https://www.bustle.com/p/the-book-to-read-next-based-on-your-favorite-childhood-classic-65818

I was so excited when I first received Maud as an ARC. I immediately started reading it but unfortunately could not get into the story at all. Eventually I stopped reading it and forgot all about it. Then the Anne miniseries on Netflix came out and I decided to give it another try but still couldn't get into the story. There are many others who have really enjoyed the book so give it a try and see what you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lucy Maud Montgomery isn’t sure where she fits in. She’s lived with different relatives since her mother’s death and is now in the care of her grandparents on Prince Edward Island. She loves school and dreams of attending college and becoming a published author. But it’s the early 1890s, and her grandfather doesn’t think it’s right for women to get a higher education. When Maud, a Presbyterian, develops a relationship with the Baptist minister’s stepson, Maud is sent away to live with her father and avoid a scandal. Unfortunately, her new stepmother is anything but motherly. When Maud’s inept teacher begins to call on her as a suitor, Maud knows she must find a way to support herself if she’s ever to make her dreams a reality.

Maud’s ambition and hard work to get her writing published, while still a teenager and against gender constraints, are inspiring but I worry teen readers will find it hard getting drawn into Maud’s historical mindset (e.g., there’s no talking back to adults—even to stand up for yourself). This is my only minor concern with the book’s young adult categorization. However, the author wisely includes a short section at the end describing the time period and why some plot choices were made.

Fishbane’s historical research is thorough and comes out beautifully in the narrative. Additionally, the spirit of Montgomery’s writing breathes subtly within the pages. You do not need to read L. M. Montgomery’s work to enjoy this story. Knowing it will enhance your experience, as many parallels can be seen, but this novel stands on its own. I immensely enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it; it’s a very well-written story about a girl discovering what she wants out of life and love. For Montgomery fans: this is where Anne of Green Gables begins.

If you have read Anne of Green Gables, you need to read this book. If you haven't read Anne of Green Gables, you need to read it and then to pick up this one!

Lucy Maud Montgomery lives with her maternal grandparents in Cavendish PEI. Her mother died when she was twenty-one months old and her father moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Maud had trouble with her teacher the previous year, so she was sent to live with her Aunt Emily for a while. However, Maud still causes trouble for her grandparents when she returns. They find her secret diary which ruins their relationship. She also starts to have a relationship with Nate, the stepson of the Baptist minister. This is a problem because her family is Presbyterian. These incidents lead her grandparents to send her out to live with her father. But her life doesn’t get easier when she has to deal with his new wife and family. Throughout all of this, Maud finds solace in her writing, both stories and letters to her friends.

The beginning of this story shows Maud being immature and playing with her friends. Though she is fourteen, she acts younger. She often passes notes with Nate and her best friend Mollie. But when everyone else grows up around her, like her cousin Pensie, she also matures.

Maud changes throughout the novel as her situation changes. She acts like a child with her friends in PEI but she has to grow up quickly when she faces her stepmother, who treats her like her personal maid. Maud has to adapt to this new life, where she must defend herself.

Though there were hints of her inspiration for Anne of Green Gables, Maud wasn’t portrayed as her iconic character. Sometimes, stories about authors just show them acting like their characters, but that wasn’t the case with this one.

I liked this story about Canada’s most famous female author.

Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane shows how much work Fishbane put into this novel. I don’t know much about Maud except that she wrote Anne of Green Gables. Which of course Anne of Green Gables. Which of course Anne of Green Gables is amazing. As I was reading Maud, I could tell that Fishbane put in a lot of research for this book.

Maud is such a great character. I love the strength that Maud is able to pull from inside herself. Her strength is so inspiring. All Maud wanted to do was be a writer and she accomplished her dreams.

As much as I enjoyed learning about L.M. Montgomery and her life, I was a bit disappointed in how slow the book is. At the same time I think this story is worth reading.

As a fan of Anne of Green Gables, I was very interested in reading a fictional story inspired by the life of the author. I don't know much about L.M. Montgomery but reading Maud left me feeling like I had some insight on her life, even though the story was fictional the places, people, and certain aspects were not. In the beginning of Maud, I felt the story was bogged down with many trivial details and then the last third was rushed during some of Maud's biggest accomplishments and the ending abrupt, but in the middle of that was the sweet spot. Once I got a little into the story I became enamored with Maud and was invested in the on goings of her journey and her interest in writing. I felt her joy and her heartache and I wanted great things for this young girl. Maud was a fascinating story and left me wanting to know so much about L.M. Montgomery's real life and read her wonderful work all over again.

Get to know L.M. Montgomery in Melanie Fishbane’s excellent Maud

MAUD: A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Melanie Fishbane, Penguin Teen, April 25, 2017, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)

If you grew up in the 1980s, there’s a strong chance you also grew up with the miniseries Anne of Green Gables starring Megan Follows. For many, the miniseries was an introduction to a headstrong redhead with a passion for romance and education. But before the movie, came the book. And before the book, came the author — Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Maud, by Melanie Fishbane, is a historical fiction YA novel based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s teenage years. The book opens when Maud is 14 years old. Maud dreams of college and becoming an author like Louisa May Alcott, but she worries those dreams will never come to fruition. Maud’s grandparents are strict, and her grandfather thinks women belong at home.

Things begin to look up for Maud, though, when the new schoolteacher sees potential and encourages Maud to reach beyond social norms. Maud has her friends, too, including Nate, the Baptist minister’s stepson and the smartest boy in the class. Nate’s friendship is beginning to evolve into something more. The only problem — Maud’s Presbyterian grandparents would never approve.

When Maud’s father suggests she might come to live with him in the West, Maud is elated, and her grandparents see it as a good way to get some distance and perspective.

Life in the West is certainly different than Maud’s dear Prince Edward Island. Maud’s excitement is soon tempered by her stepmother’s plans for Maud’s future, and the sub-par education she receives in the town’s high school. Through it all, though, Maud finds friendship and another chance at love.

Though Maud is a fictional account of L.M. Montgomery’s life, author Melanie Fishbane worked hard to maintain as much of the historical integrity as her narrative would allow.

I found myself utterly immersed in Maud, finding small moments in which to read just a few more pages. Melanie’s characterization of Maud made her as real as if she were the girl living next door. I finished the book feeling as if I really knew who L.M. Montgomery was.

I finished Maud wanting more. I really want Melanie to write a follow-up. You hear that Melanie? I want a follow-up! I also left the book wanting to not only know more about L.M. Montgomery but to also read more of her books — some of which I’ve never heard of. Bookstore here I come!

This book ended up being not for me, therefore I didn't finish.

This is a great companion novel for fans of Anne of Green Gables. It's a good example of the recent trend of novels about novelists. Fishbane has captured the problems Maud faced in dealing with her circumstances but I'm not sure that the audience for this (the YA crowd) will fully appreciate the nuances that seemed so important at the time. I'm not sure I did either but I was willing to roll with it; there's some good lessons here, especially about female empowerment. It's well written and respectful of Montgomery. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A book club that meets at my library recently read Anne of Green Gables, so this was a welcome spin on the life of L.M. (Maud) Montgomery. What a fun read! I absolutely loved reading it!

Do you have a special place in your heart for Anne Of Green Gables? Then you're going to want to pay attention.

Taking cues from Loving Frank and The Paris Wife, Melanie Fishbane researched Montgomery's life and developed this fictionalized account. While I have long loved the work of Lucy Maud, I didn't know much about her childhood before reading this.

There are obvious comparisons between Maud's life and that of her beloved characters Anne Shirley and Emily Starr. While I've heard Emily is a closer read on Montgomery's life, Maud reminded me much more of Anne. At the same time, the novel paints a stark picture of what happened to one Lucy Maud Montgomery.

After the death of her mother, Maud grows up being passed around between family members. No one wants her for long, whether due to financial hardship or an inability to tame her tongue. Maud makes the best of her circumstances, longing for her father to send for her but when he finally does, the results only serve to break her heart anew. I was deeply sad she did not have her own Marilla and Matthew to give her the home she longed for.

At the same time, Maud is blessed to have wonderful bosom friends and a cadre of suitors. In fact, I found myself a little jealous over how many young men vied for her hand, especially since she wasn't all that interested in picking one. But I also admired her dedication to her dream of becoming a writer above all else and it was interesting to see the teachers who encouraged her and her beginning attempts toward making it.

My heart went out to Montgomery and based on where the book ends, I'm hopeful Fishbane will write a follow up. I want to see how Montgomery's foray into adulthood treats her. Although based on the reading I did after finished this, I'm not all that hopeful about her happily ever after. Perhaps this is why she wrote Anne and Emily, to give her characters her idealized life.

Maud is an avidly researched historical novel based on the life of author L.M. Montgomery. Aspects of the book are fascinating - Montgomery's travels through different provinces of Canada in the late 1800s, her family upbringing, schooling, and early literary successes. Fishbane's attempt to capture the feel of the late 1800s does lead to stiff and formal writing at times and the scope of the novel is very small - a short period of years when Montgomery was a teenager (perhaps that is why this is marketed as a YA book). Unfortunately, the book dwells a lot on imagining her chaste romances with a couple of suitors despite repeatedly stating that Maud's priorities were her writing and schooling. The book ends, disappointingly, before she conceives of the beloved Anne and even before she finishes her education. It is an interesting though limited view of a beloved author.

My childhood was punctuated by entire evenings spent watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, Séraphin: Heart of Stone, Les filles de Caleb, etc. etc. You see the type. This shaped me to love fiction set in the prairies or in an older Canada, which pushed me to take a Canadian Fiction class in university, where I finally 'met' Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I fell in love, as so many others did, with the little redhead.

So to me, this book was a taste of home. It was as comforting as a pool on a hot day and a mug of warm tea during a winter storm. Not only was it super interesting to read, but it was effortless - the writing itself was excellent and engaging, and there was never a dull moment.

The best of it was obviously Maud herself. What an amazing characterization of the young teenage girl struggling through the various roles and lives people are trying to impose on her. Her courage just leaks through the pages. I think that if Lucy Maud Montgomery was alive today, she would be absolutely thrilled at how Melanie J. Fishbane has portrayed her.

I would definitely recommend this book to any young woman looking for a good Canadian fiction YA novel -- I really have nothing negative to say about this novel, to be perfectly honest. Also, it's an absolutely beautiful book cover, and it will make a lovely addition to any bookshelf.

I'd like to thank Penguin Random House Canada for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A novel about my favorite author, L. M. Montgomery? Um, yes please!

Even though I was pre-sold on this book, that didn't mean I warmed to it straight away. The first book (the novel is split into several books, each chronically a different time period) actually felt a little distant to me, but I can't pin down why. I was thinking that, much as I wanted to love the novel, it just wouldn't work for me. Things turned around in Book Two, though, and I really started getting into it. By the time I was done, I found I had a really nice journey.

If you already love L. M. Montgomery's books, you'll definitely find things to love here. And if you enjoy well-researched historical fiction that gets into a person's head, you'll have a good time with this one.

Oh, one random detail I particularly enjoyed was when Maud's clothing became more adult and there's talk of how much time it takes to get all those clothes on. It's not something I'm accustomed to seeing mentioned in books, but I so appreciate it.

Maud by Melanie Fishbane examines the early years of LM Montgomery through the lens of historical fiction. I enjoyed reading about the people Maud knew growing up and then seeing how she incorporated these people into her future novels. This book read as though it was a bonus book from one of my favorite authors. Read and enjoy as you travel down memory lane.

Man did this bring be back to my childhood. When I was younger, historical fiction books were one of my all-time favorite genres. I devoured books set in the past, especially those with spunky, intelligent young women intent on taking life into their own hands. And, of course, Anne of Green Gables was among those beloved books. So when I had the chance to read a historical fiction book based on one of my childhood favorites, I knew I had to read it.

That being said, I found myself a little disappointed. The story was enjoyable, don't get me wrong. And it's clear Fishbane definitely did her research when writing this book. But, I just didn't love it like I wanted to. Maybe my tastes in books have just changed over the years. It made me a little sad though. Because I really wanted to adore this book. I just couldn't

I had a difficult time getting into the story and had to force myself to read the first few chapters. After the rough beginning, I did end up really enjoying the story and delightful characters. It just took me some time to get invested. The fact that things seemed to jump around a little and the rather abrupt transitions between scenes probably didn't help mattes.

But, despite my difficulties, I still really liked Maud. The characters were wonderful, and the novel was filled with all sorts of history. Anyone who is a fan of stories like Anne of Green Gables should definitely check this out!

Fantastic book - especially for fans of Anne of Green Gables.

Further review to come!

This title will be great for fans of Montgomery. I can see my student's using it for their biography project or their Canadian history research project. This title is on my fall purchase list.