A Hidden Gem

Today's post is really geared towards the more feminine audience. I apologize for that, all you hypothetical masculine readers, but I am doing it anyway. Alright. Here goes:

Very few of us have not heard of Anne of Green Gables, and I know of oodles of females who are madly in love with the film version of Gilbert. (By the way, I am not a fan of the movies. They are alright, but honestly, I'd rather watch Lord of the Rings). And that is about all we know of L.M. Montgomery. Maybe some of you have read some of her other works (of which there are many), but the Anne of Green Gables series is still her greatest claim to fame. It is sad, really, because it means some of her best books (in my opinion) are overlooked. And to remedy that situation, I am going to tell you about two of Montgomery's hidden gems: The Blue Castle, and A Tangled Web.

These two books seem to be written for an older audience than Montgomery's typical style. I'm not sure that they are, really, but there is definitely a more mature feel, possibly because the characters are older. Valancy, the heroine of The Blue Castle, is a 29-year-old spinster. A Tangled Web has too many characters to list, but they are all adults, ranging from about early 20's to very old. Think Anne in her later years. The nice thing about this is there is less romanticism. That is not to say there is no love story. I mean that the writing is a bit more prosy, which I appreciate. As enjoyable as Anne's misadventures are, there is only so much detail I need about a wood. Anne in her younger days is too romantical for my tastes, so I appreciate the more down to earth style of these two works. They are still very Montgomery-esque, but less over the top.

The Blue Castle features Valancy, the aforementioned heroine spinster who lives with her controlling mother and has spent her entire life in doing everything her family wants and expects her to do. Something happens, which I won't ruin for you, and she suddenly decides she doesn't care anymore. She is going to do what she wants, and say what she wants, and wear what she wants, and do her hair how she wants (yay, liberation!). This results in a very amusing chapter where she goes to a family dinner, leaving the entire family in shock. Hilarious. She then leaves home to take care of a dying girl  who has a horrible reputation because she got pregnant out of wedlock, because the girl is a nice girl and needs help, which leads to her love story. I won't say how, because then you'd know, and where would the fun be in that? Anyway, it is a very delightful story, and not at all what you usually get from Montgomery. If you only read one book by her, this trumps Anne of Green Gables. In my opinion.

A Tangled Web is a complex story. It starts out with the matriarch of a family dying. The family is all desperate to inherit a vase--I think it's a vase, but it is some family heirloom everyone wants (who knows why), and she has left instructions in the will that stipulate it won't be announced who receives it for a year. So, the story follows the clan for the year--the fights, the romances, the random events that happen, and the way the vase is involved--for that year. It is a lot of little stories that bring people together (and sometimes split them apart, sadly), until the big moment when the announcement is to be made. It is a great overview of life and its ups and downs, and again, if you only read one Montgomery book, in my opinion, this trumps Anne. And if you have to read Anne, then definitely consider extending your Montgomery repertoire to include one of these two books.