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.

Anne of Green Gables was required reading in my group of childhood friends. I can fondly remember reading those stories over and over and watching the series whenever it ran on tv. Now to get a peek at what inspired it all is a real treat.
In Maud, Lucy Maud Montgomery is just as much of a character as that of Anne Shirley. She's friendly, funny and just a bit melancholy. After being moving unceremoniously from eastern to western Canada, and back again, she felt unloved and unwanted. Shamefully really as she still had a living parent and a large extended family.
Family drama aside, Little Maud also had some guy trouble --- isn't that the best kind? Coquettish and flirty she never suffers from a lack of male attention. So much that a friend cautions her to be, "careful about how you lead boys on because they want one thing." Sage advice, now and then --- have you seen The Bachelor? Maud is capable and confident and even had the gravitas to give a paramour the "it's not you, it's me."
Bold and at times brash, I appreciated her strength, even as I felt for Nate (the brush off is always hard).
Maud struggles against sexism and those age old disfavors, which unfortunately can be found today. However, this aspect does not take away from the feel good ending, and although the conclusion is presented in a tidy package, it is worth noting that the true story is rich with even more layers. Coming in at 400 pages it is not a quick read, but the storytelling is so compelling that you can get lost in Maud's world.
Maud is a treat for the senses. It brought back wonderful childhood memories of a girl who had her head in the clouds but was one of the most centered characters ever. Anne and Maud's ambition and dreams are just as inspiring today.

If you've read the works of Lucy Maud Montgomery, you're going to feel right at home reading this! The writing style is so very similar to LMM's style that you're immediately in the setting of Anne of Green Gables or The Road to Avonlea. Beautiful settings and wonderful characters!

Inspired by Melanie J. Fishbane, I began researching LMM's life and what I found was heartbreaking. What a sad life she had! So sad that she apparently committed suicide. Tragic for someone who has brought so much joy to generations of readers. The knowledge of her personal struggles with "the black dog" of depression give an added poignancy to her works.

In my opinion, any time a novel inspires you to do your own research and to think for yourself, it's a treasure!

Three gifs and three quotes to express my reaction to this book

<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdmhc1PrfP1r7t2j6.gif"/>
This story is so sweet, charming, and heartwarming, I wore the above expression for most of the book.

He extended his hand. "Come."
She took his hand and couldn't think. She had never held a boy's hand before. And after she had just counted her nine stars. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying.

<img src="https://m.popkey.co/cd855c/K0ZKD.gif"/>

Poor Maud was like an orphan. After her mother's death, she was bounced around from relative to relative. Some resented her and none understood her. But the worst was her step-mother. I was so appalled by her behavior. I took solace in the fact, that Maud had some supportive relatives and a great group of friends, who built her back up when others were trying to break her spirit and kill her dreams.

"I'm so glad you're home." Mollie wrapped her arms around Maud and gave her a hug so tight she had to keep her hat from falling. "It was like this summer had no sun with you gone."

<img src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f5/de/85/f5de85bfe36711d9e01686c1ad0faad4.gif"/>

The romances in this book were so precious and swoony. Though Will and Nate were very different from each other, they were both perfect for Maud. I loved every moment that these two shared with Maud.

"P.S. Note, not one mistake this time. Laura has been helping me and my hands aren't so shaky anymore. They just miss touching you."

Overall: A lovely character driven novel, which inspired me to search for more information on LM Montgomery and left me with a warm heart and a smile on my face.

Writing a novel about such a beloved author must be a daunting task, especially when your character will no doubt be compared with Anne of Green Gables and the autobiographical Emily of New Moon. This is a fascinating, though somewhat melancholy, peek into what Maud's life as a teenaged girl might have been like.

This book left me feeling that L.M. Montgomery gave Emily the girlhood she wished she'd had; in reality, Maud's life was more like Anne’s before Matthew and Marilla, taking care of other people's children and being treated almost like a hired girl. But like Emily, she always knew writing was her destiny.

Montgomery fans will recognize a pinch of The Story Girl, a bit of Emily’s "whistle and I'll come to you, my lad,” and most of all, a satisfying ending that gave me “the flash."

Maud

Melanie J. Fishbane

★★★★☆

Pros:
~ Well-researched portrayal of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s young life
~ Sweet writing style reminiscent of the Anne books
~ Includes some of L.M.M.’s journal entries and childhood letters
~ Bittersweet romances that make you cry
~ I mean really, poor Maud, if I was crying what was she doing?
~ Just if you want a sadder version of Anne....
~ Not that this is particularly *sad*, it’s actually quite cheery
~ But Maud’s life is just really that much sadder than Anne’s
~ Did I mention Will?
~ Origin story!

Cons:
~ Pacing can be a bit meandering
~ Not much semblance of a real plot
~ A lot of characters you have to get used to--but don’t worry, it’ll come
~ The ending felt a little abrupt; could’ve been rounded off more


If you’ve read Anne of Green Gables, you probably loved it. (Don’t fight me on this. It’s not worth it.) There are like, seven books in that series, plus extras about other characters, but if you’re still in need of more and want to learn a bit about the real Anne, then I am pleased to say that Maud is the perfect thing for you.

I didn’t grow up with Anne of Green Gables. I only read it when I was around seventeen, so I was already well into my very own Queen’s College years when I discovered the series. And promptly I fell in love with Anne and Diana and their friendship—not to mention the original teen dream Gilbert Blythe (don’t FIGHT ME ON THIS GIL DESERVES EVERYTHING).


So with my love of those books in hand, I read Maud. Now I don’t know much about LMM beyond her Wikipedia page, but judging from this novel, her experiences, way of thinking, and childhood were very similar to Anne’s. Except where Anne had Marilla and Matthew—an absolute angel—Maud was tossed about between her own family members, unwanted and largely unprotected.


We watch her grow up in Cavendish, P.E.I. with her rigid grandparents. She has a boatload of cousins who are her best chums and bosom friends, her very own Gilbert/Anne-esque first romance(s), a supportive teacher like Miss Stacey… but Maud’s life, as we are shown, is not the fairytale that Anne Shirley’s turned out to be.


What really shone was Maud’s departure of Cavendish for Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where she lives out her teenage years with her father and stepmother. She arrives to a loving father and a crow of a stepmother. And all the while, her future grows bleaker, her relationships more distant, and her prospects fizzling out. There is a quite a stretch spent in Prince Albert and Maud’s deepening misery there was so poignant and strangely relatable. I know she succeeded, at least with authorial pursuits, but the feeling that she’d been not only trapped, but unwanted and trapped, was so strong I couldn’t help but feel as depressed as she did.


While I did struggle with all the names and personages in Maud’s life (there’s even a cast of characters in the front of the book!), my biggest complaint is that there is a definitive lack of plot—while Maud assuredly has clear goals and achievements, this book is more to show her life than provide an intense, goal-oriented plot.


Maud focus heavily on LMM’s life before success. This is also a novelization of her life, with I’m sure what are plenty of artistic liberties. But in spite of the liberties taken, and in spite of the plot (or lack thereof), Maud captures the spirit of LMM’s books and her own spirit really well, especially when she was at a time with no privacy yet nobody to truly look out for her; nobody who truly wanted her. A lot of subliminal parallels are drawn between Anne and Maud, and justly so. Reading Maud’s story has made me wonder how much of Anne’s life she wished for herself, and I think reading the Anne books after this will be changed for me. I never thought much about LMM before, but now that I know more of her, I think the happiness she gave Anne is such a sad, generous, beautiful little thing.


Now, for the big question: can you read this if you’ve never read any of the Anne books? Absolutely. Maud is completely independent of LMM’s written works and works very well as its own standalone. Also, can I just say how much I loved the author’s note and the info on what happened to the characters after the novel? Because I did. (Reading their depressing fates actually made me cry after spending the novel falling in love with them.) And further reading, be still my heart!


One thing Maud achieves wonderfully is that it never talks down to its reader, nor feels like it is taking blatant liberties with real lives, and for that reason alone, I wholeheartedly recommend it.


A free copy of Maud was provided by Penguin Books via Netgalley. All opinions are my own and uninfluenced. Thank you!

Most every author says that they place a bit of themselves in their books, in some way or another, in some varying quantity. Many of our most memorable characters from literature have a good helping of truth in them, injected by and from the author's own feelings, emotions, and expression. Those are often the ones that impress upon the reader the validity of their realness and thus, by extension, the realness of the world in which they live in their novel's story.

Fishbane, without a doubt in my mind (even without the information confirming as such in the back of the book), did a tremendous amount of research to prepare for this novel. Fictional adaptations are often written to entertain more than inform, but here we have an author who has clearly tried to fictionalize the subject, L.M. Montgomery, as little as possible. This is a shame.

The main problem I ran into while reading Maud was the lack of authenticity. All tell and very little show, this felt as if Fishbane went about this novel in a backwards manner—trying to inject Montgomery's creation of Anne Shirley into a marginally fictionalized Lucy "Maud" Montgomery. Maud, in this adaptation, felt like a copy of a copy. Losing the detail necessary to make Maud feel like a living human being, I found myself mired down in a detached and removed narrative.

I am not sure who the target audience was here; this is a very long and drawn out story that spans very little time to be appropriate or engrossing for Middle Grade. Even for the more mature reader, for a Young Adult novel, there is very little that happens at all, so I am bewildered as to who, other than fans of Anne of Green Gables, would want to pick up this book.

Perhaps constricted by a misused version of the formality of that time period, Fishbane left little room for connection with the main character. This entire fictionalization felt like a very long encyclopedia entry about Ms. Montgomery. No mundane task was too small for a section devoted to it. There was too few lines of substantial dialogue, with most everything of importance landing on the page in the form of a dispassionate internal discourse. Sure, there were the words on the page that are typically used in evoking passion, but there was no heft behind those words.

Maud
A Novel Inspired by the Life of L.M. Montgomery

by Melanie Fishbane
Penguin Random House Canada







Razorbill Canada

Children's Fiction, Teens & YA

Pub Date 16 May 2017





Archive Date 16 May 2017




I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of Maud through the publisher and Netgalley:
This novel takes us back in time to the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. We learn that Maud's grandmother believes she is too sensitive and she spends alot of time dealing with her emotions in her journal. Maud dreamed of being a writer much like Louisa May Alcott.
Maud's Grandmother criticises her often.
From an early age Maud is aware her calling is to write. Maud has a teacher who encourages her to write what she knows, and who encourages her to go on to Prince Edward's College. When Maud was writing she was able to forget all her troubles.
The second part of this book goes on to talk about Maud's life on Prince Alberts Island. Soon Maud finds herself homesick. Her stepmother doesn't want to attend school after her half brother or sister is born.
Just before her sixteenth birthday Maud starts getting headaches. When things get too heated between Maud and her stepmother she decides she needs to go back to Prince Edward Island to live with her Grandparents.
In the third segment of the book Maud is back on Prince Edward Island with her Grandparents. By the time she is seventeen Maud is studying the markets for her short stories, determined to become a published.
I give Maud five out of five stars.
Happy Reading.

Can I tell you how excited I was to read this? (If I hadn't given up the use of both really and very in 2017 I would say both)

The thought of immersing myself back in Prince Edward's Island was so tantalizing that I set aside several nights with snacks on hand just to read it in an uninterrupted way. Much like getting ready to binge watch a show I was all prepped to dive into it.

And it was okay. It just wasn't what I had it built up to be.

It's funny because it reminded me of the Boxcar Children re-boot in that I thought I would hate it. I was reading it with a critical eye from page one. Instead, I loved it.

With this book, I was shouting when I saw that my request was approved. I wanted to love it.

Maud is the story of Lucy Maud Montgomery, and right away the similarities between Maud and Anne are visible. Maud got shuffled between family members, she feels awkward and has misunderstandings with those around her.

It's disconcerting because the setting and atmosphere are so spot on. Maud is "Anne, " and I couldn't just read the story because my mind was picking apart every single thing comparing it to the AoGG books. I do think Anne fans will love it. The old writer's advice of write what you know comes to mind. Of course, Maud would have used her experiences to write her books.

Did I like it as much as I expectedI would? No.

As much as I thought I would? No.

So, I suppose as a review that's not much help.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book.

When I requested this book I didn't realize that it was a YA Novel but Anne of Green Gables was one of the first classic novels I ever read (it's proudly displayed in my living room actually) and sometimes YA novels can appeal to us not-so-young adults so I dove in.

Initially I was confused by the formatting of the book, which I blame partly on it being a digital copy, but instead of breaking the book into Part I, I, and III she calls them books. That seems more like a matter of semantics but generally a break like that signals a great advancement of time or a dramatic shift in the plot; however, in this book it seemed like those were placed without through. The first page of Book Two could have quite literally been a continuation of Book One so I was a little confused by what those terms meant. It didn't really spoil the book for me but it was a little jarring.

While I will say that Ms. Fishbane did a tremendous amount of research for this book and obviously cared for the subject a great deal the writing was a bit off for me. I felt like the writing style got more mature as Maud aged but I couldn't tell if that was intentional or if it had been so long between the first book and the last book being written that her style changed. It was interesting because I actually didn't enjoy Books One and part of Two at all but by the end I didn't want the book to be over.

Another part I didn't care for was the filler. I know all authors put filler in their books but there were just portions of this book that got boring. And I get it, it's based on someone's real life so how much can you really change the story up but truthfully I got so bored by the time they reached Saskatchewan I almost put the book down for the day.

The book is a solid three stars. If you're looking for a book for the 16 and under crowd this is a good choice for sure but this isn't one of those YA novels that can make the leap onto the adult fiction table.