Monday 21 February 2011

Book Review: Anne’s House of Dreams

Anne's house of dreamsAnne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

Publisher: Bantam Books

Category: Classic

Synopsis: Anne and Gilbert are married and move to Four Winds on Prince Edwards Island where, as Anne is want to do, they meet a whole host of kindred spirits.

My Thoughts: Growing up I didn’t really like the books about Anne when she was an adult, I lost interest after Anne of the Island and then loved Rilla of Ingleside. I think I just couldn’t relate to grown up Anne. Now when I am a few years older than Anne is in this book I find that I love it. The book consists of what one could almost call vignettes but there are some over-aching storylines. It follows Anne and Gilbert through their first two years of marriage, through joy and sorrow. We are also introduced to primarily three new characters: Leslie Moore, Miss Cornelia and Captain Jim. 

There is something sweet and innocent over most of the stories. Nothing dramatic really happens yet I am riveted. I feel apart of Anne’s world. Even the sad interludes have something sweet about them. There is one incident that is told in very sparse words and yet one feels it deep inside.

The story of Leslie and her husband also adds a sense of mystery and suspense to the book. What happened to the beautiful girl? And can she ever be happy again?

One of the final stories in this book always has me in absolute tears. It doesn’t seem to matter that I know what is about to happen. No matter how many times I read the book. That story has me in floods of tears. It is also responsible for my love of Tennyson’s poem “Crossing the Bar”

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
         And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
         When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
         Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
         Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
         And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
         When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
         The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
         When I have crossed the bar.

For me as I grow older this book becomes more and more of a comfort read. It is sweet and uncomplicated. It is an easy read that leaves you feeling that the world, although there is sadness in it, is still a place where good people are rewarded and friends and family will help you conquer all.

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Copyright ©2011 Zee from Notes from the North. This post was originally posted by Zee from Notes from the North. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

5 comments:

*ೃ༄ Jillian said...

I want to read this now -- all of them!!

Unknown said...

i love this book series, lm montgomery, the anne mini-series that aired on the disney channel...i think they're canadian and i love the emily of new moon series, also by lm montgomery...your review is lovely! :)

Aarti said...

I like this book, too! However, I was sad that Gilbert became more and more of a background character as this series continued.

Tiina said...

I love both Anne & Emily series by L. M. Montgomery & reread them every now and then. Also, L. M. Montgomery's diaries are very interesting.

Melwyk said...

I love this one! I feel like Anne is a real individual with her own life in this book, and it reads more like a novel than some of the more episodic volumes in this series. Leslie Moore is quite a character! And of course Cornelia Bryant is endlessly amusing, at least to me :)

Have you read Elizabeth Waterston's Magic Island? It goes through all of LMM's novels and gives a bit of background about where LMM was in life when she wrote each, and some of the possible influences etc. Quite interesting to an LMM fan!