Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Chronicles of Avonlea #2

by L.M. Montgomery

Travel to the tranquil seaside village of Avonlea in this charming collection of tales from acclaimed author L. M. Montgomery. From lighthearted stories about pampered pets and love triangles to more serious accounts of tragic loss, this varied volume is sure to please readers who fell in love with Chronicles of Avonlea or Montgomery's masterpiece, Anne of Green Gables.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Canada

ebook

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I adore Lucy Maud Montgomery and consider her a perennial favourite, this collection of short stories (her Further Chronicles of Avonlea has never managed to achieve this exalted status for me. True, many of the presented offerings are as sweet and as poignant as ever and some even rate amongst my very favourites (I appreciate the combination of humour and pathos in many of the stories and especially the tale of the dream child, I not only love, it also sends delicious and sad shivers up and down my spine every time I read it). However, the fact remains that L. M. Montgomery did NOT WANT this selection of short stories published, and had made this abundantly clear to her American publisher L. L. Page (who promptly ignored her wishes and desires, and proceeded to publish the collection as Further Chronicles of Avonlea). And this fact, and that L. M. Montgomery was in a long and drawn out court challenge against said publisher (the stress of which played havoc with and on her already frail and fragile nerves) is already enough to always make me cringe somewhat even when reading my best-loved stories of the collection (now I still do read and enjoy them, but yes, I always rather feel guilty when I do and that I do). But furthermore (and perhaps even more importantly), the last selection of Further Chronicles from Avonlea, Tannis of the Flats is the ONLY piece of L.M. Montgomery's shorter fiction that I truly and actively despise with every fibre of my being, a racist stereotyping hate-mongering diatribe against both Native Canadians and the Métis I have actually only managed to read once in its entirity (and which I always deliberately skip when I do my rereads). Still, a recommended collection of stories is Further Chronicles of Avonlea (some of which tales are indeed absolutely outstanding), but with the caveat of the rather unsavoury backstory, and a major warning with regard to the racially insensitive and simply nauseating Tannis of the Flats (and while I do realise that perhaps my own reaction to the latter is a bit overly extreme and personal, the entire premise of Tannis of the Flats just bothers me to no end).

[kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

WILDLY uneven. So uneven that I'm doing mini-reviews to attempt to figure out how to actually rate this thing.

Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat
An eccentric Aunt asks her nieces to look after her finicky Persian cat and hijinks (and ROMANCE) ensue! Fun, sweet, slightly silly: peak Montgomery. 4 stars.

The Materializing of Cecil
One of the town spinsters creates a spurned beaux for herself—and then he rides into town a few weeks later! Probably my favorite of the lot: almost all of the other stories I had no problem putting down, but this one made me finish. 5 stars.

Her Father’s Daughter
A young woman is determined to have her long-estranged father at her wedding but her stubborn mother says NAY. This was sweet and another good encapsulation of what Montgomery does: family stories with warmth and forgiveness and all that gooey crap. 3.5 stars.

Jane’s Baby
Estranged sisters battle for custody of the baby of a dead friend. Slightly unenjoyable because both sisters seem kind of ridiculous. 3 stars.

The Dream-Child
After the unexpected death of her son, a woman is haunted by the ghostly wails of her "dream-child". "Spooky" and sentimental: not my favorite but that's far more about personal taste than anything else. 3 stars.

The Brother Who Failed
During a family reunion, the eldest brother realizes that because he doesn't have money or talent, he's somehow a """failure""". To fix this, his family stop patting themselves on the back long enough to say thanks to him for his efforts to help them succeed. Yes, my cynical face didn't find this nearly as "heart-warming" as I think I was meant to: the only reason anyone even bothers to say any of the nice things they do is because they realize the eldest brother has HEARD someone point out what a failure he is—which is kind of a lame reason to thank an allegedly "important" person. IDK: it just felt gimmicky and cheap? 3.5 stars.

The Return of Hester
Before dying, the eldest sister makes her sibling promise never to marry the man she loves because...reasons. These reasons mean nothing because her sister comes back as a ghost in order to allow them to marry because of the Power of Love in the Afterlife or something. Pointless and really didn't do it for me. 2.5 stars.

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily
Narrated by our own Anne Shirley, this book tells the story of the spinster Emily who absolutely no one likes until she dies and her Tragic Romance is exposed. A little too pat ("don't judge a book by its cover") and kind of disappointing because Anne comes across as a flat, judgmental little monster. 2.5 stars.

Sara's Way
A girl who likes to tend to damaged things refuses the marry the village Saint until he loses all his money. YIKES. This was the first inkling of something being strangely off about these stories because what in the hell is supposed to be romantic about this story? 2 stars.

The Son of His Mother
A mother ADORES her son to the point where she makes him promise not to marry his love, which is obviously CREEPY AF and NOT A HEALTHY MOTHER-SON RELATIONSHIP. This is only somewhat resolved by the end of the story but as this theme crops up in so many other of these stories, I'M STILL JUDGING IT. HARD. 2 stars

The Education of Betty
The narrator ends up taking over the education of the daughter (Betty) of his former beaux and best friend. After she grows up into the ~perfect woman, he decides HE'S LOVE WITH HER. YIKES. YIIIIIIIIIKES. I honestly don't have a problem with a May-December romance. What I DO have a problem with is the "grooming" of a CHILD into an "ideal woman". What I DO have a problem with is the heavy focus on how she touches him when he's still viewing her as a CHILD because he is TWENTY YEARS OLDER THAN HER AND WAS PRESENT FOR HER FORMATIVE YEARS/PUBERTY/ETC. What I DO have a problem with is the fact that he basically RAISED her and she refers to him as "Father Robert" at one point AND SOMEHOW WE'RE STILL SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS ROMANTIC LOVE???? IDK, man: that shit's disgusting. (ALSO IT'S IN FIRST PERSON AND SOMEHOW THAT MAKES IT SO MUCH WORSEEEEEE.) .5 stars.

In Her Selfless Mood
A dying mother extracts a promise from her undervalued daughter to take care of her preferred child, who turns out to be something of an asshole. After a lot of suffering and sadness and unconditional love in the fact of epic douchery, everyone dies. 2 stars.

The Conscience Case of David Bell
An evangelist comes to town and everyone judges one of the church's elders for not standing up to "testify". Eventually he does and it's because he's got a ~huge confession, y'all. This was fine but boring? Also slightly uncomfortable for me because I remember those kinds of "call outs" from my childhood and the groupthink mentality of society never seems to change. 2 stars.

Only a Common Fellow
A woman is set to marry a man she doesn't love, believing her soulmate to be dead except WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT THE FRONT DOOR? Sweet but too brief: if this had been expanded to match the COMPLETELY unnecessary length of The Education of Betty, I probably would have liked it SO MUCH MORE. 3 stars.

Tannis of the Flats
A man flirts with a half-First Nations woman before falling in love with a white woman and getting his dumb, racist ass shot to death. PROBLEMATIC AF. Tannis is referred to as a "half-Breed" and the "Indians" are stereotyped as lazy, gossipy leaches on society, and it's GROSS and DISGUSTING and WHAT A WAY TO FINISH THIS BOOK JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. .5 stars.


(I'm going to give this disaster 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3: ultimately, there are like 3-4 stories I would recommend and also 3-4 stories I would recommend you tear out of your copies and LIGHT ON FIRE and then DANCE ON THE ASHES to EXORCISE THE GHOSTS OF WHATEVER HELLBEASTS SPAWNED THEM.)

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Further Chronicles of Avonlea by: L.M. Montgomery
Chronicles of Avonlea book 2

I really do love the Anne of Green Gables series. And the collection of short stories that L.M Montgomery has written about the town and Townies are amazing!

Aunt Cynithia's Persian Cat:
Aunt Cynthia left her beloved cat Fatima at her nieces home. Sue and Ismay was very reluctant on keeping the cat and for a good reason. While the Fatima was at their house he escaped. Its up to the sisters to try and find the kitty before they get their aunt Cynthia's wrath.

The Materializing of Cecil:
Miss Charlotte Holmes has never had a suitor. In fact she is unwilling to admit it to herself however the rumor mill in town won't let it die. Till one day she decided to start a rumor that she has a suitor. His name is Cecil Fenwick from Blakely and he is quite dashing. Everything was going great till the dashing Cecil Fenwick decided to come into town. Oops 😬.

Her Father's Daughter:
Rachel Spencer is getting married and Rachel and her mother is super excited for it. That was till Rachel decided she wanted to invite her father.

Janes Baby:
Jane Roberta had a sweet baby and that was the best day of her short life. When Jane pass away her two cousins started fighting over the baby.

The Dream-Child:
Josie and Robert lost their first child. While Josie is sleeping she swears she hears a mysterious child wailing from the sea.

The Brother Who Failed:
While the Monroes are having their family reunion, aunt Isabel started in on Robert. During her tasteless attack on Robert she reminded him that he is the only failure in the family. Now it is up to his siblings to help restore his self-esteem.

The Return of Hester:
Hester Meredith is dying and her one dying wish 8s for her sister Margaret do not marry Hugh. Pretty selfish if you ask me. However despite the dying wish Margaret did in fact fall in love with the forbidden fruit. Oops. However the fact that Hester is dying that doesn't stop her from trying to intervene.

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily:
Not going to lie this story confused me. Maybe i didn't pay enough attention but either way not my favorite story. Anne and her friend Diana became acquainted with Miss Emily while staying at a lodge. When Miss Emily had passed on she had left a little brown book to Anne.

Sara's Way:
Eben Andrew's is talking to Jones Andrew's about her daughter Sara and her suitor. Apparently Sara is being stubborn and won't marry a suitable suitor.

The Son of his Mother:
Thyra Carewe is a devoted to her son. That was till she learned that he had fallen in love to a very beautiful woman. Now she has to learn to share her love of her son. Which doesn't happen till a tragedy acured.

The Education of Betty:
Sara Churchill is very newly widowed and she needs help with her daughter. So who does she call upon to help. Her former beau. He kindly dropped everything to help. Eventually though he ended up falling in love with her.

In Her Selfless Mood:
Unloved Eunice Carr has made a huge sacrifice. Eunice mother is dying and on her death bed had asked her daughter for one last promise. She wants her to look after Christopher Holland.

The Conscience Case of David Bell: David Bell is a church elder and during a church revival he was not able to testify. That was till he made a very public confussion on his transgressions.

The terrible Tannis of the Flats:
A very interesting love triangle that leads to a tragedy.

Raiting: 4 🌟

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a continuation of the Chronicles of Avonlea, another 15 chapters devoted to 15 sets of people in Avonlea around the same time that Anne came to Green Gables.

To be honest I found this a absolute bore but then short stories generally aren't my thing.

I have however now finished the full Anne of Green Gables series and all books in which she makes a cameo appearance so for that I'm happy.

Another series to scrub off the list.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful collection of charming Avonlea short stories, ranging from the humorous to melodramatic, and every bit as enticing and delightful as the first book, Chronicles of Avonlea. I was going to give it a full 5, but the last few stories weren’t quite so good as the rest, and I was a teeny tiny bit disappointed. Nevertheless I had a magical time reading this book, as is always the case when reading anything written by Montgomery.

Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat (4 stars): This one was the funniest of the lot, definitely aimed as a fun little comedy where two women must watch their aunt’s detestable cat, only to find it disappearing under their very noses. The twists were predictable, but it was a fun little story.

The Materializing of Cecil (4 stars): This was another fun one, where a spinster one day invents a story about having once been engaged to a Mr. Cecil Fenwick of Blakely, New-Brunswick, but everything goes awry for her when a real Mr. Cecil Fenwick from Blakely, New-Brunswick shows up in town! That story made for a really good episode in season 1 of Road to Avonlea, where Marilla Cuthbert is the one who invents a story about a former lover (The Materializing of Duncan McTavish).

Her Father’s Daughter (5 stars): I absolutely loved this beautiful story of a young woman determined to have her long-lost father attend her wedding day. It was incredibly good, heart-wrenching, sad, and mysterious all at the same time. I loved it!

Jane’s Baby (3 stars): Two sisters fight for the care of a deceased friend’s baby, one going so far as to actually steal the baby from her sister’s house! It was good for the most part, if slightly less entertaining, and the main character was a little irritating.

The Dream-Child (2 stars): This one was very creepy, and I did not enjoy it. It was about a woman who starts losing her mind after her baby dies, and she starts hearing voices at night and thinks he is calling out to her and that she must save him. It was all storms in the night and chills and madness.

The Brother Who Failed (5 stars): This one was so moving I actually teared-up. It was probably the most simple (maybe even boring, from a certain viewpoint) story, but I just found it so powerful, and so beautiful!! After hearing hurtful comments about him, a man feels really downtrodden and useless, and his family proceeds to show him exactly just how important and loved he’s always been. *sniff*

The Return of Hester (3 stars): Another one slightly creepy, if still quite satisfactory. A woman resists marrying her soulmate on account of her disapproving sister, and it is only after she is passed away that the sister realizes her mistake.

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily (4 stars): This one was a very enjoyable narrative by Anne of Green Gables herself, who is been given Miss Emily’s chest upon the latter’s death. In it she finds a diary, and she and Diana learn her tragic love story. Very bittersweet, but quite a good read.

Sara’s Way (3 stars): I liked it, but not nearly half as good as it could have been. Sara’s way is basically starting to like something or someone once they suffer a misfortune and/or are being neglected or rejected.

The Son of His Mother (3 stars): Another one with an unfortunately annoying main character, an overprotective and overbearing mother who LOVES her son so much that no one else is allowed to even look at him. I liked the twist the story took, but overall it was a little too overdramatic.

The Education of Betty (5 stars): I was almost considering giving the book 5 stars for this story alone. Definitely my favourite of the lot, it was just so good, and so romantic. A beautiful guardian-falls-in-love-with-his-pupil tale, without being in the slightest bit icky. It was just amazing.

In Her Selfless Mood (3 stars): I think this is the only one that is sad, without a real happy ending. A dying woman extracts a promise from her daughter that she will look out for her younger brother and protect him, and she takes it to such lengths that she never lives her own life and is never really happy.

The Conscience Case of David Bell (2 stars): Definitely my least favourite, and I would give it a 1 were it not for the flawless writing. But it was yawningly boring, and nothing exceptional happened at all. Pretty much a waste of time.

Only a Common Fellow (4 stars): This one was another quite touching romance which I really enjoyed, about a woman about to enter into a loveless marriage of convenience, convinced that the one she really loves is dead. Rather unmemorable characters, I must admit, but the story was good and the message was beautiful.

Tannis of the Flats (2.5 stars): I don’t remember much of this one as I read it late at night and kept falling asleep over it (not a very good sign), but I remember a general feeling of being bored and irritated at the same time, although the story was not that bad. I just didn’t really like some of the turns it took, and didn’t care much for the characters.

Despite the rather flat ending, I really liked this book and strongly recommend it. It’s perfect for summer afternoons reading under the sun and eating cherries, and there’s a little something for everyone to like in there, and I’m sure at least one of the stories will become a top favourite. I know I will definitely be re-reading The Brother Who Failed and The Education of Betty again!!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second collection of stories set in and around Avonlea wasn’t as strong as the first. In fact, most of them are very formulaic and the ones that aren’t are either very morbid or just flat out weird.

There are a couple of stories where Montgomery seems to be veering into the horror genre but then completely screws up the dismount. Oh, and for those of you holding out for cheeky cameos by Anne, there is only one in the whole book, so don’t hold your breath.

2.5 stars, rounded up because of the goodwill engendered by the rest of the series.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I guess," said Aunt Isabel, aside to the little school teacher, as she wiped the tears from her keen old eyes, "that there's a kind of failure that's the best success."
-- The Brother Who Failed

Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920, L. C. Page & Co.), second in the Chronicles of Avonlea series by L. M. Montgomery, is a collection of short stories - some romances, some not - all set in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel is a standalone book, and is set after Anne of Avonlea (see my review here) for certain, possibly later in the Anne series. I chose this book because I'm continuing my trend of alternating between L.M. Montgomery and Jane Austen for my audio book selections.

Rating: 5 stars

The stories: This list is taken directly from Wikipedia:

"Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat": Aunt Cynthia leaves her beloved Persian cat Fatima in the care of her unwilling nieces Sue and Ismay Meade. When Fatima disappears, Sue must call on desperate measures to avoid wealthy Aunt Cynthia's wrath.

"The Materializing of Cecil": Unwilling to admit that she has never had a suitor, Miss Charlotte Holmes invents the dashing Cecil Fenwick of Blakely, New Brunswick to keep the Avonlea gossips at bay. When the real Cecil appears, Miss Charlotte fears the truth will emerge.

"Her Father's Daughter": Rachel Spencer invites her estranged father to her wedding, to the fury of her mother Isabella.

"Jane's Baby": When Jane Roberts dies, her cousins Miss Rosetta Ellis and Mrs. Charlotte Wheeler feud over her child.

"The Dream-Child": A mysterious wailing calls grieving mother Josie to the seaside; she believes it is the cry of the ghost of her and David's first baby.

"The Brother Who Failed": During the Monroes' reunion at the family home in Avonlea, Aunt Isabel tactlessly remarks that Robert is "the only failure," and his siblings initiate a scheme to restore his self-esteem.

"The Return of Hester": Dying Hester Meredith forces her sister Margaret to promise she won't marry Hugh Blair, but when Margaret and Hugh fall desperately in love, Hester herself intervenes.

"The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily": Anne Shirley and her friend Diana Barry become acquainted with irritating old maid Miss Emily Leith while they're staying at Echo Lodge in Grafton; upon Miss Emily's death, Anne receives a mysterious parcel. Narrated by Anne Shirley.

"Sara's Way": Mrs. Eben Andrews discusses her daughter Sara and Sara's suitor Lige Baxter with Mrs. Jonas Andrews. When Lige's brother's business is ruined, everyone involved has a different view of the situation.

"The Son of his Mother": Thyra Carewe learns that her beloved son Chester has bestowed his affections on the beautiful Damaris Garland.

"The Education of Betty": Newly widowed Sara Churchill arranges for a former beau to tutor her untamed daughter Betty.

"In Her Selfless Mood": Eunice Carr devotes her life to granting her mother Naomi Holland's deathbed request that she look after Christopher Holland, Naomi's son and Eunice's half-brother.

"The Conscience Case of David Bell": David Bell refuses to testify in the name of Jesus Christ, to the horror of Avonlea society.

"Only a Common Fellow": Story of the Mark Foster/Phillippa Clark/Owen Blair love triangle.

"Tannis of the Flats": Jerome Carey, telegraph officer in "The Flats," a trading station in the Canadian Northwest, becomes the object of beautiful "half-breed" Tannis Dumont's affections, but he falls in love with Elinor Blair of Avonlea.


Christian elements: I had forgotten about story number thirteen. L.M. Montgomery didn't write Christian fiction, but she was a Christian, and a minister's wife. Story thirteen is centered around a church, dealing with revival meetings where, by this time, nearly everyone in the entire town had given a testimony to encourage others. David Bell is a Christian, but has something on his conscience.

Is it clean/chaste? Yes! This is an author to trust.

What I liked: I loved that I still remembered the stories from when I read them as a tween and/or teen. And they still refresh me and I love the simple innocence of the plotlines. Story number six makes me cry every time I read it. I almost NEVER cry when I read. I love story number nine. (And number six.)

What some might dislike: A couple of the stories are ghost stories. A couple of the stories are tragic. Tragedy is not my favorite, but Montgomery makes them beautiful, somehow. One story has a hero/heroine pair in which the hero was interested in the heroine's mother years ago.

***********

The bottom line: Montgomery is such a wonderful storyteller. As a teen/tween, I read her short story collections much more often than her novels. For the instant gratification, I suppose. I recommend this book to anyone of any age, though I'd always recommend Anne of Green Gables for a first taste of Lucy Maud Montgomery. (See my review here.) I look forward to rereading more by this author, and plan to read Anne of the Island next.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It hurts my heart to write this review. Truly, the Anne books and Emily of New Moon are some of my favorite books, and I adored L.M. Montgomery because of them. I could excuse all the other stories in the book, even if I found them trite and overly dramatic, and really overplaying the unhealthy parent/child relationships. I hated the story “The Education of Betty”, in which a grown man falls in love with the young woman he helped raise because ugh. But I even could have gotten past that one. But then came the last story in the book - “Tannis of the Flats”, a horribly racist, offensive piece of garbage. Tannis is described as a “half-breed” and “savage” and every flaw in her personality is attributed to her race. It is disgusting, and if anyone even tries to tell me that it was a “product of the times”, I will argue with you until my last breath that there has never been an excuse for racism, and that there have always been people who have understood that. Obviously, L.M. Montgomery wasn’t one of them.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing like re-reading my favorite Canadian author's short story collection to stop a reading slump from happening. This fifteen story collection wasn't as good as Chronicles of Avonlea which I really enjoyed. But that is probably why Montgomery didn't want them published. She ended up suing her publishing company for printing them without her permission.


Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat 2 stars
An aunt's precious feline is left with her nieces who are less than enthused about cat sitting. When the cat disappears, a hilarious situation ensues.


The Materializing of Cecil 4 stars

When an old spinster fabricates a love story for herself, no one is more surprised when her fictional beaux arrives in Avonlea.

Fans of Road to Avonlea will recognize that this becomes a Marilla Cuthbert storyline in the show. On paper, it's just as entertaining!


Her Father's Daughter 3 stars
On Rachel Spencer's wedding day, she will do what she must to bring her estranged parents together.

Montgomery certainly loved this storyline vein and I cannot deny that I love these types the most.


Jane's baby 2 stars

Two cousins feud over who will raise their deceased beloved cousin's daughter. It's ridiculous but an okay story.

The Dream-child 4 stars

A grieving woman believes she hears her dead baby cry, her husband worries she is losing her mind.

A very sad story with a little Montgomery magic at the end.

The Brother Who Failed 5 stars
After a callous comment by an elderly relative, a group of brothers and sisters work to restore their brother's self-esteem.

I know a lot of readers didn't like this one but I really could empathize as I have heard of large families doing this.


The Return of Hester 2 stars

A sister tries her darndest to keep her sister and beaux apart but soon changes her mind.

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily 2 stars

Anne and Diana realize their perspective on an Avonlea spinster is all wrong. In my opinion, they were a bit mean and I didn't like that side of them.

Sara's Way
Mrs. Eben Andrews discusses her daughter Sara and Sara's suitor Lige Baxter with Mrs. Jonas Andrews. When Lige's brother's business is ruined, everyone involved has a different view of the situation

I don't even remember this one 🤦‍♀️


The Son of his Mother 3 stars
Montgomery tackles the nature versus nurture debate when an overprotective mother takes a dislike to her son's love.

I am sure in Montgomery's lifetime this story was drawn from what she had witnessed in her own community.

The Education of Betty 2 stars

Newly widowed Sara Churchill arranges for a former beau to tutor her untamed daughter Betty.

Should it weird me out as an adult that Montgomery enjoyed May/December storylines that are a bit creepy?

In Her Selfless Mood 2 stars

Eunice Carr devotes her life to granting her mother Naomi Holland's deathbed request that she look after Christopher Holland, Naomi's son and Eunice's half-brother.

This one just rubbed me the wrong way.

The Conscience Case of David Bell 3 stars
Avonlea society is scandalized when a fellow community member doesn't want to testify in the name of Christ.

I enjoyed this one because it was a different type of story which makes it stand out in the collection.


Only a Common Fellow

Story of the Mark Foster/Phillippa Clark/Owen Blair love triangle.

I cannot remember this one either🤦‍♀️


Tannis of the Flats 1 star

Jerome Carey, a telegraph  officer in "The Flats," a trading station in the Canadian Northwest, becomes the object of beautiful "half-breed" Tannis Dumont's affections, but he falls in love with Elinor Blair of Avonlea.

Oh my, this one is so cringey and full of stereotypes and I guess I developed amnesia as a child because as an adult, it's just awful.


Goodreads review published 30/09/20

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

So carefree and enjoyable!!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1920, Further Chronicles of Avonlea was the second collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery, the author of such beloved children's classics as Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon . It is my understanding that Montgomery never gave her permission for this project, and successfully sued her publisher - who culled these selections from those rejected during the editing of the 1912 Chronicles of Avonlea . In light of that fact, I sometimes wonder if she would have chosen to suppress some of these tales. Of course, that is most likely wishful thinking on my part...

The truth is, I have always felt that Further Chronicles of Avonlea shows L.M. Montgomery at her best, which is very good indeed; and her worst, which - as a devoted admirer of her work - I'm sorry to say, is simply atrocious. This collection contains one of my all-time favorite short-stories by Montgomery: the somewhat moralistic, but deeply moving The Brother Who Failed. Sadly, it also contains the repugnant Tannis of the Flats, a story whose matter-of-fact racism makes we wish I could expunge it from my memory.

In between these two covers, the reader will encounter:

Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat, in which a young woman's courtship is brought to a conclusion by a troublesome cat left in her care...

The Materialization of Cecil, in which lonely spinster Charlotte Holmes invents a long-ago suitor for herself, in order to avoid the pity of the young women in her sewing circle, only to have the mythical Cecil Fenwick appear for real in Avonlea. This story, like others here and in Chronicles of Avonlea , was used (in an altered form) in the television show The Road to Avonlea.

Her Father's Daughter, in which young Rachel Spencer, about to be married, insists that her long estranged father must be present at her wedding, setting off a chain of events that reconciles her bitterly separated parents...

Jane's Baby, in which two estranged sisters, both widows, fight over their cousin Jane's baby...

The Dream-Child, an eerie tale in which a bereaved mother comes to believe that her dead child is calling to her from the sea...

The Brother Who Failed, in which the Monroe clan gathers for a family reunion, and honors the quiet Robert for his many acts of kindness and wisdom...

The Return of Hester, in which the eponymous Hester returns from the dead, to undo the harm she had done in life, by forbidding her younger sister's marriage...

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily, in which Anne Shirley and Diana Barry (of Anne of Green Gables fame), read the diary of an old maid, and gain an appreciation for the romantic sorrow of her youth...

Sara's Way, in which the stubborn Sara Andrews refuses to marry the worthy Lige Baxter, until misfortune brings him low...

The Son of His Mother, in which near tragedy teaches a fiercely devoted mother to share her son's love...

The Education of Betty, in which a man takes a hand in raising his best friend's child, eventually falling in love with her...

In Her Selfless Mood, in which the unloved Eunice Carr sacrifices everything for her scapegrace brother...

The Conscience Case of David Bell, in which a church elder finds himself unable to testify at a revival meeting, until he makes a public confession of his transgression...

Only a Common Fellow, in which a seemingly vulgar young man rises to the height of self-sacrifice and nobility, when the long-missing true love of the woman he himself adores, returns unexpectedly...

And finally, the terrible Tannis of the Flats, in which a love-triangle involving an exiled Englishman and a mixed-blood Native Canadian woman leads to tragedy...

When I think of this last selection, I often wonder how it is that a woman with such an intimate understanding of human nature, such a perceptive appreciation for questions of morality, and such an eye for beauty, could have failed to perceive the ignorance and stupidity, the sheer immorality, and the downright ugliness of racism. But then, I suppose we are all products of our time, and our humanity goes hand-in-hand with our inhumanity. A difficult idea to accept, when it comes to a much-beloved author, but there you have it: Montgomery too had feet of clay...

[Rosalba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't come up with too many expectations for these stories, since I read other reviews that said they were not as good as the first Chronicles. So, to my surprise, they were really quite good. Most of them, at least. I liked Her Father's Daughter and The Son of Her Mother best of all, but The Brother Who Failed, The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily and The Education of Betty were very good too. The rest of them were,ah,well,Ok, I guess, but the last three stories were rather bad, and of course I am very sad to see the racism in Tannis of the Flats, but, being a woman of her time, L.M. Montgomery wasn't spared *sigh*.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deeply adorable. I suppose there's a certain sameness to the various Avonlea shorts, but as it's a sameness I find comforting and comfortable, I can't bring myself to mind. There's something wonderfully domestic about these stories, in their small scale, in the attention they pay to women's lives and women's spaces, and I'm always delighted by how deftly Montgomery handles the characters. (We don't talk about the horrifically racist last story in the collection. We note that it is a product of its time and we try to forget its inclusion.)

[Martyna Antonina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kolejny zbiór opowiadań Montgomery pełen nadziei i czułości. Podobał mi się mniej niż „Opowieści z Avonlea”, jednak wciąż bawiłam się znakomicie.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I just didn't like this collection as well as Chronicles of Avonlea. There were fewer funny, cheerful stories, and more with unpleasant characters. I did enjoy many of the stories, but not all of them.

My favorites were "Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat," "The Materializing of Cecil," "The Brother Who Failed," "The Return of Hester," and "Only a Common Fellow." I especially loved "The Brother Who Failed" because it made me cry. Which is odd, given that I didn't like this as well as the first volume because not as many stories made me laugh, but there it is anyway.

It was interesting how a theme of selfishness ran through so many of these stories. Parents selfishly trying to stand in the way of a son or daughter's happiness. Siblings stopping siblings from getting married. Adults trying to selfishly control other adults, or children. It was kind of a weird theme.

But Montgomery's writing is always a pleasant way to spend your time, even if sometimes she's more pleasant than others, and I'm not sorry to have read this collection. It earns a place on my shelves because it had more stories I liked than disliked.

[Lily Rose Dorothea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry is a long, round about way of saying what could be said in a dozen plain words. Thanks for that, Tannis! 😏🤣

[Rachel Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favourite of Montgomery's collections, although apparently these were stories rejected from Chronicles of Avonlea, which at least explains why some of them simply aren't up to her usual standards. Below is an overview of my brief thoughts on each story after reading them, but to conclude I did thoroughly enjoy Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat, The Materializing of Cecil, The Son of His Mother and The Education of Betty. Sadly, the others were rather lacking. Recommended if you're a serious LMM fan and enjoy short stories, but don't expect the same quality as in the first Chronicles. 6/10 overall.

---

1. Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat - Cute if incredibly predictable story. I completely saw the twist coming but this was still very quaint. 8/10

2. The Materializing of Cecil - Incredibly cute story, even if it is very reliant on a massive coincidence. Still, this story made me smile :) 8/10

3. Her Father's Daughter - This story is completely unrealistic. As if a husband and wife wouldn't talk for 20 years over an argument, no matter how stubborn they are! LMM always features stubborn characters in her stories but this was just ridiculous. 5/10 because her writing is brilliant at always, even if the story didn't impress me.

4. Jane's Baby - This story contains some of LMM's best prose in the collection so far, but the story didn't really impress me that much and the main character was really annoying. 7/10

5. The Dream-Child - I'm afraid that this story just creeped me out. It was about a woman who lost her son and started dreaming that he was calling out to her. It was disturbing to see a woman's depression at the loss of a child being dismissed as crazy behaviour, and although this story has a happy ending it just made me feel sorry for the women in this period who had mental illnesses and were misjudged and misunderstood. This story just didn't sit right with me. 6/10

6. The Brother Who Failed - While the values expressed in this story were sound, this was pretty unexciting and very predictable. Not exactly a memorable story. 6/10

7. The Return of Hester - Another unremarkable story, very short and seemingly pointless. Pretty descriptions, though. But far too short to create any sort of emotional reaction. 6/10

8. The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily - This was a bit different from the other stories in the collection, about two girls reading a diary of an elderly woman who had recently died and finally understanding her life. It was cute and made a nice change, so I'll give it 7/10.

9. Sara's Way - Wasn't a massive fan of this one, it seemed like Sara only married Lige because she felt sorry for him! While it was nice to see that she appreciated him because of his character, not his wealth, the underlying theme was that she pitied him! Another story that felt a bit too short to really go anywhere. 6/10

10. The Son of His Mother - This was an interesting read, about a woman not ready to let go off her fully grown son who makes him choose between her and his beau. Eventually, she learns her lesson and decides to let him go to the arms of another woman. Particularly struck me as I don't think my MIL is ready to let go of my fiance yet! 8/10

11. The Education of Betty - Unconventional for Montgomery and a lovely little romance that really plays with your emotions. I just adored this one for some reason, I think it's my favourite of the whole book. Not her typical story at all but I suppose it's a pretty conventional storyline. Still, made me smile a lot as Betty's guardian slowly came to realise that he'd fallen for his charge. And didn't seem creepy at all! 9/10

12. In Her Selfless Mood - A depressing tale about a girl who follows her dying mother's wish to the letter and never lives her own life because she sticks with her younger brother to the end. I suppose she was meant to seem "selfless" but I just thought her mother's wish was selfish and ridiculous! Too sad for my liking, not typical LMM. 6/10

13. The Conscience Case of David Bell - While it was interesting to read about revival meetings in Avonlea, I ultimately found this story quite boring. Plus, I'm not a fan of people repenting in public. Repentance is between you and the Lord, not the entire church. Interesting subject but predictable and short story. 6/10

14. Only a Common Fellow - A young woman is saved from marrying a man she doesn't love to save her aunt's house when her old lover coincidentally turns up on the doorstep. Her husband to be sees that she still loves her old beau and lets them be happy, and sets her aunt free from the mortgage plans. Far too contrived and predictable for my liking. Also, LMM describes a lot of people staring out of windows from their beds in this collection. 6/10

15. Tannis of the Flats - And of course, the infamous racist story. Not too out of character for LMM, as Kilmeny of the Orchard includes very similar thoughts on superior breeds and mixing races. However, even without the racism in this story it's still very depressing. I suppose it's a bit in keeping with 'In Her Selfless Mood'. 5/10

[majra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst things about this book, in ascending order of offensiveness:

1. There is a story told by Anne, in first person. You should NEVER do this. Also, it lacked any of the sparkle that such a visit to her interior would necessitate.

2. There is a story where a dude takes over the education of his dead best friend's daughter, age 10, and then falls in love with her and marries her when she's 18.

3. The last story, "Tannis of the Flats," is so racist toward People of the First Nations (and, more specifically, people whose ancestry is partially First Nations and partially European) that it was almost unbelievable, like a parody of outdated and offensive beliefs about traits inherent to different ethnic groups.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 soft and quiet stories about very human moments and emotions

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This book is much more dramatic than the first one. The stories may even seem dark the first time you read it. I, personally, love it just as much as the first volume. The content: One story is about a ghost (“Hester’s Return”); some hugging/kissing; mentions of being drunk; some mild language (euphemisms). The setting is just as beautiful, and like all of Montgomery’s stories, humour, sweetness, and tragedy intermingle, even if the tragedy has the upper hand. A good companion read for the first three Anne books.

A Favourite Quote: “I vowed then and there that I'd never go into anything that I wasn't sure was fair and square and clean through and through. I've kept that vow. I am a rich man, and not a dollar of my money is 'tainted' money. But I didn't make it. Robert really made every cent of my money. If it hadn't been for him I'd have been a poor man to-day, or behind prison bars, as are the other men who went into that deal when I backed out. I've got a son here. I hope he'll be as clever as his Uncle Malcolm; but I hope, still more earnestly, that he'll be as good and honorable a man as his Uncle Robert.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “I brought her home to my gray old homestead on the gray old harbor shore. A lonely place for a young bride, said Avonlea people. Nay, it was not so. She was happy here, even in my absences. She loved the great, restless harbor and the vast, misty sea beyond; she loved the tides, keeping their world-old tryst with the shore, and the gulls, and the croon of the waves, and the call of the winds in the fir woods at noon and even; she loved the moonrises and the sunsets, and the clear, calm nights when the stars seemed to have fallen into the water and to be a little dizzy from such a fall. She loved these things, even as I did. No, she was never lonely here[.]”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Aunt Cynthia will never forgive us,’ said Ismay, dismally. ‘I had a presentiment of trouble the moment that cat came to this house.’
“We had never heard of this presentiment before, but Ismay is good at having presentiments—after things happen.”

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

In general, the same remarks I made about Chronicles of Avonlea apply to Further Chronicles of Avonlea. The stories are generally enjoyable little vignettes in the life of Avonlea.

However, there is one exception. The last story, "Tannis of the Flats", is so racist as to be unbearable. Here's the introduction of the titular character: "Tannis' great-grandmother had been a Cree squaw who married a French trapper. The son of this union became in due time the father of Auguste Dumont. Auguste married a woman whose mother was a French half-breed and whose father was a pure-bred Highland Scotchman. The result of this atrocious mixture was its justification--Tannis of the Flats--who looked as if all the blood of all the Howards might be running in her veins."

The rest of the story is all about how no matter what education and training Tannis received, she was still a "breed", still savage beneath her veneer of civilization. And yet, despite her savage "breed" instincts and utter lack of the finer feelings of humanity, she still manages to perform a good deed - "In a white woman the deed would have been merely commendable. In Tannis of the Flats, with her ancestry and tradition, it was lofty self-sacrifice." The story is so, so, so racist. So racist, you guys.

The rest of the book is fine, but if I were you, I would just close it as soon as you see the title of this story. It's horrendously offensive and has no redeeming characteristics.

(Also, you know what we call that kind of "atrocious mixture" down here? AMERICAN. Sheesh. I don't even know what my heritage is.)

[Elinor Loredan · Rating 3 out of 5]

February 2025 reread:
I enjoyed this collection more than in the past and found something to appreciate even in the ones that I do not like as much because they are depressing and have dubious messages. The Son of His Mother i particularly found moving this time, as the two women bond over their loss (or supposed loss), and the mother learns to share the love of her son.

***
This collection is definitely not on par with the first volume, but it's still worth reading and has some really nice stories. The ones I like best are Jane's Baby, The Brother Who Failed, The Return of Hester, The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily, and The Education of Betty.

Some of them are downright morbid, depressing, and empty of beauty, like In Her Selfless Mood. A recurring theme in this book is long-term, stringent self-sacrifice, and the tone reminds me somewhat of The Doctor's Sweetheart.

True, Tannis of the Flats is abominable, but at the same time I can relate to Tannis, since I don't look at relationships casually. I like them to really mean something and am turned off by 'flirtations.'

Overall, I don't love this collection, but I have to say that the range of human emotions, desires, faults, virtues that LMM depicts is incredibly varied. She doesn't seem to miss a single one in her work.

All the gushing on the back cover is amusing-'wonderful adventures...warm and exciting, delightful tales to cherish, a book you'll never want to end.'

[Jassmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently L.M. Montgomery never wanted this collection published and her publisher done so without her permission... that does make sense since some of the short-stories included are at least questionable (we have three short-stories with incest-vibes and one that is over-the-charts racist), but there are also some nice pieces, especially in the beginning of the collection. Overall, this was an enjoyable read for me since I just enjoy Montgomery's characters and the way they often hold nonsensical grudges, but there were some pieces that were just... no.
I listened to this on LibriVox and I would absolutely recommend the experience if you are inclined to read this, the narration was lovely: https://librivox.org/further-chronicl...
The Blythes Are Quoted is next! And the last Anne-related piece I have left....

Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I mean... obviously all cats are amazing, so I don't agree with some of the sentiments this short-story promotes, but omg was this hilarious! Not to mention the courtship between Max and Sue, which... you know, I was a little unsure what was going on there at first, but... I am always a fan of little contrary-ness, so... sold! (Also, a smitten guy is smitten guy...)

"I'm trying to count up how many times I have proposed to you," he said. "But can't remember whether I asked you to marry me that day we dug up the garden or not. If I did it makes-"
"No, you didn't," I interrupted.
"Well, that makes it eleven," said Max reflectively. "Pretty near the limit, isn't it? My manly pride will not allow me to propose to the same girl more than twelve times. So the next time will be the last, Sue darling."

The Materializing of Cecil ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Once again hilarious if a little bit stretching the suspension of disbelief. The title kind of says it all - an old maid makes up an old beau so everyone would stop pity her for never experiencing love or whatever and THEN... well, Cecil materializes, I guess...
I have to say that I'm really fond of Montgomery's middle aged romances in general, so... a winner!

Her Father's Daughter ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You know, re-visiting Montgomery is making me think that maybe I like her stories so much, because so many of her characters have a temper and hold a grudge to completely non-sensical lengths? Like... I'm not quite like that, especially with the grudges, but I definitely have a temper especially about things "normal" people consider minor.
This is a story about a couple that spends most of their marriage separated because of a stupid quarrel. Seriously, it was ridiculous but also kind of tragic? There was also a scene with distinct pedophilic vibe, but... you know, Victorian influences, I guess...

Jane's Baby ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Once again, in this case two sisters who stopped speaking to each other because of an old grudge. everything changes when their cousin has a baby (and dies) and they start to fight over who should raise her. I have to say... considering they were arguing over a little baby, some bits felt out of the line to me. But it was still kind of hilarious? Idk...

The Dream-Child ⭐⭐⭐
I dislike the notion that fathers suffer less then mothers when their children die. But watching David lovingly care for his wife was still nice. I have my issues with this one, but the way it closed was mostly satisfying.

The Brother Who Failed ⭐⭐⭐
Lovely sentiment, a little bit preachy execution 🤷🏽‍♀️

The Return of Hester ⭐⭐⭐,5
I didn't expect a ghost story in this collection! Once again, nice sentiment and pleasant read, but... nothing too special.

The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily ⭐⭐⭐
We actually got a story from the POV of Anne Shirley! But, yeah... it wasn't too special and had several moments of fatphobia, so... not a win exactly.

Sara's Way ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another fun story of contrariness, I'm questioning whether this is a good base for a marriage, but... I enjoyed listening to this one 🤭

The Son of His Mother & The Education of Betty ⭐⭐
Reviewing those two together because they are basically twins. In the first one a mother has an unhealthy relationship with her son, she loves him so much that she can't bear the thought of him loving and marrying another woman. Even though in the end she obviously relents. Even though the ending was touching this was too much.

In the second one a friend raises and educates daughter of his dead best friend and his former sweetheart because the mother of the girl is... incapable of doing anything except for looking pretty, clearly. I was praying this wasn't "raise your own bride" trope, but I'm sad to tell you it is. I have to say though that Steven at least had some reserve and didn't try to seduce his teenage adoptive daughter (yes, let's not shy away from calling things by their true names), but his reserve and self-restraint was coming from his thinking he was too old for her (40 to her 18) instead of the much graver problem of him raising her. Idk, it's true that I'm usually completely disgusted by this trope and here were pieces that I kind of enjoyed, but... ugh, no!

But yeah, I thought there was an interesting gendered moment between those two I thought it was interesting that while the mother was proven wrong the father figure got his child-bride.

In Her Selfless Mood ⭐⭐
Apparently, the last part of the incestuous triplets - this time we have very intense relationship between siblings. This was a pretty uncomfortable read, but not as problematic as the previous two, I would say, just... you know, kind of sad and makes you really mad at the mother.

The Conscience Case of David Bell ⭐⭐⭐
Boring, but different than the rest. I mean, this is a short-story equivalent of someone confessing that they were really naughty, but then it turns out that they were just reading Bible past curfew...

Only a Common Fellow ⭐⭐⭐,5
This one had some potential, but it was really short and it features a villainous step-mother which is a trope I don't care for.

Tannis of the Flats ZERO STARS!
I am so glad that I have been warned beforehand about how incredibly racist this short-story is, because I was still shocked even after knowing... Let me just say that I never saw the word "breed" in so many combinations and in such large quantity on a page/in a story before. I'm absolutely disgusted. If you read this and thought it was nice tragic love-triangle romance you clearly need to educate yourself on some subjects.
I was especially glad with this one to listen to the LibriVox recording, because it made me feel like me and the narrator were suffering together (she stumbled over some of the words quite a bit).

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first volume, this is a collection of short stories set in Avonlea and the surrounding area. Readers of the Anne of Green Gables series will notice many familiar names and places. I have to say that I really preferred the first volume over this one. Many of the stories in this one seemed darker in tone than is normal for L. M. Montgomery, and the racism in the last story was very disappointing, although not unusual in her time unfortunately. I enjoyed stories 1,2, 3, and 6 the most (Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat, The Materializing of Cecil, Her Father's Daughter, and The Brother Who Failed, respectively). I read that these were stories that were originally rejected for the first volume and were subsequently published without Ms. Montgomery's permission. If this is true, it would make sense, since they wouldn't be expected to be her best work. Probably worth reading for L. M. Montgomery fans, but not essential.

[Jannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read again and enjoyed. I think I had a kinder view towards the stories than before

3.5/5

Overall a decent collection of stories, some very charming but with a weaker last half.

My favourite story has to be "The Brother Who Failed", beautiful and heart warming.

"The materialising of Cecil" and "The education of Betty" came second in favourites.

"In her selfless mood" was the most bloody depressing.

"The son of his mother" was just ridiculous and creepy.

"Tannis of the Flats", the last story was just unreadable, the constant racist bile towards Native Canadians -_- sickening to read.

Overall, barring the last few, the collection is a comforting read.

[Ren (A Bookish Balance) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this had more variety than Chronicles of Avonlea, about half the stories were hit and miss and the other half were average. my favourites of the Avonlea short stories definitely come from this volume, but so do my least favourites.

[Francie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, sad and funny stories. Some were really good, but "Tannis of the Flats" was horrible and racist and "In her selfless Mood" wasn't satisfying at all.

[Gehayi · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW.




1) Aunt Cynthia’s Persian Cat: Aunt Cynthia is one of those people who insists that everyone MUST love the kind of animal they themselves are fond of, so it's no surprise when she, about to go on vacation, drops off her Persian cat with her two nieces, who have no love of cats whatsoever. Not only that, the cat then disappears. Kind of a cute story, but I felt that I'd seen it on a billion sitcoms. 3 stars.

2) The Materializing of Cecil: An old maid, fed up with being mocked and pitied for being single, makes up a story about having once been engaged to a lawyer named Cecil Fenwick of Blakely, New Brunswick--only to have an actual lawyer named Cecil Fenwick from Blakely, New Brunswick appear a few months later. Fortunately, Cecil has a sense of humor; just as fortunately, the two hit it off well. Implausible, but cute. 4 stars.

3) Her Father's Daughter: A young woman wants to have the father that she's only met once come to her wedding. I couldn't relate to this one at ALL. I couldn't figure out why a man that Sara barely knew was of any importance to her, much less why she was so determined to have him at her wedding that she swore she'd call off the marriage if he couldn't be there. And of course everything ends in a rather treacly manner, with Sara's mother and father reuniting after a couple of decades as if nothing had happened. Riiiiight. Far too silly, sentimental and unrealistic to suit me. 1 star.

4) Jane’s Baby: Two sisters, one a spinster, one a widow, battle over who gets to take care of Camilla Jane (as the spinster calls her) or Barbara Jane (as the widow calls her). Camilla/Barbara is the baby daughter of a dead friend, and each woman is determined that the child will be hers and hers alone. The widow eventually breaks into her sister's house and kidnaps the baby, yet for some reason the spinster doesn't call the law down on her for this. (If someone kidnapped MY child, I'd call the cops, whether the kidnapper was a relative or not.) The baby's illness and the spinster's skill at healing end up convincing the widow that they should raise the child together, which I guess is supposed to be a happy ending. Montgomery doesn't explain how the spinster is supposed to trust her sister again after the kidnapping, and both characters are rather annoying. 1.5 stars.

5) The Dream-Child: This is one of the few told by a male character in this collection. The wife of the narrator was very happy until they lost their firstborn son. Then she has a nervous breakdown, suffering extremely vivid dreams in which she hears him wailing somewhere near the sea (where she and her husband live). The dreams drive her to believe that her dead son is in danger and that she has to save him. One night she and her husband find an abandoned baby sitting in a water-filled dory floating near the shore, and the wife instantly believes that the sea and her dead son sent her this child to care for. She gets to keep the kid (an orphan set adrift by his asshole guardian to starve or drown), but she honestly doesn't seem much more stable at the end of the story, even if she has stopped believing that her dead son is calling for her. Not a bad story, but I would have liked a lot more psychological horror and a lot less " Babies Make Everything Better !" 3 stars.

6) The Brother Who Failed: All of Robert's brothers and sisters are wildly successful, famous and/or rich, but he is not. This doesn't bother him until one day at a family reunion when he overhears his aunt and the local schoolteacher dissing him, calling him a complete failure. This devastates him. Fortunately, however, one of his sisters also overhears the comments and discusses matters with her siblings. Shortly thereafter, Robert's brothers and sisters start a conversation with Aunt Isabel (in Robert's presence) about the people to whom they owe the most. All of them agree that they owe their confidence and their wealth to Robert; one brother even owes him his life. Robert is delighted to hear that his life has made so much difference, and Aunt Isabel admits at the end that "There's a kind of failure that is the best kind of success." Not exciting, and it's all telling, not showing...but I still loved it. 4 stars.

7) The Return of Hester: Once again, a tyrannical sister uses her deathbed to coerce her surviving sib into promising never to marry the man she loves. This time, however, the dead sister realizes that she screwed up and reunites the two. I was glad that the two got together again, but the impact was considerably lessened by the frequency with which I'd seen Montgomery deal with this tired plotline. 3 stars.

8) The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily: In which Anne of Green Gables is left a locked chest that belonged to spinster Miss Emily after the older woman dies. Inside is a diary in which a few entries relate a love story that was cut short by the classism of the young man's mother. What really annoyed me was how readily Emily believed that Paul's mother was correct and that she would ruin Paul with her inferiority if they married. I wanted to reach into the Kindle and smack that vile old woman. So...points for arousing emotion. But, sadly, this was presented as a tragic romance with Emily doing the heroic thing by breaking up with her rich beau rather than a pointless breakup that should have been resolved by Emily kicking Paul's mother all the way to the Yukon. Not badly written, but it hasn't aged well. 3 stars.

9) Sara’s Way : Sara only starts liking something or someone once they are wounded, neglected, scorned by society, etc. Consequently, she has no interest in the local "model young man" when he's rich, but she finds him utterly wonderful when his brother gets swindled, leaving both of then on the brink of ruin. I didn't think that Sara's way was particularly praiseworthy; home is a terrible place to do social work. 2.5 stars.

10) The Son of His Mother: Thyra Carewe, a thoroughly unpleasant woman, is obsessed with her son, Chester. (This made it a bit uncomfortable for me, as "Chester" was the name of Montgomery's deeply flawed but much adored oldest son.) Like Teddy Kent's mother in the Emily series, Thyra can't bear the thought of her son loving or being loved by anyone but herself, and when Chester falls for a girl named Damaris, Thyra just about loses her mind, demanding that Chester break up with Damaris or she'll stay outside and freeze. Naturally, as people ALWAYS do in Montgomery's stories, Chester promises that he won't see Damaris again; also, as ALWAYS happens in her stories, he does not do the sensible thing and elope with Damaris (because screw promises made under duress, right?). No, Chester keeps his promise for months.

Then one day Chester goes out to sea with a neighbor and a terrible storm hits. The wreckage of their boat is found, but of the two men there is no sign. Thyra and Damaris meet and bond over their mutual grief, and eventually Damaris moves in with the woman who once hated her. They are still living together when the inevitable happy ending arrives. (Of course there's a happy ending. There were no corpses.)

Really, really melodramatic. I couldn't help wishing that I could put Thyra in touch with a therapist and a prescription for a mood stabilizer. 2 stars.

11) The Education of Betty: A Wife Husbandry story. It hit every one of my squicks. 2 stars.

12) In Her Selfless Mood: Another of those stories about a pointlessly cruel promise demanded by a dying parent. This particular promise obliges Eunice Carr, a disabled and disfigured little girl, to look after Christopher Holland, her half-brother, for the rest of her life. Christopher, naturally, grows up to be an ingrate who throws her out of the house when he marries, only to be nursed tenderly by her when he catches smallpox. After he dies, she expires as well--apparently she isn't capable of living if her brother is dead. VERY unpleasant story, and I wanted desperately to rescue Eunice from this miserable universe, her relatives, and that cruel promise. 3 stars.

13) The Conscience Case of David Bell: What a lot of fussing over why David Bell, an elder of the church, won't stand up at a revival meeting and be saved! (Wouldn't you think that an elder of the church already was?) As it turns out, he's been torturing himself over having once passed a counterfeit ten-dollar bill to the missions and then having repented and given a real ten to make up for it. Why this is bothering him at all, much less is a matter of great spiritual torment, is beyond me. A dull story with very little point. 2 stars.

14) Only a Common Fellow: Basically, this is the story from Victorian melodramas--villain holds a mortgage on the family farm but he'll tear it up if the daughter of the family will marry him, daughter agrees, presumed-dead hero shows up at the last minute--if the villain decided, "You know what? I don't want to marry a woman who's in love with someone else. And I'll tear up the mortgage."It doesn't make much sense that a man who would blackmail a woman into marriage would do this, but it's still an entertaining twist. 3.5 stars.

15) Tannis of the Flats: This story is very racist, and I did not like it one bit because of this. Here are some of the lines that jumped out at me:

"There are standpoints from which Indians are interesting, but they cannot be said to offer congenial social attractions."

"...even the malicious and inveterate gossip of skulking breeds and Indians, squatting over teepee fires, could not hint at anything questionable in the relations between [Mrs. Joe] and Carey."

"France, too, was responsible for somewhat in Tannis. It gave her a light step in place of the stealthy half-breed shuffle..."

"There is no worse enemy in all the world than a half-breed. Your true Indian is bad enough, but his diluted descendant is ten times worse."

Over and over, Montgomery states that Tannis is inferior because she is of mixed blood rather than white and offers back-handed compliments, saying that what in a white woman would be "merely commendable" (fetching a romantic rival so that she could say goodbye to their mutual beloved before his death ) was, for a woman of Tannis's ancestry and upbringing, "lofty self-sacrifice."At no time do any characters realize that such comments are neither kind nor true--and they are anything but necessary to a writer telling a romance between a white man and a First Nations woman. 0 stars.

Overall--37.5 stars. Divided by 15, that's 2.5 stars. And I feel that's a fair rating.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grew up reading these short stories, and my well-worn copy, whose cover I lost years ago, can attest to that. The themes in LM Montgomery's stories are always the same: births, marriages, deaths; love, redemption, jealousy, betrayal; all told against the backdrop of her beloved Prince Edward Island. I love the characters as much as I love the red sandstone cliffs and stormy seas of the Island, even if they are often the same archetypes in different forms. This author, more than any other person, formed and fed my deep love for words, and even as an adult, when I can criticize the repetition, the tropes, and sometimes the overwrought tragedy and emotion of the tales, I still feel a deep sense of nostalgia and love for her works.

However, I had to drop the rating of this book for two stories, "The Education of Betty" and "Tannis of the Flats." I was, quite frankly, appalled by each, and for different but perhaps equally egregious reasons. Here they are:

"The Education of Betty" should rather have been called "Grooming." In it, an old bachelor takes it upon himself to educate an old friend's ten year-old daughter, only to promptly marry her the second she turns eighteen. Here are some choice excerpts, written in first person from the predator's point of view:

"As I had premised, Betty was good material, and responded to my training with gratifying plasticity. Day by day, week by week, month by month, her character and temperament unfolded naturally under my watchful eye. It was like beholding the gradual development of some rare flower in one's garden. A little checking and pruning here, a careful training of shoot and tendril there, and, lo, the reward of grace and symmetry!"

"Although I was a crusty old bachelor, I approved of girls, holding them the sweetest things that good God has made."

"Betty had learned that she must consent to whatever I decreed, even when my decrees were opposed to her likings . . . [b]ut Betty had acquired confidence in me to the beautiful extent of acquiescing in everything I commanded."

Once Betty has spent a year in finishing school, and come back to the "crusty old bachelor," he is delighted to find that she has become "a woman!", changed completely from a wild girl to a demure lover. Of course, turns out she has always loved him, and theirs is one of happy ever after.

This is supposed to be a love story. I found it creepy AF. I read with horror as he bends the child to his will, literally training her to be the woman he wants her to be, forcing her dependence on him, and then chasing all of her suitors away so that he can have her for himself. It's written as a light-hearted love story that obscures a more sinister one of a child whose free will is utterly broken by a man more than twenty years her senior, who literally grooms her to become his ideal, and pounces on her the moment it is legal.

It was a super gross story. It gets zero stars.

Even after reading about poor Betty, I was still utterly unprepared for the last story about Tannis, a Native woman whose unrequited love for a white man leaves a wake of tragedy behind her. It is told from the viewpoint of an unknown narrator who lives in Avonlea, even though it takes place in the "West," in northwestern Canada. We don't know the narrator's name, age, or gender, only that they are telling the story third-hand.

The story itself is an ugly one, riddled with racist tropes, caricatures, and white colonial narratives about culture and race. Perhaps Montgomery gives the story to a rough-edged narrator to more fully vent the "wildness" of the landscape, even though it is told from the safety of a "civilized" Eastern (white) vantage. Either way, the vocabulary, descriptions, and stereotypes of Native peoples and their culture are deeply disturbing. Derogatory language like "half-breeds" and "pure bloods" are used to distinguish between mixed-race people and white people, and also to make clear the differences in culture as well as morality and virtue between the two. Tannis is sent as a young woman to a white finishing school, but comes back "with a very thin, very deceptive, veneer of culture and civilization overlying the primitive passions and ideas of her nature." When she learns that the white man she loves does not love her, she trembles "with all the passions of her savage ancestry." The Native man who who has long pursued her is nonetheless angry and jealous, and we are assured that "[t]here is no worse enemy in all the world than a half-breed. Your true Indian is bad enough, but his diluted descendent is ten times worse."

It ends, as you might surmise, in a drunken brawl; the white man nobly tries to intervene, the Native "half-breed" shoots him dead.

Here is the thing: Tannis is the heroine of this story. As a white audience, we are to admire her "wild" beauty and her "passions," even as we are told that they are racially inherited and that as members of the "dominant race," we must only admire them from afar. The tale is tragic because Tannis did not understand, as we are meant to, that "religions might mingle, but the different bloods – ah, that is not the right thing!"

The "noble savage" is a trope that is written into many of our stories told to justify the colonization of Native land and the genocide of Native people on this continent, stories white people continue to repeat to themselves today. As colonizers, white people are still not done turning Native people into caricatures, one-dimensional (even when we are trying to be positive, flattering). I've seen it in the Natural History museum in New York City and the Jamestown settlement in Virginia; I recognize it in the many lies we tell about Native Americans during Thanksgiving and in the costumes people wear on Halloween. It makes it easier for us to brush aside the fact that the history of our countries is one of genocide, our oldest sin. It makes it easier to avoid grappling with the idea that most white people will never meet a Native American today. Native Americans are still working to overcome the racist stories white people continue to tell about them.

So, this story gets negative a million stars. And all my childhood love and nostalgia for LM Montgomery can't atone for it.