Litsy

The Story Girl Discussion, Chapters 1-16
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

This is a very episodic book, with an ensemble cast rather than a central character (despite the title!)—which episodes, stories, or characters have you particularly enjoyed so far?

What connections do you see between this and LMM‘s other work (or connections to her life)?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Seabreeze_Reader

rubyslippersreads I reread this a couple of years ago, and what I liked were the family stories, because they reminded me of Emily of New Moon, with all the legends about the Murrays. 5d

TheAromaofBooks Once again, LMM's passion for places/home comes through in this story. While it's definitely about the children and their adventures, in some ways the “old King homestead“ is the center of story. The descriptions of the orchard, the barn, the house, and the way the Story Girl's stories weave around it are what make this book work for me. 4d

lauraisntwilder LMM got a lot of mileage out of that blue trunk! 4d

BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads Yes, the family lore is such a strong connection here & in Emily of New Moon. It's fascinating to me how many family stories from LMM's own family were used in her fiction. And what great stories they are! @lauraisntwilder She repurposes so many stories/objects from her life! @TheAromaofBooks Yes, definitely. Reading this after reading how she modeled Carlisle after Cavendish really emphasized to me how much she loved her home. 3d

kwmg40 While the Story Girl is quite different from Anne in many ways, I felt that they both recognized the power of imagination. The Story Girl used it to mesmerize her friends while Anne used it to reshape her own life. 2d

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BarbaraJean

The Story Girl | L. M. Montgomery

The Story Girl Discussion, Chapters 1-16
#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

Have you read The Story Girl before, or is this your first read?

What are your initial impressions of the book? What do you like or not like?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Seabreeze_Reader

Seabreeze_Reader In years past I read part of The Story Girl but I don't recall why I didn't complete the book.
As with Anne of Green Gables, I found some of the descriptive passages about nature and the seasons to be absolutely enchanting.
One of the aspects of the story that started to get on my nerves was all the bickering and competiveness between the children, especially Dan eating more of those potentially poisonous berries out of spite for a 2nd time. (edited) 5d

BarbaraJean @Seabreeze_Reader Haha! All that bickering felt so true to life as far as sibling dynamics! And I seriously could have slapped Dan over that second time eating the berries out of spite. I totally understood the emotion behind it, though--Felicity was infuriatingly condescending to him. (I had to laugh at Uncle Roger's comment that if she wasn't careful she'd grow up to be a woman who drove her husband to drink 😂) 5d

TheAromaofBooks I've always felt rather ambivalent towards The Story Girl. I read it every few years, but it's not one of my favorites. There's a sort of bittersweet/nostalgic undertone, I think because Bev is theoretically now an old man narrating about his past. However, the characters always feel realistic to me. I always feel bad for Sara Ray, but honestly I've also known people just like her 😂 4d

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lauraisntwilder This is my first time reading it. My first impression, I hate to admit, has a lot to do with how different it is from "The Road to Avonlea" TV show. I grew up on that show and hoped this would feel like revisiting those characters. It took me a while to adjust! 4d

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I feel the same--so many of the children's antics are funny and endearing, but I can kind of take it or leave it. I think this one falls into that pattern we identified of being vs. doing. Story Girl is so episodic, like Anne of Avonlea or Rainbow Valley, and the characters are realistic but pretty static. Poor Sara Ray!! 😂 3d

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Hahaha! I didn't know about the Road to Avonlea show until people mentioned it on our first Kindred Spirits read a couple years ago, so I experienced them in the opposite order. I checked out some of the Road to Avonlea DVDs from the library and was distracted by how many of the stories were re-contextualized to include Marilla and Mrs. Lynde! I should go back and watch the rest one of these days. 3d

lauraisntwilder @BarbaraJean Yes! Imagine my surprise when I finally read all the Anne books and Marilla and Rachel stop being mentioned less than halfway through the series. 3d

kwmg40 I'd not read this one before and it felt quite different from the Anne stories. At first, I found the characters not as likeable as the Avonlea characters but later appreciated that they seemed much more realistic. The nostalgic voice of the narrator also gave the novel a melancholy but sweet tone. 2d

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BarbaraJean

The Story Girl | L. M. Montgomery

Things I have recently googled while reading The Story Girl:
👒Leghorn hat
🍷Wine-glass pulpit
❓Drugget

The last one of these reminds me of an idea I came across recently: having a fabric sample glossary at the back of the book!

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

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BarbaraJean

The Story Girl | L. M. Montgomery

“He never goes anywhere except to church. He just stays home and reads books when he isn‘t working. Mother says he is a perfect hermit.”
—Felicity King, discussing the Awkward Man

I knew I liked the Awkward Man.

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Seabreeze_Reader

rubyslippersreads A kindred spirit indeed. 6d

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BarbaraJean

The Story Girl | L. M. Montgomery

A reminder that we‘ll be discussing the first half of The Story Girl (chapters 1-16) on Saturday. I‘m excited to revisit this book that L.M. Montgomery found such delight in writing!

All are welcome—let me know if you‘re not tagged and you‘d like to be! #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Seabreeze_Reader

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Seabreeze_Reader

September | Rosamunde Pilcher

My #SeptemberTBR isn't a long list but fits well with my current #moodreading.🍁

#Autumn #MountTBR #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread @BarbaraJean

Seabreeze_Reader Well, I after a few chapters, I already bailed on September. Maybe it's just a timing thing but I couldn't get into the story at all. 1w

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LitsyEvents

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

Repost for @BarbaraJean

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule reminder!

For #LMMJournals:
We'll finish up Volume 2 of the Complete Journals with discussions on August 31 and Sept. 7.

For #LMMReread:
We'll discuss The Story Girl on Sept. 14 & 21

Then it's on to some #LMMAdjacent reads!

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2769292

BarbaraJean Thank you for sharing! 3w

27 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1901-1911 | L.M. Montgomery

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead schedule reminder!

For #LMMJournals:
We'll finish up Volume 2 of the Complete Journals with discussions on August 31 and Sept. 7.

For #LMMReread:
We'll discuss The Story Girl on Sept. 14 & 21

Then it's on to some #LMMAdjacent reads!

As always, all are welcome—let me know if you're not tagged and you'd like to be! I keep separate lists for each book, so you're welcome to join for anything that sparks your interest.

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, Roary47, LitsyEvents, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Are we skipping Kilmeny? (Not a critique haha) So far this week's journal entries have felt like a life recap 😂 3w

julieclair I will skip The Story Girl, but hope to read all the #LMMAdjacent books. 3w

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Haha—yes, I decided I didn‘t care to re-read Kilmeny and figured most people wouldn‘t be broken up about skipping it 😆 I‘m behind on my journal-reading and am just jumping back in today! I got back from a trip late on Monday and seem to have no concept of what day it is or what I‘m supposed to be reading this week! 3w

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BarbaraJean @julieclair 👍 I will tag you accordingly! 3w

lauraisntwilder I'm in...so long as I can find copies of everything! @TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean I haven't read Kilmeny, but I was thinking I would. Is it worth it to read once? Is it at least better than A Tangled Web? I read that one earlier this year. 3w

BarbaraJean @lauraisntwilder Even with all its problems, I liked Tangled Web better than Kilmeny--I think Tangled Web is a better book overall. Kilmeny is an earlier work, and it shows. It's a very simplistic romance, sweet in its own way if you can set aside the racist/ableist overtones! I thought it was worth reading once, for a taste of an early LMM novel that wasn't an Anne book. But I don't feel the need to re-read it! 3w

lauraisntwilder Ah, I see. How would you rate it next to Pat? 3w

TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder - It's a story I really enjoyed when I first read it in my teens, but find a little too tidy and saccharine as an adult (not to mention the whole point is Kilmeny feeling like she needs to “fix“ her inability to speak before she can get married). It's one that LMM originally wrote as a serial and then sort of “fluffed up“ to make it longer for publication. So it's not terribly long and interesting to read, like Barbara said ⬇ 3w

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) as an example of her earlier writing. It definitely lacks the character development of pretty much any of her novels - it has a bit of a fairy tale vibe to it. Imprisoned Princess, Prince Charming, Jealous Rival, etc. I think it's worth a one-time read, but keep your expectations low haha 3w

lauraisntwilder @TheAromaofBooks Good to know! Thank you! I think I will read it, but I can understand why you'd want to skip a reread. 3w

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BarbaraJean

Anne of Avonlea | L.M. Montgomery

#kindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMReread

What sections or quotes stood out to you, from the second half or from the book overall?

Anything else you‘d like to discuss?

rubyslippersreads, JenlovesJT47, CogsOfEncouragement, lauraisntwilder, kwmg40, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

julieclair I‘m so disappointed that I didn‘t get to this one this month. Lots of houseguests, which is a good thing, but it meant that I didn‘t have a lot of reading time. 4w

Seabreeze_Reader I'm not on the tag list, so I hope it's okay if I comment here. Anne of Avonlea continued on with some of Anne's humorous scrapes, like accidentally dying her nose red. I thought Davy continued to be an unwelcome distraction throughout and somehow I cannot imagine Marilla adopting twins. I still very much missed the balance Matthew provided to the story in the first book. I guess I wish L.M. Montgomery had allowed Anne to remain a child longer. 4w

rubyslippersreads I haven‘t read this in a long time, but I seem to remember my mom and I found the twins a bit much. One too naughty and one too sweet. 4w

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CogsOfEncouragement @Seabreeze_Reader Just like when I read the Little House series, I‘m amazed at how fast children grew up 100 years ago. We allow our kids a very extended adolescence now. The twins are left home alone very young, Davy is off to Harrison‘s to help too. Charlotte the Fourth had to begin work at 14 and knew she‘d move to Boston at 16 to continue her housekeeper career. Diana, from a wealthier family is not allowed to marry until 21 though. 3w

CogsOfEncouragement “Living so that you beautify your name, even if it wasn‘t beautiful to begin with…” was a sweet sentiment. I know people who name their child after a caring adult in their life, the name is not pretty on its own (to me), it is the person who made the name beautiful. We probably all know someone who soured a name for us too. 3w

CogsOfEncouragement When Anne asks to cook for the author and Marilla replies “Goodness, I‘m not so fond of stewing over a hot fire in July that it would vex me very much to have someone else do it. You‘re quite welcome to the job.” That was the obvious answer to me too! lol 3w

BarbaraJean @julieclair That's a shame, but I understand! Hopefully life will create more space for future reads! 😊 3w

BarbaraJean @Seabreeze_Reader You are definitely welcome! Would you like to be added to the tag list for future books?

I also love the fact that Anne is still getting into scrapes. The arrival of the famous author when Anne is in such disarray is both mortifying and hilarious!! I love the idea that Anne has softened Marilla so much that she opens her home to the twins, but the Davy & Dora storyline does feel very contrived overall. And I miss Matthew, too!! 3w

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement I also loved that sentiment about living to beautify your name! Especially because names were such a big deal to Anne--she insists on Anne with an 'e,' wishes she could be called Cordelia, says she's proud her parents had such lovely names--and this is a sweet new perspective for her. I feel the same: our experiences with people affect how we feel about specific names. And YES to Marilla's reply about cooking!! 😂 3w

Seabreeze_Reader @BarbaraJean Thank you. Yes, please add me to the tag list for the #lmmreread related books. Hopefully I'll be able to join in with reading The Story Girl. 3w

BarbaraJean @Seabreeze_Reader Will do! Glad to have you join in! 3w

kwmg40 Chiming in a bit late, but I did finally finish this reread. I enjoyed the second half more than the first. The story of Miss Lavendar provided some continuity throughout the second half and made the novel seem less like a series of episodes. I hadn't realized that “lavendar“ was an alternate spelling of “lavender“. 2w

BarbaraJean @kwmg40 Yes, I think the second half of Anne of Avonlea is MUCH stronger than the first, precisely because of the continuity of the Miss Lavendar plot! I think this book is also why I'm perpetually uncertain over how to spell “lavender“ 😂 2w

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