KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

Last of the Mohicans | James Fenimore Cooper

pan

Book review catch-up post 2 of 5:

This wasn't for me. As I said in one of our #kindredspiritsbuddyread discussions, it's a lot of wandering around in the woods occasionally interrupted by horrible violence. The "bad Indians" were bad because they were of a savage tribe, while the "good Indians" were held to a higher standard than the whites in both ethics and competency. The ending was a shocking disappointment.

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LitsyEvents

Rilla of Ingleside: A Virago Modern Classic | L. M. Montgomery

Repost for @BarbaraJean

Calling all Kindred Spirits! We‘ll be continuing the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead with an #LMMReread of Rilla of Ingleside, then an #LMMAdjacent title: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (a contemporary of LMM and a fellow author who published with the nefarious L.C. Page Co.).

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2859954

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BarbaraJean

Rilla of Ingleside: A Virago Modern Classic | L. M. Montgomery

Calling all Kindred Spirits! We‘ll be continuing the #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead with an #LMMReread of Rilla of Ingleside, then an #LMMAdjacent title: Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter (a contemporary of LMM and a fellow author who published with the nefarious L.C. Page Co.). The schedule is above—all are welcome! Please comment if you‘d like to be tagged for either or both books.

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

CogsOfEncouragement I‘ll skip a reread of Rilla, but look forward to reading Pollyanna for the first time. I watched the 1960 movie starring Hayley Mills a couple times as a kid and absolutely loved it. 3d

BarbaraJean @CogsOfEncouragement I‘ve never read Pollyanna, either! I‘m looking forward to my first read, too. 3d

CSeydel I‘ve read Pollyanna, but although I‘ve owned Rilla of Ingleside since the 80s (and kept it through how many moves) — I‘ve actually never read it! Maybe I‘ll join you guys 3d

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Daisey It‘s been so long since I reread Rilla; I‘ll try to fit that one in May! 3d

TheAromaofBooks I am definitely in for rereading both of these. Rilla is possibly my favorite LMM book. (Okay, maybe not; it's actually kind of impossible to choose 😂) I love Pollyanna as well, although in some ways the Hayley Mills version ruined the book for me because it's so hard to see the characters as anything other than the way they were cast in that book, despite them not being completely accurate. 😆 2d

rubyslippersreads I‘d be glad if you‘d tag me for Pollyanna. 😄 2d

rubyslippersreads @TheAromaofBooks I ❤️ the Hayley Mills movie, though. 2d

julieclair Please tag me for Pollyanna. Can‘t believe I‘ve never read it! 2d

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - I love the movie, too - but usually I can separate movie/book when they aren't particularly alike and just have them be two different stories in my mind. But for some reason the individuals from that movie INSIST on being the imagined book-characters in my mind 😂 It's not as bad in the first book, but in later books Pollyanna and Jimmy get married, and trying to reconcile Haley marrying Kevin Corcoran has been a struggle 😆 2d

32 likes9 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

What sections or themes from this volume of the journals stand out to you?
Are there sections or quotes that you particularly enjoyed or resonated with?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

lauraisntwilder I have been using colored tabs throughout my reading of LMM's journals, using green to note especially pretty observations of the natural world. I realize LMM has left the island, but she goes on multiple vacations in this volume, & still I only used one green tab in this book. Instead of a favorite part, I'm most conscious of a change in her world view. Even before Frede died & Ewan had his first attack, her years of severe anxiety changed her. 3d

18 likes1 comment

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

During this time, LMM began copying over her earlier journals. Having read those earlier journals and reading this journal now—do you think she ended up doing what she said she would, and copying them absolutely faithfully?

If you undertook the same task—copying out early journals now that you‘ve become a famous writer—how would you handle it?

Would you edit or revise along the way? Why or why not?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean I said this earlier when @TheAromaofBooks asked similar questions--I think she intended to, and started out copying them faithfully, but as time went on, I think she made some edits & excisions. As she became conscious of a future audience for her journals, I think she definitely left some stuff out (especially in the Herman Laird sections!). Maybe that's me projecting, because I DEFINITELY would edit/leave stuff out from my journal-writing days! 3d

lauraisntwilder I think she probably did edit and even add things. However, I think she must've copied quite a lot verbatim. Her writing style changed so much over the years. Her youthful voice falls away and I think, even for her, that would be hard to replicate so gradually. But hindsight must've colored her reading and made her want to emphasize or diminish certain subjects. Herman, yes, but also Edwin and Frede, in different ways. 3d

TheAromaofBooks I feel like the temptation would have been too great! We all edit our own memories/stories/etc and I can't imagine copying out my teenage diaries and not changing just a teeny bit here and there to make myself look not QUITE so dumb 😂 I don't think she just wholesale rewrote passages, but I just can't believe that she didn't remove or rearrange some sections to tone down some aspects of her past. @lauraisntwilder 12h

17 likes3 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

In a couple of journal entries in this volume, LMM gives extensive descriptions of herself, her likes, and her views on various subjects, notably her religious views.

Did her beliefs or her view of herself surprise you?
What about her likes?
How did these sections affect the view you have of who LMM was?
#LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

lauraisntwilder I wasn't surprised by anything, but it must've been so hard to be a minister's wife with her beliefs. I don't know that I could've relinquished my kids to Sunday School teachers I thought were stupid. In fact, I know I couldn't have - I actually changed churches, leaving the church I grew up in that my parents & sister still attend, because I didn't trust who was going to teach my kid. (There was no drama & we don't live there now anyway!) 3d

TheAromaofBooks I've read before that your view of God is heavily influenced by the type of father you had growing up. I don't know how true that is, but I found myself thinking about it when I was reading LMM's religious thoughts - her view of God seems to vary between a strict disciplinarian looking to pounce on wrongdoings (like her grandfather) and someone who mouths platitudes of fondness and affection but leaves you hanging when push comes to shove (like ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) her actual father). While I would say that I probably have a more traditional view of Christian beliefs than LMM, I actually agreed with a lot of what she had to say. I do think that God rejoices in beauty and His creation, and loves to see us do the same. I do think that the church gets bogged down in weird little details instead of just trying to live a life of that reflects God's goodness. I was blessed to grow up in a church that ⬇ 12h

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) encouraged questions and testing the foundations. If you don't push those boundaries, you don't actually know if they are firm enough to stand on, which ironically leads to a life of fear and doubt. But the church that LMM was a part of (and many still today) just want members to recite back the right words by rote instead of genuinely understanding and embracing true faith. This section just again made me so sad for LMM as it was yet ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) another way she felt alone, isolated, and unable to share or discuss her feelings/doubts/beliefs because of fear of judgment and how it would reflect on her husband and his job. I think LMM marrying a minister was one of the greatest tragedies of her life. It forced her into a role that she didn't respect or enjoy, and meant that she had to keep so many of her personal beliefs hidden away instead of being able to freely discuss and ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) grow them. And then to have the added tragedy of Ewan's mental issues turning his own beliefs against himself - it just seems so horrible that two people who didn't actually believe in the things they “had“ to preach were trapped doing so! 12h

16 likes6 comments

BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

On January 31, 1920, LMM lists and comments on several quotations she‘d recorded earlier. I thought this was such a great view into her thoughts on writing and life in general.

Which of those comments stood out to you?
Are there any books listed there that you‘ve read or would like to read?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks @lauraisntwilder @JenlovesJT47 3d

TheAromaofBooks I didn't have any of the quotations jump out at me particularly, but I did enjoy the section. She definitely has an eye for catching a good line. She had quotes from classics that I've found rather dull and uninspiring, but she had pulled specific lines from them that made me rethink my original thoughts on the writing! 12h

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

In this volume, we see an end to WWI, but LMM records some profound struggles, from Ewan‘s illness to Frede‘s death. We see legal battles with Page and small mentions revealing her status as an author: speaking engagements, reviews, letters from fans. And we see her as a mother, writing about Chester & Stuart.

What influence do you think these years had on LMM‘s writing? Do you see echoes of this time in Rainbow Valley or in later books?

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean #LMMJournals #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead 3d

BarbaraJean I think these years brought a maturity to LMM's writing--I see a deepening in her writing a bit in Rainbow Valley, but more in Rilla--deeper themes that seem to emerge from this time of such struggle in her life. Rilla especially, to me, reads like a more mature writer, as LMM explores the role of women during the war. And I see such an echo of LMM's obsession over the war news in the way the women on the “home front“ followed the war news. ⬇ 3d

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) I also feel like there's more of a consciousness in her journals that she's now an established writer and her journals are not just for her, but also for posterity. There's an awareness that others may read what she writes that I didn't sense in the early journals. She definitely uses her journal as a confidant, but sometimes even straight up says she's leaving out details because her future grandchildren or others would be shocked! (edited) 3d

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lauraisntwilder Rilla definitely shows the influence of WWI, but I think the Emily books show signs of LMM's trauma. They're darker books, in general, than the Anne books. PEI, so beautifully described in the Anne books, is almost magical in the Emily books. I don't think I ever realized before that Dean has some similarities to Ewan. Emily feels trapped in her relationship with Dean, someone she once loved and admired, or thought she did, but now he's a burden. 3d

TheAromaofBooks I feel like in some ways Rilla is the first book LMM wrote with a “purpose“ - that she wanted to tell the story of Canada's homefront and she did. I liked the part where her publishers tried to get her to make it nicer to America and she was pretty much like yeah no haha That along with her insistence that her new heroine's name is Emily to me emphasized how LMM is learning to at least somewhat value herself and stand up for her rights as an ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) established author.

Like @lauraisntwilder said, I think Emily definitely shows echoes of the trauma and struggles LMM has and is facing. I hadn't really thought of Dean in terms of Ewan, but I can see that. In general, Emily is very lonely, and I think that definitely reflects that status of LMM's life when she was writing these books. When I first read them I saw Emily as a reflection of LMM's childhood, but reading this section of ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) journals has definitely made me think about how these books reflect her adult life as well. She isn't “trapped“ in the same ways as she was as a young girl, but she is still definitely trapped and isolated. I originally wasn't going to reread the Emily books because I didn't like them very much the first time around, but I think I will after all because I'm so intrigued and engaged in the way we are reading published works/journals ⬇ 12h

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) together and seeing how they reflect one another!

I definitely think that the tone of the journals has changed to a more “public“ voice. It kind of reminds me your “company“ voice vs the one you use with friends. She is still warm, friendly, and full of anecdotes, and she still does complain (usually justly) and talk about her grievances, but it feels more reserved. Part of that is probably just being an adult vs being an angsty teen!! 12h

15 likes8 comments

TheAromaofBooks

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

I had to find out what the deal was with these magical yeast cakes (and can I still get them, because I totally would love to have my 20-year-old energy back 😂) Found this fun article - https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/magazine/the-healing-power-of-compressed-...

So is the renewed energy and vigor LMM experienced entirely a placebo effect? Or were the B vitamins really that helpful? Either way it's fun to see how humans always look ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) for the easy ticket!! 😆

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals

@BarbaraJean @JenlovesJT47 @lauraisntwilder 6d

TheSpineView 20 year old... I would settle for 40! 😂 6d

Suet624 Great article! 6d

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Cuilin Fabulous article, thanks for sharing. 6d

BarbaraJean What a fantastic article!! This part: “…when I mentioned the cakes to my husband‘s 91-year-old grandmother, her face lit up. ‘Ooh, I love yeast cakes!‘ she said, before taking a nibble. ‘The texture is so nice.‘ Encouraged, I then spent the weekend trying to press yeast cakes on her. Eventually she turned to me. ‘You know, Catherine,‘ she said, ‘sometimes people say things they don‘t entirely mean.‘” 😂😂 5d

BarbaraJean I love knowing that LMM was just as susceptible to advertising and getting caught up in a health craze as the rest of us!! All her talk of “vitamines” was so interesting. I wonder if she got Ewan to try yeast cakes?! (edited) 5d

tpixie @BarbaraJean funny quote 2d

tpixie @TheAromaofBooks thanks for the link! 2d

tpixie If you look at the difference between women‘s vitamins and men‘s vitamins women‘s vitamins have calcium in men‘s vitamins have B vitamins…. I guess for their “Energy“ 2d

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BarbaraJean

L.M. Montgomery's Complete Journals: The Ontario Years: 1918-1921 | Jen Rubio L.M. Montgomery

“There isn't a single interesting person in this village—not one who makes you feel better just because of a chat. I really never saw such a collection of stupid, uninteresting people. …When I am feeling normal I suffer them gladly and find some amusement in their very stupidity but when I'm below par I'd like to blow them all up with gunpowder.”

😂 As I find so often, Maud‘s “below par” reaction to certain other people is thoroughly relatable.

JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks

BarbaraJean #KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMJournals 6d

TheAromaofBooks Been there, Maud 😂 6d

31 likes2 comments

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