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Summary: Emily of New Moon
Review: Although Emily has a lot of things in common with Anne--both eleven-year-old orphans who live on Prince Edward Island in the nineteenth century--she is a different kind of girl, and hers is a different kind of story. It's great from beginning to end, and the mystery of Ilse's mother had me on the edge of my seat--great suspense. The only thing I didn't like about the story was that it said mean, untrue things about atheists. But I suppose it was a product of its time.
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Summary: Emily
Review: As a child, Emily of New Moon was, quite literally, my favorite book. Somehow, years later, it manages to still be up there with The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lolita, and Vanity Fair on my "favorites" shelf.
It is, truth be told, a classic, and a sorely underrated one to boot. While the Anne series seems to be omnipresent, I know very few people who have heard of Emily, let alone read the books.
As a character, Emily is brilliantly drawn and realistic; she is never portrayed with condescension. Quite the opposite, even when she is entirely in the wrong, the reader manages to sympathize and understand her. The plot itself, though interesting, is mostly enjoyable because of Emily's perspective. Other characters, such as Dean Priest (my personal favorite), Teddy, and Ilse manage to avoid being stereotypes or Emily's "backup band" and become full-fleshed characters in their own right.
Whether you are an adult with a child or wishing you were a child, or even an adult just looking for a relatively light read that has actual quality (various romance novel queens, I'm glaring at YOU), pick up a copy of Emily, make some tea, curl up, and enjoy this strange little girl.
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Summary: Potent and wonderful...
Review: Emily of New Moon is starry, poignant, and captivating. Orphaned Emily Byrd Starr comes to New Moon lonely and friendless, to live with her Mother's relations, the Murrays. The Murrays are not willing to take her in, but are proud and consider it their duty to bring Emily up, as she is a member of their clan. Her Aunt Elizabeth brings her the New Moon, and is cold and harsh and stern. But her sweet Aunt Laura, and kindly Cousin Jimmy provide Emily with support. In Emily's imagination, loyal friends Ilse Burnley, Teddy Kent and Perry Miller, as well as her passionate love of writing, Emily finds hope and friendliness in her new World. Emily is often compared to Anne of Green Gables, but they hold their differances. Anne is all liveliness and hot temper and sweetness; Emily is vivid, both light and dark, with enough mystery in her to allure. This book is beautifully written and delicate, full of subtle wit and humour, and wonderful complexity as it describes Emily's adventures while living at New Moon. Emily is spirited and charming and ambitious, and the Emily series portray a unique child developing into womanhood.
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Summary: L.M. Montgomery's Best Book
Review: I adore Anne, but Emily is a Kindred Spirit. I've read all of L.M. Montgomery's books, and this one is, without doubt, the very best. And yes - it IS better than Anne of Green Gables. Emily of New Moon has all the elements of a well-written novel. It has tragic scenes that aren't overly dramatic: the quiet death of her father makes me cry no matter how many times I've read it. It's inspiring: even as a young girl, she struggles with ambition. It's endearing: who could forget the happy, childish adventures of Emily and Ilse? Most of all, it has a sense of humor! (Though, I must point out, LMM's funniest scene ever is in Emily's Quest, where she reads the reviews of her first novel.) People love Anne because of her sweetness. Emily isn't sweet--she's real. As the narrator writes (I'm paraphrasing) "Many people liked her, many disliked her; no one was ever wholly indifferent to her." My very favorite book.
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Summary: Old-Fashioned is Good
Review: I first read the Emily of New Moon series years and years ago when my mother gave me the copies she'd received for Christmas 1942! The Anne of Green Gables books are wonderful but after Anne and Gilbert are married they lose something. Luckily, Montgomery stopped Emily after three books and her story ends at just the right time!Old-fashioned, yes- but with wonderful characters and a heroine you really like.I'm a librarian and I've ordered the Emily series for my children's collection.
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Summary: Emily vs. Anne
Review: I know a lot of people are saying that the "Emily" books are better than the "Anne" books, but I will always remain a true-blue Anne fan. That said, I have to admit that there is something special about Emily and the Emily series as a whole that is lacking in the Anne books. I think it reflects more on the fact that LMM was already an established and mature writer when she wrote the Emily books (whereas "Anne of Green Gables" was her first full-length novel), than on the characters of the two series. Also, the differences reflect on the different time-periods they were written in: the first two Anne books were written well before the outbreak of the First World War, and reflect some of the priggishness and smugness of the Victorian world-view still prevalent then; the Emily books are entirely a product of the more free-thinking 1920s (though they are set pre-WWI). Anne is a child in many ways - even after marriage; Emily is a woman even at the age of eleven. Anne's vivacious personality is genuinely appealing, but Emily's intensity has its place too. Emily is a lot more realistic than Anne ever is - both as a character and a person. And I identify far more with Emily than with Anne - e.g. I experience something similar to Emily's flash, and my inner world has many similarities to hers.
I thought the best part about "Emily of New Moon" was the last chapter, where Emily's teacher evaluates her work. When I read the title of the chapter - "Emily's great moment" - I thought that it would be a stereotypical ending, where the heroine takes the world by storm and retires heaped with laurels - in other words, completely unbelievable! But the low-key ending was superb. I loved the fact that Emily was vindicated in her own eyes and the only others that mattered, i.e. Mr. Carpenter's. In short, being a chart-topper is not *the* (or even *a*) criterion for being a good writer.
The only thing I disliked about this book is the supernatural element, not being a believer in the paranormal myself. Oh, and I cannot stand Teddy Kent - what does Emily see in him?!
To conclude - a good book, though the sequel "Emily Climbs" is better (I have yet to read "Emily's Quest"). Read it if you like LMM, and whether you like Anne or not.
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Summary: LM Montgomery does it again
Review: I too found this series after tearing through the Anne books and wishing there were more of them. I believe I would even have to say that I loved the Emily series even more than Anne.
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Summary: not as lovely as I remember
Review: I, too, read this book at about twelve years of age. I remember loving and identifying with Emily, and thinking Aunt Elizabeth was as cruel and tyranical as ever a woman could be. Now, eight years later, I am maturing, and can see Aunt Elizabth's viewpoint in more than a few of the squabbles she and Emily have. Also, I am more than a little conservative, and Emily, more so than what I remember, is a spoiled brat; at least, at the outset of the novel. Her poetry, I suspected, was quite good, although, obviously, very childish and verbosely overdrawn. I have to agree with what another reviewer wrote about "Emily Climbs". The family situations and home lives of all four main characters, Emily and her friends, are rather remarkable, and would make for a fascinating psychological case, if they were described in more detail. I have yet to read the other two books, but I think they will appeal more to me than this one has, because Emily is maturing, and becoming less impulsive, melodramatic, and emotionally intense, the way I was when a child. She is behaving more responsibly, and seems to have more of a regard for others' feelings as the books progress, another good sign, since self-absorption is never appreciated.
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Summary: Emily shines
Review: Like many others, I came to this book as a child after exhausting the Anne series and still craving more of the world L.M. Montgomery created. Anne was my favorite as a child, which you can tell by comparing my beat-up copy of Anne of Green Gables and the nearly-pristine copy of Emily of New Moon. I still have a special place in my grownup heart for Anne, but in recently rereading Emily of New Moon, I discovered so many similarities between me and that poetic little girl who gets "the flash." I love all Montgomery's books because it's fascinating to read about a time when children were expected to behave so differently from today in a place that seems lovely and peaceful compared to today's busy world of computers, video games and television. It's nice to read about a child who so strongly relied on her imagination; I hope to teach my future children to do the same.
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Summary: Fantastic Young Adult Reading
Review: Ten-year-old Emily Starr always felt that she had the most wonderful life. She never felt lonely, as she was blessed enough to live with her beloved Father, her adored cats, Saucy Sal, and Mike, and a collection of fine books for her to read at anytime. It didn't even bother her to have Ellen, her somewhat wicked housekeeper around. But in one quick instant Emily's life is suddenly turned upside down. After having a fine life she receives the news that her Father is dying, and when he does finally pass, 10-year-old Emily is left an orphan, and is suddenly forced to move to New Moon Farm with her mean Aunt Elizabeth, who makes her choose only one of her beloved cats to accompany her during the move. Emily's only solace from her depression of her Father's death, and dealing with her stern Aunt are the new friends she makes: Ilse, a tomboy with an extreme temper; Teddy, a fantastic artist; and Perry, also a newcomer to school, who has sailed all over the world with his Father. Soon, thanks to her new adventures and friends, Emily realizes that New Moon isn't that bad at all, and maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to think of herself as Emily of New Moon. This is my second L.M. Montgomery novel, and I was very pleased by the outcome of it. Emily is a strong-willed, hard-headed character, with a sense of adventure, whom stands up for everything, and everyone, that she believes in. Her Aunt is an exciting character, even though she is a bit cruel, and her friends are three people whom the reader longs to know and be friends with in reality. The descriptions are so vivid, realistic, and beautiful that you actually feel as if you are with Emily, running along the trails and through the gardens of New Moon. A must-have book for all fans of novels with a bit of history tucked into them. Erika Sorocco
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