Emily of New Moon

Written by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Narrated by Deaver Brown

Emily is growing up as a talented unique person with great insight, wit, and imagination conveying it in poetry and her diary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Magazine Inc.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781614966067

Lucy Maud Montgomery

L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian author who published 20 novels and hundreds of short stories, poems, and essays. She is best known for the Anne of Green Gables series. Montgomery was born in Clifton (now New London) on Prince Edward Island on November 30, 1874. Raised by her maternal grandparents, she grew up in relative isolation and loneliness, developing her creativity with imaginary friends and dreaming of becoming a published writer. Her first book, Anne of Green Gables, was published in 1908 and was an immediate success, establishing Montgomery's career as a writer, which she continued for the remainder of her life.

Reviews for Emily of New Moon

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If I had discovered this book when I first read the Anne of Green Gables series, I would probably love it even now. However, coming to it late in life I found Emily less charming than Anne (though probably closer to L.M. Montgomery herself). Jess Nahikian does a good job with the narration.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Orphaned Emily Byrd Starr is taken in by her mother’s estranged family after her father’s death. Emily will live with her mother’s sisters, Aunt Elizabeth and Aunt Laura, and Cousin Jimmy at New Moon Farm at Blair Water. Emily has to adjust to school and make new friends. She has to share a room with Aunt Elizabeth. Emily pours out her grief and frustration in letters to her father. Emily dreams of becoming a writer.This book has a lot of similarities to the author’s beloved Anne of Green Gables. While Emily had a circle of friends in Teddy, Ilse, and Perry, she is more of a loner at heart. She’s not the kindred spirit that Anne is.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When her father dies, Emily is taken to New Moon Farm to live with two aunts she's never met before. She quickly comes to love the farm (and at least some of her relatives) and make new friends, but it's her passion for writing that gives her life a sense of purpose and meaning.This series is among my least favorite of Montgomery's works, though I know many people love it. This first book is not bad; I enjoyed many of Emily's adventures. However, I have an almost visceral reaction to the character of Dean Priest, who is creepy and gross in his behavior towards Emily. I'd go so far as to call it "grooming." But since he only appears a few times in this book, it's fairly tolerable. Emily is a deep character, and there's a little more darkness in her story than in some of Montgomery's others. As an adult, I have more appreciation for those elements than I did as a child. This book did make me appreciate growing up in a time when it wasn't considered immoral to read novels!

[gwendydd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emily is an orphan: her mother died when she was an infant, and when she is around 10 or so, her father dies. She is sent to live with her mother's family, a very proud family that rejected her mother over objections to her father. The aunt who raises her does not like children or even know how to take care of Emily, so Emily finds herself very lonely, misunderstood, and restricted. After a difficult start at school, she eventually makes friends within her school, community, and family.Emily is a writer, and significant portions of the book are in the form of Emily's letters to her deceased father.I read a lot of the Anne of Green Gables books as a teenager, and I always really identified with Anne and her wild flights of imagination. I wish I had read Emily, though, because I identify with her a lot more. Like Anne, she is creative and imaginative and sensitive, but she is also much quieter, and her creative life is much more interior than Anne's. I admire how Emily stands up for herself when it really matters.

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good solid read, although my least favorite of the Emily trilogy.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable, not particularly exciting. I quite liked Emily - better than Pat, possibly better than Anne (I haven't read those in so long I don't remember). It's yet another Montgomery tale of an imaginative orphan brought up by (eventually) loving foster parents; in this case, her mother's sisters and brother. A lot of familiar notes, including the death of a friend and at least three men (or boys) interested in marrying her when she grows up (she's 11 to...possibly 13? here). There are some lovely scenes here - with very rich characters and events - including the first day at school and when she fell over the cliff. The final bit with the "magical" discovery doesn't quite ring right for me - but at least everyone, including Emily, is just as confused as I am about how she could have known. Emily is very volatile - up in the air, down in the dumps, blighted forever by this and that (and she's surprised when forever doesn't last all that long). Worth reading, and I think I'll read the other two, but I'm not of an age to fall in love with Emily any more.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When eleven-year-old Emily Starr's beloved father dies, she is left in the care of her mother's side of the family, the Murrays. Renowned in their community of Blair Water for their excessive pride, Emily goes to live with her aunts, Elizabeth and Laura, at New Moon Farm. There she often finds herself at odds with Aunt Elizabeth but she finds a small circle of beloved friends who support her as she grows up and begins her career as a poet and author.As charming as one would expect from an L.M. Montgomery, this introduction to Emily and her world is lovely to read. While her world is filled with a few more antagonists than some of Montgomery's other characters face, Emily remains optimistic in the face of it all and an entrancing personality with whom to spend time. Not the starting point I'd recommend if you're dipping into L.M. Montgomery for the first time, but still an excellent read for established fans of her work.

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Emily of the New Moon by L M Montgomery; bk 1; (5*); (43)Another delightful offering from L M Montgomery. As in the Anne series the heroine is once again a gifted young orphan girl being brought up by unimaginative adults who don't necessarily see or appreciate her abilities. It's very heartening to see Emily growing up with a sense of her own person and of her ability to stand up for what she believes is right. The characters all appear real with their own strengths and foibles but there's an even greater depth of wisdom into the workings of human relationships in this book. Coupled with the beauty of Montgomery's prose this was a wonderfully satisfying read.I loved it!

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There’s a lot of similarities between Anne og Green Gables and Emily of New Moon (the title being one of them). Both orphaned girls being adopted into new families where they have a hard time to fit in. Both fond of creating a dream world of their own, both aspiring writers. I thought it might be difficult to separate the stories and not think of Anne all the time, but quickly Emily emerged as her own unique, lovely character, timid, with a poetic mind, a strong sense of justice and inability to understand the grown up world. She has several battles with her “nemesis”, the strict aunt Elizabeth, but both learn valuable lessons living under the same roof. I liked the letters Emily writes to her father (who has just passed away), letters in which she pours out her heart like small laments, trying to make sense of her new life at New Moon.Emily meet “kindred spirits” (phrase taken from Anne) and one in particular who understands her and who talks of fairies and the make-believe. That’s a beautiful moment in the story. Last week I read an essay about the difference between being childish and childlike. I think Emily learns something of this too. I think that’s why I like children’s books so much. It reminds me of the importance of being childlike - and not grow into an old cynic. Not to have a frozen heart like aunt Elizabeth - but like Emily to write poems of the wonder of nature and small details of life.

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After her father dies, Emily goes to live with her mother's eccentric side of the family, and finds herself struggling to cope with two spinster aunts and one bachelor uncle, none of who have any idea how to raise a young girl of eleven years. Emily's passion is writing, and despite the sarcastic commentary of adults and family, will not stop her daily journals and letters.This story is similar to Anne of Green Gables in some ways, but not in most, so this did not feel like a copy of that classic. However, for me it didn't have the same charm as Anne's books, so while I'd recommend it, I can't rate it as high as other books by this author.

[devafagan-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a re-read. I don't recall how many times I've read the Emily books, but it is certainly fewer times than the Anne books. And my memory is that I always felt vaguely resentful of Emily for not being Anne, and toward her world for being a somewhat more bitter, realistic one. But this time around I was able to appreciate the book-- and Emily-- for what they are. And in truth, they fed something in my reader-soul that the Anne books don't. I still love Anne, but this re-read made me love Emily too, and not because of the ways she is similar to Anne, but because of the ways she is different. I am eager to continue my re-read of the second and third books now!

[bduke_15 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just re-read for about the hundredth time. I do love my Emily! Most people prefer Anne, but Emily has always held a special place in my heart, and I understand that L.M. Montgomery has said that Emily is more true to her real life than Anne. Someday I am determined to visit Prince Edward Island, as I have grown to love it through reading these books.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Emily Byrd Starr is a dreamer. Even at a young age she writes poems and wanders through nature. When she is orphaned by the death of her father her mother’s estranged relatives descend upon her home and draw lots to decide who will care for her. This novel obviously shares a lot of ground with its predecessor, Anne of Green Gables. The author’s two heroines share similar temperaments and interests. There are also a lot of characters that feel very familiar. Emily’s Aunt Elizabeth Murray is reminiscent of Marilla, while her Aunt Laura takes Matthew’s role of a softer guardian. That being said, Emily is a great character on her own and I think my appreciation for her will develop even more with the other books in the series. She has a wonderful imagination, but she can be stoic around strangers. She’s strong-willed and stands up for herself when she feels she has to. She’d immensely loyal and trusting. We also get the chance to see her with her beloved father before he dies, something we never had with Anne. The story follows Emily as she moves to New Moon and settles into a new life there. She has a deep love of cats and doesn’t make friends easily at first. I loved her best friend Ilse. She is a little unapologetic spitfire. Her close friends also include her cousin Jimmy with his penchant for poetry, the hired boy Perry and her classmate Teddy. BOTTOM LINE: If you read and loved Anne of Green Gables then you can’t miss this one. Montgomery writes wonderful characters and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy. “Gossip lies nine times and tells a half-truth the 10th.” 

[pathan.fiza · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

EMILY OF NEW MOON : CLASSIC

Where books are concerned these days, we notice that the ‘series style’ is in vogue which right now does not seem to want to go. Where L.M.Montgomery is concerned however, she wrote her series of the way back in the early part of the 20th century……& her works are classics. L.M.Montgomery’s book ‘Emily Of New Moon’ has always according to me been a source of inspiration where writing has been concerned. The book revolves around the character of Emily who loses her father by age seven & is by lot adopted by the spinster clan of her mother’s family at New Moon. The storyline is gentle & careful where details are concerned, making the book a wonderful read.
However, children & teenagers these days don’t fancy the innocent Emily of New Moon……they prefer action packed dramas between people & creatures that are not real. The modern day fiction characters have dug the grave of many real life characters & Emily is sadly one of them. However, Emily in her sort of coma stage is still quite immortal as her life story is as real as ours…even though she is just a character in a book. Her story is constantly being repeated in society & so she though not remembered today…..can never really be forgotten.

The drama of Emily’s life is unfurled very tenderly by the pen strokes of Montgomery ; Emily’s dreams, wishes, imagination, friends, teachers etc., are the planets which revolve around a true classic story. The author goes also to the extreme of indirectly indicating Emily’s spelling mistakes & how they improve as the years go by………as we turn the page & get mature just like little Emily. Compared to ‘Anne Shirley’ who is a popular character among Montgomery books , Emily is very impulsive but also very secretive like all artists are. Her child like emotions are at times not so child like if the reader sinks deeper into the storyline.

Many situations in the book are quite similar to ‘Anne Of Green Gables’ but the personalities of both the protagonists are different & this difference has been maintained by the author throughout the book which still can capture the readers attention. It is a profound work which captivates a reader where dialogues & emotions are concerned. There are also many ironical parts in the book, none greater than the last chapter where Mr. Carpenter (Emily’s school master) actually mocks Emily’s poems which when WE read them seem outstanding. Indirectly, Montgomery indicates to the reader that poetry is quite a subjective concept which can only be understood by tuning in on the emotional side of the verse.

Many other short stories or tales are carefully introduced into the manuscript by the author like the tale of Isle’s mother, Cousin Jimmy’s sad accident, Teddy’s peculiar mother etc., all which add on to the central theme & not diverting our attention. These short incidents are wholesome which digests into the reader’s system. These characters are shadowy however, & much of their descriptions portray them to be people who have been hurt physically, mentally & even emotionally in the past. Emily’s ‘descriptions’ throughout the narrative at times makes us laugh & at other times makes us ponder over our own hidden phantoms. Like Anne of Green Gables, Emily too makes quite a few mistakes but…they are fewer in comparison.

All in all however I must conclude that ‘Emily Of New Moon’ is a classic which can live on as we grow up…day by day…minute by minute……second by second.

[amelish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites growing up. She's crazy and wants to be a writer! How cute.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It seems almost inevitable that anyone seeking to review L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon will find themselves comparing it to the author's most famous literary creation, Anne of Green Gables. Both books tell the story of a young orphan-girl who is sent to stay with elderly people on a Prince Edward Island farm, both feature a highly imaginative heroine who is appreciative of beauty and sensitive to ridicule, and both detail how that heroine wins a true home and family for herself.But although Emily of New Moon and Anne of Green Gables follow a similar narrative trajectory, and although comparisons are only natural, there are significant differences between the two novels, and it is perhaps not entirely accurate to treat Emily and Anne as if they were simply two examples of the same character-type. Not only are they emotionally quite different - Emily an introvert and Anne an extrovert - they seem to be on widely divergent spiritual journeys.While Anne travels from the interior to the exterior - replacing imaginary friends with real ones, and learning not to overindulge her imagination - Emily is better able to balance the demands of the interior and exterior, making real-life friends without sacrificing as much of her dream-world. She is after all, a poet and a writer, a vocation that is affirmed at the close of the novel.I have seen this book described as "dark," or "serious," and many have noted that Emily is the most autobiographical of Montgomery's characters. I confess that Anne is my favorite - probably because I encountered her first - but there are unquestionably some areas in which Emily's narrative is the superior one. I found the supporting cast, particularly Emily's friend Ilse Burnley, far more engaging than their counterparts in Anne of Green Gables. The writing may be a little uneven, with a few vaguely purple passages, but there were also moments of intense emotional impact. I cannot read When the Curtain Lifted without feeling shivers down my back.There is a bone-deep integrity to Emily that is very moving. I appreciate the fact that she seems better able to look past some of the religious identity-issues that are so dominant in Montgomery's world, from her friendly interaction with the marvelous Father Cassidy, to her sensitive and respectful attitude toward Ilse's atheism. All in all, she makes for an engaging heroine, more than equal to the famous Anne (my nostalgic loyalty notwithstanding).

[satyridae · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one better than the second Anne book. I found the characters interesting- the secondary characters more so than Emily, I must confess. Montgomery's prose dips into the purple every now and then, but not nearly on the scale it does so in the later Anne books. I suspect I'd have liked this much better had I read it as a girl. I'm glad I read it, CLM, thanks.

[rubyslippersreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though perhaps not as famous as Anne of Green Gables, this is my favorite L.M. Montgomery book (and one of my favorite books of all time).

[erlangerfactionless · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A long time fan of Anne of Green Gables and the subsequent 7 "Anne Books," I've always been hesitant to read the "Emily Books." However, I've also been intrigued after hearing for many year that the "Emily Books" were more closely autobiographical than the "Anne Books," and I finally gave them a shot. I quite enjoyed this little tale of the sometimes fiesty, always misunderstood Emily Starr. She's not quite as immediately lovable as Anne and doesn't get into nearly the same number of humorous "scrapes" that make Anne of Green Gables such a fun read, but Emily is a charming character and Montogomery's writing and descriptive capabilities are, as usual, superb. The ending, I'm afraid, includes a somewhat ludicrous prescient vision that, if you aren't a believer in Divine Providence, might not sit right, but it is a small part of the story. And despite this, Emily remains a somewhat more realistic heroine than Anne.A good gentle read for precocious readers or for tweens, but might be best for folks who are already Montgomery fans.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Emily is every bit as interesting and attractive as Anne of Green Gables ever was - and is completely different from her as well - though they both have a fondness for their "reflection friends". Where Anne dabbles in writing, Emily is born to it and is dedicated to it in a way that is compelling. I liked seeing how Emily is drawn to her family heritage and does find love in her family.

[lfae_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though I have only read them each once, I think I was fonder of Emily than Anne - given that I actually read all of the Emily books as opposed to only Anne of Green Gables. Penny recommended this to me in grade five or six.

[sablelexi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this story as much as the Anne series. It's somewhat more realistic, and some of the things that happen to Emily are much darker and sadder than the things that happen to Anne. Her ability to deal with what life throws at her is not extraordinary (she doesn't always overcome everything easily), but that makes for a good story. If you enjoy the Anne series I highly recommend this one. If you've never read the Anne serie, I still think there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one. And, if you didn't enjoy the Anne series, don't rule this one out, since it is more like real life it might be interesting to you.

[keycat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a wonderful, timeless story. I have yet to read Anne of Green Gables but after reading this lesser known book by L. M. Montgomery I plan to read it soon.

[linda2irvine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Flash" is real. I still can't decide who was a better friend to me: Anne or Emily. I recently re-read the entire Emily series. It was even better than I remembered as a girl.

[onlyhope1912 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first in the Emily series. Emily is much like Anne; but she's different and I like this book better. Emily moves to New Moon with her two Aunts and Cousin Jimmy. There are fascinating stories of long dead Murrays and the lost Diamond. She has many wonderful adventures like staying at Wyther Grange, and discovering the tragic story of the Queen of Hearts. Emily dreams one day of becoming a writer, so be sure and read the sequel to find out if she can.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a delightful story. Anne of Green Gables will always own my heart with her flights of fancy but Emily of New Moon can have a sliver of it too, showing that Montgomery could write more than one charming young girl series. The book opens with Emily being told, rather brutally, that her father is dying. Never having gone to school and having had her mother die when she was very small, her father has been Emily's whole world. After his death, her mother's estranged relatives come to collect her and draw straws to see which of them will have to take her, they being the Murrays and always concerned with doing the proper thing as a result of their pride. Emily and her Aunt Elizabeth get off on the wrong foot as Emily knows she is simply a duty to Elizabeth, not a dearly beloved niece but there is hope in the shape of Aunt Laura and Cousin Jimmy. This tale of Emily's life the first several years at New Moon Farm is charming and Emily is, in her own way, as appealing a little miss as Anne, writing poetry and novels (her worry about how to spring one of her characters from a convent, not being Catholic herself and so not quite certain of the rules governing convents, is quite funny) and giving her heart to those who will only love her back. The book also contains delightful stories about the inhabitants of rural PEI, their hopes and dreams and the way that the community intereacts. The book is probably old-fashioned but for those children who appreciate the historical and would like to have had the chance to read by candlelight or wear pinafores and button-up boots, this will be a happy reading experience. I wish I'd found it when I was devouring all the Anne books but I am just as happy to be reading it now as an adult, enjoying the simplicity and sense of peace that pervades the story telling. I will definitely be reading the remaining books in the trilogy.

[rainbowdarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emily and Anne are the most well-known of L.M. Montgomery's heroines, and among fans there is disagreement over which is the better character.I am torn. Emily's character is less fanciful in some ways than Anne's character, but also less grounded. She has her head in the clouds and is oblivious, it seems, to many things that Anne takes to heart.Emily's story seems darker overall than Anne's, which makes the stories hard to compare. Emily's story succeeds by its own merit, though, and doesn't pale by comparison to Montgomery's other heroines.

[siusaidh_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fav LMM book.

[ilovecookies_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emily is an aspiring writer who is orphaned and forced to live with her strict spinster aunt. Although not as famous as Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon has all the qualities of an L.M. Montgomery book that we all love.

[puttocklibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have always preferred the Emily books to the more famous Anne of Green Gables. The first copy of Emily of New Moon that I owned, I read so often that it fell apart--quite literally. I loved the way Emily thought about and dealt with the world--and then wrote about it in such a quirky and dedicated way.Reading this book always inspired me to want to write in my own journal--never as well or as faithfully as Emily--but it always inspired me. You don't have to be a child to enjoy this charming story, the beginning of a trilogy about Emily's growth to adult-hood in small-town eastern Canada.