Emily of New Moon

Last year, the L.M. Montgomery Institute blog held an Anne of Green Gables read-along; it was so popular that they decided to hold an Emily of New Moon read-along this year. It’s currently in full swing and readers from around the world gather to read a chapter and a related blog article each week. It’s great fun!

I reread the entire Emily series in March and April of this year, in preparation for my part in the read-along. I was grieving the loss of a dear friend and experiencing several difficult trials. I hadn’t read the Emily books since I was very young. It was the perfect time to pick them up.

Reading the Emily of New Moon books again was a balm to my weary soul.

I think that’s why so many fans of authors like L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Jane Austen love to read and reread their books. They lift our spirits and provide comfort and familiarity.

When I received my assignment for my week on the L.M. Montgomery Institute blog, I was pleasantly surprised to see I’d been given Chapter 6 – “New Moon.” It’s the chapter when Emily first moves to New Moon after losing her father and her beloved home. It meant so much to me to walk beside Emily as she grieved her father and I grieved my dear friend.

Here’s a snippet from the article I wrote about Emily of New Moon:

In this chapter, Emily is introduced to New Moon, its inhabitants, and its ways. While she struggles “desperately for self-control” due to unexpressed grief, she also finds New Moon curious and intriguing (Montgomery 59). There’s a deep tug-of-war between the things that strive to constrain her and her own nature which will not be held down.

Montgomery creates balance between grief and hope, hard and soft, dark and light at almost every turn in this chapter. These instances provide us with the sense that Emily will not only survive, but actually thrive in this odd, backward place.

-Rachel Dodge, L.M. Montgomery Institute blog

To read my full article and/or to follow along with the weekly read-along, you can click here.

I hope you’ll read my article and even share it with a friend. I think it’s lovely that so many people around the world are picking up these old books to read or reread. Personally, I love the nostalgia of revisiting favorite books!

This chapter in Emily of New Moon is heart-wrenching and heart-healing.

If you haven’t read it in a while, I encourage you to pick it up again. Even reading one chapter might do the trick!

Do you reread books? If so, what books do you like to revisit?

We should do this more often:

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