There's not much worse for a reader than picking up a book you end up not liking. I’ve gotten way better over the years of not finishing books that aren’t thrilling me and actually DNF-ed one the same week I was reading After Anne. Perhaps that’s part of why I kept reading Logan Steiner’s book. To put down two books in a row? Ugh, no fun. The other part was I just kept hoping the book would get better. And, I admit, I wanted to see how Steiner would end the novel. All in all - I should not have let my love of Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery blind me and I shouldn’t have read this book.

Here’s the description:
As a young woman, Maud had dreams bigger than the whole of Prince Edward Island. Her exuberant spirit had always drawn frowns from her grandmother and their neighbors, but she knew she was meant to create, to capture and share the way she saw the world. And the young girl in Maud’s mind became more and more persistent: Here is my story, she said. Here is how my name should be spelled—Anne with an “e.”
But the day Maud writes the first lines of Anne of Green Gables, she gets a visit from the handsome new minister in town, and soon faces a decision: forge her own path as a spinster authoress, or live as a rural minister’s wife, an existence she once likened to “a respectable form of slavery.” The choice she makes alters the course of her life.


With a husband whose religious mania threatens their health and happiness at every turn, the secret darkness that Maud herself holds inside threatens to break through the persona she shows to the world, driving an ever-widening wedge between her public face and private self, and putting her on a path towards a heartbreaking end.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that I love Anne of Green Gables. It’s kind of cliche for a Canadian reader to adore the series but adore it I do. When I was asked to review a fictionalized story about the author and it was compared to Jennifer Robson's novels, well, how was a girl to say no? First of all, Steiner does not even come close to Robson. Second, I think this book was just too fictionalized. I know I wasn’t reading a real biography but something rubbed me very much the wrong way when I learned a large chunk of the book (which seemed to be pulled from/inspired by real journal entries from Maud) was totally and completely made up.

I’ve tried to really think about why I was uncomfortable with the way Steiner approached Maud’s life. There was a tiny part of me that didn’t love that it was an American author taking on a Canadian legend. I figured that was a little bit…ridiculous, not to mention unfair, so I worked to set that aside. But I really didn’t like how she opened the novel - with Maud’s son being called to her house after her death and him realizing it was very likely a suicide. Now, I knew that Maud had had her challenges with her own mental health, as did her husband. But I didn’t know her granddaughter had stated in 2008 that Maud had died by suicide. Though that's still up for some debate - no autopsy was performed and other family members seem to think it could have been an accident. Was I just assuming that this book would be as light and lovely as most of Maud’s own books were? Probably. Was I opposed to having a less than ideal truth be exposed about one of my favourite authors? No, not necessarily. I really do appreciate the honesty as we, as a society, need to be less focused on putting on a sunshine and rainbows front when in public. I’m glad to have learned more but I’ve already gone looking for more accurate resources than this novel because I don’t trust the fictionalized version. I must admit that maybe I was a little sad to have to read that Maud was driven to end her own life - I don’t wish that upon anyone, and especially not the creator of one of the most beloved heroines in literature.



The subject matter should have been a win for me and, as I’ve tried to outline above, it was not. So how about the writing? Well. That wasn’t great either. The novel takes place over a number of years and Steiner did not write in a linear manner. I actually have no idea how many time periods were mentioned and I did not enjoy all the time jumping. It was far too confusing and not done well.

Another reviewer on Goodreads mentioned that one should just read Maud’s own journals instead of this novel and I would have to agree. I think Logan Steiner’s heart was in the right place - at least I hope it was - but After Anne was a major miss for me. Hopefully her next novel is better but I’m not sure if I’ll be picking it up.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Readers remember Lucy Maud Montgomery as a talented writer who brought one of children's most memorable characters to life with her Anne of Green Gables series. Fans of Anne certainly hold a special place in their hearts for the author. However, many may not know the truth about her life and tragic death. After Anne by Logan Steiner imagines what life for Maud may have been like. In a time when women were expected to marry and have children, Maud didn't quite fit the mold. And her inner battle to remain a devoted partner while following her dreams never left her unbothered.

I'll preface this review by warning that this opinion is based on just After Anne, and not on the Anne of Green Gables series. Because I have never read them. Readers can rest assured that Anne had no hold on me while I read Stiener's take. That being said, those who are familiar with Anne will take comfort in experiencing the character's development through Maud's inner monologues. Anne becomes another voice in Maud's head, taking a life of her own. Eventually Anne becomes more than just a fictional character, but rather an indication of Maud's wellbeing.

Maud lives with her grandmother and meets a handsome young minister, Ewan McDonald. She is expected to become Ewan's wife and have his children. However, she isn't in any hurry to make it happen. She wants to be a published author and continue writing other stories as well. And even though she does feel affection and attraction towards Ewan, he doesn't show much interest in her professional endeavors, which understandably disappoints her. Her cousin Frede seems to be the only one in her life who not only believes in her but also encourages her.

As most of us know and are likely grateful for, Maud did indeed publish her books and continued writing other stories. She had also released volumes of her personal journals that served as the basis for After Anne. But Steiner humanizes Maud's experiences and imagines them as they happened. She includes context – what might have Maud been thinking when she realized that she can't put off her decisions forever? What angst must she have felt at the loss of those most important to her? And towards the end of her life, what had she been going through to have it end so tragically? Readers get answers to these questions plus more.

Fans of historical fiction and period dramas are sure to enjoy After Anne. Personally, the pacing was a bit slow.. Also, there are flashbacks and time jumps that can be kind of confusing if you aren't paying attention. In any case, those who love the Anne of Green Gables books are sure to enjoy exploring a deeper level of understanding the woman behind the pen. I know I'm glad to have had the opportunity.

“Dear old world,” she murmured, “you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” —L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908

If you loved Anne of Green Gables as I did, then you will want to read After Anne by Logan Steiner. This is about the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. I admit to knowing nothing about Lucy or her life, so I was happy to get the chance to read this novel, based on her life.

Synopsis:

As a young woman, Maud had dreams bigger than the whole of Prince Edward Island. Her exuberant spirit had always drawn frowns from her grandmother and their neighbors, but she knew she was meant to create, to capture and share the way she saw the world. And the young girl in Maud’s mind became more and more persistent: Here is my story, she said. Here is how my name should be spelled—Anne with an “e.”

But the day Maud writes the first lines of Anne of Green Gables, she gets a visit from the handsome new minister in town, and soon faces a decision: forge her own path as a spinster authoress, or live as a rural minister’s wife, an existence she once likened to “a respectable form of slavery.” The choice she makes alters the course of her life.

With a husband whose religious mania threatens their health and happiness at every turn, the secret darkness that Maud herself holds inside threatens to break through the persona she shows to the world, driving an ever-widening wedge between her public face and private self, and putting her on a path towards a heartbreaking end.

I loved reading this story and appreciated getting a glimpse into the life of the woman who created such a beloved character. This is out now!

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for a review copy of After Anne by Logan Steiner. This book was published on May 30th.

Have you read or watched Anne of Green Gables? What are your thoughts?

After Anne starts with L.M. Montgomery, Maud, as a spinster in her 30’s living with her Grandmother and just starting on her writing of Anne of Green Gables. She loves spending time with her beloved cousin and best friend, Frede. When a new minister comes to town, Ewan Macdonald, Maud wonders whether she has finally found her soul mate. After a glorious birthday weekend with Frede and Ewan, Maud marries Ewan and together they build a life. Sadly, their lives slip into despair over time. How can a woman who wrote such beautiful novels have such a sad life?

I liked how this novel was put together. It opens on the day that L.M. Montgomery is discovered to have committed suicide. Was it an accident or intentional? The book then flashes back to show her life. The birthday weekend of 1907 is prominent, and the narrative keeps slipping back to that time frame when everything looked bright and wonderful for Maud. Anne of Green Gables was about to be published, she was about to be married, and she had her best friend and cousin, Frede. Maud had a lot of trials and tribulations as her husband slipped into madness, she lost those that she loved, and she had a troubled relationship with one of her sons. She started to self-medicate to make it through her days which led to her ultimate demise.

I didn’t know much about her life, and I found this was an interesting biographical fictional novel. It made me sad to learn that L.M. Montgomery had such a sad life, but I was happy that she was able to use the best parts of it for inspiration in her works. This book has led me to want to read her journals and biographies of her life. I may have read all of the fiction that she wrote, but I have not delved into her personal life at all until now. I was particularly fascinated by how the war and the flu epidemic of 1918 affected her life and her writing of one of my favorite novels, Rilla of Ingleside.

I found the character of Maud to be likeable and sympathetic. I enjoyed learning more of her story and looked forward to the bright points such as her 1907 birthday party. The pacing of the story was a bit slow, but I overall enjoyed the novel.

This book opens up with a suicide, I mean it is right there. I have always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables, but I had no idea of this little story about the author. I Googled it and discovered that the family believes she did indeed take too many pills, I read on and was enthralled with the story of how Frede, Maud, and Ewan enjoyed the company of each other, and in those days things were good for all. Three best friends, two like sisters, and two in love, and the threesome could only be parted by someone's death. The death would rock the survivors' world and lead to so much depression and pill-taking. By this time, Maud had completed her books and was working on recopying her journals so that they might be published. Even though this is a fictional book, I found myself seeing some of the scenes in my head. I kept Googling to see if some aspects were true, and they were based on real life (I loved this). Overall, it was a melancholy book, but I enjoyed it very much.

Life and people are complicated. No one is one thing. Logan Steiner writes a complex and compassionate story about Lucy Maud. Montgomery. Maud's love for writing and Prince Edward Island shine through her entire life. Steiner's narrative contains multiple timelines. It is a bit difficult to follow at times, but the inclusion of "The Birthday Weekend" from 1907 does an admirable job of holding the story arc together and ending on a positive note. Most certainly, for Maud, "kindred spirits" were scarce and at times inconvenient. I loved having Anne's voice speak to Maud giving an opportunity to relive the classic series. This portrait is both heartwarming and heartbreaking as we see how Maud's life was reflected in her writing which then made such writing her life's work. Clearly, there is much more to Lucy Maud Montgomery's story and I enjoyed this fictional attempt to pay homage to a beloved literary icon.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful read! As a massive Anne of Green gables fan growing up, when I saw the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at it! Shoutout to Book Club Girl for posting this title as part of their early reads program!

This story is about the beloved author Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables and introduced us to Anne with an E. I will admit that I knew little to nothing about Maud, but knew I loved her characters and stories! This book is a work of historical fiction, but as the author explains in the Author’s Note, she did extensive research to fill in the gaps.

We learn of Maud’s childhood and how she lived with her grandmother for most of her life. How her dear cousin, Frede, was her bosom friend and whose friendship I’m sure inspired Anne and Diana’s. Then we get to know Maud’s long time love Ewan, the minister to their small church, who she ended up marrying and having two boys with. It was quite insightful to get the background of such an imaginative mind! But with the beauty, there is a tragic element as well. Maud’s life was full of hard decisions, storms to weather, and times of having to be incredibly brave.

It really does go to show that you never know what someone is going through in life. Even in the midst of trials, Maud was able to create beautiful, meaningful stories that have impacted so many lives! To me, that is the beauty of books. In the middle of the pages, the author’s words touch so many hearts and minds!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Anne of Green Gables, or to anyone who enjoys learning more about how people have lived their lives. Thank you to the author, Book Club Girl, HarperCollins, William Morrow, and NetGalley for this copy of the book to read!

This book is a tad confusing as it bounces around. I had to look back a few times until I got the hang of how the story flowed. At first it was interesting and I found myself interested in where the story would go. I grew up on Anne of Green Gables, but knew nothing of the authors life. While this book is a work of fiction, much of it was based on Montgomery's actual life...and it became very depressing. To the point that I did not enjoy it. The writing was wonderful, but because the story was so depressing, especially the second half, I had a hard time with it. I came away feeling sad, and even had to set myself up to feel that way in order to pick up the book and continue reading--something I've never had to do before. For some I can see how this story would feel intimate and personal, but the depressing emotions were too much for me to enjoy it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was really well researched and written! The timeline skipping around was confusing at first, but The further I got the more I understood. The author did a great job in how she handled the mental illness both of Montgomery and her husband. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy the Anne of Green Gables series and want to learn more about the life of L.M. Montgomery.

A novel of the author behind the most beloved Anne of Green Gables. A tribute to Lucy Maud Montgomery who struggles with a world that did not accept her while creating one of the most timeless characters in Anne. Maud's hidden challenges show her tenacity and the refuge imagination can offer to all of us. The author pays tribute to a women who wanted to give so much more but was constrained by what society would allow her (as a woman) to do. I was not expecting such a thought provoking novel. The author treats Maud with reverence and brings you along on a journey that while tragic is also triumphant. A fantastic look behind the scenes so to speak for fans of Anne of Green Gables.

It was so interesting to learn about the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery, much beloved author of the Anne of Green Gables series.

I am one of the probably few people who haven’t read the series, though I plan to. After reading this story I definitely want to get to know Anne, she is spunky and determined which I love in characters.

Many parts of this book were hard to read. The story Maud’s husband, Ewan, and his descent into illness, Maud’s battle with depression, and the amount of loss she faced.

It’s not often that books make me sad more than happy, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. A book that can make me feel, which this book definitely did, is a good book in my opinion. Logan Steiner was able to evoke strong emotion from me as I read this story. The ups and downs of Maud’s life, I felt it all. I am curious to see what the author writes about next.

Thank you to William Morrow for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

AFTER ANNE: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery
Logan Steiner, Author
https://bit.ly/3OMY7qv
Women's Friction
In this compelling biography of how Anne of Green Gables came to be and on the the life of Maud, as she likes to be called. From the ups and downs of Maud’s life and marriage to a Reverend, to her tragic death.



This book has a little bit of everything that Maud wrote about. From kindred spirits to being in the depths of despair. With a bit of a shock, for me, at the end. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I also recommend this book be read in print or ebook form to not have any confusion I felt with the audiobook.

Anne of Green Gables was a book I fell in love with as a child. Anne was an endearing character full of optimism, endless chatter and wit and had an extreme love of nature. However, I knew nothing about the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Lucy's life was not like Anne's life and this story is a fictionalized account of her life based on her journals. Of course, we learn about Lucy's inspiration for her stories, but her actual life seemed to lack joy. Her marriage turned out to be unfulfilling and her children were in some ways a disappointment. Those she cared most about most deeply were taken from her too soon or were just not meant to be a part of her life.

Although, I found the book to be well-researched, I did struggle with the jumping of timelines and found it difficult to follow at times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think Logan Steiner is a very talented writer. However, the book did suffer slightly because it jumped around too much.

After Anne is a captivating and intricately crafted portrayal of a remarkable woman. The writing is both profound and poignant, evoking a range of emotions in the reader. Steiner's attention to detail and nuanced approach to character development makes for a truly immersive reading experience. After Anne is a masterful work of literature that is sure to leave a lasting impression on its audience.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a free review. What a fascinating story about an incredible woman in turn of the century Canada. Although I haven't read the Anne of Green Gables novels, I have seen the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's movies on Anne many times, and I truly enjoyed this incredible story.

I was concerned when I first received this ARC that the story could be a bit grim, but I'm glad I persevered and read it cover to cover. Some of the particularly interesting features for me included the way Anne is described as a fully formed character in our protagonist's mind, as well as the beauty of the island that inspires her writing. Anyone who enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables novels would undoubtedly enjoy reading the story about its creator. Excellent novel for historical fiction lovers!

Did Not Finish.

I loved Anne of Green Gables so I was really excited to be given this copy of After Anne as a #bookclubgirlearlyread.

But sadly, my interest waned quickly. There was a lot of dialogue from Anne of Green Gables sprinkled in, and I think that contributed to my mood. It almost felt like deja vu at times. Additionally, most of it felt like the meandering inner monologue of Maud’s mind, and I quickly got bored.

At the end of the day, I’m not a big enough Anne of Green Gables fan to continue on.

This fictionalized biography reveals the difficult relationships with the men in her life, her husband and oldest son. The author is very familiar with the books and expertly inserts quotes to enrich the text. For fans of the Anne of Green Gables series.

I will read anything about or by L.M. Montgomery. This novel was a good read about LMM’s life. I think the author stayed true to fact while massaging the story for creative purposes. She isn’t #afraid to tackle the more sensitive issue of Maud’s life.
It will be a hit for anyone who is an Anne fan.
The author has a good historical note and proffers a list of books for readers to find more information about Maud.

I am an Anne of Green Gables fan and was interested to read more about Anne’s creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery. This novel, while well researched, fell very flat to me. First it took me until about chapter 9 to figure out that the timeline was skipping around between days in 1906 and 1907. Later it skipped between 1919, 1941 and then back to 1907. It was all very disjointed and if you didn’t pay attention to the small note at the beginning of some chapters you wouldn’t realize it. Second it seemed to focus only on the hard, tragic aspects of Maud’s life—her trials with her husband’s mental illness, the loss of her cousin and her worry over her oldest son. Her success and her love for PEI was only minimally mentioned. This seemed an injustice to me.

Thanks to Netgalley and #bookclubgirlsearlyread for the advance copy of this novel.