House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

Apparently I never wrote a review for this #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead pick from March. 😂

I really enjoyed this—it was a delight discovering how many family stories and parallels to LMM‘s life were woven into her fiction. At the same time, so much of it was heartbreaking. Maud did not have a happy life, and I was amazed that she was able to write books that have been a comfort to so many, when she herself had such a difficult life. Cont‘d ⤵️

BarbaraJean As a book for “young readers,” though, this felt odd in places. The author handles topics of mental illness and Maud's death very sensitively, but there were some comments (mostly about sex) that made me wonder about the intended audience. (Speculating about sexual activity during Maud‘s honeymoon just felt weird!) More YA than middle grade, for sure. 2y

54 likes1 comment

lauraisntwilder

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

I didn't finish this before the #kindredspiritsbuddyread discussion, but I still enjoyed it. There are still a lot of Montgomery's books that I haven't read yet, but knowing more of her life adds a layer of depth to the ones I have read.

BarbaraJean It was fascinating to discover so many parallels between her life and her writing! (And you‘re certainly welcome to still join the discussion… I didn‘t even get back to it until this past weekend 🤦🏻‍♀️) 2y

14 likes1 stack add1 comment

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion—House of Dreams (5 of 5)

📚What did you think of the book as a biography for young readers? What ages did you find it aimed towards?

📚Was there anything you wanted to see more (or less!) about in a biography of LMM?

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks While I feel like the reading level would let middle graders find this book accessible, I wouldn't want them to read it without some adult guidance. There is a lot of sad, complicated stuff happening. I think it's handled well, but that MG readers would greatly benefit from reading this with an adult to talk through things. Consequently, I feel like it's more of a YA level, but I'm interested to hear what others think! 2y

sblbooks It seems more of a YA level to me, due to the subject matter and topics covered. 2y

rubyslippersreads YA and older. Even as an adult, I have some trouble reconciling Maud‘s tragedies with the happiness her books have always given me. 2y

quietjenn I'd say upper middle grade - say, 6th grade and older. 2y

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @sblbooks @rubyslippersreads @quietjenn I felt the same way about the reading level & content. A few comments felt weird for middle grade readers (speculating about Maud & Ewan's sexual activity on their honeymoon, some comments about the relationship with Herman). The author handles Maud & Ewan's mental illness and then Maud's death very sensitively, but overall it felt more YA than middle grade to me. So much of it is so HEAVY. 2y

22 likes1 stack add5 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion—House of Dreams (4 of 5)

What did you think of the way the book handled Ewan‘s and Maud‘s mental illness, and Maud‘s death?

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I felt like those issues were handled really sensitively. I think acknowledging that aspect of Maud's life is critical to understanding who she was as a person, but it never felt like the biographer was exploiting it for emotional impact. I also feel like she did a good job of giving the readers the facts to decide for themselves whether or not Maud committed suicide, something none of us can know for sure. There is SO much sad material to cover ⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) but I was honestly impressed at how the author did such a nice job of sticking more with facts than feelings or extrapolations when it came to negative people or aspects of Maud's life (i.e., Maud's grandpa didn't let her use the buggy: fact. But not a whole lot of theorizing as to why or motivations). 2y

rubyslippersreads I thought the book handled the subject very well, especially for YA readers, but it was still harrowing to read about. 2y

quietjenn The author did a great job, I thought. It's key to her story, sad as it is, but I think she tried to be fair, sensitive, and realistic. 2y

19 likes4 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion—House of Dreams (3 of 5)

📚What do you think of the way Maud wrote about romance, knowing more details of her own romantic relationships?

📚How do you think her experiences with men impacted how she wrote male characters in general?

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I'm honestly gobsmacked that she wrote such an amazing love story with Anne and Gilbert considering her relationships. It's so strange to me that she could write so well about the importance of friendship and shared humor when it came to Anne choosing Gilbert as her life partner, but never saw the truth of those things in her own life. 2y

sblbooks @TheAromaofBooks so true! It's sad she never found someone like Gilbert in real life. 2y

rubyslippersreads I wonder if “Whistle and I‘ll come to you, my lad,” describing Emily‘s feelings about Teddy, described Maud‘s feelings about Herman Leard? 2y

quietjenn Same! It's astounding that so many of her male characters/romances are as effective as they are. Although it perhaps explains why so many other of them are a bit squicky. She really did seem to have terrible taste and/or luck in the love department. 2y

BarbaraJean @quietjenn YES on Maud's bad taste/luck in love explaining some of the squicky romances! Some of that is no doubt also a product of the time (i.e. the father/daughter age gap/vibe). @TheAromaofBooks @sblbooks I kept thinking how things might have been different if she'd married Will Pritchard or Nate Lockhart. I think there could've been beautiful camaraderie AND romance there (as with Teddy/Gilbert/Barney). I feel like Herman was pure attraction! 2y

13 likes5 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion—House of Dreams (2 of 5)

📚Which parallels between LMM‘s life and fiction stood out you the most?

📚What aspects of her life were most surprising to you?

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I thought it was interesting how important places and nature were to Maud, aspects I think she wrote into almost every female lead she created. In some ways it felt like Anne was her dream life, what could have been if she had had a better, more loving support system around her, while Emily was a more realistic reflection of what she went through. 2y

TheAromaofBooks I was surprised to find that she got married after she was making money and didn't “need“ to do so. For someone who never thought marriage, especially to a minster, was for her, it was strange to me that she still chose to take that step even though it wasn't a financial necessity. I had always assumed that her marriage had come first, and then her economic prosperity, so I found that aspect interesting. 2y

Bkwrm7 @TheAromaofBooks I wonder if she felt pressure to follow through on her engagement to Ewan because of breaking her previous engagement because I also thought it strange that she went ahead and married him despite all of her hesitations. 2y

See All 11 Comments

Bkwrm7 I had not known anything about her family's struggles with mental illness and found so much of that sad - particularly knowing now that there were likely better treatments to help than were available at the time. I also was surprised that Maud was a bit of a player! But her deep female friendships certainly mirror those she created for Anne. 2y

TheAromaofBooks @Bkwrm7 - I have to wonder at what level the way Maud's father, and to some extent her grandfather, abandoned her influenced the way she perceived her “worth“ as far as romantic relationships go. Did she subconsciously feel like she didn't “deserve“ to be loved? Because she seemed to always be scared of relationships that could possibly develop into something long-lasting. 2y

sblbooks I was surprised to learn how poorly she was treated by her family. The most shocking thing was learning of her mental illness and death. I had never heard that before.😭 2y

rubyslippersreads Since Emily is my favorite book, I liked picking out the Emily similarities. I think Maud might have felt the pressure of her times; no matter how successful a woman might be, she‘s nothing without a man. 😏 2y

quietjenn I feel like, in so many ways, she used aspects of her life to write a happier version of her experiences. I was very struck by the family pride/pressure thing, which is such a theme in the books. I found it surprising that she was so good at standing up for others (like her grandmother when her uncle was pressuring her to leave the farm), but not always great at standing up for herself (like w/marrying or her second publishing contract). 2y

quietjenn Also, the abundance of marriage proposals! : ) 2y

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @Bkwrm7 I was also surprised by the lack of financial need behind her marriage! It makes sense that she felt obligated because of the previous engagement, but that doesn't totally fit with the picture I got of her personality. She goes against expectations/conventions in many other ways! I wonder if she was afraid of both abandonment & of the strong emotion she felt with Herman. Maybe Ewan's companionship felt safer than romance. 2y

BarbaraJean @Bkwrm7 @quietjenn All the “beaux“ and all the proposals made me think about Pat of Silver Bush and her frequent refusals! @rubyslippersreads It was the Emily similarities that stuck out to me the most! SO many similarities with Emily & her father and Maud's early relationship with her own father. I agree with @TheAromaofBooks that the Emily books seem like a more realistic parallel to Maud's own experiences. 2y

13 likes11 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

My morning plans changed, so I‘m posting the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead discussion a little early! Jump in when you can.

📚Do you prefer to know more about an author‘s life before you read their books or afterwards?

📚If (like me) you were unfamiliar with many of the details of LMM‘s life, how did reading this biography impact your view of her fiction?

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks I don't particularly need to know about an author before I can read/enjoy their books. However, with an author like LMM, who has been hugely influential on my life and reading, it was really interesting to learn more about her and what influenced her. Reading this book honestly gave me so much more admiration for her. She had so many difficulties and unsupportive people in her life, not to mention her lifelong struggle with her mental health, yet⬇ 2y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) managed to write books that have brought so much beauty and encouragement to so many people! That takes a lot of strength and determination. 2y

Bkwrm7 @TheAromaofBooks I also don't have a strong preference on knowing more or less about an author before reading their work. In most cases either way works for me. I found this bio of Montgomery fascinating and sad. I particularly enjoyed noticing the bits and stories of her personal life that made their way into her novels - it was like recognizing old friends. 2y

See All 8 Comments

sblbooks I would prefer to learn about the author after reading the story. I learned so many new things by reading this book. It was very well done. 2y

rubyslippersreads I‘d already read all of LMM‘s books and knew quite about her life, but I found this book unputdownable. 2y

quietjenn I don't have strong feelings either way, although generally speaking I tend to read an author's work first, which then makes me curious about their biography. I sort of knew the “Wikipedia version“ of LMM before this, but there was a ton in here that was new to me. As with others, it definitely made me admire her and her skills at creating cozy, comforting worlds all the more. 2y

BarbaraJean @quietjenn @TheAromaofBooks I felt the same way: admiring how she was able to write books that have been a comfort to so many, when she herself had such a difficult life with so many struggles. It was fascinating to read how writing was such a need for her. Seeing so many the parallels between her life and her fiction made me realize her writing wasn't escapism, either--she channeled her experiences into fiction and transformed them, in a way. 2y

BarbaraJean @Bkwrm7 I love the idea of “recognizing old friends“ as you noticed the parallels between her personal life and her novels! I felt that way too, especially with the little family stories that she included directly in her fiction (like “Here I Stay“)! 2y

12 likes8 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

“I content myself with poking Mr. Mac. in the back with my parasol if I think he is going more than 20 miles, and saying ‘Beware‘ in a sepulchral tone when I see him preparing to turn a corner.”

😂 #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Karisa Love it! Bewaaare 🤣 #LifeGoals 2y

tpixie Great illustration and quote 😃 2y

39 likes2 comments

LitsyEvents

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

repost for @BarbaraJean:

Just a little reminder about the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead this coming Saturday, March 25th! I‘ll post questions in the early afternoon Pacific Time. Join the discussion when you are able! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be. All are welcome!

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2565451

30 likes

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Just a little reminder about the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead this coming Saturday, March 25th! I‘ll post questions in the early afternoon Pacific Time. Join the discussion when you are able! Let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be. All are welcome!

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Johanna414, Bkwrm7, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

31 likes

TheAromaofBooks

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

This was a great choice for March's #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead - I knew snippets of Montgomery's life, and knew that it was hard, but sitting down and actually reading about her struggles and difficulties was really eye-opening (and depressing!). The biography itself is really well-written, geared for a YA audience so the writing is accessible and engaging, and handles some of the harder topics, like the mental health of Montgomery and her ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) husband really well. This book left me feeling both sad and grateful. Montgomery's life was full of hardship and difficulty, but through it all she was determined to write stories that would bring happiness and comfort to those who read them. I'm really looking forward to discussing this one @BarbaraJean !!

#Pantone2023 - Tender Peach @Clwojick
#WickedWords - Spring @AsYouWish
#BookSpinBingo
#BirthdayPixieReadathon (bk 9) @Lizpixie 2y

rubyslippersreads Somehow I missed this, but since I own the book, will try to squeeze it in before March ends. 😊 @BarbaraJean #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead (edited) 2y

BarbaraJean Yay! I‘m still reading, but I‘m fascinated by all the parallels between LMM‘s life and work. Like you, I knew snippets, but I‘ve never read a full biography, so it‘s been wonderful context for her writing. @rubyslippersreads Would love to have you join in! Since it‘s for younger readers, it‘s a quicker read—I‘ll post questions on Saturday, but jump in whenever you‘re ready! 2y

See All 9 Comments

Clwojick Great job! 2y

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - It's a pretty quick read, so do squeeze it in if you have time - I'd love to hear your thoughts!! 2y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I'm not over how many terrible men poor Maud had in her life! How could she write characters like Gilbert Blythe and Barney Snaith and Matthew Cuthbert when the examples she had in her life were SO terrible?? 2y

BarbaraJean As terribly as I think her father treated her, I think she still held on to her idyllic childhood picture of him. That idealized memory may well have been her pattern for Matthew. And the description of her early childhood relationship with her father reminded me SO much of Emily & her father! And her childhood/teenage friendships (Well and Dave, Nate, Will) must have been her influences for such wonderful male characters as Gilbert and Barney! 2y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I agree!! I know we'll discuss this more on Sunday, but I definitely felt like Anne ended up being her idealized life and Emily her more realistic life. 2y

Lizpixie 🙌🎉 2y

68 likes1 stack add9 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

“In the 1700s Maud‘s seasick great-great-grandmother Mary Montgomery came aground at Prince Edward Island for a few minutes‘ relief, and then, to her husband‘s horror, refused to board ship again. He could beg and plead and fume, but she would not budge.”

I‘m getting a late start on this month‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead & am absolutely delighted to discover that the “here I stay” anecdote from Emily of New Moon is from LMM‘s own family history.

Bklover That is so funny! 2y

34 likes1 stack add1 comment

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

It was a book club library haul today, with two for #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead (I didn‘t expect The Grace of Wild Things to get here so fast—it was just released and I have it on our schedule for August!) and Noor for my IRL book club. Looking forward to diving into all three of these, even though my March reading is already feeling overloaded 😬

Tea_and_Starstuff I picked up Noor on sale with audio awhile ago - maybe I'll join you all for book club this time! 2y

BarbaraJean @Tea_and_Starstuff Yessssss! March 26th, 6:30 p.m. 😁 2y

37 likes2 comments

quietjenn

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Spending lunch with a biography for your readers remind me lots of when I was a Front Lines Librarian, instead of a Behind the Scenes Librarian. I was *much* better read in MG and YA lit then.

But anyway! Started this. #kindredspiritsbuddyread

batsy Enjoy! I liked this one. 2y

65 likes1 comment

LitsyEvents

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Repost for @BarbaraJean

We‘re jumping into nonfiction for March‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead pick, with House of Dreams, a YA/MG biography of L.M. Montgomery. #BuddyRead

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2549446

32 likes

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

When looking at books for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, I often check them out on GR to read through some reviews and get a sense of the content, how people have liked the book, etc. There's a particular reviewer who pops up on almost every single LMM-adjacent book I've looked up. I've noticed them because the writing is possibly the most convoluted I've ever read. It makes me want to poke out my eyes and yet I keep clicking on their reviews...

BarbaraJean The above review closes with this: “A solid three stars for House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery (and indeed, not quite as yet four stars, as while I have definitely found this junior biography readable, for me as an older and often critical and intellectually inclined adult, there is just not enough literary and academic meat into which I can sink my teeth...“ (Continued ⬇) (edited) 2y

BarbaraJean (Continued) “...and also, I do consider especially the general flow of Liz Rosenberg's narrative a bit halting and unsure, a bit choppy and uneven at times, with especially the beginning of House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery kind of feeling as though it could do with some streamlining and editing).“

You guys. I can‘t. 😂 (edited) 2y

TheBookgeekFrau Wow! That's some literary and academic meat to sink one's intellectually inclined teeth into 🙄🙄 And yet, I completely get why you keep clicking on these reviews; it's like Jersey Shore, you just can't look away 😂😂 2y

See All 8 Comments

DGRachel 😳 2y

LeahBergen Ummm… 🤣🤣 2y

merelybookish Oh gosh, I feel a bit indicted. I use a lot of parentheses too. 😬 I bet she studied to be an academic and that's part of the reason why her writing is so...overstuffed. 2y

BarbaraJean @TheBookgeekFrau YES! She is the Jersey Shore of LMM-related book reviews! 😂 2y

BarbaraJean @merelybookish No-one could use as many parentheticals as this person. NO ONE! 😂 I think she‘s just trying way too hard to sound intellectual. I‘m pretty sure someone who studied as an academic would have learned to use fewer adverbs and to NOT follow every single clause of a paragraph-long sentence with a parenthetical. Or to use the entire author‘s name + book title + subtitle five times in the same sentence. 😬 2y

32 likes8 comments

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

We‘re jumping into nonfiction for next month‘s #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead pick, with House of Dreams, a YA/MG biography of L.M. Montgomery.

I‘m tagging those who said they were interested in this month‘s book—if you‘re not tagged but would like to be, just let me know! All are welcome.

Johanna414, Bkwrm7, TheAromaofBooks, LitsyEvents, julieclair

quietjenn I checked this one out from the library and will try to read! 2y

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Picked this one up from the library yesterday!! 2y

sblbooks Yes, I would like to join. 2y

BarbaraJean @quietjenn @sblbooks I‘ll add you both to the list! @TheAromaofBooks I have a feeling you‘ll like it better than Anne of Manhattan 😉😉 2y

TheAromaofBooks The bar is pretty low 😂 2y

28 likes5 comments

LitsyEvents

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Repost for @BarbaraJean

For the next couple selections for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead we're diving into some nonfiction! #BuddyRead

March: House of Dreams by Liz Rosenberg - a well-reviewed biography of LMM, for young readers.
April: The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery - her own autobiography, subtitled “The Story of My Career.“

If you‘re interested in joining, see and comment on the original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2549446

BarbaraJean Thanks for reposting! 2y

27 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

A preview of the next couple selections for the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead, as we dive into some nonfiction!

March: House of Dreams by Liz Rosenberg - a well-reviewed biography of LMM, for young readers.
April: The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery - her own autobiography, subtitled “The Story of My Career.“

I've tagged the full buddy read list below; please let me know if you want to be included on the tag list for either or both books!

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Linsy, Jerdencon, Bkwrm7, LeahBergen, AnneCecilie, Prairiegirl_reading, Centique, megnews, lauraisntwilder, StayCurious, kwmg40, sblbooks, TheAromaofBooks, LitsyEvents, julieclair

Johanna414 Can you add me to the House of Dreams list? I have it at work and have been wanting to read it! 2y

LeahBergen Please count me in for The Alpine Path. 😊 2y

TheAromaofBooks I'm really interested to read both of these. I actually haven't done a lot of reading about Montgomery's life, so I'm excited about these!! 2y

See All 8 Comments

Daisey I‘ve read and enjoyed House of Dreams but doubt I‘ll have time to reread in March. However, I have and would love to read The Alpine Path again, so please add me to that tag list. 2y

BarbaraJean @Johanna414 I‘ll put you on the list for House of Dreams! @LeahBergen @Daisey I‘ll add you both for Alpine Path. 😊 @TheAromaofBooks Yay for both! 2y

julieclair These both look fascinating. Please add me for both! 2y

Bkwrm7 Yes please for both! 2y

BarbaraJean @julieclair @Bkwrm7 I‘ve added you both to both lists! 2y

33 likes2 stack adds8 comments

Scochrane26

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

I forgot until after I started this bio that it‘s aimed at YA readers. I think it‘s great for us adults, too. Montgomery‘s life was depressing a lot, & the author doesn‘t shy away from that reality, even for young readers. Love the illustrations. There‘s so much of Montgomery‘s work that I never knew about—I only found out about the Emily books this yr from Litsy. I really want to revisit Anne this year & read Emily soon.

batsy I really enjoyed this one, too. 4y

29 likes1 comment

erzascarletbookgasm

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

I‘ve recently read this biography of the creator of Anne of Green Gables, and many more stories, and poems. An insightful look into her life, which was far from a fairy tale life. Recommended for all ages, though it‘s aimed at younger audiences.

#MagicalMay #Dreams

Eggs

Eggs Looks so good and I hope to read it some day 💗 4y

62 likes5 stack adds1 comment

erzascarletbookgasm

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

This bio gives a good sense of the author‘s life. It depicts her hardships & her long struggle with chronic depression. Heartbreaking in many parts but there‘re also many wonderful moments in her life. Even in her difficult years, she continued writing, for it was a way of her life. Moving, informative. Adorable illustrations. “Thank God, I can keep the shadows of my life out of my work..I want instead to be a messenger of optimism and sunshine.”

erzascarletbookgasm Thanks @batsy for pointing me the right direction to read this via Libby! 4y

batsy Yay! Happy that you enjoyed it ❤️ 4y

56 likes2 stack adds2 comments

batsy

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

I've never read a bio of LM Montgomery before & only knew bits & pieces about her life. This book, geared towards young adult readers, is plainly written but conveys in detail the many facets of her life: the fractious relationship with her family members, the friends she grew to love & rely on, her difficult sons, & her struggles with mental illness. Through it all, she managed to produce some of the most remarkable writing. Riveting & poignant.

batsy I also loved the illustrations by Julie Morstad; delicate and muted, apt for the mood of the book. 5y

TrishB That cover pic ❤️ 5y

Crazeedi I dont usually read YA but I think I'd enjoy this one! Thanks for posting 5y

See All 15 Comments

Nute I‘ve read about how wonderful the illustrations are in this book, setting the undertone. Another book desired!🙂 5y

Cathythoughts Beautiful review ❤️ 5y

erzascarletbookgasm Sounds really good, stacking 👍 5y

batsy @TrishB Lovely, isn't it ❤️ 5y

batsy @Crazeedi You're welcome! Hope you enjoy itm 5y

batsy @Nute Yes, I thought they were so beautiful and would have gladly liked more :) 5y

batsy @Cathythoughts Thank you 💜 5y

batsy @erzascarletbookgasm I recently learned that we could borrow books from the National Library using Libby even without a membership. They enabled this during the MCO. I was so pleased to find this in their collection! This tweet explains how to do it https://twitter.com/nadiahrazali14/status/1240203297727713281?s=19 :) 5y

rubyslippersreads I need to read this. 😊 5y

erzascarletbookgasm Ah, thank you, I‘ll go explore. I thought must have an actual library card to borrow. Too bad it‘s only during MCO. 5y

batsy @rubyslippersreads Yes! I think you'll like it :) 5y

batsy @erzascarletbookgasm Hopefully access is still available after the MCO too 🤞🏽 5y

111 likes4 stack adds15 comments

BookwormDownUnder

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

Well, that was unexpectedly depressing. I had no idea about L.M. Montgomery‘s life. But I adore the cover and illustrations.

#deweys24hourreadathon #readathon

19 likes1 stack add

BookwormDownUnder

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#7days7covers #covercrush Day 5
Would you be interested in doing this @TheSpineView ? Pick your fave book covers for the next 7 days - no explanation required! Plus tag another litten 😊
@LeeRHarry

LeeRHarry That‘s lovely 😊 5y

BookwormDownUnder @LeeRHarry Pretty much bought for the cover but should also be interesting. 5y

sudi Pretty cover 😍 5y

TheSpineView Thanks for the tag! 5y

24 likes2 stack adds4 comments

Daisey

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

I read and listened to some great books this month!My favorite fiction was The Treason of Isengard, but I really enjoyed some of the others as well, and seeing Cymbeline was fantastic! All four nonfiction books for this month were great. I took the Louisa May Alcott biography out of the running as a reread and decided I liked the biography of L.M. Montgomery just a bit more than the one about the Van Gogh brothers.

#ReadingStats #MonthlyStats

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Nice! Some interesting reads. 💕📚💕 5y

JazzFeathers Fantastic month!!! 5y

Daisey @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego @JazzFeathers Thanks! It really was an interesting selection of books, and I read more than I expected. 5y

55 likes1 stack add3 comments

Daisey

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

L.M. Montgomery is another of my favorite childhood authors, and I truly enjoyed this biography. She struggled with many difficult things throughout her life and this book put those into clear perspective along with her writing life. It was longer than I expected for a book promoted as a YA biography, but it seemed a thorough depiction of her life. The illustrations are also a perfect complement to the story.

#nonfiction #NetGalley #LMMontgomery

Daisey @jewright I think you need to read this one so we can talk about it. 5y

Scochrane26 I have this on my shelf but haven‘t read it yet. 5y

jewright @Daisey I want to read it. What format is it? 5y

Daisey @jewright I have a NetGalley review edition on Kindle. 5y

58 likes1 stack add4 comments

GripLitGrl

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

#anglophileapril #dreams @Mdargusch @Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi @Cinfhen

Reviewsbylola I love the cover of that book so much. 6y

Cinfhen I love the background wallpaper!! And the cover is really special @Reviewsbylola 6y

Mdargusch Have you read this? I love her writing! 😍 6y

emilyhaldi Love this song 🤗 6y

43 likes4 comments

GatheringBooks

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Was expecting a picturebook from the library when I reserved this title online, but got a chunkster instead. Hmmm.. Best paired with sakura rose mocha frappuccino which I got for free because Birthday month! 💕🧚🏼‍♀️📚🎂
#WomenReadWomen2019

Cinfhen Happy birthday month is almost over🥳Drink looks good 😋 6y

88 likes1 stack add1 comment

rubyslippersreads

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

I received this generous #kindlitsy gift from @Daisey 😊 I already had the book, but exchanging it gave me the opportunity to discover another L.M. Montgomery biography. Thank you so much, @Daisey ! @kindlitsy

Daisey I couldn't find it on your read list, but I'm not at all surprised you have it. Now I'll have to go look up the other one you got, since I have not heard of it. Enjoy! 6y

77 likes1 comment

LA_Mead

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

I‘ve always been a fan of L.M Montgomery, but after reading her bio I feel like we are kindred spirits! It was fascinating to learn about her life; there were so many things that I never expected! The narrative is well paced and the prose is excellent. I also really loved the illustrations too.

Melissa_J My daughter is currently working on a presentation about LM Montgomery for one of her classes and keeps sharing with me all the things she is learning about her. 6y

LA_Mead @Melissa_J cool! There are some really interesting things I didn‘t know! 6y

RaimeyGallant I'm from Prince Edward Island. :) 6y

LA_Mead @RaimeyGallant that‘s so cool! It looks like a beautiful place. 6y

45 likes3 stack adds4 comments

LA_Mead

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Early morning wake up call from baby V means extra reading time!

39 likes

LA_Mead

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

I love the artwork in this book! Also, curious to learn more about an author I love. ❤️

Libby1 Was LM Montgomery left handed? The illustration is. 😊 6y

LA_Mead @Libby1 hmm I‘m not sure... I‘ve only just started this book, so I‘ll have to find out! 6y

32 likes2 comments

BekaReid

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

Liz Rosenberg brought back many wonderful memories of the time I spent with Anne and several other kindred spirits growing up. In this book she gives us a window into Maud's life and the experiences that forged her writing and created the beloved Anne of Green Gables, the "perfectly imperfect girl."

10 likes

BekaReid

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

"Where is heaven?" answered by a pointing towards the ceiling leads to a logical conclusion that Maud's mother was stuck in the attic, and she didn't understand why someone didn't help her out.
I remember having similar thoughts as a child when given vague answers/non-answers to seemingly simple questions (including this one). And being puzzled as to why the action required wasn't obvious to the adults!

12 likes

BekaReid

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

Anne of Green Gables was one of my absolute favorite childhood characters. I loved Anne with an "e" and always wished my hair was red like hers! Found this new biography at my local library and couldn't resist checking it out even if it was in the junior reader section.

13 likes1 stack add

beaconhillbooks

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

This book!!! The illustrations are five stars alone let alone the story! I did not know much about Maud Montgomery before reading this; just that I had read and loved Anne of Green Gables growing up. Now I love the books even more and need to reread! If you love Anne as much as I do I think you will love this book!

#LizRosenberg #JulieMorstad #AnneofGreenGables #LMMontgomery

14 likes1 stack add

beaconhillbooks

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

The illustrations in this book are perfection. The biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery is out now and the snippet I‘ve read I really enjoyed!

Well done #JulieMurstad, illustrator.

8 likes

Linsy

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

This was a surprise love for me. L.M. Montgomery not only wrote sweet and well-loved stories, but she had a fascinating life! Her commitment to those she loved and her work was inspiring. And the illustrations scattered throughout were perfect!

#netgalley #bookreview #arc #review #illustrations

kyraleseberg I loved this one also! 6y

102 likes5 stack adds1 comment

rubyslippersreads

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

I was a very bad girl at the bookstore today. 😄 I #blameitonlitsy, especially @catebutler 😊

Crazeedi You're forgiven!😉 6y

valeriegeary Looks like you were a good girl to me! 🤣 6y

catebutler Ha! I‘ll gladly take the blame! What a gorgeous book haul! 😍 6y

See All 8 Comments

rubyslippersreads @catebutler I couldn‘t resist buying two books about LMM. And I‘m sure she would have appreciated the little cat book. 😸 6y

LeahBergen Oooo! 😍😍 6y

catebutler @rubyslippersreads I‘m currently dipping into the landscapes book myself - it‘s beautiful! And I‘m sure she‘d appreciate the little cat book too! 6y

batsy Well done! 😈 6y

mabell Oooooo ❤️❤️❤️

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables: The Enchanting Island that Inspired L. M. Montgomery

95 likes2 stack adds8 comments

catebutler

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

L. M. Montgomery is one of my all time favourite authors. When I heard about this new biography for young readers, I couldn‘t wait to pre-order it. And what a lovely surprise it was when it showed up in the mail yesterday! I think it will be bumped up on the TBR, I‘m so anxious to read it!

#lmmontgomery #houseofdreams #nonfiction

rubyslippersreads So tempting! Please let me know how you like it. 6y

catebutler @rubyslippersreads I‘ll definitely post a review after I finish. I‘ve dipped in a bit so far and really like the writing style, and the illustrations are divine! 6y

rubyslippersreads @catebutler I think it‘s in stock at my local bookstore; maybe I‘ll go peek tomorrow. 😊 6y

See All 6 Comments

catebutler @rubyslippersreads I think that‘s a great idea! It truly is lovely in person!! 6y

MemoirsForMe This looks like a must for me. Looking forward to your review. 😊👍🏻 6y

catebutler @UwannaPublishme Thank you! I‘ll definitely share my final thoughts! I hope you get to it soon. 😊 6y

51 likes3 stack adds6 comments

kyraleseberg

House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery | Liz Rosenberg

pick

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery is a wonderful biography covering the important details of a brilliant writer's life. The book unfolds at a nice pace and gives a complete story rather than focusing on particulars or getting lost in insignificant details.
Thanks to Candlewick Press and #NetGalley for providing an #ARC in exchange for my honest review.

34 likes2 stack adds

Welcome to Litsy!

Trending Hashtags

Trending Books