After Many Days: Tales of Time Passed

For the most part, this collection of short stories included stories where the protagonists met someone important in their lives after a long separation – whether due to a family feud, a lovers quarrel, or because one of the characters moved away. And for the most part, these stories were adorable and completely heart-warming.

As always, there are ones that stood out to me more than others – in this case it was Between the Hill and the Valley and Elizabeth’s Child.

In Elizabeth’s Child, Elizabeth had married a man whom her family did not approve of, and moved out west. One of her brothers, Paul, took it extremely hard, and refused to talk to Elizabeth, or even acknowledge the fact that Elizabeth was his sister. Many years have show more past, and now Elizabeth’s husband is dead, and she is not doing too well financially. When Elizabeth’s daughter, Worth, now in her teens, visits the rest of Elizabeth’s siblings, she and Paul strike up an unlikely friendship. Worth, manages to win his heart, and because he can’t bear the thought of Worth going back to her mother and never seeing her again, he invites the sister he refused to speak to back home to live with him, where he would be able to provide for her whole family.

Between the Hill and the Valley is the story of a man, Jeff, who has been in love with Sara most of his life. He always thought he was unworthy of her, so didn’t mention anything to her until after her father has died and he has discovered that Sara will have to move away. I think the reason I enjoyed this story so much is because in Jeff, I found a kindred spirit. There is always a joy in finding that one sentence in a book that really speaks to you, that describes you perfectly, that you can completely relate to, even if it was written about another character. And Montgomery always has a way of phrasing things that make them seem like they were written just for you.

They pitied him for the lonely life he must lead alone there at the Valley Farm, with only a deaf old housekeeper as a companion, for it did not occur to the Bayside people in general that a couple of shaggy dogs could be called companions, and they did not know that books make very excellent comrades for people who know how to treat them.

“… books make very excellent comrades for people who know how to treat them.” Ah yes, that spoke volumes to me, and that sentence alone made this a wonderful collection of stories. (Isn’t it wonderful when you find a little gem like that?) show less

This is another collection of themed short stories by L.M. Montgomery. I've read pretty much all of her other collections, and like the rest, this one is a hit and miss. Some of the stories are rather poignant and/or heartwarming, but others come across as just cheesy/cliched (even taking into consideration the time period in which these stories happened) Still, if you're a fan of the author, give this collection a try.

This is a nice collection of short stories by the author of Anne of Green Gables. As with many of L.M. Montgomery's other works, the plots are often predictable, but the tales are sweet, or bittersweet, giving us a view of people from a century ago, with all their faults, foibles, and strengths.

Nice little stories, good for bedtime. Montgomery is an awesome writer--the imagery and dialogue are superb and almost beyond critique--but there's a lack of variety in her style that becomes more noticeable, the more books of hers I read. Her biography helps explain things: she never really "got out." Yes, the fact that she spent her entire life in or close to her birthplace on PEI does lend a certain quaint simplicity to her work, but she loses something by it, too: variety!

These stories are primarily ones that never saw the light of day after being published in magazines in Montgomery's lifetime. There's a reason for that. I love reading more my L.M. Montgomery, but these are not my favorites. Maybe because they're grouped together by theme? The stories get very repetitive. And some of the stories showed up as scenes in her books. Fans of Montgomery should read these, but don't pick this up expecting to fall in love with it.

One of many L.M. Montgomery short story compilations, this collection's theme is reuniting of people after time has passed. It's one of the better compilations and sometimes a bit heartbreaking - when misunderstanding occur that separate those in love.

L.M. Montgomery is a long time and all time favorite author of mine. She writes the perfect girls story with just the right mix of adventure, drama and happiness. I find her books a comfort to read and have re-read most of her works many times over the years. They are classics for a reason and that reason is they are great. These are true comfort books for me and books I enjoy re-reading again and again.