At the Altar

In this volume of L. M. Montgomery short story compilations, the theme holding them together has been the fact they all end in marriage. I see the basic format here as humorist rather than children's literature. I suppose it can also be called "romantic" as well. Ms. Montgomery's setting, as most of her stories are, is rural Canada 1900. Authors do write about they know, but her works display a timeless quality. It can be seen even though times and cultural mores change, some human qualities do not. One example is sealing human relationships through the marriage social institution. The importance of individual choice for marriage is one knows oneself well enough to follow their heart. Comedy is used early, when the first story the bride's mother tricks the groom's stubborn father into giving his consent to the marriage by telling him his son isn't good enough to marry her daughter. Another story shows romance overcoming societal bias when a young man, over the objections of his family and friends, proposes marriage to woman seven years older. These stories may be unoriginal in concept, but she still makes them relevant. The best story was saved for last. "Jack and Jill Take a Hand" combines comedy/romance and children's literature where a pair of precocious boy and girl twins acts as matchmakers between the young church minister and their attractive young aunt. The technique the author used had the boy narrate the first half of the story and then the girl takes over the rest of the story. The boy is more straightforward in his narrative, while the girl is more romantic based on the romantic novels she reads. If one enjoys reading about the sunnier side of the human spirit in spite of obstacles, this book would be appropriate for all ages. The stories may have been aimed towards children, but they display something more than that. Her message is still relevant, because there is no room or place for the human condition without love and understanding for everyone.

As with all short story collections, this is a mix of some extremely good and some rather tepid stories. All are brought to life by the beauty of the writing and innocence of the characters. And yes, this is not - certainly NOT - a read for the cynicals or those in a dark mood. Read it when you are in cheerier mood -and you would find the whole set of stories pretty enjoyable. On the whole, its a good set of stories and a must for any LMM collection.

Eighteen delightful short stories about weddings and love that will surely grab straight into your heart strings. This engaging compilation published matrimony tales were carefully chosen by Rea Wilmshurst. The readers will surely enjoy this work since wedding bells will be ringing from one story to another. A mix of romance and funny, sharp witted characters make this book simply loveable. Even the mischivieous twins, Johnny and Sue, in 'The Twins and a Wedding' both were cute and adorable and helped a young woman and her gentleman to set aside their arguments and get married. The stories were written in many styles and I simply adore stories from children's point of view as demonstrated brilliantly by the author in 'The Twins and a Wedding' and 'When Jack and Jill Took a Hand'. A must keep for those who believe in weddings and ever after.

Warning! Do not read this book if you are depressed about your relationship. It is filled with lovely, touching stories about true love. This is most assuredly a book for hopeless romantics, not cynics. It is also a book for those who can deal with the coincidences so common in writing of the turn of the century. If you can cope with both of these, I strongly recommend this book. This writing is up to par with Montgomery's best.

I really liked these tales. Each had L.M. Montgomery's special taste of writing. If you like Anne on Green Gables you will like this book.