[Books] L. M. Montgomery - Jane of Lantern Hill

About the book

Title: Jane of Lantern Hill  | Author: L. M. Montgomery | Publisher: Virago Press | 

Price: £6,99 | Genre: Children | Type: Paperback | Pages: 279 | 

ISBN: 978-0-34900-444-0 | Publication date: 1937 | 

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"Jane and her mother live in a gloomy old mansion where their lives are ruled by her overbearing grandmother. Jane has always believed that her fathre is dead. Then, one dull April morning, a letter comes. Not only is her father alive and well, but he wants Jane to spend the summer with him on Prince Edward Island. For a blissful summer she lives at her father´s cottage on Lantern Hill, making friends, having adventures and discovering that life can be wonderful after all. And she dares to dream that there could be such a house wher she and her parents could live together without Grandmother´s disapproval - a house that could be called home."

First sentence

"Gay Street, so Jane always thought, did not live up to its name."

Author

"L. M. Montgomery (1874 - 1942) was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, where she spent her childhood living with her grandparents in an old farmhouse. A prolific writer, she published short stories, poems and novels, many of which were inspired by the years she spent on the beautiful Prince Edward Island. L. M. Montgomery is most famous for creating Anne of Green Gables, which has always been among the most popular of children´s classics, and the wonderful Emily of New Moon series."

Cover and title

I´ve seen this book at Instagram - and fell instantly in love with the cover. I´ve never heard of the book or the author before for as L. M. Montgomery isn´t well known here in Germany. But of course this couldn´t stop me buying it. The cover is so beautiful and I´m so happy that Vertigo Press made this new edition in 2014 - I would have never find this book instead. The cover and the title fits perfectly to the story - the moon, the tree, the little girl, beautifully illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. 

My Thoughts

Jane lives in Toronto with her mother and her grandmother. In her grandmothers eyes Jane is awkward and simply not "right". She feels like she don´t belong there. After so many years thinking her dad is dead, she finds out that he is alive and that he wants to see her in summer. First of all she is not able to think that she would like P. E. Island or even her dad, but of course this is not how it turns out. She constantly fell in love with this beautiful place and her loving, caring dad and the nice people around there and finally she is able to call this place her home. But what about her mother in Toronto? How can she live on with a life parted in the summers in P. E. Island and the winters in Toronto? 

„Then she saw the moon ... the new moon, but not the thin silver crescent the new moon usually was. This was just on the point of sinking into a dark cloud on the horizon and it was large and dull-red. If ever a moon needed polishing up, this one did. In a moment Jane had slipped away from all her sorrows... two hundred and thirty thousand miles away. Luckily grandmother had no power over the moon.
p. 47

This book is full of charming and beautiful descriptions of the island. Jane is a little girl you can relate to, because she is just so lovable. But she is not just nice, she is as well a bit sassy and cheeky and she grows a lot throughout the story. A little heroine bravely facing her challenges - doing the household for her father and finding a new home to give to examples. Jane is not just a dreamer, she is a maker. She´s cooking, planting her garden, makes her house a lovely place - for us girls having the favour of growing up in the 21st century this seems old fashioned and not really feminist, but of course this book was written in a different time. And it just sounds so charming how Jane likes to do those things! The author finds such beautiful words to describe her joy of cleaning, cooking and planting it makes fun to read it, even if you are a feminist. Janes character development is great, she slowly grows to her true self. And this is what makes her average. She´s just a normal girl, nothing special, but she could make her life a better one and herself a stronger girl than before. If she could, we can do, too. 

„After all, it does not take much to make a child happy."
p. 51

The writing of L. M. Montgomery is very beautiful. A dreamy story and a lovely and sweet book, the feel good kind of a book that leave you in a good mood. Of course it´s a childrens book, so you shouldn´t expect exciting page turners, but if you love silent stories with a lot between-the-lines then you will enjoy this book! 

„Watch the stars whenever you are worried, Jane. They´ll steady you... comfort you ... balance you. I think if I had watched them ... years ago .. but I learned their lessons too late."

p. 227

Result

A lovely fairytale story about a little girl finding the home of her dreams. A story about friendship and family, dreams and plans and as well more sad things like divorce and rejection. A silent story about a girl finding her way and growing up.