A delightful read, with the sometimes bratty and sometimes funny Emily of New Moon. Not as lyrical as Anne ( of Green Gables), but close. ( )

(3.5 / 5)

When Emily's only remaining parent, the father she is very close to, dies, she is taken in by 2 aunts on her mother's side. Aunt Elizabeth doesn't really want her and only takes her because the lot fell to her. Aunt Laura is at least kind to Emily, but overall, her mother's side of the family are proud, snobby people who strongly disliked Emily's father and disdain their niece. Emily's new classmates also treat her badly because of her proud family. Emily learns to cope with her difficulties by writing to her late father, pouring out her sadness and frustrations.

After reading the Anne of Green Gables books by the same author, this book is considerably darker, sadder, even somewhat depressing. For all the times I was surprised to see how terribly some of the people of this time period acted, especially older women, in the Anne books, a few of the characters in this book made my jaw drop. There is some charm to the story, and Emily herself is quite deep and introspective. She also can be brash and quick-tempered. I liked the way she was able to get past certain injustices or clashes with other people by simply writing about them. Though she bordered on mean when she described people in her writing at times.

There are some bright spots in her life--friends she made, for instance. I think Perry was my favorite, because though he is uncouth, he is also super kind and protective of Emily, who, frankly, could use a protector. He may have taken it a step too far now and then, but that seems to describe a lot of the characters in this book. One thing I really liked was that Emily was so terribly upset over what she was told Ilse's mother had done, considering that that kind of thing seems so commonplace now. I'd love to go back to a time when it's seen as a terrible, even unlikely thing. The outcome to that story arc, though, was...bizarre, is all I can really say.

I kind of get the feeling that I might like this series more as it goes, which would be completely the opposite of the Anne series, where I started to like each book less after the first one. However, I'm not completely sure if I'll continue the series.

Extra note for the audiobook version I listened to: Overall she made the main voices distinct enough from each other, but there were times when she read the letters Emily wrote to her father where she would simply neglect to put any real emotion or inflection into parts. It could have been better. ( )

Emily Starr never knew what it was to be lonely --until her beloved father died. Now Emily's an orphan, and her snobbish relatives are taking her to live with them at New Moon Farm. Although she's sure she'll never be happy there, Emily deals with her stern aunt Elizabeth and her malicious classmates by using her quick wit and holding her head high.

In this first volume of the celebrated Emily trilogy, Lucy Maud Montgomery draws a more realistic portrait of a young orphan girl's life on early twentieth-century Prince Edward Island. Along with Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest, Emily of New Moon insightfully portrays the beauty and anguish of growing up.

3.5*
If I had discovered this book when I first read the Anne of Green Gables series, I would probably love it even now. However, coming to it late in life I found Emily less charming than Anne (though probably closer to L.M. Montgomery herself). Jess Nahikian does a good job with the narration. ( )

Orphaned Emily Byrd Starr is taken in by her mother’s estranged family after her father’s death. Emily will live with her mother’s sisters, Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Laura, and Cousin Jimmy at New Moon Farm at Blair Water. Emily has to adjust to school and make new friends. She has to share a room with Aunt Elizabeth. Emily pours out her grief and frustration in letters to her father. Emily dreams of becoming a writer.

This book has a lot of similarities to the author’s beloved Anne of Green Gables. While Emily had a circle of friends in Teddy, Ilse, and Perry, she is more of a loner at heart. She’s not the kindred spirit that Anne is. ( )