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Lucy Maud Weather

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting." ~Anne Shirley

My sister and I have always held that this is the perfect time of year to be reading a Lucy Maud Montgomery book. No matter how many times they’ve been read and re-read—the condition of my beloved paperbacks is quite appalling!—there is just something about September that seems to evoke a mood sufficiently wistful to fully savor the beauty of her books.

I have only to think of them and the precious friends they gave me, Emily, Pat, Kilmeny, Valancy and, of course, the immortal Anne, to feel enlivened with lovely ideals. But to fall into one of them: to settle down amongst the orchards and hill fields that Lucy Maud brought to life before us, to amble along Lover’s Lane with Anne wrapped in a reverie, or to see the home lights of Silver Bush winking out comfortably in an autumn night—this is pure bliss. For me it’s grounding and good medicine, like a heart-to-heart talk with a beloved companion. And trusty companions these books have surely proved themselves to be, in my girlhood and in my womanhood alike. They gave me a vision long ago of what a beauty-filled life could look like in a completely ordinary setting, and for that I will be eternally grateful. And whenever I need reinforcement, it’s never farther away than the second shelf from the bottom of my bookcase.

Our summer was over. It had been a beautiful one. We had known the sweetness of common joys, the delight of dawns, the dream and glamour of noontides, the long, purple peace of carefree nights. We had had the pleasure of bird song, of silver rain on greening fields, of storm among the trees, of blossoming meadows, and of the converse of whispering leaves. We had had brotherhood with wind and star, with books and tales, and hearth fires of autumn. Ours had been the little, loving tasks of every day, blithe companionship, shared thoughts, and adventuring. Rich were we in the memory of those opulent months that had gone from us–richer than we then knew or suspected. And before us was the dream of spring. It is always safe to dream of spring. For it is sure to come; and if it be not just as we have pictured it, it will be infinitely sweeter.

~Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Story Girl

originally published on ylcf.org

16 Comments

  1. Lanier,

    You are utterly right. Lucy Maud Montgomery is simply perfect this time of year…..or anytime at that! 😉

  2. “And trusty companions these books have surely proved themselves to be, in my girlhood and in my womanhood alike.”

    So very true…I love this post! Thank you for sharing…

  3. Oh!!! L.M. Montgomery, kindred spirit she, and all her fictional characters that are so real to me. I didn’t discover her till well into my twenties, and then I chose to ration her books, so as not to devour them as quickly as I found more, knowing that there would be no more forthcoming. Sad, sad thought!

  4. How wonderful to arrive home after a long day at college and to find a beautiful post written about one of my very favorite writers. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s writing has had such a powerful influence on my life, as well. I reference Anne so often. I’ve told my husband that he just has to read them himself, because I simply cannot attempt to explain “Gog and Magog” one more time! Since I began re-reading Anne of Green Gables and working through the rest of the series for the first time, I feel as if I can look at my life with the sweetness and beauty that was always there, but that I was never trained to notice before.

  5. How interesting that you and your sisters think that too, as just in the last few days along with the cooler weather, autumn scented candles, and tea, my three sisters and I have said that we need to pull out our Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea movies. It’s just that time of year. =)

  6. Oh, how timely! I started re-reading the whole series last month. I’m just getting ready to start Rainbow Valley. What a delight to find this post today!

  7. Oh I agree! Today Pat of Silverbush was returned to me by a dear friend and I was so glad! At this time of year it is like a child being absent from home for a holiday celebration! Just in time for reading again ….Wasn’t it Jo that said that “some books are like going home again.”

  8. OK – I’m taking the books down and reading them again – for the ??? umpteenth time! Now that I’m older, I love reading LMM slowly, savouring the descriptions and the lovely thoughts. Just as sweet is to walk out my door and explore, with camera in hand, the very country she writes of.

    (Speaking of LMM friends, let’s not forget Jane!)

    1. Good heavens, what an oversight! How could I have neglected our dear ‘Jane of Lantern Hill’! Thank you for noticing, Kathie. 😉 I always turn to her when an especially domestic mood seizes me.

      Blow a kiss to those red sands and that ‘blue St. Lawrence Gulf’ for me, alright? 🙂

  9. I second that about Pat of Silver Bush! (and Mistress Pat!) My favorites to read and re-read. I’ve always felt just like Pat ~ never one for change! 🙂

  10. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve never read these…but I haven’t!! My Mom gave me a copy (a little too early, I think) as a girl, but I got frustrated in the (what seemed like) lengthy prose and never finished. Now, that I know there are forever-friends awaiting me, I am tempted to wait and experience them for the first time with my girls…But I don’t know if I can wait that long 🙂

  11. I’ve just recently found your site, and stumbled upon this post. I couldn’t agree more! The “Anne” books hold a special place in my heart. When I was a little girl, none if my friends had the name “Anne” for a first name, and even those with the middle name weren’t spelled with an “e”. One day, my Mum brought home the “Anne” books, and I lost myself in the pages….Anne was a kindred spirit, and being “Anne with an “e” became a point of elegance and pride. :-). So very glad to see you enjoy these treasures as well!

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