Against the Odds

I really like L.m. Montgomery. I find some of her short stories are a little better then others but I do enjoy them all even the ones I don't get into as much I can't ever say well I did not like it.

I have read most of the new collections of Lucy Maud Montgomery's short stories with enjoyment, but you do have to take the experience with a grain of salt. Due to the way that the short stories are being grouped - stories of orphans, stories of the sea, stories of marriage and etc - it can get rather tedious to read several stories all on the same theme. The best way to read most of these books in the first place is one story at a time - pick it up, flip to a story, and read it, then put it down. Some of the collections are worse than others - Akin to Anne, for example, is one of the most difficult. However, "Against the Odds" is one of the better ones. It's not half as exasperating as some of the others, as the struggles each person faces varies. One of my favorite stories features a boy who gets locked in the attic, and has to escape and walk a long distance in a dress in order to make a debate speech he promised his teacher he'd be there for. Another chronicles the journey of two girls who face bad weather and worse in order to reach a wedding they were invited to, while another features a young girl who must find some scheme to get money to send her brother and herself off to college. You'll admire the clever, stubborn and spirited characters in this book and as usual Montgomery's story-telling style is winesome and amusing. Her short stories, which previously have been lost, are great to discover if you just like light reading before bed (many of her stories are great to read to kids at bedtime too), and imperative to have if you're a Montgomery fan. She seldom lets you down.

The problem with putting together a collection of stories thatshare the same theme--in this case, overcoming obstacles--is that thestories tend to blend together and very quickly seem predictable. And, let's face it, LMM does tend to reuse plot elements, making sure, like one of her own thrifty characters, that she's getting all the wear out of her material. Even under these handicaps, however, some stories manage to shine. The book opens with one of the best in the collection, "A Patent Medicine Testimonial," which is funny and stands out because of the way in which the heroine accomplishes her aim. "Where There is a Will There is a Way," despite its prissily correct tile, is my favourite of the collection. It's a very simple, very short story about a boy whose guardian won't even let him take part in a debate, much less go to college. He defies her, humiliating himself deeply in the process, and in proving his mettle, wins his guardian's approval. Typical LMM, done in her best style. The last story in the book, "The Strike at Putney," is a close second. The elders of Putney's church decide to improve on Paul and say that not only can no woman preach in church, she can't even give a missionary talk. The women thereupon strike. As one of the characters says, "if women aren't good enough to speak in church they are not good enough to work for it either." It's a humourous take on the battle of sexes that raises some good questions about women's role in the church. These three stories alone make the book worth buying, for they are sure to be read and reread.

This book was creative yet predictable..In it you will find a few funnys a few serious and a couple heartwarming storys... I reccomend you add it to your shopping cart.

I just found this book last week, and thoroughly enjoyed it.It was L. M. Montgomery at her best. Some of her stories get to betoo sugary, flowery, or with unrealistically nice characters. In this book, however, all of her heroes/heroines are up against some large obstace which they must overcome with grit, determination, and just plain stubbornness. It's hard to be sugary sweet and mulishly stubborn at the same time! Because of this, perhaps, the characters all seemed real to me, and I enjoyed reading about them. Many of the stories were also quite funny, besides, as people often took rather creative approaches to solving their problems. I would definitely recommend this short-story collection.