Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery — Maud to her friends — has a dream: to go to college and become a writer, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott. But living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island, she worries that this dream will never come true. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman's place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. Luckily, she has a teacher to believe in her, and good friends to support her, including Nate, the Baptist minister's stepson and the smartest boy in the class. If only he weren't a Baptist; her Presbyterian grandparents would never approve. Then again, Maud isn't sure she wants to settle down with a boy — her dreams of being a writer are much more important.

But life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother's plans for her, which threaten Maud's future — and her happiness forever. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher, Penguin Teen, in exchange for an honest review!

I have loved Anne of Green Gables for as long as I can remember, so when I saw this book coming out, I got really excited.

Fans of the Anne of Green Gables series will see so many familiar things from Lucy Maud Montgomery's series', from Gog and Magog to Lover's Lane to being particular about how a name is spelled.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. Much like The Radium Girls, Maud was written as narrative nonfiction, and it took me a little while to get into. It was very clearly based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's life, with all the hardships therein, but with a little extra lyricism on the author's part.

Now that I've finished the book, I'm still not entirely sure I liked it. It was more than 400 pages, but Maud gets into college and that's the end of the story. It felt unfinished, despite the length of the story, and lacked the charming prose that Lucy Maud Montgomery used to worm her way into our hearts.

There was a lot that was left unexplained. Even as someone who grew up in the church, I didn't understand why someone being Protestant wanting to be with someone who was Baptist was a big deal, even though it was talked about for probably a third of the book. It was never explored or explained, and given that this is narrative nonfiction, it needed to. We never found out why Mollie and Pensie hated each other, even though that was mentioned ten or twelve times.

I also had no idea what the future held for Maud once it ended. This book was kind of a disappointment for me. This was a three star read at best.

If this sounds like more your thing, you can pick up a copy on Amazon, Indiebound or your other favorite bookseller.

three stars

Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

While I have never read "Anne of Green Gables", I was still interested in reading about the author. This book tells of her life during her early years of living with her grandparents on Prince Edward Island. The author used Maud's own edited journal and letters she had written to friends and family to write this entertaining and enjoyable piece of historical fiction.

I can tell you that Maud did not have such a great life growing up with her grandparents and times being what they were with the feelings toward women, she really had a difficult road to travel.

While the book was a little slow to start, once it got going, I really came to like Maud and was rooting for her all the way.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book.

If you love Anne of Green Gables then this is the book for you. Maud is written as historical fiction about the life of beloved author Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is loosely based on Montgomery's journals and letters.

When I first began reading the book many of the scenes paralled those in Anne of Green
Gables and I thought to myself, "ugh, is this going to be the same story line with Maud as Anne?" Fortunately is was not and I was quicky drawn into her life. As her story unfolds I could see where Maud got her inspiration and characters for Anne of Green Gables.

Unlike Anne, Maud is not an orphan but feels like one. Her mother died shortly after she was born and her father is always off on adventures looking for the next "big thing". Maud is passed from relative to relative. She is a head-in-the-clouds kind of girl with aspirations of continuing her education to become a teacher and writer. Her relatives think she is odd and inappropriate, especially with Nate Spurr.

After many years of waiting, her father finally sends for her to join in him in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He has remarried and has another daughter. Maud makes the long trek across Canada with Grandpa Montgomery but is quickly disappointed. The new Mrs. Montgomery, pegnanat again, does not like Maud and is only looking for a nanny and maid. Her father is gone most of the time and when he is home he rarely stands up for Maud.

Maud tries to make the best of it. She attends school and tries to learn as much as she can from Mr. Mustard. He is not only boring but bored as a teacher. To make matters worse, he calls on Maud, which Maud suspects is encouraged by Mr. Green's old friend, Mrs. Montgomery.

It all comes to a head and it is decided that Maud should return to Cavendish to live with her grandparents. Once again she is uncertain of her future. This story does have a promising ending for Maud. With unexpected support from her grandma she begins to give organ lessons to her cousins. She also reconnects with Nate Spurr.

If you love L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, adventure, romance, and triumph over adversity then this book is for you. It is beautifully written with captivating language and imagery.

This lived up to all my expectations for a story about beloved Maud. I think Melanie Fishbone captured Maud's independent, creative spirit and used just the right amount of fiction to complement the fact.

Will be reading this again, maybe after a bit of revisiting Maud's own journals.

I received this eBook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Maud will be available for purchase April 25, 2017 (today!).

Before L. M. Montgomery was the best-selling author of Anne of Green Gables and other works, she was a young woman living on Prince Edward Island. Drawing from Montgomery’s journals, letters, and other artifacts, Melanie Fishbane brings Montgomery to life in her biographically-inspired work of fiction, Maud. Beginning in her early teen years on Prince Edward Island, Maud takes its title character on a journey to the west and on a journey to adulthood. As she encounters family relations, friendships, and romantic entanglements, Maud learns about herself and what it will take to become who she wishes to be.

Although the story is in the third person, Fishbane employs a prose style similar to what was common in Montgomery’s time. The language is simple and carries an innocent air along with it, helping to build the slow, small-town scene which Maud inhabits. This sometimes causes the plot to crawl at a pace that seems slower than necessary, which is only emphasized by a plot structure that heavily relies on thickly-characterized individuals. Fishbane’s attention to the detail of each character makes each evolution fascinating to watch. Maud’s relationship with Will, her second love interest, is particularly fascinating as Will’s demeanor is more mature than most other teenage characters in the story and, while Maud regularly compares him to her first love, the circumstances of the relationship among other things makes whatever love triangle that might exist seem fresh and new.

Aside from the usual relationship woes many teenagers face, Maud is also in conflict with her future and those around her who wish to stifle any chance she has at the future she wants. Though Fishbane’s approach to this central conflict makes it seem more true to life, it’s not clear until the very end whether Maud’s desire to write or to teach is the true conflict. While she wants both and anyone at all familiar with Montgomery knows how her writing desires turn out, which is the primary want is ambiguous until the conflict is solved.

Another conflict, this one relational, is Maud’s experience with her step-mother. As if out of a fairy tale, Maud finds her step-mother to be over-demanding, cruel, and selfish. There are moments of light and kindness in the new Mrs. Montgomery’s personality, but this is one conflict that is never resolved and Fisbane refrains from speculating on the why, for the most part. Is Mrs. Montgomery jealous of the attention her husband affords his daughter? Is she simply prickly from pregnancy hormones? Is there some other issue stemming from the nearness in the two women’s ages that is causing a problem? The root of Mrs. Montgomery’s attitude toward Maud is never truly explained and, while certainly in reality Maud may never have discovered the reason, a fictional narrative of her life is the perfect place to at least make some leading guesses.

Maud is, overall, charming. Though the writing style is perhaps more appropriate for a younger audience than the audience who would find interest in the novel’s content, it’s a wonderful way to incorporate Maud’s personality and to articulate the lifestyle Maud and her contemporaries experienced. Fishbane’s research is evident throughout the book, creating a mostly-satisfying
presentation of Montgomery’s life and leaving readers with a hunger for more, whether of Maud herself or the results of her work.

Interesting fiction account of the author's life. Fun.

If you are a fan of anything related to Anne of Green Gables, this book is going to take you right back to Lover’s Lane and beyond. Fishbane has created an historical fiction that tells a story of what L.M. Montgomery’s life may have been like and has written it in the style of the infamous Anne books. There are also some interesting aspects to this novel that explore the treatment of the Métis and the last section of the book that describes the extensive research conducted by the author to piece the whole story together.

What is most intriguing about this story is the style in which Fishbane has written it. The whole aura of the narrative is old fashioned and really seems to mimic the way all of those Anne stories feel. There are many heartfelt narratives as well as gorgeous descriptions of the scenery and natural landscape of P.E.I. all the way to Saskatchewan. Also, the humour that is peppered throughout the book gives the reader a sense of how Montgomery was able to laugh even when she faced adversity.

The inclusion of a diverse character, Edie, and the observations that Maud makes about the way the Métis people of Western Canada were treated during her lifetime was a very interesting component of the story. Maud often talks to her friend, Edie, about her struggles and asks her questions about her people. It really gives the reader a mini history lesson, as Maud learns some of the obstacles and harsh treatment of the Canadian Aboriginal people.

Towards the end of the novel, Fishbane gives the reader information on how she conducted her research to write the book and it is quite impressive. There is an extensive reference list that includes various works, people, and places. Fishbane also indicates that this novel is not intended to be a biography, but an historical fiction that is based on L.M. Montgomery’s life and times. The inclusion of information about the time period Maud lived in and what became of her real life friends and family was something I found very insightful.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves the nostalgia of Anne of Green Gables and historical fiction. The writing is reminiscent of L.M. Montgomery and the addition of a diverse character as well as the research information orchestrated by Fishbane makes this one book that is not to be missed.

I’ve only read Anne once and it really touched my heart. It was funny, charming and I absolutely adore it. (Plus I have seen the show many. many times). So reading this story and finding the connections between the Maud’s life and Anne’s life was truly a treasure. However, this is a work of fiction so Maud’s life most likely did not unravel as it did in this book. Still I really enjoyed Maud’s character and the story of her life when she was fourteen.
How could I not like Maud? She was charming, caring and ever so studious. She loved hanging out with her friends and helping her grandparents despite their stern demeanour. I really enjoyed her perseverance against the challenges put in her path. She faced backlash and denial as she tried to make a career for herself. Yet, Maud found her way to make her writing dream come true and I really appreciated that about her.
You get to explore the peaceful shores of Prince Edward Island, the dusty and farm-like wild west of Saskatchewan. And the hustle and bustle of the cities in Ontario. I just found the change in setting and travelling very beautiful and exciting!
It didn’t shy away from the bad aspects of Canadian History. While there is not a lot of emphasis, there is a very important message about the treatment of First Nation and Indigenous peoples of Canada during the time period.
I think my favourite part about this novel is how the author made the connections between Maud’s life and Anne’s life. At first I was expecting Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert or Gilbert to waltz into Maud’s life. Instead I found the people who inspired those characters. The setting that inspired Green Gables. The life of an orphan-like girl who discovered kindred spirits and the scope of imagination which inspired a certain red-head I know and love!
The pacing was a little too fast in my opinion and it would often confuse me. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I thought that it was fun, engrossing and a great look into the life of a female Canadian author. Even though this novel is very fictitious and many of the events and plot lines were made for the sake of the character developments I thought it was a fantastic portrayal of Maud’s life when she was young.

Here's a delightful historical YA novel about the teen years of the famed Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of "Anne of Green Gables".

I enjoyed it very much for two main reasons. It gives insights into the sources of Anne's character, trials and tribulations, in Maud's own experience - though not an orphan, she was shuffled between family members and raised mainly by stern grandparents, who rarely showed approval.

But I especially enjoyed the portrayal of a young woman who refuses to give up on her dream (of becoming a teacher and author) even though these were not roles easily entered by women in her day. It's an inspiring read that I recommend to teens and adults with fond memories of Montgomery's many wonderful novels.

A thoroughly entertaining and engaging romance, especially fun for fans of LM Montgomery!

2.5 Stars

"Anne of Green Gables" was one of my favorite childhood reads. Once, when I was 10, I even wrote to a publisher to see if they had any copies of a then out-of-print edition of "Road to Avonlea." I couldn't get enough Anne, and was thrilled when a Canadian colleague of my father's gave me copies of the "Emily of New Moon" books. Eventually I read most of Lucy Maud Montgomery's remaining works, from Kilmeny of the Orchard to closest LMM got to a feminist breakout book, "The Blue Castle," in which the heroine openly defies her family and builds a life for herself when she thinks it's almost over. Thus, I was intrigued by a novelization of LMM's early life when I saw the galley go up on Net Galley late last year. This was, however, a hard book to read.

Fishbane, who is a LMM proponent and on the board of the LMM Institute at UPEI, has created a book that is neither an engaging historical novel nor a biography. It is some weird hybrid that drags significantly in its first 150 pages. It doesn't work as an adult novel and it doesn't have the fire to be a YA book. I know the target is AoGG lovers, but the narrative isn't absorbing. Told in a passive voice, we see the world roll over Maudie and because of the mix of fact and speculation, it's hard to know what's real, what's not and frankly, with some of the insipid exchanges between Polly and Snip, it was hard to muster caring. The awkward-feeling insertion of place names from the Anne books irked me. This isn't about Anne, it's about Maud, and I don't even get information about how she came up with these names to use in her Anne books. In the end, I'm left with a fictional Maud, living in the 1890's, gallivanting around with boys and young men, holding hands with them, exchanging flowers and even a ring, and a fair amount of kissing them, including comparisons between the prospective lovers. For the modern era it all seems tame. For the Late Victorian era it seems outrageous, even in rural areas of Canada. What do you do when your grandparents are scandalized with your taking up with a boy? Do it more, of course. It's been well over a decade since I read through the early volumes of LMM's journals but I don't remember getting the impression that LMM was treading on the edge of impropriety all the time. I do recall much loneliness and isolation. While certainly her childhood was marked with the tragic loss of her mother, a disinterested father that wasn't up to the job of being available, a cold and possibly jealous stepmother, and old-fashioned grandparents who thought the idea of a woman having a career scandalous, this book manages to steal our empathy for Maud's struggle to become a successful writer. So much of what we saw in Anne's story, when described of Maud's actual life in Fishbane's hands, comes off as rather bland and undercuts our engagement in Maud's life. Yes, it was interesting to learn which friends inspired Diana and Gilbert in the Anne books. But that was information I had from the Delphi Classics edition's introductions for each of the books in the complete Anne series.

Perhaps I'm harsh because I loved LMM's works, and her ways of engaging a reader so skillfully. It's certain that I am sad I didn't find something to love here.

I didn't really know anything about the life of this author. I have been addicted to the Anne of Green Gables story since I was little. I grew up on Anne (of course with an E) and the world that this author had created. However, this author did a great job with this story. You can tell that the author did her homework before writing this story.

I think this story just fell kinda flat for me. I think that this would have been better as a New Adult story vs. Young Adult since most kids have no idea who Anne Shirley even is. I really didnt connect with any of the characters in this one and it just didnt work out so well.

At first, I really liked this book. Especially when I felt there was a Little Women vibe going on within the book. Maud reminded me a lot of Jo. In fact, whenever she (Maud) would mention Little Women, it would make me so ecstatic! I almost forgot that this was based on the author of Anne of Green Gables and was just another fictional protagonist. I usually don't read historical fiction but this was different. While the book was rooted within the past, I could imagine it easily and enjoy what it had to offer. However, I didn't like how it the book dragged on after a certain point or was divided into parts rather than just a continuous story. Sometimes, especially at the end, I felt myself skimming parts to get to the juicier parts of the story. Overall, the fact that it dragged on, starting from part two of the book, really affected how I feel about this book during and after reading it. I'd give this a 3 star rating overall.

Anne of Green Gables and LM Montgomery have been a huge influence on my life. I often read one of Montgomery’s books when I’m feeling down and need a guaranteed pick-me-up. In college I even chose to do a year abroad in Nova Scotia for the opportunity to visit P.E.I. When I saw that a book about Maud’s young adult years was due out, there was no question about it, I knew I had to read it.
Reading Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane was like reading an Anne book. Fishbane beautifully intertwined the facts about Maud’s life with the fiction to make it a compelling story. The story was well-researched. Throughout the story you see glimpses of where Maud got the idea for Anne of Green Gables. From her Uncle Cuthbert to being left at the station, the author does a wonderful job at sprinkling those little nuggets into the story. One of my favorites was the mention of Gog and Magog in Grandpa “Big Donald” Montgomery’s dining room- these china dogs made their way into Patty’s Place in “Anne of the Island.”
Maud’s teacher, Miss Gordon, seems to be one of the only sources of consistent encouragement in her writing throughout the book. Despite this, Maud perseveres, making a name for herself through her essays in the paper. Miss Gordon encourages to “write what she knows,” much like Gilbert encouraging Anne to to do the same.
The hardest part for me to read was Maud’s relationship with a certain boy. Knowing about her life and the imminent future they have, this section bittersweet. They had a young love that Fishbane showcases with talent. Despite knowing the outcome I still rooted for them, hoping against hope that in this fictional version of Maud’s life they could find happiness.
The inclusion of pieces of Maud’s own diaries throughout the story made it feel so much more real. I tried to read them when I was in high school but I always got distracted. This book was the push I need to pick up the diaries once again and and experience what Maud had to say to her dearest friend.
I recommend this book to anyone who grew up reading LM Montgomery and for those who love seeing the story behind an author. It feels like reading with an old friend.

I absolutely loved this look into the author and inspiration that she got Anne of Green Gables from! Anyone who is a fan of Anne should definitely read this book.

The story of LM Montgomery's teen years, age 14-17, with her grandparents on PEI and with her father's new family out west. I expected to love this, and I wanted to love it so badly. I like the author on social media, and she's a good writer. But this never gelled for me. There was no overreaching plot, and the choppy, distant writing style kept me at arm's length. At times it made sense, because Maud was clearly depressed, as she was at many points in her life, but it just never clicked for me. I almost feel like it should only have been set at her father's; the PEI bits didn't inform much of anything. We got two romances (Nate and Will), that went nowhere and did nothing. Everything felt spelled out and not shown, especially Maud's writing. I know she was working within the confines of what happened in Maud's life, but there needed to be a clear narrative arc with growth and it needed to say something. It felt more vingettey than anything, and overly long for that style. :(

I am a huge L M Montgomery fan, and I've even read all her novels and journals, but I couldn't get into this book. It was flat. I found myself unable to even care about Maud herself, because it seemed like most of the book was just a recitation of events and conversations without any real emotion. I'm disappointed, and I'm not sure if anyone who isn't a fan of Maud would pick up or find this novel interesting.

Maud, by Melanie Fishbane, provided by NetGalley as a digital ARC, was downloaded by me a couple of months ago. It sat on my IPad teasing me, taunting me, daring me to read it. I delayed the pleasure because I wished to savor it for as long as possible. I knew once I began reading this novel. I wouldn't be able to stop. I was correct. I read the entire book in one day. It is delicious and delightful, Melanie Fishbane captures Lucy Maud Montgomery"s voice so beautifully, it's quite haunting. It's like reading L.M. Montgomery's own journals, the words and depictions blend so well. I had to constantly remind myself this was historical fiction. It's been a long time since a book has so thoroughly entranced me like this one did. I hope the author will continue the story, with a follow up novel, soon. Melanie Fishbane is a talented Canadian writer who encapsulated a renowned, beloved icon of Canadian literature with her book.

Delightful! a life time L.M. Montgomery devotee, I was a little hesitant about a novel based on her life story... but I needn't have feared. Fishbane is one of the golden few... a true kindred spirit, who treats this novel of Maud's life with all the detail and care that and fan could wish for. There were definitely squeaks of delight, heart flutterings, and stomach butterflies involved in the reading of this book. I felt like I was in middle school again, which is awesome, because my middle school self was more pure of spirit and less world-weary than my current self is apt to be. I got a distinctly "Little House on the Prairie" vibe from the middle section that I wasn't expecting, but then again, I didn't really know about Montgomery's time out west. There was much I learned that makes me want to do my own research, reading her letters and papers to compare the book to real-life for myself!

Recommended to: Anne-Fans, Little House on the Prairie fans, those who long to be in the innocence of middle school again, letter writers.

I feel like I should start this review with the disclaimer that L.M. Montgomery was one of my favorite authors growing up. I loved her stories about Anne and Emily, thought A Tangled Web was wonderful, and enjoyed many of her other books. All of the copies of her books that I collected still hold a special place in my heart, as well as on my bookshelf. So, I loved this fictionalized story of her teenage years, and if you have read and enjoyed L.M. Montgomery’s work, I believe that you will enjoy this book as well.

The book starts slowly with a background of her early life with her grandparents and other relatives, but it becomes much stronger once she travels to Saskatchewan to live with her father and his new wife. The story includes more romance than I expected, but it is also a bittersweet story of the difficulties and choices that her dedication to writing sometimes involved. It provides a clear perspective of how she used her own experiences in her writing and made many references that I recognized. I was also pleased to see that the book ends with an author’s note which explains a few adjustments to the actual timeline and a description of what happened to several of the characters after the time covered in the book.