Magic for Marigold

Magic for Marigold was published by L.M. Montgomery in 1929. It is the story of young Marigold Lesley and is set on Prince Edward Island. The tale begins as the Lesley family gathers to celebrate Old Grandmother's birthday and to name the newest addition to the Lesley clan: Lorraine Lesley's baby. After a series of complications and clan machinations, the baby is finally given the name Marigold after four months. The story follows Marigold's imaginative adventures as she grows up.

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Created March 21, 2002. Last updated March 14, 2021.
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Further Chronicles of Avonlea

Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery that was published in 1920. The title page of the first impression explains that the stories "have to do with many personalities and events in and about Avonlea, the Home of the Heroine of Green Gables."

In his introduction to the 1920 volume, Nathan Haskell Dole writes,

"There is something in these continued Chronicles of Avonlea, like the delicate art which has made 'Cranford' a classic: the characters are so homely and homelike and yet tinged with beautiful romance! You feel that you are made familiar with a real town and its real inhabitants; you learn to love them and sympathize with them. Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a book to read; and to know."

Further Chronicles of Avonlea contains the following 15 stories:

"Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat"
"The Materializing of Cecil"
"Her Father's Daughter"
"Jane's Baby"
"The Dream-Child"
"The Brother Who Failed"
"The Return of Hester"
"The Little Brown Book of Miss Emily"
"Sara's Way"
"The Son of His Mother"
"The Education of Betty"
"In Her Selfless Mood"
"The Conscience Case of David Bell"
"Only a Common Fellow"
"Tannis of the Flats"

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Created March 12, 2002. Last updated April 21, 2021.
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Chronicles of Avonlea

Facing the demand for more tales of Anne Shirley and Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery gathered old short stories she had previously published to produce Chronicles of Avonlea in 1912. Originally, these stories bore no mention of Anne or Avonlea, but Montgomery edited them to bring the stories into familiar territory. This collection contains the following 12 stories:

"The Hurrying of Ludovic"
"Old Lady Lloyd"
"Each in His Own Tongue"
"Little Joscelyn"
"The Winning of Lucinda"
"Old Man Shaw's Girl"
"Aunt Olivia's Beau"
"The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's"
"Pa Sloane's Purchase"
"The Courting of Prissy Strong"
"The Miracle at Carmody"
"The End of a Quarrel"

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Created March 12, 2002. Last updated March 13, 2021.
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The Bend in the Road CD-ROM

The Bend in the Road: An Invitation to the World and Work of L.M. Montgomery is an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM that was produced in 2000 by the L.M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island.

I purchased the CD-ROM and found it both engaging and content-filled. It is divided into sections on "Life," "Works," "Impact," "Learning," and "Credits," providing a true invitation to L.M. Montgomery's fans. The images and audio clips are extensive. There are galleries of photographs of L.M. Montgomery and photographs taken by her. You can view first edition covers of L.M. Montgomery's novels, explore a genealogy, and watch clips showing her scrapbooks, clothing, needlework and personal belongings.

My favorite portions were the timeline and the video clips of Dr. Elizabeth Epperly viewing L.M. Montgomery's scrapbooks. It was clear to me that a huge amount of time went into the production of the CD-ROM, gearing it towards fans, scholars and educators.

In spite of these attributes, the CD-ROM also has a few downsides. It is designed solely for PC users, and it does not work on Mac computers. Using the CD-ROM was glitchy for me, and it crashed three times as I went through the contents. I tried to go through the CD-ROM in an orderly manner, but sometimes it would jump between sections, so I began using the back button to navigate so I wouldn't miss anything. Another limitation is that the CD-ROM URL links do not work, which hampers its use as an interactive tool.

For those keenly interested in learning more about L.M. Montgomery's life, the CD-ROM is a useful purchase; however, its price of $46.95 (US dollars) might be high for a fan more interested in L.M. Montgomery's books than in her life.


Here is the description of the CD-ROM from The L.M. Montgomery Institute:

The Bend in the Road is a multimedia CD-ROM presentation that invites viewers to discover some of the riches in the life, work, and influence of Canadian hero and internationally acclaimed writer, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

With 342 separate screens, thirty video clips, some one hundred audio clips, over two hundred of Montgomery's own photographs, readings by renowned actor Elizabeth Mawson, introductions to the principal Montgomery sites on Prince Edward Island and in Ontario, glimpses of rare manuscript and archival materials, hot links to related sites, commentary on all of Montgomery's writing, a new bibliography, and questions for discussion and research – The Bend in the Road is designed to appeal to Montgomery scholars and enthusiasts as well as those entirely new to Montgomery's work or life who have an interest in culture, history, or inspiration. The CD-ROM includes a family tree that has photographs and audio clips from some of Montgomery's living relatives. Noted historians, family members, and scholars take viewers on tours through Montgomery's past, the sites that now preserve her memory, and a gallery of Montgomery's own photographs. The Bend in the Road is ideal for individual viewing and also for classroom use; students from elementary grades through graduate school will find ideas and materials to pursue.

ISBN: 9780968729809

Image credit:
The Bend in the Road CD-ROM packaging.

Official Website:
The Bend in the Road: An Invitation to the World and Work of L.M. Montgomery (2000)

Created March 10, 2002. Last Updated November 12, 2024.
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A Tangled Web

A Tangled Web is a novel published by L.M. Montgomery in 1931. It is the story of two intermarried families, the Darks and the Penhallows, and is a satire of family interactions. The humor of the story begins immediately when Aunt Becky, the clan's matriarch, announces that one of her family members will receive the heirloom Dark jug.

Instead of naming the recipient at her gathering, Aunt Becky announces her plan to leave the jug with a trustee who knows her wishes and will name the recipient after a year. Aunt Becky names Dandy Dark as her trustee, and her conditions are puzzling. She tells her family that she may have already named the recipient of the jug in a letter given to Dandy, or she may have instructed that the winner be settled by lot, or lastly, she may give Dandy the power to choose the recipient himself. Aunt Becky warns her family, "in case I have chosen the last alternative, it behooves you all to watch your step from now on." The story has many offshoots as we observe what various characters do to win the Dark jug. Unbelievable at times in its exaggerations of human behavior, this story generates many laughs.

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Created March 8, 2002. Last updated March 30, 2021.
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Kilmeny of the Orchard

Kilmeny of the Orchard is a novel by L.M. Montgomery that was first published in 1910. The story begins when Larry West writes a letter to his friend Eric Marshall, asking him to take his teaching position in Lindsay, Prince Edward Island. Eric is a rich and practical man with his future set out perfectly, and he expects to simply fulfill his duty to his friend and then go on with his life as planned. All this changes when he comes across a beautiful girl named Kilmeny Gordon playing haunting music on a violin in an orchard. In this brief encounter, Kilmeny imprints herself in Eric's mind. Strangely though, Kilmeny looks upon Eric in terror.

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Created March 4, 2002. Last updated March 12, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables (1919)

In 1919, L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables was made into a silent, black and white film. Mary Miles Minter starred as Anne Shirley. The cast also included Paul Kelly as Gilbert Blythe, Marcia Harris as Marilla Cuthbert, and Frederick Burton as Matthew Cuthbert.

The story was adapted for the screen by Frances Marion, a highly acclaimed female screenwriter, who was the first writer to win two Academy Awards. The film was directed by William Desmond Taylor and produced by Realart Pictures, Corporation (Paramount Pictures). Filming took place in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA in August through October 1919. The film was released later that fall in November 1919. Minter received critical acclaim for her performance as Anne Shirley, and the production received favorable reviews.

Today, there are no known surviving copies of the film, and it is considered "lost."

Created March 3, 2002. Last updated April 1, 2021.
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Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An

Anne of Green Gables aka Akage no An (translated to English as "Red-Haired Anne") is a beautifully animated television series that was based on L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables. The plotline closely follows that of the novel and begins when Anne meets Matthew at the train station in Prince Edward Island. The anime series was produced by Nippon Animation in Japan in 1979 as part of the World Masterpiece Theater series (1). The series is 50 episodes long, and it first aired on Fuji Television from January 7, 1979 to December 30, 1979.

Anne of Green Gables was written and directed by the acclaimed screenwriter and director Isao Takahata, who is known for directing Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013). In 1985, Takahata founded the treasured Studio Ghibli together with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki. Studio Ghibli is admired for its artistry, creativity, and beauty in storytelling. Hayao Miyazaki created the settings and layouts for episodes 1 to 15 of the Anne of Green Gables anime. Miyazaki is the beloved anime director of Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Princess Mononoke (1997), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and Spirited Away (2001). In 1990, Takahata edited the first six episodes of Anne of Green Gables into a film for theatrical release (1).

Yoshifumi Kondo was the character designer for the vibrant Anne Shirley. Anne’s voice was portrayed by the Japanese actress Eiko Yamada. She provided the voices of several other characters in the World Masterpiece Theater series, including Jo in Tales of Little Women and Little Women II: Jo's Boys. The opening and closing theme songs (“Kikoeru kashira” and “Samenai yume”) were composed by Akira Miyoshi and sung by Ritsuko Ohwada.

Anne of Green Gables aired in several countries throughout the world. It was broadcast in Canada in the mid-1990s under the title Anne...La maison aux pignons verts by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and dubbed in French (1, 2). In addition, the anime aired as Anna dai capelli rossi in Italy, Ana de las Tejas Verdes in Spain, Ana dos Cabelos Ruivos in Portugal, and Anne mit den roten Haaren in Germany. The series was also dubbed in English and broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation and by Japan Entertainment Television in Taiwan.

In 2009, an anime prequel to Anne of Green Gables (1979) premiered called Konnichiwa Anne: Before Green Gables (translated to English as “Hello Anne: Before Green Gables”).


Image credit:
Drawing of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An. © Nippon Animation

References:
1. Helen McCarthy. Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. 1999. 223.
2. Team Ghiblink. Nausicaa.Net http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/wmt/index.html (2001).

Purchase and watch Anne of Green Gables (1979) aka Akage No An (Note: Most official Akage no An Blu-Ray/DVD sets are available for Region 2 (Japan), and they are not officially available in all region formats yet):



Created March 1, 2002. Last updated January 20, 2024.
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