Lucy Maud Montgomery ~ A Visit to Green Gables

By Johnnie Alexander

Lucy Maud Montgomery is perhaps most well known for her story of a red-headed orphan girl who wiggled her way—amid toils and troubles—into the hearts of a spinster and her bachelor brother who lived on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province.

Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908, was the first of eight books in the Anne series, and brought Lucy immediate acclaim and international fame.

The irrepressible orphan also appeared in Chronicles of Avonlea (1912) and Further Chronicles of Avonlea (1920).



Lucy wrote the final book in the series, The Blythes are Quoted, near the end of her life. The collection of short stories wasn’t published in their entirety, however, until 2009.

“Divided into two parts, one set before and one set after the Great War of 1914–1918, the book consists of fifteen short stories about unrelated characters alongside vignettes featuring the Blythe family members discussing forty-one of Montgomery’s own poems, which are now attributed to Anne Blythe and to her son Walter Blythe” (L. M. Montgomery Online).




Lucy’s impressive literary output includes:

· 20 novels;

· 530 short stories;

· 500 poems; and

· 30 essays.

Clara Woolner Macneill Montgomery and Hugh John Montgomery welcomed Lucy into the world on November 30, 1874. Tragically, Clara died of tuberculosis. Lucy, only twenty-one months old, was raised by her maternal grandparents.

Prince Edward Island’s Cavendish community, where Lucy grew up, became the inspiration for many of her stories. The specific farmhouse now known as Green Gables is now a national park and heritage place that welcomes hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.





She died while at her Toronto home on April 24, 1942, perhaps of suicide though this isn’t conclusive. (For more info, see these two articles, one written by Lucy’s granddaughter and a second that includes insights from biographer Mary Henley Rubio, author of Lucy Maud Montgomery: The Gift of Wings).

If you've read Anne of Green Gables or seen one of the adaptations, you'll remember the scene where Anne is left alone in the Haunted Woods.

I took the above photo when my sister and I traveled to PEI a few years ago.

Here are a couple of info boards found at Green Gables.

I only regret I didn’t take a photo of the absolutely delicious orange-cranberry scone I purchased while I was there. So yummy!

Leaving you with one final photo from our trip.





Where Treasure Hides





While British officer Ian Devlin fights for freedom on the battlefield, artist Alison Schuyler works with the Dutch Underground to find a safe haven for Jewish children and priceless pieces of art alike. Will Alison and Ian have the faith to fight for their love, or is it their fate to be separated forever?