Maud: The Life of L.M. Montgomery, the creator of the world of Anne of Green Gables is a biography by Harry Bruce that was published by Bantam Books in September 1992. Drawing from The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volumes I and II, as well as L.M. Montgomery's autobiography, letters, and other biographical sources, Maud tells the story of L.M. Montgomery's early life. The book chronicles life in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island and Maud's schooldays, home life, romances, and early jobs. Bruce describes young Maud's imagination and aspirations to be a writer, and her success in publishing Anne of Green Gables.
Here is the book's description from its inner cover:
Born November 30, 1874, L.M. Montgomery spent her childhood in a rural farmhouse, like her beloved character Anne of Green Gables. Raised by strict, elderly guardians, she had an early life full of loneliness and struggle; however, Maud had a secret dream: to become a writer.
In fascinating, authentic detail, this biography follows life on turn-of-the-century Prince Edward Island, the setting for nearly all of Maud’s stories. Readers discover the island's haunting beauty and its idiosyncrasies: the Automobile Abolition Society that kept it free of cars; its tiny capital, Charlottetown, where streetlamps went unlit during full moons; and its Scottish inhabitants who feared God, revered hard work, and loved learning.
The town of Cavendish, so much like the Avonlea of the Anne books, is where Maud began writing, at the age of nine. In Cavendish she grew into a vibrant young woman who was so attractive to men that she was pursued and proposed to frequently. Yet Maud Montgomery never wed the one man she truly desired; when she finally did marry, at the age of thirty-five, it was to someone she respected but did not love.
Maud explores the passionate nature and irrepressible imagination of Maud Montgomery that she tried to conceal from those she lived with. Whether teaching in a one-room schoolhouse, becoming one of the first Canadian women journalists, or, finally, trapped in her hometown taking care of her aging grandmother and running the local post office, she was not only the responsible individual who accepted her fate but also a woman of stormy moods and unshakable ambition.
Drawn extensively from L.M. Montgomery’s own journals, this colorful biography vividly portrays a woman ahead of her time, a remarkable author who gave the world a unique character named Anne of Green Gables.
Harry Bruce has written numerous books for which he has received national acclaim in Canada. His most recent book is Down Home.
"With a tender and sympathetic eye, Bruce reveals the quiet heroism of the author of Anne of Green Gables and the other Avonlea books. Like her famous heroine, Montgomery (1874-1942) was without parents--her mother died before Montgomery's second birthday, and when she was seven, her father left her in the care of her grandparents. Also like Anne, Montgomery was independent: despite disapproval from her family and the restrictive mores of Victorian-era Canada, she steeled herself at an early age to become a successful writer (she began making daily journal entries when she was nine) and attended college. But Bruce also shows another side of the "revolutionary" woman as someone who had a strong sense of duty to family and friends, and who spent most of her early adult years caring for a stubborn, reclusive grandmother. Bruce's writing is easy and engaging, but his emphasis on the romantic angles of Montgomery's life is a bit tiresome. Overall, though, a well-crafted and solid biography. Ages 12-up."
— Publishers Weekly
"Grade 6-9-- Lucy Maud Montgomery had a bleak childhood growing up in a household where she was little more than tolerated by her two elderly grandparents. The story follows the ups and downs of her life, including her struggles to make a career of writing while fulfilling family obligations. This well-written account covers much of the unpleasantness in her life, along with interesting commentary about the young men attracted to her and, of course, her pursuit of a literary career. Young readers are likely to find such revelations dull, but junior high students may be interested. Eight pages of captioned black-and-white photographs are included."
— Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC, School Library Journal
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Scan of my book cover of Maud: The Life of L.M. Montgomery.
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Created November 15, 1999. Last updated August 31, 2024.
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