White Magic

by L.M. Montgomery

White Magic

Genres: Short Stories, Audiobook, Romance, Classics

36 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2016

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

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars & 3/10 hearts. Okay, so this one does deal with Janet going to a witch to get a love potion. However, from the attitude/tone it’s obvious Granny isn’t actually a witch and even Janet figures that out. This is the story of star-crossed lovers sorting themselves. Not my favourite (Avery isn’t very nice especially) but I don’t hate it, either….

A Favourite Quote: “It was a wonderful autumn day. There were wild growths and colours and scents in sweet procession all around the pond. Every curve in it revealed some little whim of loveliness.”

[Amanda Carver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story, and as others have said, predictable, but cute, and everyone is happy. Poor Janet is overshadowed by her sister, Avery's beauty, and is marrying the man SHE likes, but Avery has admitted to Janet she us not in love with him, so janet visits a whitch to buy a potion to make her man happy and help Avery fall in love with him, but it backfires, when a cousin visits just days before the wedding (but Janet wasn't aware Avery was already in love with this man) Janet goes to break Randall's heart and give him the news but his reaction surprises Janet

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I write these for myself. Skip.

This was a sleep story after Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't overly fond of any of the three. They weren't terrible either.

It was actually a collection of short stories that doesn't exist on Goodreads, so I've listed two of them as separate books. The third story isn't listed on Goodreads either. 'A Soul that is Not at Home.'

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little story with all the charm and warmth you’d expect from L. M. Montgomery. It was lovely and dreamy, but didn't really stick with me. I enjoyed the gentle, nostalgic atmosphere, but it wasn’t quite as memorable as some of her other work. A nice read if you’re in the mood for something cozy and quietly magical.

[Avril · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stand the protagonist, and the story was very predictable.

[Mercedes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8/5

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this very predictable and very cliche? Yes but I enjoyed every second of it Nd the writing was Wally pretty, it's making me consider reading Anne of the Green Gables ( another work by this author). The audience of this book was definitely more young as well, maybe like a children's story.

[Eve Huckaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable and cliche but a good short read. It’s a sweet story if you don’t mind a little predictability;)

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a delightful little story.

[Alayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two sisters, one going to marry the man that the other loves. A bit of magic and voila! all works out in the end.

[Rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was like my second audiobook ever and all i remember is getting really pissed off at someone at one point. anyways great read, super fun but like audiobook it cuz it's realllyyyyyy fun that way.