Customer Reviews

Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a girl, I read all of the Anne books, the Emily books, and many of the other books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. As a young woman, I re-read all these books and found more in them than I had ever found in childhood. They are all timeless stories. I found Akin To Anne by accident, and I grabbed it off the shelf. It was as wonderful as I thought it would be. The heartwarming and engaging stories will leave a lasting impression. You will not soon forget these children, and you will spend many happy hours reading this book.

Akin to Anne contains 19 stories about orphans who find homes, discover family and friends, and learn things about themselves and others. It contains some of my favourite short stories of LMM. Anyone who loves heart-warming stories that will make you laugh and cry will love to read this book. And for all fans of LMM, this book is a MUST.

Reading this book, you will meet many orphans who are sweet and dreamy but haven't been loved. But you are assured of happy endings in these short stories just as in other Montgomery's works. If you have already read many of them, you'll find the same character traits, plots and dramatic events several times in this book, but her stories are enchanting even with similar plots. And I'm sure you'll feel happy and optimistic after reading those stories. Like myself you may feel happy to imagine how those characters and plots have been woven into Anne series.

This was another of Maud's books of short stories. Unfortunately, this is probably one of her more boring collections. And don't let the title fool you, these stories have practically nothing to do with Anne! If you are looking for interesting short stories by L.M. Montgomery, try Along the Shore, After Many Days or Across the Miles.

Lucy Maud Montgomery, famed Canadian author of the "Anne of Green Gables" novels, was also a prolific producer of short stories, many set on her native Prince Edward Island. This 1990 collection gathers nineteen short stories having to do with orphans and others in search of family and a place in the world where they are loved.

In Montgomery's time, with its dependence on snail mail and a lack of social services, it might easily happen that children were separated from their extended families and even from siblings, to be left dependent on the charity of neighbors or to make their own way in the world. This terrifying prospect is at the heart of these stories. Montgomery was expected to provide a happy ending, but it is her journey to that ending that makes most of these stories quite entertaining and even heartwarming.

In "Charlotte's Quest", a young girl goes to a local witch in search of a mother, and finds someone quite unexpected. In "Marcella's Reward", a patient, overworked shop girl fashions a small miracle for her sickly sister. In "Freda's Adopted Grave", a little girl's care of a forgotten grave leds her to a grateful would-be mother. In "The Little Black Doll", the young caretaker of a dying girl has the nerve to ask for help from a stranger, with unexpected results. A similar story is told about a talented young boy who tends a handicapped friend in "Ted's Afternoon Off." The longest story of the collection, "The Running Away of Chester", is a rather frightening escape from an abusive guardian of a young boy. This reviewer's favorite is "Charlotte's Ladies", a humorous tale in which a deserving young girl at an orphange becomes the prize of two competing spinsters.

"Akin to Anne" is highly recommended to fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her short stories.

yes the plots are similar, yes they seem all "the same..." but they are a nice collection of short stories. ABOUT orphans, whether intentional or not, their circumstances are different. the endings are all happy. I found this book when I was 11 and, as any preteen can relate, felt orphaned sometimes. Now, as a 29 year old, I find these stories quaint and heartening. One of my favs!

If you're a LM Montgomery enthusiast, then you will want to check this book out. If you've never read LM Montgomery, then avoid this book. Some of the stories are just not that good, and many have cheesy/happy endings. Some of the endings are so convenient and happy that you kind of want to gag. The collection is nothing special on its own, really. It's kinda like a collection of 'scribbles' from the mind of an author who came up with many good stories (Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, The Blue Castle, etc) It should only be read as part of the LM Montgomery collection - read Anne of Green Gables first. and if you've already read/are a fan of her works, then try this one. Just don't expect anything spectacular, this book is a fairly quick read.

My title says it all. I kept on reading them and hoping just ONE of them would be different, but no, it was just the same. Due to rather unlikely cicumstances an orphan finds long-lost relations and lives happily ever after. If these stories were dispersed throughout other collections this would not show up so much, but the editor has actually shown up their worst fault by grouping them all together like this. Each story in itself is OK, but they're just like slightly altered photocopies of the same story. As an avid Montgomery fan I was disappointed. If you want her short stories try 'The Road to Yesterday' instead.

L.M. Montgomery was a remarkably astute writer, when writing her short stories she would frequently tailor them to the specific needs/desires of her audience (for these stories, younger children)or editors. It shows. This collection, while full of lively and courageous children, is just too insipid and cloyingly sweet to really be enjoyed. The stories are so chock-full of morals, like "pills in a spoonful of jam", that the reader nearly chokes on them. You get the feeling even Montgomery was bored when she wrote them.
There are many excellent collections of Montgomery's stories available; do yourself a favor and skip this one.

"Akin to Anne" is really boring, Yes,some stories are intresting,but most end in the same monotonous way:"Oh,your last name is ----!I had a half-sister/stepsister/sister who went out west and we never wrote to her because she married poorly!Her husband/middle name/grandmother's name was - (whatever the person's name)!" You may try to deny it,but it's true!