After Anne

A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Life

By: Logan Steiner

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

A stunning and unexpected portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery, creator of one of literature’s most prized heroines, whose personal demons were at odds with her most enduring legacy—the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables.

“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

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 called ""a synonym for respectable 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.

Beautiful and moving, After Anne reveals Maud’s hidden personal challenges while celebrating what was timeless about her life and art—the importance of tenacity and the peaceful refuge found in imagination.

©2023 Logan Steiner (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Not what I expected

Nothing at all what I thought it would be. A little jumpy. Sort of boring half way. There’s no reason for Fred.

very disappointing

I struggled to finish this book. I don't mind books that go back-and-forth in time, but these timings made no sense. there was also a lot of unnecessary repetition and meandering.

Loved it!

Beautifully written and thoughtful. Uniquely nuanced in its portrayal of the complexities of one’s inner life. The illumination of the contours of Montgomery’s life and the deftly interwoven references to Anne were a delightful bonus. The narrator does a good job capturing the mood of the characters, with special attention to the shifts over time.

Beautifully written and read

This book was so enjoyable to listen to. I could feel the emotions of Maud come through so well. And that’s what this book is really about - feeling the things that are hard and that we all to avoid.

Great even if you know nothing about Anne of Green Gables.