers (she said a toothache was worse)-her awe at scientific advance (when vitamins were discovered she realized why she was always so lethargic all winter)-her husband's mental illness in the days before drugs-meeting the who's who of Canada at the timeAbsolutely fascinating for anyone who loves history!

Best of Montgomery's Journals

Volume II is easily the best of Maud's journals; it is the one that I "dip" into whenever I have a few moments or need a bedtime book and consequently is starting to show some wear and tear. It covers the most dramatic points in her life--her marriage, birth of her sons, the discovery of her husband's mental illness, and the death of her best friend, as well as her most prolific years as a writer. She hasn't yet begun to hide as much in her journals, which makes the third and fourth volumes frustrating to read. Since anyone reading the second volume will probably go on to read them all, I should say here that third volume was rather tedious with the lawsuits and maid problems, and number four, though weirdly compelling, was painful to read as her imminent breakdown is all to evident--it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I wonder if the journals of her last years will ever be published-- I understand that there are problems with people still living, etc.

I LOVE this book....

This book is fantastic! If you liked the previous "journals", you'll adore this one. It's more in-depth, full of emotion and a wonderful look at LM Montgomery's life at an incredibly interesting time in history. Can't wait to get to the next volume!

An excellent insight into one of canada's most loved writers

These journals put the writing of this rather amazing woman into a new light. It gives the joy she has given millions a new more brilliant glow. They are abridged, but the emotion of what was taken out is still present. It makes her prose inspirational by comparison to her experiences and her emotions.