Showing posts with label Classics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classics. Show all posts

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables #5
Genre: Classics
Released: 1917
297 pages
About the Book:

Gilbert Blythe is finally a doctor, and at long last he and Anne are ready to say their vows. Soon husband and wife will be bound for a new life together in their own house of dreams, on the shores of Four Winds Harbor, near Gilbert's new medical practice in the village of Glen St. Mary.

Of course, a new life brings fresh surprises and fresh problems to solve. Anne and Gilbert soon find themselves entangled in the lives of their neighbors, including the lighthouse attendant, Captain Jim, with his sad stories of the sea; Miss Cornelia Bryant, a formidable woman who always speaks her mind; Owen Ford, who longs to write the Great Canadian Novel; and the tragically beautiful Leslie Moore, to whom Anne grows closer when her own perfect life is touched by heartbreak.





  
My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved it. We not only get to reconnect with some of favourite characters from the early books but also meet new ones. Anne gets married and they begin their life together in a new community. They make some great friends, enjoy times of joy and times of sorrow but throughout it all they stick together and love life. I especially loved Captain Jim and his stories and seeing Leslie's life transform in an unexpected way. I loved this stage of Anne's life.

(I was gifted my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

 
 

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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

Series: Emily #1
Genre: Classics
Released: 1923
410 pages
About the Book:

Emily Starr never knew what it was to be lonely--until her beloved father died. Now Emily's an orphan, and her snobbish relatives are taking her to live with them at New Moon Farm. Although she's sure she'll never be happy there, Emily deals with her stern aunt Elizabeth and her malicious classmates by using her quick wit and holding her head high.

Things slowly begin to change for the better when Emily makes some new friends. There's Teddy Kent, who does marvelous drawings; Perry Miller, the hired boy, who's sailed the world with his father yet has never been to school; and above all, Ilse Burnley, a tomboy with a blazing temper. With these wonderful companions at her side and adventures around every corner, Emily begins to find her new home beautiful and fascinating--so much so that she comes to think of herself as Emily of New Moon.





  
My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story begins with Emily being 8 when her father passes away and her aunt & uncles are deciding who she will go live with as her mother passed years ago. There were no adults to truly like for majority of the book, each had their faults and didn't treat Emily that great, especially when she is grieving the death of her father and now has to leave the only home she has known. It was depressing for a good half of the book. Emily enjoys writing and dreams of being a poetess and writes letters to her father about what she was experiencing. These letters are filled with spelling mistakes due to her age and lack of schooling, and this caused me frustrations while reading it. About halfway I switched to the audiobook and this totally changed my reading experience, Emily came alive for me. But also at this point Emily is a bit older has begun to make friends in the new community and her relationship with her aunt slows changes and improves. Emily is approx. 13 years old when the book ends. I do plan on continuing the series as I now feel connected with these characters.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

 
 

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Sunday, June 8, 2025

Anne of Windy Poplars by LM Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables #4
Genre: Classic
Released: 1936
335 pages
About the Book:

Anne Shirley has left Redmond College and Green Gables behind to begin a new chapter of her life in the "dreaming town" of Summerside. She's soon facing an unexpected challenge, however, in the form of the Pringles--also known as the royal family of Summerside. They quickly let Anne know that she's not the person they had wanted as principal of Summerside High School. But as she settles into her cozy tower room at Windy Poplars, Anne finds she also has great allies in two elderly widows, Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty, and their irrepressible housekeeper, Rebecca Dew. Slowly, she begins to unravel Summerside's strangest secrets--revealing everything in letters to Gilbert, who's away at medical school. And in the end, Anne's able to win the support of even the prickly Pringles, in what is only the first of many delicious triumphs.





  
My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is told with a mix of epistolary letters and third person narrative. Anne is now the principle at a school in Summerside while Gilbert is at medical school. Most of the book is Anne writing Gilbert and telling him of the happenings in her life. It took me a while to get into but once I got to know some of the new characters I became more invested and found myself enjoying Anne's recounting of events. There were definitely some characters that stood out more than others. I wish we had been able to read some of Gilbert's letters to Anne during this time.

(I was gifted my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
 

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Monday, June 2, 2025

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Genre: Classic
Released: 1895
89 pages
About the Book:
Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters of The Importance of Being Earnest have made it a mainstay of the high school curriculum for decades.

Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack's ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack's country home on the same weekend the "rivals" to fight for Ernest's undivided attention and the "Ernests" to claim their beloveds pandemonium breaks loose. Only a senile nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!





My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Two men are posing as Ernest for different reasons and want to marry but hidden identities and prejudices prevent them. This was filled with many quirky lines and laughable moments. It was entertaining. I think I would really enjoy seeing a stage performance of this play.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

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Monday, March 31, 2025

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables #3
Genre: Classic 
Released: 1915
300 pages
About the Book:

Eighteen-year-old Anne has left Green Gables for university in nearby Nova Scotia, where she will finally fulfill her dream of earning a degree. She sets up home in a cozy cottage in bustling Kingsport with Avonlea's Priscilla Grant and a new friend, the beautiful Philippa Gordon. But it's not all fun and games. Anne's childhood friend, Ruby Gillis, dies of tuberculosis back in Avonlea, shattering Anne's carefree attitude to life, and Gilbert finally declares his feelings and proposes. But Anne still has a naïve, overly romantic view of love and rejects him, driving a wedge between them. A two-year relationship with a fellow Redmond College student, Roy Gardner, follows, but when he also proposes, Anne realizes that he's not the one for her after all. When she returns to Avonlea and learns that Gilbert is deathly ill with typhoid, she is distraught. Will she recognize the depth of her feelings at last? Or is it already too late for Anne and her one true love?



  
My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

Anne is off to college in Nova Scotia. Book encompasses her four years at Redmond and her summers back on the island. I found the story to move slowly at times. I was frustrated with the way that Anne treated Gilbert. The number of times she was proposed to was crazy but each one was unique and some of the ways it happened were hilarious. Even though I am not a cat lover, I found one particular scene disturbing. Anne is experiencing the challenges of life changing as you grow up. The ending chapter was the best part of the story (not because it was the end, but because of what finally happens.)

(I was gifted my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)
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Sunday, March 2, 2025

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables #2
Genre: Classic 
Released: 1909
320 pages
About the Book:

In the years since she arrived at Green Gables, Anne has earned the love and respect of the people of Avonlea--as well as a reputation for getting herself into predicaments. Now sixteen years old--and bound and determined to look after Marilla in the wake of Matthew's death--she's about to begin her job as the town's new schoolteacher. Soon enough she is the one learning lessons, however, as she starts to realize how complicated life can be. In her usual well-intentioned but meddlesome way, Anne is quickly interfering in a new friend's thwarted romance, coping with two new orphans at Green Gables, and getting drawn into the lives of her mostly charming and occasionally exasperating students at Avonlea school.







  
My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

Anne is now teaching at Avonlea school. Marilla and Anne take in 6 year old twins, Davy and Dora. Davy is a wild child and making Anne's antics when she was younger mild. I did not like how Anne would compare Davy to her student Paul to Davy's face, I felt like this only made Davy feel low. Anne felt like she has matured quite a bit since she first arrived at Green Gables and I enjoyed the way she made friends with Lavender Lewis. Anne does spent a bit of time with Diana and Gilbert but I did wish they were in more of the book as I missed seeing them. I struggled with the timeline and following how much time had passed between various events. I wasn't a fan of Davy and felt for Dora, as she seemed to be ignored while they were dealing with Davy. There were some parts that made me laugh and look forward to seeing what happens next in Anne's life as she embarks on a new journey.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 
in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)

Other books from this author that I have reviewed:   

   
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