Emily of New Moon

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Dreadfully spoilt and annoying - Rated
I love Anne of Green Gables and thought this book would be just as good.

Emily is a spoilt brat. She seems to think, along with everyone else at New moon farm, that being a Murrey means you are better than everybody else. She is always feeling sorry for herself. the way she goes on about aunt Elizabeth, who is really a big softie, is very annoying. Her teacher had a perfect right to tell her off when she was writing poetry instead of doing her maths, and yet she goes on about how mean she is.


She only become friends with people who are either clever, determind, or pretty, most people don't seem good enough for herto be with according to the book.

Wonderful! - Rated
You simply cannot put it aside before you finish!

Emily is surely very different from Anne, though she definitely is a "kindred spirit". The plot seems to be very non-original: a recently orphaned pre-teen is taken by relatives who are not really interested in taking her, and the lives of all are turned upside-down, until they cannot imagine life without her. Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna... you know you have seen this before. And yet... Certainly don't miss it!

Emily is a very special girl. She writes. She simply can't live without writing. Her growing-up is reflected in the constant improvement of her writing - first these are naive, chidish letters to her father "on the way to Heaven", kind of a diary. But she learns all the time, without knowing it. Especially her writing improves with the help of her teacher, a person who understands. Emily also posesses second sight - a very original twist of the plot, which actually saves Ilse and later on Teddy.

Wild Ilse, though best friend, is definitely not Diana Barry... Teddy Kent, the quiet artist, whose mother would not share him even with a kitten and threatens to destroy the loving child completely... Perry Miller, the boy in love who would not even consider Emily thinking of another... And the adults - stern Aunt Elizabeth, so different from Marilla, in whom we still can see - if we look deep inside her - that she gains some feelings for her niece... dominated and meek aunt Laura, who, though loves, doesn't understand, and cousin Jimmy, who "is not entirely there" - but of all the characters reminds most his parrallel in "Anne of Green Gables" - undoubtfully, Matthew Cuthbert.

Of course, you can't help comparing. And maybe this is what makes it so different and great - something new to all who want more of Anne - and, perhaps, even better!

There are only two sequels - for those who want more of Emily, but were tired of so much of Anne. Don't miss them either, but "Emily of New Moon" is the best of the three.

Introducing the aspiring writer Emily Byrd Starr of New Moon - Rated
After the beloved "Anne of Green Gables" books the next longest series penned by L. M. Montgomery would be the "Emily of New Moon" Trilogy. This first volume was written in 1923, with "Emily Climbs" being published in 1925 and "Emily's Quest" in 1927. These works were all written after Montgomery had finished her initial run of the "Anne" books, which ended with "Rilla of Ingleside" in 1920 (Montgomery would not expand that series until years later, writing "Anne of Windy Poplars" in 1936 and "Anne of Ingleside" in 1939). Consequently, Montgomery was able to focus on the Emily books, with only "The Blue Castle," her one "adult" romance, written in 1926, intervening.

Although the major thread of the three books is how Emily Starr learns to become a successful writer, that element is a minor one in this first book. Once again, Montgomery presents us with a spirited orphan who has to live with her mother's relatives after her father dies (although Emily is young and less mature than Anne Shirley). But the twist here is that nobody wants Emily and it is only out a sense of duty that they make the young girl draw lots to see where she will live. Emily ends up with Elizabeth Murray, her mother's sister, at New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island. Aunt Elizabeth disapproves of Emily's father and the way she was raised, and has no trouble communicating that to the child. Fortunately, while Aunt Elizabeth is the boss of New Moon, Aunt Laura treats Emily more kindly and Cousin Jimmy Murray "ain't quite all there," but is a gentle soul as well.

At the heart of "Emily of New Moon" are the heated confrontations between Emily and Aunt Elizabeth over matters ranging from the little girl's bangs to her love of writing and the letters she writes to her father "On the Road to Heaven." Apparently Emily has enough of the Murray blood to affect the look of her grandfather when her dander is up, so she does not lose all of these battles. The most notable is when Aunt Elizabeth discovers the letters Emily has been secretly writing to her father. When she confronts her neice, expecting Emily to show dismay, shame, or fear over what she has done, Elizabeth is stunned by the righteous indignation from Emily that turns the tables with a vengeance.

There is also a touch of mysticism in each of these books, for Emily has the second sight, which sets up the moving climax of this first book when Emily is taken ill. In her fevered imagination the curtain is lifted and she sees what happened to the mother of her friend, Isla Burnley. The worried adults say whatever they think Emily wants to here, but she knows they are lying. When Aunt Elizabeth agrees to go and get Isle's mother out of the old well, Emily calms down. "I know you'll keep your word," she says. "You are very hard--but you never lie, Aunt Elizabeth." Emily's second sight comes into play in each of the three novels, but never to as great effect as it does in this first one.

Because they deal with the art of writing, the three Emily books are seen as being the most autobiographical of Montgomery's works. Certainly if anyone reading the Anne books or any of Montgomery's works is interested in pursuing a career as a writer, they should read the Emily books to get a real feel for how hard it is to be a good writer. But the stories can be enjoyed on their own even if you have decided you are going to be a reader and not a writer. Once young readers have gone through the Anne and Emily books, there is still "The Story Girl," "Magic for Marigold" and many other L. M. Montgomery novels (and short story collections) for them to enjoy. I did not read any of them until I was in my thirties, so I can assure you it is never too late to start.

Everyone loves Emily - Rated
The Bantam/Doubleday edition is abridged and simplified for younger readers, reading age about 7. I'd recommend the full book for anyone over 10 (and under 110!)

Emily - a more modern heroine - Rated
Having been a fan of Anne's for half my life, I have just discovered Emily at the ripe old age of 24. Like all LM's books, this is beautifully written and charming, yet there is something of real pain and loss in it which makes it less chocolate-boxey than her Anne stories (except, perhaps, Anne's House of Dreams). Emily is quite a modern heroine; she is ambitious, and is not afraid to speak her mind to her equals and elders; she is precocious without being irritating. I would recommend this to any "friends of Anne" without hesitation.