Kilmeny of the Orchard (by LM Montgomery)

I wanted to read something light and not too long on a recent flight. I scrolled through my Kindle collection, and spotted LM Montgomery’s short novel ‘Kilmeny of the Orchard’. I read it in print form in 2006 but had entirely forgotten it. The book was first published in 1910 and is set in Canada.

The story, unusually for a woman writer of the era, has a man as its main protagonist. Eric is a young, likeable man who has just graduated from university. He comes from a wealthy family, and is planning to go into business with his father. But then he receives a letter from an old friend…

The friend has been teaching at a school on Prince Edward Island. He has been unwell, and has accepted that he must leave his job, at least for some months. But he has been unable to find a replacement. The only person he can think of who is well qualified and able to do the job is Eric - so he asks if he would consider it, just for a term.

Eric likes the idea of doing something different, and wants to oblige his friend. He doesn’t expect that he will particularly enjoy teaching in a school. But he’s told that the accommodation is good, and the scenery delightful - and he wants a bit of a break before going into the competitive world of business.

So he travels to Prince Edward Island and takes over the school. We don’t learn much about what he does there, or any of the children. But he likes his landlady, and he evidently does a good job. His quiet attitude and the way he handles the children seem to gain him respect locally. However he’s rather bored…

Then, on a walk, he sees a beautiful young woman in an orchard, playing the violin with passion and skill. She runs away in fear when she sees Eric, and this makes him determined to find out more about her. His landlady is happy to gossip, so he learns that she is mute - despite having good enough hearing to play the violin superbly, she has never spoken. She lives with some elderly relatives, and does not ever go into society, or even to church.

Most of the book is about Eric gently getting to know Kilmeny and wooing her. She had a lot of hangups from her childhood. She was born in circumstances considered highly dubious by many, and her mother - who died when she was quite young - was evidently mentally unstable.

When I first read this book, I compared it unfavourably to the author’s much better known ‘Anne of Green Gables’. But this time I read it for itself, and thought it a very enjoyable light novel. It was intended for teenagers, so the romance is all very low-key. There are inevitably some problems that arise, including a very jealous cousin, and Kilmeny’s own poor self-esteem coupled with extreme stubbornness on some issues.

The climax of the book is rather over-dramatic; even there I had entirely forgotten the outcome. But, perhaps inevitably for teenage books of over a hundred years ago, the ending is entirely satisfactory, if a little abrupt.

‘Kilmeny of the Orchard’ made ideal reading on a flight where I was extremely tired, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes gentle teenage fiction with an underlying psychological element.

Note that since this book is out of copyright, there are many editions available in print form, but it is also available free or inexpensively as an ebook, either on Amazon or Project Gutenberg.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews