Emily Climbs (by Lucy Maud Montgomery)

(Amazon UK link)

'Emily Climbs' is a sequel to 'Emily of New Moon', and is followed by 'Emily's Quest'. This trilogy of books is by LM Montgomery who is best known for the 'Anne of Green Gables' series.

However the Emily books have been republished in recent years and are available inexpensively in paperback from Amazon UK, which is where we found them. They are also available very inexpensively - sometimes free - in Kindle form.

In this book, Emily is fourteen years old, and has the opportunity to go to high school. This novel is set in Canada in the early part of the 20th century, when many people ended their formal education at this age. The nearest high school is seven miles from Emily's home, which was a long way in the days of horses and carriages. 

So Emily and her friends have to find lodgings nearby and can only go home at weekends. Emily stays with her strict Aunt Ruth and is very homesick at first. But she learns a great deal about friendship and loyalty during her three years there.

There wasn't anything particularly exciting about this book, but I suspect it's somewhat autobiographical since Emily is an aspiring author. She keeps a private journal, which is referenced several times in the book, and also sends off various poems and short stories to magazines. As a piece of social history, it's fascinating to see through the eyes of a teenager. I can only assume that much of Emily's experience was that of Lucy Maud Montgomery herself.

Overall I thought this a pleasant light read. There are a few moments of mild humour and enough of interest to keep me reading. There isn't quite the sparkle, or the deeply moving sections of the 'Anne' books, but Emily herself does seem more realistic.

Recommended, ideally as part of the trilogy.