Lucy Maud and Me

Elisabeth Anne MacDonald-Murray is an assistant professor of English at
the University of Western Ontario.

When 12-year-old Laura goes to Toronto to stay with her grandfather in
the spring of 1940, what promises to be a rather dull and often lonely
visit is transformed when she befriends a reclusive neighbor, Mrs.
Macdonald, and discovers that the formidable old lady is the well-known
author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Over the course of her short stay, Laura
is entertained with a series of memories and anecdotes as her new friend
reflects on her past life, her career, and her books.

This is, in many ways, an odd novel. Very little actually happens in
the course of the story; there is no problem to be resolved and no
dilemma to be faced and overcome. Although Mary Frances Coady has
created a likable character in Laura, her young protagonist is given no
chance to grow or develop. Even the elderly Mrs. Macdonald remains a
somewhat shadowy and elusive character, whose apparent unhappiness and
loneliness is only briefly touched on in passing references to her
husband’s mental illness. What does come to life, however, is the
character of the young Lucy Maud, who is conjured up on stories and
recollections. This is a narrative of memory, rather than of action.

Coady has employed Montgomery’s own journals and writings to
re-create the life of a remarkable woman for a new generation of young
fans. This is a novel to be read not for its own elementary narrative,
but rather for its revelation of a much-loved author in whom so many
readers have found a “kindred spirit.” Recommended.