The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables

by Catherine Reid

Anne of Green Gables is a worldwide phenomenon that has sold over fifty million copies and inspired numerous films, plays, musicals, and television series. It has turned Prince Edward Island into a multimillion-dollar tourist destination visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. In The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, Catherine Reid reveals how Lucy Maud Montgomery’s deep connection to the landscape inspired her to write Anne of Green Gables. From the Lake of Shining Waters and the Haunted Wood to Lover’s Lane, readers will be immersed in the real places immortalized in the novel. Using Montgomery’s journals, archives, and scrapbooks, Reid explores the many similarities between Montgomery and her unforgettable heroine, Anne Shirley. The lush package includes Montgomery’s hand-colorized photographs, the illustrations originally used in Anne of Green Gables, and contemporary and historical photography.   

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Travel, History, Nature, Biography, Canada

280 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.



The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables is a flower lover's delight, a delicious morsel for those who marvel at the wonders of nature. Reid pairs archived images and new color photographs with ephemera from L. M. Montgomery's life to draw surprising comparisons between the budding writer who flourished amid the beauty of Prince Edward Island and the precocious Anne Shirley - one of literature's most beloved redheads - who bloomed from her imagination.

Let your mind explore Reid's revelations about Montgomery's life.

Let your eyes drink in the glory of daylilies and goldenrod, of birch trees and Queen Anne's lace.

Above all, let your heart fill with the majesty of Montgomery's unparalleled descriptions of the natural world.

But the most important similarities between Maud of the journals and Anne of Green Gables are those that evoke both passion and solace - an infectious delight in the natural world, a friendship with wild things, a sense of comfort and spiritual renewal in life outdoors, and a belief in the transformative power of the landscape's splendor.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

”As in the novels that preceded it, the strong draw of Anne’s story is due as much to the orphan’s charisma as to the setting where it takes place – in her case, the wooded paths, the orchards in bloom, the fields stretching out to the sea. But the lasting gift of Anne of Green Gables is how the landscape also fuels Anne’s prodigious imagination; it’s where she goes when she needs sustenance; it’s the example that she’ll hold onto for what is beautiful, what is possible.”

Born in the town of Clifton, which is now known as New London, in November of 1874, on Prince Edward Island, Maud Montgomery was not even two years old when her mother died of tuberculosis. Soon after, her father left Prince Edward Island, with a group of families migrating to western Canada. He left young Maud behind with her maternal grandparents.

”I was impulsive, warm-hearted, emotional; grandmother was cold and reserved, narrow in her affections and sensibilities.”
-- The Select Journals of L.M. Montgomery, VOL 1

After some time, she went to live with her father and his new wife - a woman who was extremely jealous of her loving relationship with her father, and had no interest in spending time with her stepdaughter. Soon her stepmother had a child, and Maud became the one responsible for cleaning the home, caring for the baby, and more. She was also attending school, and dreaming of Prince Edward Island.

I’ve never been to Prince Edward Island, but after reading this and looking over the pictures and photographs in this book off and on, I want to go there. Some original old photographs, and some newer, beautiful ones of the land there, the flowers and turn the page and there’s an old photograph of a horse and buggy on a dirt lane, photographs of places she included in her books, ‘The Lake of Shining Waters’ and ‘Lover’s Lane.’

The photographs are beautiful, my favourites were Montgomery’s photographs that she shot herself (c. 1917), and many more current ones, showing the beauty of the island, and then there are the ones with landscapes of the beautiful flowers or trees or lanes with quotes from her much beloved books.

”When I am asked if Anne herself is a ‘real person,’ I always answer ‘no’ with an odd reluctance and an uncomfortable feeling of not telling the truth. For she is and always has been, from the moment I first thought of her, so real to me that I feel I am doing violence to something when I deny her an existence anywhere save Dreamland … She is so real that, although I’ve never met her, I feel quite sure I shall do so some day – perhaps in a stroll through Lover’s Lane in the twilight – or in the moonlit Birch Path – I shall lift my eyes and find her, child or maiden, by my side. And I shall not be in the least surprised because I have always known that she was
somewhere.”

While this will undoubtedly delight fans of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, it isn’t necessary to have read her books to appreciate these lovely photographs, or her story. It might also serve as an inspiration to read her books, but for those who have felt they shared a bond with Anne.


Published: 18 Apr 2018

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Timber Press

[Lara Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much more than I thought it would be. I expected a sort of attractive touristy selection of photos of Prince Edward Island, supported with some text. It turns out that this book is quite an in-depth look at the connection of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her beloved character Anne Shirley with Prince Edward Island. Yes, there are lots of lovely photos of PEI and sites associated with the author's family and the Anne stories, including the Green Gables museum, but there are also images and text that take on us a tour through the seasons of the island, particular sites, and their associations with Maud and Anne. These include Maud's personal scrapbooks, journal entries, biographical information, family photos, information about gardens and plants, black and white images colourized by Maude and more.

I have been to PEI several times. I've see Anne of Green Gables in several television adaptations and on stage in Charlottetown. I read and loved the Anne series of books in my youth. I thought I knew a fair bit about the place, the author, the character and the books, yet Catherine Reid's book has given me new appreciation for them all. I got goosebumpy a few times while reading it!

I read an advance digital copy of this book from Timber Press via NetGalley.

#NetGalley #TheLandscapesofAnneofGreenGables

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While L.M. Montgomery is most definitely one of my absolutely favourite authors, I am also a reader whose most treasured prose writing by Montgomery has actually and in fact NOT EVER been her universally known and beloved Anne of Green Gables series. Sure, I do of course and very much adore, even cherish the Anne novels and I have also read and reread the entire eight book series (except for my own pet peeve, except for Rilla of Ingleside) numerous times over the decades. But indeed, for personal relatability to a main character and for simple and unadulterated reading pleasure, both L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon and The Story Girl series inhabit a special place in my heart that neither Anne Shirley as a character nor the novels about her and her family ever will be able to take (since I basically happen to find both Emily Byrd Starr and Sara Stanley much more so-called kindred spirits than Anne Shirley, who is of course delightful, but often also much too intense and sometimes just too darn impulsive for me, my appreciation of her imagination notwithstanding).

And with the above firmly in mind, I was actually rather majorly approaching Catherine Reid's 2018 The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables with quite a goodly amount of personal reading trepidation. For albeit that I was certainly intrigued by and interested in The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, I was also (and from looking at the book title) more than a bit worried that Reid's presented text would likely feature a bit too much of only Anne Shirley for my reading tastes (and indeed, this fear has in fact ended up being rather majorly realised in many ways).

Because Catherine Reid's printed words for The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, they do (at least in my opinion) focus so very much and so very heavily on only comparing the literary character of Anne of Green Gables, of Anne Shirley (and how she is shown in the Anne novels) to L.M. Montgomery's own life, it almost feels (at least to and for me) that Lucy Maud Montgomery is in every way to be seen as Anne of Green Gables and vice versa and with NONE of Montgomery's other novels and none of her other characters even remotely getting even a smidgeon of a chance, leaving me with a frustrated and annoyed sense of incompleteness with regard to The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables and also the uncomfortable thought that somehow Reid rather wants us as readers to ONLY consider L.M. Montgomery as a one series and one main literary character of significance kind of author (which yes, I do find with my reading preference of Emily Byrd Starr and Sara Stanley over Anne Shirley quite hugely annoying and even a trifle offensive, especially since L.M. Montgomery herself always considered The Story Girl novels as her personal favourites and that Emily is also much more akin and alike to Montgomery and to her general temperament as well as to her desires to be an author, to have a literary career than Anne could ever be).

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling all kindred spirits! Did you know that because of the success of Anne of Green Gables the second most successful industry on Prince Edward Island is tourism? Once you look at the gorgeous landscape photography in this book you'll want to book your trip as well.

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables has plenty of information about Anne's creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, who preferred to be known as Maud (without an e). You'll gain insight into her childhood and love of Prince Edward Island. The quotes from Maud's journal are accompanied by her family photos and pages of Maud's scrapbooks. With personal insights from Maud you'll learn the parallels and differences between her life and Anne's and you'll be granted access to images of the 1908 version of Anne of Green Gables.

I felt like I'd stepped back in time while paging through this book. With photos of Prince Edward Island from the late 1800's to today you'll see what's changed and what remains as if time has stood still. I particularly loved seeing the photos of Prince Edward Island throughout the seasons. My favourite comparison photos are of Teapot Rock in the 1890's which, having eroded over time, is now known as Teacup Rock.

There's a rustic charm to this book that would make it a lovely gift for lifelong Anne fans who will enjoy revisiting their favourite locations.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Timber Press for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give the content and writing a 4 star, but the aesthetics of this book all around from the cover to the photographs to the layout are simply stunning and bump it to a 5 star for me.

[Wendi Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was lovely.

I loved Anne of Green Gables when I was a child. I felt a real kinship with the red-haired orphan and her wild imagination, and imagined Prince Edward Island as beautifully lush and just as wild as Anne. I've always wanted to travel there to see the island for myself, but haven't had a chance yet. Reading The Landscapes that Inspired Anne of Green Gables, however, gives you a satisfying glimpse of what it's like.

There are gorgeous photographs of Prince Edward Island and Avonlea, but what I didn't expect was the biography of L.M. Montgomery, and the many similarities between her childhood and Anne's. Reid focuses specifically on the pair's love of nature, and even takes us through different seasons as experienced on Prince Edward Island.

This is more than a glossy photography book. It's a homage to L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables, one that made me nostalgic and even shed a tear or two.

*Thank you to Timber Press and Netgalley for an ARC*

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Timber Press, NetGalley, and the author Catherine Reid, for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this is a 5-star book for me! My Mom and I shared a love of Anne of Green Gables. We read four or five of the books in the series out loud to each other as I was overcoming a health issue in my early twenties. We grew to love our kindred spirit, Anne. Our love of Anne and her descriptions of PEI prompted a vacation visit to the island. What a wonderful experience we had driving the red soil back roads, visiting the Anne of Green Gables site, watching the cows graze next to the seashore and having tea in Charlottetown.

This book is a wonderful mix of LM (Lucy MAUD) Montgomery biography, Prince Edward Island travelogue, and exquisite photos of those environs. It would be a great gift for an inveterate traveler, or a reader who cherishes Anne. It would also make a nice coffee table book.

I especially enjoyed the photos, especially those that showed PEI during all four seasons. This area is very really rural, but it hosts lots of Anne of Green Gables fans throughout the year. I think I read somewhere that 'Anne' tourism is the second largest industry on the island. Maud Montgomery's biography was bittersweet, and paralleled quite a few of the experiences that were written for young Anne. She did not have an easy time with her husband, and after moving off the island, I think it continued to call to her. It still calls to me, and I was only there for a few days.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a few weeks hiatus from reading and came back to finish this lovely book of picturesque settings and glimpses into the past.

This would make a stunning coffee table book. Filled with nostalgia, gorgeous pictures, and a brief then and now about Prince Edwards Islands, The Landscape of Anne of Green Gables was idyllic and perfect for a peaceful afternoon read.

I especially liked how Reid discusses the parallels between Montgomery's and Anne's disposition and surroundings. It makes me wish I'd been alive when Montgomery was as I am sure with her similarities to Anne, we would be kindred spirits.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a combination biography, textual commentary, and photographs about the love of nature that L.M. Montgomery and her creation Anne of Green Gables have in common.

Any fan of L.M. Montgomery's work will enjoy this book. It manages to weave together the basic facts of L.M. Montgomery's life, from childhood through her sad death, and at the same time evoke happy memories from her novels, particularly the Anne ones.

It's not hard to see that L.M. Montgomery found particular solace in the woods, gardens, and landscapes of her home on Prince Edward Island. Passages from her journal confirm that in the midst of any distress, she sought the outdoors. There are some stunning photographs from the island in this book, especially the seascapes. The conclusion of the book becomes ever more poignant as you realize that L.M. Montgomery became an exile from her beloved island after her marriage, a circumstance that likely contributed to eventual overwhelming depression. When combined with her husband's worsening bouts of insanity, the fact that she endured as well as she did is remarkable.

While this book certainly delves into both the bitter and the sweet, it does a good job at keeping front and center the landscapes and restorative power of nature that are right at the heart of most of L.M. Montgomery's work. It inspires the reader to look for beauty in the world and treasure it, no matter what.

***I received an advance copy of this via NetGalley. To be published March 2018.

[Ashley Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I will most certainly be purchasing my own hard copy of this book! Just for the photographs alone! The pictures of Montgomery and her life, and especially of Prince Edward Island both in her time and in modern days were just stunning!

This book made me not only want to go to P.E.I. IMMEDIATELY, but I also plan to find and buy some of Montgomery's journals as well. They are referenced quite a bit in this book, because it talks a lot about her descriptions of the Island as she wrote them in her journals, her life growing up, and the ways in which she was so much like Anne Shirley. I definitely would like to read all of these things for myself.

It was very interesting to see the way PEI has changed since Anne and Montgomery's time, and to know that the "modernization" of the Island didn't actually happen until fairly late.

I would highly recommend this to fans of Anne of Green Gables - it made me very sentimental and fall in love with the story all over again! And like I said, it really made me want to visit the Island very soon! The whole book just expanded on the magic of the setting, the story, and Montgomery's imagination. I definitely learned a lot!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a joy for a lifelong fan of L.M. Montgomery like me. It's packed with gorgeous photographs of Prince Edward Island and the historical sites from Montgomery's life and books. Also included are photographs taken by Montgomery and tidbits from her personal scrapbooks alongside plenteous quotes from her works and autobiography.

In the last decade or so, producers, authors, and scholars have constantly been taking classic literature (such as Anne of Green Gables) and throwing out their spin on it. A new take on a classic is a likely moneymaker, and I understand the appeal. But so many of these works and productions lean toward exploitation of the work rather than love for it. Rather than trying to "update" a beloved classic for a modern audience or "expose" the historical realities behind a piece, I appreciate that author Catherine Reid has simply endeavored to show us the beauty and simplicity that Montgomery conveyed in her books, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for staying true to the magic and innocence that Anne embodies.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much of the beloved Anne books is centered upon the land, the scenic landscapes described. These descriptions add poetry and romanticism to the stories. When you read the Anne books yourself, tell me, weren't you inspired by the beauty of Prince Edward Island? It creates the very atmosphere of the story, and if you read between the lines, the elements of nature express and emphasize the plot and emotions therein. Some of this, I subconsciously knew before. After reading this book though, I have keener insight in the lay of Montgomery's land.

Reading this book brings out areas of Anne's character too, which I never thought about before, myself... and yet it rings true nonetheless. Her passions (and Montgomery's) are expressed through the moods of the outside world. So many nuances are there in Montgomery's writings, when it comes to her island, but you have to search the pages for it.

"It's to the natural world, then, that each girl turns when her soul is beginning to despair. The inspiration found there not only shifts her mood, it changes the very caliber of the writing, the sentences seemingly possessed of a new vitality, bringing readers into a brighter, better place."
- Catherine Reid

Such a remarkable and stunning collection of pictures are included; some from Montgomery's private collection (even taken by her own hand); some modern day shots of the bright and colorful landscapes. The red cliffs of P.E.I. just steal the show for me, so beautiful they are in photos. But I think my heart stopped beating, and I may have stopped breathing air for a moment, when I saw an actual picture of Lover's Lane in the 1920s. I think you'll feel the same way.

This book feels magical. I think it could be a balm for a hurting heart. You're seeing fictional places out in the real world (they never were "fictional" anyway). Lover's Lane, the Lake of Shining Waters, the White Lady... and it all increases my desire to visit these landmarks myself. There is so much good-feeling nostalgia locked away in this volume. You must get it for yourself!

I'm so glad to have gone on a tour via the vehicle of a book -- armchair travel. It will suffice until I go to P.E.I. to take it all in myself in person, some blissful distant day.

"I had... then as now, two great refuges and consolations -- the world of nature and the world of books. They kept life in my soul; they made me love my home because of my dreams and rambles and the deep joy and delight they gave me -- because of the halo they threw over what was otherwise bare and savorless."
- L.M. Montgomery

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am both looking at the book and listening to the audio read by Xe Sands. I will review both.

I really enjoyed this book, picking it up in quiet moments and enjoying the photographs throughout. I much preferred the book to the audiobook.

I learned a lot about Maud and how similar she and Anne were. At times I didn't know if I was reading Anne's thoughts from the books or Maud's in her journals. Maud herself apparently was even more like Emily in the Emily trilogy and I am hoping to re-read these next year. I am more in love with the idea of visiting PEI thanks to this book. I found the sections at the end about each season on PEI and the effect they had on Maud most interesting. There are also many links to websites referenced at the end of the book which I will explore. I am looking forward to reading The Alpine Path: The Story of My Career this year and also some of Maud's journals. Altogether this was a really good reading experience and I highly recommend it to fans of her books.

[Debbie Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the age of about 14 when I read the first Anne book - Anne of Green Gables - I have loved the books and the marvellous landscape of Prince Edward Island. I remember I read the last two books in the series - Anne’s House of Dreams and Rilla of Ingleside in my thirties and decided to feature Green Gables Farm in my novel Crossing Paths ten odd years later.
I still want to go to Prince Edward Island but in the meantime, until I win the lottery, Catherine Reid’s The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables farm is the next best thing. Reid has done a wonderful of pulling various sources together to bring the whole Island, as both Maud Montgomery and Anne knew it, alive. Here are the chapter headings to give you an idea:
This Island is the Bloomiest Place: An introduction
Kindred Orphans: The lives of Maud Montgomery and Anne Shirley
The Loveliest Spot on Earth: Prince Edward Island Then and Now
Something ore Poetical: The Scope of Two Imaginations
Emerald Screens: Maud’s and Anne’s Favourite Gardens
A World With Octobers: The Seasons of Prince Edward Island
That Great and Solemn Wood: A Writer’s Life

What makes reading this book such an enjoyable experience is, of course, the photos. Reid has used quite a few quotes from Montgomery’s non fiction book, The Alpine Path to accompany them. She has also sourced and used photos taken by Montgomery herself, which I found really illuminating. There are photos of Avonlea Village, Green Gables farm and the location of Montgomery’s grandparents’ house, the Macneill House. There’s also photos of The White Lady, Lovers Lane and the Lake of Shining Waters. Everything you would want to see in fact. There are also details of Montgomery’s life and her relationship with the landscape of Prince Edward Island.
Reid notes, “Many of Maud’s journal entries in winter read like the account of someone struggling with seasonal affective disorder. If she could just get outside; if she could just get enough sun! After a particularly fierce March storm left her with a case of “the blues,” she writes, “I’ll be all right when the sunshine comes back and I’m able to work.”
It appears she suffered quite severely from depression, particularly later in life and so did her husband. She also had legal battles with her first publisher who was selling reprint rights to her work without her permission. It took many years before this was resolved. So not an easy life. No wonder she found such solace in the landscapes of one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheer joy! If you love Lucy Maud Montgomery and flowers, trees, nature, history-you are going to love this book. It is magnificent!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Reid and Kerry Michaels produced a book which Anne of Green Gables enthusiasts everywhere will welcome. The book's focus is on the landscapes (gardens, woods, lakes, etc.) inspiring Montgomery's settings for the Anne series. Readers see the birch wood in varying seasons. They encounter gardens which inspired the Barry's garden of the books. They see the "Lake of Shining Waters." Gorgeous flower photographs appeal to the eye. The author includes excerpts from the books as she adds details. For academics the author's analysis needs improvement, but fans of the book will treasure the book anyway. Recommended for fans of the series.

[Analie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to this book... I want to travel to P.E. even more now! This edition is stuffed with gorgeous photos and details about L.M. Montgomery's life on Prince Edward Island. I found it fascinating that Montgomery had so much in common with Anne, yet seemed unaware of this. Her own rich inner life and and ability to rise above her immediate circumstances as Anne did was inspiring, though sad and even tragic at times.

[Marzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

As many of my friends and followers know, I retain an almost irrational love for Anne of Green Gables, decades after first reading the books one summer, returning to school, and finding that my bestie SleepingKoala45 (Wishful Thinking) had been on the exact same kick. (This was in the days before email and cell phones and stuff, people) SK45 and I spent hours... no days... no weeks... talking about these books and analyzing characters in them. Okay, honestly, we still sometimes talk about these books. Lucy Maud Montgomery was the reason why, at the tender age of 13, I wrote my first letter to a publisher, seeking a copy of LMM's The Road to Yesterday, which had been published in a vanishingly small print run, after an editor at McGraw-Hill Ryerson wrecked the volume by chopping it to pieces, eliminating half the source material. (FYI #1, they sent it to me with a bill for $4, which I paid and still have folded in the book. I can't believe back in those days how people trusted you to pay after you received the merchandise. Or that a hardback book was only $4! FYI#2, that book was re-released in 2009 in full form as The Blythes Are Quoted.) When I say irrational love, that has to do with some of the same flaws in LMM's books that one sees of other books of the period (racism, sexism, tropes about relationships, etc.). Yeah, it's kind of odd given what an ardent feminist and civil rights supporter I am but I loved this series and felt like I watched Anne go from my age to adulthood and it was thrilling. (Plus, come on, they're more than a hundred years old and even much older Shakespeare has these same flaws. And no, don't say I'm comparing them like equals. Sigh) But I digress.

The Landscapes of Green Gables is far and away one of the best AoGG-related books I've had the pleasure of reading. It puts Maud Montgomery and Anne Shirley in sync, and lets us see how Montgomery looked at nature, and how that vision was built into Anne as a character reflective of Montgomery herself. It also gives historical context to the development of PEI, where we can still find some of what Montgomery loved. In some cases, the island has become more forested than it was when LMM lived there! Pointedly, it shows us why we still read Anne stories. It all comes down to her perception of beauty and love of nature. The characters are sweet but what makes Anne stand out is her imagination and her ability to recognize the beauty in the environment around Green Gables and Avonlea (Cavendish). In this respect, Montgomery's Anne books are similar to the Limberlost works of Gene Stratton Porter: the timeless love of nature. (Those books are also troubled by classist conventional thinking of the day and yet I still love them, too.)

From the gardens of Silver Bush to the vistas around Cavendish, and other areas of PEI, Reid gives us insights into LMM's world, her loves, and why Anne closely reflected her wish fulfillment. This is a lovely book for Anne fans and I now have at it on the Christmas list for someone I know.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more than I imagined, this book takes you far beyond the 'Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables'. Almost immediately the author draws your attention to the connection between Anne & Maud herself. I would suppose that Diana Barry & Anne Shirley were not the original 'kindred spirits', but rather Anne & Maud are. There is much to learn about the similarities of the circumstances and upbringing that Maud endured. Despite not being totally orphaned and being raised by extended family, it's clear to see that she has written about her own experiences. Creating alternate characters to the harsh ones she's left to live with, are, what made the more idyllic life in her mind and evidently found amongst the pages of her novels.

Of course there are numerous photographs of Prince Edward Island today. Tourism being its number 2 industry, fueled by the popularity of L.M. Montgomery's famous series, beginning with 'Anne of Green Gables'. While it explains that commercialism has replaced much of the natural and original beauty of the Island, it seems that PEI still maintains enough charm to draw the crowds. Maud documented her life through her journals and scrapbooks and many of her own photographs are included in this book.

Most visitors flock to the Island during the warm summer months, and they rarely experience the broad variety of the seasons on PEI. There is a whole chapter devoted to the array of beauty each season brings, and I think it may be my favourite. It is no surprise that Anne herself declares "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"!! Just stunning and beautiful.

The natural world around her, the woodlands, gardens, broad fields, quiet dirt road lanes and the beauty of the coastline leaves no doubts that this influence on her life was her core source of inspiration and peace. It shines through in her writing, and again, another indication that Anne's character is based so heavily on her own life.

A real joy to read, this would make a beautiful gift to any 'Anne with a e' fan you know.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book for every reader (like me) who felt she and Anne are kindred spirits. I enjoyed so much re-visiting the Anne of Green Gables stories through this book as well as seeing the pretty landscape of Prince Edward Island for the first time. The addition of biographical details on the parallels between Montgomery and her character was also quite interesting. All fans of L.M. Montgomery's work will enjoy this book and everyone who wants to visit PEI will be inspired by the gorgeous photos.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Jackie Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, well researched and insightful book! The author clearly knows Montgomery, Anne and PEI like the back of her hand, and it was delightful to see how she wove all three into a great book. And the pictures were beautiful!

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reid takes us into the life and work of beloved author Lucy Maud Montgomery and how Prince Edward Island inspired the author. The accompanying photographs are an homage to the author and the island.

[LPR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this being not quite the type of book that demands to be read straight through, I did finally complete my reading of all the words in this book. (which has been brought to a standstill many times by me losing my mind and lending it to people because they HAVE TO WITNESS ITS BEAUTY)(which i stand by)

So fun. The appeal is obviously the photographs, which are stunning, but the words and the quotes are also designed and visually presented with a very well-suited eye for design and for aesthetic. This is a truly lovely book. A book that presents beauty in the visuals and also in the passages of Montgomery's writing, often side-by-side in such a way that should, logically, end with one of the elements being a let down. But Montgomery's writing is /so/ wonderful and PEI is /so/ truly gorgeous that they deserve each other, only bringing the beauty to greater light. I positively loved the history, the light touch on the biography angle, and especially that the author clearly cared so much about a broad spectrum of Montgomery's work: pulling from her journals, from the Alpine Path, and from lots of her novels, not just Anne. (I also super appreciated the anecdote that LMM thought Anne's House of Dreams was the greatest novel she had ever written for a while until she finished Emily of New Moon, and I think LMM is completely and totally right on both accounts and I feel very validated in that opinion now.)

So very very fun and very very beautiful and I'm so glad I own it and can look at it when I'm sad.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prince Edward Island is one of my favorite places on the planet.

The fictional tales of "Anne of Green Gables" have made this tiny Canadian province famous worldwide.

Many people visit the island because they fell in love with it through the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery, but it is the beautiful landscape itself that solidifies that love.

This book contains stunningly beautiful photographs of the island and it's beautiful scenery. This is a must have for everyone who has ever visited, or dreamed of visiting, this unique and glorious island.

I rate this book as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know what to categorize this as - but if you love the books, movies, and Island as much as I do - you will certainly enjoy this book.

When my mom jokingly told me as I left for vacation that it was “ok if I fell in love and never came back” I’m pretty sure she was referring to some fisherman and not with the island itself — but my goodness it does captivate a person.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely beautiful. The cover (dust jacket) is lovely, and even the cover underneath it is nice (not plain, like some hardcover books). It's full of gorgeous photos of Prince Edward Island, as well as photos by and of LM Montgomery, all accompanied by quotes from the Anne books and insights from the author. Basically, the whole book is beautifully produced, and I'm so glad I bought it!

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library with the intent to flip through the photos as a reference, but ended up reading it cover to cover because it was so intriguing! I have long been interested in L.M. Montgomery's life and the interweaving of fact and fiction shared between her and her most well-known heroine, Anne. I already have Prince Edward Island on my bucket list, but it has bumped its way up after reading this book. With gorgeous photos depicting Prince Edward Island's rolling hills and seaside brilliance and noting areas near L.M. Montgomery's relatives' home that inspired the beloved scenery in the novels, including the Lake of Shining Waters, Lover's Lane, and of course, the iconic Green Gables itself. I enjoyed finding out about the similarities between Maud and Anne, but was sad to read the heartbreaking story of Maud's later life, including a marriage to a difficult man and long battle with depression and life disappointments. If you are like me and would love to visit PEI and discover first-hand the landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, but cannot do it anytime soon, this is the next best thing.

Rating: G
Reminded me of: MY DEEP DESIRE TO VISIT PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND!!

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simply beautifully illustrated book - one to cherish for any true Anne fan.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really beautifully produced look at LM Montgomery's PEI past and present. I grew up spending my summers in Cavendish (and my parents still have a cottage in Stanley Bridge) in the heart of LM Montgomery country so nothing in the text is a revelation to me, but the photographs are just stunning. (And make me a little homesick.)