Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

 

Title:  Jane of Lantern Hill

Author:  L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by:  Lauren Saunders

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 1 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

Have you reread any childhood favorite books lately?  I haven’t read Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery since my teen years, and it was a job to read it again this month as part of the What the Dickens Book Club.

Jane Stuart lives with her grandmother, aunt, and mother in a sad and cold mansion in Toronto.  She discovers that her father is alive, and he wants her to visit him for the summer in Prince Edward Island.  Her world opens and is alive in PEI.  Why did her parents separate?  Will Jane find a way to live a happy life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved how Jane figured out how to cook, clean, and garden on her own and enjoyed doing it.  She enjoyed the small things of life and was a sensible girl.

·       This was a hopeful story that is written for younger audiences (tween and teen).

·       I loved the mystery of the parents’ (Andrew and Robin) relationship both as a kid and reading it again now as an adult.

·       Jane ages from eleven to thirteen in this book.

·       Grandma is a true villain in this book.  How lonely and sad Jane was growing up in her cold home.  I wonder if this character was based on anyone that L.M. Montgomery knew?

·       As I’ve come to expect from L.M. Montgonery the novel had beautiful descriptions of nature, the ocean, Prince Edward Island, the house.  I loved that the lantern hill house was “alive” and had “magic.”

·       It was also interesting reading the difference between Toronto (cold, dreary, etc.) and Prince Edward Island where everyone is loving.

·       This was a coming-of-age novel as Jane really grows up on the island.

·       The cats and dogs in the novel were delightful.

·       This novel was published in 1937 and was set in the 1930s, later than the Anne books.  It was interesting that cars and airplanes are mentioned.  Jane’s dad is a WWI veteran.

·       This story seems scandalous for the times that it was written with the parents being separated and talk of divorce.  Grandma and her aunt made me angry with their meddling in Jane’s parents’ marriage.  The ending is the dream of every divorced child in the vein of The Parent Trap.

·       The ending was good, but abrupt.

·       This is a stand-alone novel and was one of the first L.M. Montgomery books I read because of the movie.  I just recently rewatched the movie after I finished the book.  It strays a lot from the book but was still enjoyable.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook and the narrator had a pleasant voice.

Overall, Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery is an inspiring and charming comfort read.