As it is Women’s History Month in Canada, there is no better time to explore a biography of one of Canada’s greatest authors written by one of our leading literary historians. Lucy Maud Montgomery is a renowned author not only in Canada but around the globe. And Anne of Green Gables is a beloved novel that holds a special place for many of us. Looking for Anne of Green Gables by Irene Gammel is one of the most interesting and complex literary biographies that I’ve read, and it is a must-read for any LMM fan!
A massive thank you to Sutherland House Books for providing a copy of the book!
Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic, Irene Gammel
In June 1908, a red-haired orphan appeared on to the streets of Boston and a modern legend was born. That little girl was Anne Shirley, better known as Anne of Green Gables, and her first appearance was in a book that has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 35 languages (including Braille). The author who created her was Lucy Maud Montgomery, a writer who revealed very little of herself and her method of crafting a story. On the centenary of its publication, Irene Gammel tells the braided story of both Anne and Maud and, in so doing, shows how a literary classic was born. Montgomery’s own life began in the rural Cavendish family farmhouse on Prince Edward Island, the place that became the inspiration for Green Gables. Mailmen brought the world to the farmhouse’s kitchen door in the form of American mass market periodicals sparking the young Maud’s imagination. From the vantage point of her small world, Montgomery pored over these magazines, gleaning bits of information about how to dress, how to behave and how a proper young lady should grow. She began to write, learning how to craft marketable stories from the magazines’ popular fiction; at the same time the fashion photos inspired her visual imagination. One photo that especially intrigued her was that of a young woman named Evelyn Nesbit, the model for painters and photographers and lover of Stanford White. That photo was the spark for what became Anne Shirley. Blending biography with cultural history, Looking for Anne of Green Gables is a gold mine for fans of the novels and answers a trunk load of questions: Where did Anne get the “e” at the end of her name? How did Montgomery decide to give her red hair? How did Montgomery’s courtship and marriage to Reverend Ewan Macdonald affect the story? Irene Gammel’s dual biography of Anne Shirley and the woman who created her will delight the millions who have loved the red haired orphan ever since she took her first step inside the gate of Green Gables farm in Avonlea.
Why You Should Read This…
I am a massive LM Montgomery fan. While Emily of New Moon remains one of my favourite novels, Anne of Green Gables is also one of the major reads of my life. (As a Canadian, it is often one of the formative books you read in childhood.) So if you have a book that connects Montgomery’s own personal history with Anne, I am immediately reading it!
I actually read an earlier edition of this many years ago- I very much it enjoyed it then, but I loved the book more now. Gammel goes through all of the major aspects of Anne of Green Gables and guides us through the connections with Montgomery’s own life. Yes, there are the obvious links with people, places, etc, but I think one of the great strengths of Looking is that she does not solely focus on Montgomery’s early years (as many will solely map Anne’s pre-teen and teen years to Montgomery’s).
Gammel also interweaves Montgomery’s own journey with Anne, both through the later books and different adaptations on stage and screen. Because her own life was so complex, I think that this is another highlight. A lot of Montgomery fans tend to romanticise her life but it was difficult and often incredibly challenging, and I think that pretending otherwise does her a great disservice- Gammel isn’t viewing it through rose-coloured lenses. (As an historian, I always believe you have to accept people as they are, even if their life is not the best it could be.)
Also, I do not always pay a ton of attention to the physical nature of a book- if it doesn’t hurt to hold it, I’m usually grand. However, this might be one of my favourite physical books. Firstly, it is a trade paperback book with just the right amount of flop in the pages. (IYKYK) Secondly, inside the front and back covers, there are prints from newspapers from the period (including some relevant to Anne). I thought it was a very thoughtful touch; I appreciate when authors and publishers take the time to do this.
If you have ever read one of the Anne books, or watched the brilliant 1980s CBC adaptations or Anne with an E, this is a must-read!
Is Looking for Anne of Green Gables on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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