The Complete Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea #1-2

by L.M. Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born at Clifton (now New London), Prince Edward Island, Canada, on November 30, 1874. She achieved international fame in her lifetime, putting Prince Edward Island and Canada on the world literary map. Best known for her "Anne of Green Gables" books, she was also a prolific writer of short stories and poetry. She published some 500 short stories and poems and twenty novels before her death in 1942.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Audiobook

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author whose novels, stories, essays and poems made her one of the most widely read writers in Canadian literary history. Publishing under the name L. M. Montgomery, she achieved international recognition with the novel Anne of Green Gables, released in 1908, which quickly became a bestseller and introduced readers to the imaginative orphan Anne Shirley. The success of the book transformed Montgomery from a schoolteacher and magazine contributor into a celebrated literary figure whose work reached audiences far beyond Canada. Raised on Prince Edward Island, she drew deeply on its landscapes, rural communities, and storytelling traditions, turning the island into the setting for many of her novels. The popularity of Anne of Green Gables led to numerous sequels, including Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, establishing a beloved series that followed Anne from childhood to adulthood. Montgomery continued to write steadily throughout her life, producing twenty novels and more than a thousand short stories poems and essays. Her fiction often centered on young women, personal growth, and the emotional ties between people and place, combining gentle humor with reflections on memory, imagination, and belonging. Although she enjoyed enormous popularity, Montgomery also faced personal difficulties, including long periods of depression and the strain of caring for her husband, a Presbyterian minister who struggled with mental illness. Writing became both a profession and a refuge, allowing her to transform memories of childhood and observation of everyday life into vivid storytelling. In addition to the Anne series, she created other notable works, including the Emily novels and several stand alone stories that explored identity, creativity, and attachment to home. Her books were translated widely and attracted devoted readers around the world, helping shape the international image of Prince Edward Island as a place of pastoral beauty and warm community life. Scholars later studied her extensive journals letters and manuscripts, which revealed the complex inner life behind the cheerful tone of many of her books. By the time of her death in 1942, Montgomery had become one of the most successful and influential authors in Canadian literature. Her stories about imagination, resilience, and the search for belonging continue to inspire readers of all ages, and Anne Shirley remains one of the most recognizable characters in children's fiction. Through generations of readers, Montgomery's work has encouraged appreciation for storytelling, nature, and the emotional richness of ordinary life. Her legacy also includes a vast body of diaries and correspondence that document the challenges faced by a professional woman writer in the early twentieth century. Institutions such as the L. M. Montgomery Institute have continued to examine her influence on literature culture and tourism, particularly on Prince Edward Island, where sites associated with her fiction attract visitors from many countries. Adaptations of Anne of Green Gables for film, television, and theatre have introduced new audiences to her stories, ensuring that her characters remain part of global popular culture. Though critical opinion once dismissed her as merely a writer for children, later scholarship recognized the depth of her themes and the enduring craft of her storytelling. Today she is remembered as a central figure in Canadian literature whose imaginative vision gave voice to the beauty of rural life while celebrating the hopes of young dreamers who search for belonging.

Reviews

[Stefani · Rating 3 out of 5]

So good to be back in Avonlea! However, I wanted more Anne and she's only mentioned or present a few times. The stories follow different residents of Avonlea and things happening to them, some of them were more interesting than others. Going with a 3 star rating and looking forward to reading more from Montgomery.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we have the full set of Short Stories set in Avonlea. In the first set of works we have reference to Anne, but, she was never drawn in further. A set of sweet stories with children in to have a life learning lesson. As time goes on, you get snippets of a greater understanding of Avonlea and Prince Edward Island. Occasionally it seems like the area is just one great Irchard. They do like their apples.

All the stories were ‘Adult Centred’. The stories where Montgomery tried to add ‘morals’, ‘life learning lessons’, or, ‘the path to redemption’ just did not come off fully. They were good, but too light and airy. It was like Montgomery was scared to hit upon deep dark, or, real emotions, something you really see in Russian works.

Overall, good stories, Anne of Green Gables, you can see far outshines these works.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this to Sophie every night for quite some time. It’s LM Montgomery’s short story collection set in and around Avonlea.

This is not about Anne or any of the characters we have met in the Anne series. However, Sophie would squeal with delight when one of them made a cameo appearance here and there throughout the stories.

LM Montgomery is a masterful story teller, particularly at characterisations. These are not designed for 9 year olds however Sophie was hooked night after night into the stories and the delicious characters.

Her rating is 10 out of 5 stars for this one ❤️

[Salem Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3 stars because the original series would have been suffice.
I understand people want more of this universe but extending into these short stories seemed like a cash-grab. The do still hold the energy of the original series but Anne is the story of this universe, her strife and past and growth is a huge reason that people read the series.

3 stars instead of 2 because I read these pretending they were standalone stories rather than connected to Anne's universe. - If that doesn't make sense, I'm sorry :<

[Jasmine Facer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of sweet stories relating to inhabitants of PEI in the time the Anne books were set, including a lot of characters we know by name. Its whimsical - full of broken hearts, reunited long lost lovers, dreams achieved and some unfilulfilled - an enjoyable easy read for anyone who enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series.

[Aniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Sabin Harshberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved to read all the little stories that were in the towns that Anne had or will be in.

[Sarah Terrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just enjoyed the stories and happy endings for everyone. I liked that Anne was mentioned in a few. Wish there were more characters we knew in the stories.

[Eric Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many short stories

I was hoping to read more about Anne of Green Gables, but I still enjoyed the mostly love stories. There were many good lessons about life.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I expected nothing less from L.M. Montgomery. An excellent story writer, one of my most favorite in the world. She spins, she adds, she develops, she sweetens, she coaxes she wraps up beautifully.

These stories are based in Avonlea, White Sands, and 'most everywhere on Prince Edward Island. Each is adorable, but definitely you can tell they were all written by the same person.

If I had cons, it would be that L.M. has a few stock characters she always falls back on: ie, two sisters who are old maids, one much older, stern, dark, making her sister not get married, and the other young, more beautiful, like a girl, still, who ends up getting married in the end. (Shrugs.) And there's a lot of gossip-neighbor-women; a lot of quarrels ended marriages before they started back in those days; and a lot of people felt it their duty to take in rambunctious orphans. (Oh dear, that's a lot , Lucy.)

But it is written with the fine knowing hand of a woman who loves writing and developing the world of her characters beyond that of her Anne stories (take that, John and Veronica!)

I would've given this 5 stars if it wasn't for the poor formatting and repeated use of stock characters! But really good, L.M., really good.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

That last story, Tannis of the Flats, was really racist. Otherwise nice collection of stories.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, fluffy read full of happy endings. Good reading when I'm down in the dumps.

[Havilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series.