The Doctor's Sweetheart

Rating:
Summary: Here's my opinions, story by story
Review: ... these stories are basically more of the same. Still, each story has some small something that sets it apart from the others and makes it enjoyable. I had a very difficult time finding this book, and I was somewhat disappointed with a story or two, but it was definitely worth buying for three stories alone: My Lady Jane, The Garden of Spices, and The Bride is Waiting.

In My Lady Jane, a young man has been disappointed when he and his love quarrelled and she ended by saying that she never wanted to see him again. By chance, he ends up stopping over in the town where a cousin lives who is identical to him. The cousin has a dinner party that he can't attend due to another engagement but that he can't afford to miss for fear of offending the hostess, so he asks his visitor to pose as him and make an appearance at the party. In doing so, the young man alters his life dramatically and wonderfully.

The Garden of Spices (my personal favorite) is a tale of how a ten year old orphan changes the life of a sad old maid with a hideously scarred face. Finally, The Bride is Waiting tells of how a fellow tricks a long sought after woman into marrying him by pretending he doesn't care for her.

These stories lead the reader down a road very familiar to L.M. Montgomery fans, but the journey's still delightful, no matter how often taken.

Rating:
Summary: Typical LM Montgomery
Review: ... these stories are basically more of the same. Still, each story has some small something that sets it apart from the others and makes it enjoyable. I had a very difficult time finding this book, and I was somewhat disappointed with a story or two, but it was definitely worth buying for three stories alone: My Lady Jane, The Garden of Spices, and The Bride is Waiting.

In My Lady Jane, a young man has been disappointed when he and his love quarrelled and she ended by saying that she never wanted to see him again. By chance, he ends up stopping over in the town where a cousin lives who is identical to him. The cousin has a dinner party that he can't attend due to another engagement but that he can't afford to miss for fear of offending the hostess, so he asks his visitor to pose as him and make an appearance at the party. In doing so, the young man alters his life dramatically and wonderfully.

The Garden of Spices (my personal favorite) is a tale of how a ten year old orphan changes the life of a sad old maid with a hideously scarred face. Finally, The Bride is Waiting tells of how a fellow tricks a long sought after woman into marrying him by pretending he doesn't care for her.

These stories lead the reader down a road very familiar to L.M. Montgomery fans, but the journey's still delightful, no matter how often taken.

Rating:
Summary: Here's my opinions, story by story
Review: 1. Kismet (1899): An estranged husband and wife meet by chance at a horse race. Completely melodramatic and unsmiling and overall pretty bad.

2. Emily's Husband (1903): An estranged wife hears her husband is dying. See last sentence regarding "Kismet", above.

3. The Girl and the Wild Race (1904): A woman devises a way to choose between two suitors. Pretty entertaining and certainly better than the first two.

4. The Promise of Lucy Ellen (1904): An old maid regrets an old promise. This idea was eventually recycled as part of RAINBOW VALLEY's plot, though it's probably better done here. Not great but not bad.

5. The Parting of the Ways (1907): An unhappily married woman is faced with a tough dilemma. The martyred protagonist's situation is a bit like Leslie Moore's in ANNE'S HOUSE OF DREAMS. Easily the book's worst, hokiest story.

6. The Doctor's Sweetheart (1908): A doctor faithfully awaits the return of his underaged fiancee. Why this was picked to be the title story is beyond me. It's another of the author's completely humorless stories, and we all know how awful those tend to be. This one is no exception.

7. By Grace of Julius Caesar (1908): Two women are trapped on the roof of a house by a dog. After slogging through most of the preceding tales of repentance and sacrifice, this fun little story was a sizeable relief.

8. Akin to Love (1909): A woman tries to squelch her neighbor's amorous intentions. It feels somewhat unfinished (like several of the shorter stories) but is still rather sweet.

9. The Finished Story (1912): A woman wonders if the man she loved long ago returned her feelings. Not exactly good, but still kind of interesting.

10. My Lady Jane (1915): A man poses as his lookalike cousin. A story this contrived should be funnier, but it's not too bad.

11. Abel and His Great Adventure (1917): A frustrated man finds solace in his neighbor's garden. A lot of this was worked into ANNE'S HOUSE OF DREAMS (specifically, into Captain Jim). Serious, but not ridiculously so, and kind of absorbing.

12. The Garden of Spices (1918): A little boy befriends his mysterious neighbor. One of the book's best stories. The little boy is especially well written.

13. The Bride Is Waiting (1932): A woman grudgingly helps a friend decorate his house. Probably the best story.

14. I Know a Secret (1935): Not as good as the previous two, but still pretty diverting. It was eventually redone as a chapter of ANNE OF INGLESIDE.

I also enjoyed Catherine McLay's introduction, where she takes a thorough look at the author's methods.

Rating:
Summary: Great stories
Review: I love all of L. M. Montgomery's books, especially Anne novels, and this book is a good addition to any shelf. For anyone who is new to Montgomery, I think they should try her novels first, but for long-time readers of Montgomery, it's worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Full of cute stories
Review: I love everything LM Montgomery wrote, including this book. Alright, the stories are not in the same category as Anne of Greengables but it's a fun read. If you're a die-hard Montgomery fan, you'll enjoy this book. If you're new to LM Montgomery, I reccommend her novels first.

Rating:
Summary: Some stories are not worthy to mention
Review: If you have been reading other L.M. Montgomery works, this is definitely not a good choice to invest your money upon. Most of the stories seem senseless and not practical on real world situations. Other few mentionables is the title's short stories, 'The Doctor's Sweetheart' that is endearing as it tells about a doctor patiently waits for his sweetheart to come and 'The Promise of Lucy Ellen', a story about love given a second chance. Another story that is suprisingly fresh and funny is 'By Grace of Julius Caesar' about two maiden ladies who was scared onto roof by a bachelor's dog named Julius Caesar. An unexpected solution make the story sweet and enduring. This book maybe not worth your time, but a few fresh and witty short stories may cover the shortcomings.