Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Incredible Life of the Creator f Anne of Green Gables

Virginia Gillham is university librarian and archivist at Wilfrid
Laurier University library. She is also a judge of national and
international figure skating competions.

It is difficult not to be sceptical when one approaches this book. A
cursory glance at the bibliography and acknowledgments makes clear that
it draws heavily on Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston’s edited
volumes of Montgomery’s diaries. Condensing those five volumes into
128 pages appears to be an impossible task.

In fact, for those who have not read the diaries, the book provides a
brief, informative summary of the life of this famous Canadian author.
That said, it would be unfortunate for any reader to stop here and not
read the diaries. The strange and sad nuances of Montgomery’s mind and
personality, which contrast dramatically with those of her literary
heroines and leading characters, are alluded to by the author, but they
cannot possibly be understood or appreciated from this very superficial
summary. Consider it an eminently readable jumping-off point for
students of Montgomery’s writings.