House of Dreams: The Life of L. M. Montgomery

by Liz Rosenberg, Julie Morstad (Illustrator)

Overview

An affecting biography of the author of Anne of Green Gables is the first for young readers to include revelations about her last days and to encompass the complexity of a brilliant and sometimes troubled life.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maud who adored stories. When she was fourteen years old, Maud wrote in her journal, “I love books. I hope when I grow up to be able to have lots of them.” Not only did Maud grow up to own lots of books, she wrote twenty-four of them herself as L. M. Montgomery, the world-renowned author of Anne of Green Gables. For many years, not a great deal was known about Maud’s personal life. Her childhood was spent with strict, undemonstrative grandparents, and her reflections on writing, her lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, her “year of mad passion,” and her difficult married life remained locked away, buried deep within her unpublished personal journals. Through this revealing and deeply moving biography, kindred spirits of all ages who, like Maud, never gave up “the substance of things hoped for” will be captivated anew by the words of this remarkable woman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536213140
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	209,398
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Liz Rosenberg is a poet, best-selling novelist, professor, and writer of numerous acclaimed books for children. She has edited several poetry anthologies for young readers, including Light-Gathering Poems, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize. She lives in Binghamton, New York.

Julie Morstad is the illustrator of numerous books for young readers, including When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano and Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Bend in the Road 1

Chapter 2 An Early Sorrow 7

Chapter 3 "Very Near to a Kingdom of Ideal Beauty" 23

Chapter 4 The Jolly Years 37

Chapter 5 Room for Dreaming 45

Chapter 6 Count Nine Stars 57

Chapter 7 "Darling Father" and Prince Albert 67

Chapter 8 The Pill inside the Jam 87

Chapter 9 The Happiest Year 93

Chapter 10 Schoolmarm in Bideford 101

Chapter 11 HALIFAX! 115

Chapter 12 Belmont and the Simpsony Simpsons 125

Chapter 13 The Year of Mad Passion 139

Chapter 14 Back in the House of Dreams 157

Chapter 15 The Creation of Anne 175

Chapter 16 "Yes, I Understand the Young Lady Is a Writer" 197

Chapter 17 "Those Whom the Gods Wish to Destroy" 217

Chapter 18 A Changed World 239

Chapter 19 A Woman "They Cannot Bluff, Bully or Cajole" 261

Chapter 20 Dashing over the Traces 275

Chapter 21 Journey's End 299

Epilogue 321

Time Line of L. M. Montgomery's Life 327

Source Notes 333

Bibliography 337

Acknowledgments 339

Editorial Reviews

Rosenberg paints a deep, complex portrait of a vibrant, brilliant, yet troubled woman. At the beginning of every chapter, Morstad accompanies these descriptions with Quentin Blake-like ink illustrations that capture the strange mix of whimsy, humor, and solemnity that permeated Maud’s thoughts. Recommend to Anne fans, aspiring writers, or anyone wanting a peek inside the mind of a famous author who constantly fought for success and happiness.
—Booklist (starred review)

Rosenberg writes clearly and honestly, making liberal use of Maud's own words, allowing Maud's courage and joy to shine despite her very real problems...A kind, thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of one of the icons of children's literature.
—Kirkus Reviews

Rosenberg’s comprehensive biography of the author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series presents a multidimensional portrait of a complicated and conflicted writer...this illuminating and satisfying biography takes on life and depth as Montgomery’s own voice grows more prominent.
—Publishers Weekly

In prose that often rivals that of her subject for its lyricism, Rosenberg presents an honest look at a woman who, while providing some of literature’s happiest moments, wavered between extremes of emotion herself...A timeline and references are included, and each chapter is fronted by a nostalgic and delicate pen-and-ink illustration that adds piquancy by capturing the light-hearted side of the beloved author.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A well-balanced biography that offers plenty of tidbits for fans and that acknowledges what Montgomery means to many, without overly romanticizing the author or her story.
—The Horn Book

While the tale is full of sweet stories, beautiful examples of literary writing, and adventurous anecdotes, it also shows the not-so-glamorous life of Montgomery. This honest look at her life reveals her struggles with depression and other illnesses as well as her interpersonal challenges...the reader is drawn into her world of imagination, writing, and her love of language.
—School Library Connection

From the Publisher

04/23/2018
Rosenberg’s comprehensive biography of the author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series presents a multidimensional portrait of a complicated and conflicted writer. Opening with 30-year-old Montgomery starting to write the book that brought her international fame and wealth, the story circles back to her early abandonment by her parents, her childhood with stern grandparents, to the publication of a poem when she was 15, marking the beginning of a career that encompassed more than 20 novels and countless stories and poems. Rosenberg explores Montgomery’s fierce attachment to Prince Edward Island, as well as her family loyalty, passions, and relentless ambition. While tracing Montgomery’s growth and success as a writer, Rosenberg doesn’t shy away from presenting her failings—the lies of omission in her journal, her entanglements with unavailable men—and her struggles with chronic depression, a mentally unstable husband, and a less-than-trustworthy publisher. Though initially slow going, this illuminating and satisfying biography takes on life and depth as Montgomery’s own voice grows more prominent. Ages 10–14. (June)

Publishers Weekly

05/01/2018
Gr 6 Up—Most known for Anne of Green Gables, author L.M. Montgomery (1874–1942) endured many hardships while dedicating herself to a prolific and renowned career. This account of her life buzzes with energy and emotion reminiscent of her own writing, and incorporates her diary entries for a more personal telling. Readers will share in her bemusement as she rejects a string of suitors in favor of her ambitions, celebrate her triumphs as a successful—though unfairly paid—author, and feel the overwhelming demand for more Anne. Rosenberg crucially doesn't shy away from discussing mental health, sometimes using Montgomery's books as analysis for her state of mind. Her experiences with depression is laid bare, her moments of freneticism or despondence vivid through riveting prose. Rosenberg also details her subject's imagination, zest for nature, and her perfectly imperfect characters who still continue to touch so many. Devotees will relish the tidbits of Montgomery's daily life that found their way into Anne's world. The book also boasts Morstad's delicately and prettily penned illustrations and an expansive bibliography. However, Rosenberg's biggest misstep is not tackling Montgomery's problematic works, notably Kilmeny of the Orchard and the short story "Tannis of the Flats." Considering the deep dive Rosenberg takes with the iconic author's other writings, the absence of it here is strongly felt. VERDICT A poignant though incomplete look at a renowned author. Consider for Montgomery fans.—Kate DiGirolomo, Library Journal

School Library Journal

2018-03-18
The first middle-grade biography of Canadian author L.M. Montgomery in over 20 years.Drawing primarily on the author's personal journals (published only in edited form until very recently but available to the author in their entirety), Rosenberg presents a balanced and sympathetic portrait of a lonely young girl who grew up to write cheerful novels despite her always-challenging life. Maud (she was never called by her first name, Lucy) lost her mother to tuberculosis in 1876 before she was 2 and her father to wanderlust before she was 7. Raised by her puritanical grandparents in Cavendish, a small village on Prince Edward Island, she early on retreated into her imagination, naming the trees in her grandparents' yard. Her first novel, Anne of Green Gables, was published to instant success—but Maud, by then 34, had broken off an engagement and was the sole caretaker of her elderly, difficult, and ailing grandmother. Prone herself to bouts of severe depression, she married a preacher who suffered from severe mental illness, and troubles with her elder son haunted her last years. Rosenberg writes clearly and honestly, making liberal use of Maud's own words, allowing Maud's courage and joy to shine despite her very real problems. Morstad's black-and-white drawings effectively set the mood, underscoring the ethnic homogeneity of the largely white PEI.A kind, thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of one of the icons of children's literature. (Biography. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews