This book consists of twelve separate short stories: The Hurrying of Ludovic, Old Lady Lloyd, Each in His Own Tongue, Little Joscelyn, The Winning of Lucinda, Old Man Shaw’s girl, Aunt Olivia’s Beau, Quarantine at Alexander Abraham’s, Pa Sloane’s Purchase, The Courting of Prissy Strong, The Miracle at Carmody, The End of a Quarrel.

Each story has a different plot and focuses on different characters, but what ties every story to each other is the location of Avonlea and the mention of Anne Shirley, however minimally. Of all the stories I liked Old Lady Lloyd and Each in His Own Tongue, maybe because in these two stories someone ended up changing their minds.

Old Lady Lloyd is quite a long story. The old woman is said to be very rich and wears silk dresses. She doesn’t donate money or go to church and people gossip about her that she chases them away from her door. The true reason, we find out, is the old lady’s poverty and pride. When her dead lover’s daughter Sylvia meets her, however, she melts. Sylvia has a problem. She has been accepted to music school and doesn’t have the money to go. Lady Lloyd’s cousin with whom she has cut all ties, however, is in a position to help. Old Lady Lloyd does something she has promised herself not to do. She goes to ask her cousin for help. After connecting with her cousin and helping Sylvia, Old Lady Lloyd stops clinging to her pride and opens herself up to people.

Each in His Own Tongue highlights the sacredness of art and music. In the story, a strictly dogmatic minister rejects music and anything frivolous. His grandson Felix, the product of her daughter’s marriage to a drunk musician, has an enormous gift for the fiddle. The minister prohibits the boy from playing. The boy loves his grandfather but he can’t help his love of the fiddle either. When a local woman, a sinful one, is lying in her death bed, the Reverend’s praying with her doesn’t help. The woman, then, asks Felix to take down her fiddle on the wall and play for her. When the Reverend gives his permission, Felix plays and the woman dies peacefully. Seeing that he was mistaken and that music can be another avenue to God, the Reverend gives the boy his father’s violin and allows him to play.

Although some of these stories are too full of coincidences, the author’s skill with language and storytelling makes up for some of the not-so-great plots. Even so, I enjoyed these stories greatly.

Reading before bedtime, as they are mostly gently and entertaining.

Is Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), was a Canadian author. Her books are: Anne of Green Gables; Anne of Avonlea; Anne of the Island; Anne's House of Dreams; Chronicles of Avonlea; Further Chronicles of Avonlea; Kilmeny of the Orchard; Rainbow Valley; Rilla of Ingleside; Short Stories 1896 – 1901; Short Stories 1902 – 1903; Short Stories 1904; Short Stories 1905 – 1906; Short Stories 1907 – 1908; Short Stories 1909 – 1922; The Golden Road; The Story Girl; The Alpine Path- The Story Of My Career

the stories in it are enjoyable without being obtrusive on one's sensibilities.

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Created Nov 17, 2014 at 6:36pm • Submit your own review...