Around the Hearth: Tales of Home and Family

by L.M. Montgomery, Joanne Lebold (Editor)

A heartwarming collection of 17 rare short stories by famed Anne of Green Gables author.
Although best known for creating the spirited Anne Shirley, L. M. Montgomery had a thriv- ing writing career that included hundreds of short stories and poems. Around the Hearth is a continuation of the Montgomery short story collections edited by Rea Wilmshurst in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, including stories such as “A Baking of Gingersnaps” (1895)—the first story Montgomery published. As with Anne, who found a warm and welcoming home and family at Green Gables, these stories focus on homes and families, and the happiness and love people receive from them.
Over many years of careful research and meticulous compiling of resources, Joanne Leb- old has curated a collection of short fiction that showcases all the warmth and charisma Montgomery’s fans have come to cherish, and offers a rare glimpse into some of the be- loved author’s lesser-known works. Includes seventeen short stories originally published between 1895 and 1935.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

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

Reviews

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pleasure to read. It helped a dismal afternoon not feel as dismal.

As a huge LM Montgomery fan, I thought I'd read all of her short stories, but I was proved wrong while reading this book.

Very enjoyable

[Sharon Dube · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love diving into a collection of L.M. Montgomery 's short stories. My favorites in this collection were Dora's Gingerbread and By Way of the Brick Oven.

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The "lost" ninth collection of short stories, originally collected by Rea Wilmshurst but unpublished before she died in 1996. As the subtitle indicates, these are stories about home and hearth. It is, for the most part, a cozy collection of family and cooking. There are a couple of stories near the end that don't really fit this mold, but that's okay. The last story is by far the longest and most developed, if a bit of a titular misnomer - the brick oven is part of the c-list plotline, LOL.

If you've enjoyed the thematic short story collections by Ms Wilmhurst, you'll like this one, too. Don't read the introduction first, as it spoils all of the plotlines of all of the stories (why do editors do this??), but it is a nice little summary of how this collection came to be published.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was certainly delightful! This is a brand-new selection of rediscovered stories written by L.M. Montgomery. Most of them were unfamiliar to me and such a pleasure to read. I enjoyed every one of them!

[Ashlyn]

LM Montgomery short stories feel like sitting by a fire after sledding. Warmth, humour, and beautiful writing. I'm loving these short story collections.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of heart warming stories that any new reader or long time fan of L.M. Montgomery will enjoy. These stories were originally published in periodicals and newspapers of L.M. Montgomery’s time and haven’t been included in any other published collection of her short stories. I was very excited to be able to read these new stories and I was not disappointed. I would definitely add this to any L.M. Montgomery book collection.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Anne of Green Gables devotee, I enjoyed this collection so much. While I wouldn’t recommend it to someone just starting out with L. M. Montgomery, I think it’s well worth reading for those who’ve already experienced Anne and who want a fuller picture of Montgomery’s work. I found it particularly interesting to think about her creative process as I read. You can tell the names and ideas that captivated her, because she would recycle them. (My personal favorite example of this was a story with a young man named Gilbert who had bright red hair that nearly broke off his engagement because his fiancé hated it so much). This was the right book at the right time for me—a cozy, comforting read that I could dip in and out of and that made no demands on me. I can picture it being the perfect book to read when you’re sick in bed or just needing a bit of extra comfort.

[Erika RS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is a lovely addition to the collected works of L.M. Montgomery. The stories in this collection were largely published earlier in her career and don't always show the same depth and complexity of her later works. But as the quote on the back from Dr. Elizabeth Rollins Epperly observes, they are "humorous and also wise." I also appreciate the glimpses of plot points and character traits that Montgomery would use later, from misflavored cakes and conflict over red hair to lush descriptions of nature.

[Linda Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within the pages of these stories, and without any mention of the time and era, I was transported back to the Island of long ago. It was like entering a delightful time warp. How innocent and carefree life was, as depicted in these tales, compared to our modern day now. Each story, though simple and quaint, with prose decidedly flowery at times, contained at least one startling nugget of wisdom, and always, a happy, satisfying ending.

[Bells Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short stories from an innocent time long ago. Author of Anne of Green Gables supported her and her family by writing for many, many tales for magazines before the Anne series came out. This collection of 17 centers around families and daily life. I plan on attending the LM Montgomery conference next year so I’m making sure I’ve read everything I can get my hands on.
I picked this book up on a recent trip to PEI.

[R. Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story is a treat for the heart and mind.

This book is the perfect read to warm the winter evenings. Within these short stories there are echoes of many of Montgomery's more famous novels. Full of Montgomery's skillful descriptions of nature and life, each story is a treat for the heart and mind.

[Bobbiann Markle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging and satisfying collection of stories.

[Stephen Fodor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Book of Short stories by L.M. Montgomery? Yes Please!
I was so excited to purchase this book and it did not disappoint.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is so sweet and warm 🥰

[Annette Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the size and cover of this book.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a pleasure to read these short stories! While times weren't easy, it is the values of family that stay with us no matter what the century.