Sunday Salon: Reading Jane of Lantern Hill

Jane of Lantern Hill. L.M. Montgomery. 1937. 274 pages. [Source: Bought]

Jane of Lantern Hill was one of the few L.M. Montgomery books that I had not read before this year. While I found Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat extremely disappointing, I found Jane of Lantern Hill to be practically perfect in every way. (If Pat had been my first introduction to L.M. Montgomery, I'm not sure I'd have ever voluntarily picked up another Montgomery book.) I just loved, loved, loved Jane of Lantern Hill.

Jane is our heroine. She lives with her mother, aunt, and grandmother. All three call her Victoria. It is not a happy home for all live in fear or reverence of the grandmother. Her mother is a forgiven prodigal. She returned home with a three year old daughter. (She did not divorce her husband; divorce is unforgivable.) Jane has always assumed that her father was dead. When she learns the truth, she's one confused child. Her relatives only confuse her more. If he is mentioned at all, it is to say that he did not want her, that he never loved her, that she is nothing to him. So it is with dread that Jane learns she is to spend an entire summer with him. He lives on Prince Edward Island. If he never wanted her, why does he want her now?

Once Jane is reunited with her father, her Dad, then the magic happens. It's a lovely coming-of-age novel about Jane discovering who she is and who she isn't! It's about her getting to know and love her Dad. It's about her finding a home, finding a place to belong, a place in the community. Jane is a great narrator! I can hardly do the book justice by summary.

Jane of Lantern Hill is thoroughly satisfying!

Favorite quotes:

Sometimes Jane thought drearily that there must be something the matter with her when there were so many people she didn't like. 

If any one doesn't like the Bible there's something wrong either with him or with the way he was introduced to it. We must do something about it. The Bible is a wonderful book, my Jane. Full of corking good stories and the greatest poetry in the world. Full of the most amazingly human 'human nature.' Full of incredible, ageless wisdom and truth and beauty and common sense. 

Dad read words as if he tasted them.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Foundling (1948)

The Foundling. Georgette Heyer. 1948/2009. Sourcebooks. 439 pages.

I remember struggling through The Foundling when I first read it in 2010, but this time I enjoyed it much more. The romance isn't strong in this one. It is a 'coming of age' story in a way. Gilly (our hero) is in his twenties but so inexperienced in the real world that he's got a lot to learn before he becomes a "real man." This book is about his adventure into manhood, how he learned how capable he really is in interacting with the world. How he doesn't have to rely on his servants and staff for every single little thing.

Gilly's adventure starts when he decides to "help" his cousin, Matthew, deal with blackmailers. He will go in his cousin's place and handle the situation himself. It worked surprisingly well, but, it wasn't without consequences! For in his journey he picks up TWO unpredictable charges. A young man who is running away from his tutor, and, a young woman who is without any sense whatsoever. He also makes a very determined enemy.

If you're looking for romance and only for romance, The Foundling may prove quite disappointing. This is about his journey: the places he goes, the places he stays, the people he meets, the dangers he meets, the dangers he overcomes. Readers meet several interesting characters: some good guys, some not-so-good guys.

There are better Heyer novels that I would recommend first, but this one is enjoyable enough.

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Stardust (1998)

Stardust. Neil Gaiman. 1998. 368 pages.

There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire. And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole of it. 

Stardust is probably my favorite Neil Gaiman novel. It's set during the Victorian time period, and it has a classic fantasy-adventure feel to it. There is definitely some romance to it--it isn't a children's book, there's some adult content after all. All the elements work together for an enjoyable read!

In Victorian novels, it isn't unusual for an author to begin his or her story with extensive background, providing readers with information that sooner or later may prove important. Details on where the story is set, what life is like in that community, the families that live there, the story--romantic or practical--of the main character's parents, perhaps even going into great detail on the successes and failures, hopes and disappointments. Wilkie Collins, for example, can spend fifty pages or so just setting up the background for his novel. Gaiman spends the first chapter of Stardust doing just that, he sets up the family history so he can move the story forward sixteen or seventeen years and get off to a proper start in chapter two with the actual hero of the story, Tristran. Is this necessary?! Yes, in Tristran's case for his parentage makes him very unique. Still, it was a little unsettling to me--the first time at least. But I think it works.

There is a loveliness to the writing, the storytelling. It is rich in detail, in places, and at times very creative. I definitely enjoyed following Tristran Thorn on his quest. I liked seeing him transform into someone a bit wiser and kinder. I thought we met plenty of interesting characters along the way. Some of these characters I liked more than others! But overall, I definitely liked it. I think I loved it more the first time I read it, however.

When I first read Stardust in 2008, I wasn't as familiar with the time period as I am now, so paragraphs like this one meant little to me:

The events that follow transpired many years ago. Queen Victoria was on the throne of England, but she was not yet the black-clad widow of Windsor: she had apples in her cheeks and a spring in her step, and Lord Melbourne often had cause to upbraid, gently, the young queen for her flightiness. She was, as yet, unmarried, although she was very much in love. Mr. Charles Dickens was serializing his novel Oliver Twist; Mr. Draper had just taken the first photograph of the moon, freezing her pale face on cold paper; Mr. Morse had recently announced a way of transmitting messages down metal wires. (5)

Update: I've now seen the movie! It is quite different from the book! I enjoyed some of the changes, but not quite all of them. I think I definitely prefer the book to the movie. I thought the book was more clever, perhaps. I think one of my favorite things about the movie was the soundtrack! It was quite lovely!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews