The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery: Vol. 2, 1910-1921 (Hardcover)

by L. M. Montgomery (Author), Mary Rubio (Editor), Elizabeth Waterston (Editor) "I am going to begin a new kind of diary..." (more)
Key Phrases: child martyr, very nice time, Park Corner, Uncle John, Miss Gordon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Scholarship has caught up with what thousands of readers already know: the work of Lucy Maud Montgomery is fascinating and rich and not only for children. As scholars study Anne of Green Gables and the rest of Montgomery's prolific output, they have found that the books often overshadow the author herself. These two works highlight both Montgomery and her creations, giving readers insight into the personality that created characters who have captured the imaginations of readers for generations. The fourth volume of the Journals (Oxford published Volume 1 in 1986 and Volume 3 in 1993) provides a fascinating look at a period in Montgomery's life that was full of fatalism, fear, and moments of joy. She suffered through the Depression, witnessed her husband's nervous breakdown (and feared her own), became the unwilling object of a troubled woman's love, and suffered the deaths of numerous friends and family. Although self-conscious about the public nature of these documents (she passed her journals to her son to be published at an appropriate time), she is remarkably candid about her thoughts and feelings in these entries. Montgomery was an accomplished photographer, and the photos she placed in her journals are reproduced here, giving readers a chance to see the people, landscapes, and cats she loved. The work is also an important source of information on the social and cultural history of Canada in this period. Perhaps of more interest to nonspecialists, and timed to coincide with the 125th anniversary of Montgomery's birth, the Album combines scholarly articles, reminiscences, biography, and information on "Anne" sites in a well-designed collection full of beautifully reproduced photographs and illustrations. Readers are given insight into Montgomery's life, her society, and her writing as well as information on the films, TV programs, musicals, discussion groups, fan clubs, and festivals that her work has inspired. Both books are recommended for academic and larger public libraries.AKaren E. Sadowski, Simmons Coll., Boston
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery have given me enormous pleasure....These diaries possess the crisp, honest, unsparing voice of a real woman who fought all her life to bring her two selves together: the celebrated writer and the unloved child."--Carol Shields, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Stone Diaries, writing in The Boston Sunday Globe
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 10, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195405862
• ISBN-13: 978-0195405866
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #430,505 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #33 in	Books > History > Americas > Canada > 20th Century

• This is item 1 in The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful!, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Selected Journals of L. M. Montgomery: Vol. 1, 1889-1910 (Hardcover)

I picked up this volume in a bed and breafast on Prince Edward Island a few years ago. I ran out and bought it while I was there and ordered the next 2 volumes soon after. I've been a huge "Anne" fan since I was 12 years old. Montgomery's journals make the author seem as alive as the fictional character she created. They offer insight into the author's life, her work, and the time in which she lived. I was surprised about how frank she is about her own love life and about her feelings for "Anne." A great read which may inspire you to start a journal of your own.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely memorable and delightful experience to read this, December 17, 2000

By	cindykoerner (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Vol. 1: 1889-1910 (Paperback)

I am 40 years old and have kept a journal for 29 years, therefore, the journal format fascinates me. I adore Lucy Maud Montgomery's works and in 1992, I made a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit all her old haunts with my daugter and my girlfriend and her daughter. I purchased the first two journals while there. If you, dear reader, would like to know what went on in Lucy's (called Maud by everyone) mind and heart from the tender, turbulent age of 14 until her mid-thirties, I highly recommend this book. It will transport you to a simpler time, an era where people read more, pondered in greater depth, made visiting one another a social art. There was no television, computers, internet and telephones had just come into existence. The automobile was invented during these years. The book is fascinating in a historical realm as well as entering Maud's mind and gaining a perspective on her outlook of life and those around her. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and anyone who is a fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery will relish this book and treasure it greatly. It added dimension to my life because people have always intriged me and what their thoughts are, and where they get inspiration to write about their ideas. By reading this book, it added music and dimension to my soul. She freely discusses her love life and her miseries and joys. Read it! You will never forget it. The following journals that were published were just as compelling to read. I own them all in my personal library. My thanks to the publishers: Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Montgomery's Journals, September 20, 2000

By A Customer

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.