I love Montgomery's short stories! I love her writing, but I don't always have time to read an entire story. Short stories are the best solutions. And she is still just as descriptive of scenery and forms great characters. I especially like this one with all of the seaside settings.

L.M. Montgomery scholar Rea Wilmshurst, who began presenting the author's shorter fiction, published in magazines and periodicals in her own day, but long since lost to readers, in the 1988 collection n  Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphansn, turned to the theme of the sea in this second anthology, presenting sixteen of Montgomery's stories that have a maritime setting. Here we see the author's love of the ocean, whose voice runs like a current throughout much of her work, and here we also see plot elements - an old sailor's books of reminisces, a young boy's imaginary rock people - that would be recycled in many of her more famous tales. The result is a collection with great appeal for readers who admire Montgomery's work, with stories that are enjoyable in their own right, while also offering a snapshot of their creator's development as a writer. They include:

The Magical Bond of the Sea, in which beautiful young Nora Shelley is adopted by the wealthy Camerons, who take her away from the humble fishing village where she had grown up, giving her every worldly advantage possible. Her longing for the sea, however, as well as for fisherman Rob Fletcher, is not to be overcome...

The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse, in which Mary and her mother, spending a quiet summer at Golden Gate - a family cottage at the seaside - befriend a gentlemanly old sailor named Uncle Jesse, and are the means of connecting him with a writer who uses his "Life Book," or collection of life reminisces, as a source for his new novel. Fans of Montgomery will immediately recognize, in this selection and its hero, the tale of Captain Jim, from n  Anne's House of Dreamsn.

Mackereling Out in the Gulf, which sees young Benjamin Selby, the best mackerel fisherman in his village, struggling with and conquering temptation, as he risks his own life to rescue the man who has won the heart of Mary Stella, the only girl he himself has ever loved.

Fair Exchange and No Robbery, a comic selection in which friends and roommates Katherine Rangeley and Edith Wilmer, both of whom are engaged to be married, each find themselves falling in love with the other's fiance, while separated during the holidays. As Katherine and Sidney Keith, who have bonded over seaweed and seaside excursions, agonize about their faithlessness to Edith, Edith herself is doing the same with Ned, whom she has been entertaining in Katherine's absence. Will virtuous self-denial make them all miserable, or will common sense prevail...?

Natty of Blue Point, in which young Natty Miller's bravery, in rescuing two stranded pleasure sailors one foggy night, brings a great reward to his family, when his brother Everett is awarded the keeping of the Blue Point Lighthouse - something that had previously been in doubt.

In a similar vein, The Light on the Big Dipper sees a young person, this time a girl, setting out in a small vessel to save the day. When Mary Margaret Campbell's mother leaves her in charge of her baby sister Nellie, the twelve-year-old is confident that she can manage, but then the light at the Big Dipper Lighthouse, kept by her Uncle George on an adjacent island, doesn't come on, and she knows something has gone terribly wrong. Securing Nellie, she rows across to the other island, helping to light the beacon just in time (as she later learns) to save her own seaman father, on his voyage home.

An Adventure on Island Rock sees twelve-year-old orphan and hired boy Ernest Hughes having his heart's desire granted, when Laddie - the massive Newfoundland dog who had been his best and only friend, and who was being sent away to another farm - is kept in the family after all, after rescuing the master's favorite nephew from drowning.

How Don Was Saved also features a Newfoundland dog whose heroics save the day, as the eponymous Don, under suspicion of sheep killing, rescues the son of the very man who had been demanding his death, thereby winning his gratitude, as well as a reprieve that eventually proves his innocence.

A Soul That Was Not at Home follows the story of imaginative young Paul Hubert, who is befriended by the wealthy Miss Trevor, and taken away from his seaside home to live in town. His longing for the sea, however, and for his rock people, leads him to run away on his very first night away from home. This tale is a clear forerunner of certain plot elements in n  Anne of Avonlean, with Paul Hubert being an earlier version of Paul Irving, who was also a poetic little soul, and who also created rock people with whom he could play.

Four Winds is the longest piece in the collection, and one of the most romantic, detailing the meeting of the Rev. Alan Douglas with the child-woman Lynde Oliver, who lived in isolation with her atheist father and her older cousin at a lakeside home outside of Rexton. Their odd courtship is stopped in its tracks by Lynde's stunning admission that she is already married, to a sailor long since disappeared - a sailor who, in a cruel twist of fate, Alan Douglas himself rescues from drowning. Or does he...?

A Sandshore Wooing is another romantic tale, one in which Marguerite Forrester, in the care of her strict, man-hating Aunt Martha, communicates with her would-be suitor - Francis Shelmardine, the brother of her schoolfriend, Connie - by means of a spyglass and sign language.

The Unhappiness of Miss Farquhar sees wealthy society girl Frances Farquuhar, still smarting from a recent broken engagement, heading to quiet Windy Meadows to spend the summer with her Aunt Eleanor. Here, befriended by the minister's sister Corona, and by the minister himself, Frances finds a new interest in life by helping to assist those less fortunate than herself. Predictably, she also finds a new love...

A Strayed Allegiance details the testing of a long-standing engagement between Marian Lesley and Esterbrook Elliott, cousins and friends who had grown up together, when Esterbrook unexpectedly falls violently in love with the beautiful Magdalen Crawford, visiting her aunt and uncle in a nearby fishing village.

The Waking of Helen follows the story of painter Robert Reeves, who spends the summer inadvertently making quiet farm girl Helen Fraser fall in love with him, only to realize at the end of the season, after she has saved his life, just what he has done. The story ends tragically, as Reeves heads home to his regular life (and his fiancée), while Helen drowns herself in a local tidal cave.

Young Si sees estranged lovers reunited, when the lovely Miss Ethel Lennox comes to spend a quiet holiday at the seashore, only to discover that Miles Lesley, the fiancé with whom she had bitterly quarreled, is living nearby and working as a fisherman. Studiously avoiding one another, the pair have almost missed their last chance at happiness, when an unexpected storm throws them together again.

Finally, A House Divided Against Itself follows the story of two cousins - diminutive Big George Beelby (so named because he is the elder), and giant Little George Beelby - and their quarrel about a naked statue of Aurora, figurehead of the dawn. This story, from the characters of the two cousins to the final resolution of their quarrel, can also be seen in Montgomery's n  A Tangled Webn, although the names have been changed in that later work to Little Sam Dark and Big Sam Dark.

3.5/3.75
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3.5 stars. Some beautiful stories, some witty ones, some simplistic ones. It's interesting reading a lot of Montgomery's short stories in a row, because they're often similar. Enough so that I can predict the outcome of most of the stories. But her writing style is still beautiful (although I only thought of it as "slow" when I was 12). Definitely a different pace, but almost always a feel-good story.

As with all books of short stories, some are better than others but I enjoyed most of these.

'A Sandshore Wooing', is LM Montgomery's love story at its quirky best! And 'Four Winds' is her best classic love story.

Not the most interesting anthology. Some of these short stories later found their way into LMM's later novels in more polished and interesting format. A Sandshore Wooing, Young Si, and The Unhappiness of Miss Farquhar were the three most interesting for me.

This was a mixed bag as many short story collections can tend to be.
Many of these stories were written early in LMM’s career before she wrote Anne of Green Gables and you can tell. They weren’t bad stories but not super memorable and she hadn’t hit her stride yet. A few of these were stories she tweaked and recycled later in her novels so I just skipped those tbh. (The Life Book of Uncle Jesse was reused in Anne’s House of Dreams, A Soul That was Not At Home was reused in Anne of Avonlea, and A House Divided Against Itself was reused in A Tangled Web)
My favorites in this collection were “The Magical Bond of the Sea”, “Natty of Blue Point”, “The Light on the Big Dipper”, “Young Si”,and “Four Winds”.

Overall rating: 5+ stars (6/10 hearts). I love this book. It’s so full of gorgeous descriptions and thrilling stories and lovely characters. It’s a book to make you laugh and thrill and think and breathe in deeply. The introduction is also very lovely. <33

n  The Magical Bond of the Sean*
5 stars. I really love this story. The lesson is lovely, the descriptions are gorgeous, the plot is sweet. There's a kiss & some touching, but otherwise it's very clean. And it's just totally Montgomery and right up my alley. <33

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902-1903n (free on Gutenberg)

n  The Life-Book of Uncle Jessen*
5 stars. I love Uncle Jesse. He’s exactly Captain Jim from n  Anne’s House of Dreamsn and to me they’re the same. What lovely, wonderful men. I wish the Life Book actually existed… <33 Also, THE DESCRIPTIONS. <33 I want to read n  House of Dreamsn all over again now. <333

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909-1922n (free on Gutenberg)

n  Mackereling out in the Gulfn*
5 stars. I love this story. Benjamin is an amazing man. The descriptions are gorgeous and perfectly fit the mood. The plot is very good, the characters very real, and so is the humour. Another perfect seashore read.
Content: 1 instance of language.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905-1906n (free on Gutenberg)

n  Fair Exchange & No Robberyn*
4 stars. This story is pure fun and light-heartedness and summer sunshine and seaside vibes. I really enjoyed it!
Content: a kiss mentioned.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907-1908n (free on Gutenberg)

n  Natty of Blue Pointn*
4 stars. I always loved this story!! Natty is just splendid, and I love the storyline!

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories: 1904n (free on Gutenberg)

n  The Light on the Big Dippern*
4 stars. Mary Margaret is such a sweet, cute, smart little thing! I love the message of the story <3 it's so sweet and good.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905-1906n (free on Gutenberg)

n  An Adventure on Island Rockn*
3 stars. This is sweet, heartwarming little story :)

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1905-1906n (free on Gutenberg)

n  How Don Was Savedn*
5 stars. Oh, I love this story. Don is just splendid! The storyline is awesome, too, and the setting is perfect. <3

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories: 1904n (free on Gutenberg)

n  A Soul That Was Not at Homen*
5 stars. This is a delightful story! I loved Paul and Stephen and Miss Trevor. The descriptions were gorgeous and the storyline so sweet. I really enjoyed it.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909-1922n (free on Gutenberg)

n  Four Windsn*
5 stars. This is one of Montgomery’s tales that just fascinates you. I love Lynde and Alan. The setting is wonderful and the story itself is just... fascinating. I really like it.
Content: some kissing & touching mentioned.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907-1908n (free on Gutenberg)

n  A Sandshore Wooingn*
3 stars. Now, I don't agree with the whole clandestine-wooing part. I do think Aunt Martha was ridiculous and wrong, and I'm glad Marguerite was never really happy with the underhand part and admitted it at once. This was a cute, funny, sweet little story, very clean and summery, but because of the plot though I don't recommend it.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902-1903n (free on Gutenberg)

n  The Unhappiness of Miss Farquharn*
5 stars. Aw, this is a sweet little story! Frances and Corona and Elliott were so nice, and so was Aunt Eleanor and Jacky and his poor mother. The setting was lovely and the plotline so nice! Such a precious little romance. <33

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902-1903n (free on Gutenberg)

n  A Strayed Allegiancen*
3 stars. I really only love this story for the beautiful imagery in it. It has such gorgeous descriptions. I despise Esterbrook for his weakness, but Marian is amazing. Magdalen should have known & acted way better, too, but at least she was stronger than Esterbrook. It's a very passionate, romantic story... very Montgomeryish. It's clean (he thinks of kissing her once & asks to kiss her once but she won't let him), and I like it, but it's not for everyone.

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896-1901n (free on Gutenberg)

n  The Waking of Helenn*
2.5 stars. This story is sad and sober and a little… sweet? I can’t help liking the fascination of it, but the suicide is so sad and wrong. I wish there was another ending…

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896-1901n (free on Gutenberg)

n  Young Sin*
5 stars. I LOVE this story so much. It is beautiful, and sweet, and interesting, and funny, and so seashore-y! And the ending is perfect, and I love the characters!

*Also found in n  Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896-1901n (free on Gutenberg)

n  A House Divided Against Itselfn
2 stars. Well, this really is a very humorous read. At the same time, there's a bit of content. Longer list below; but here's the main thing: the whole point of the story is a naked statue of Aurora that Big George hates and Little George won't give up out of pure stubbornness. If you ignore that part, it's quite funny, but that's so pivotal that it's hard to ignore. So yeah, it's very funny. Montgomery is adept at humour. But there's just too much content for me.
Other content: 2 mentions of a man being only in his shirt (in his own house with his cousin, who he lives with); 1 “d**n”; 1 “ni**er”; a mention Paul was a woman-hater; some slight mentions of superstitions & belief in dreams.

A Favourite Quote: She was his ideal of all that was beautiful and good; he was jealously careful over all his words and thoughts and actions that not one might make him more unworthy of her. In all the hardship and toil of his life his love was as his guardian angel, turning his feet from every dim and crooked byway; he trod in no path where he would not have the girl he loved to follow.
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: It was an exquisite morning, full of delicate spring tints and sounds. The harbour was sparkling and dimpling like a girl, the winds were playing hide and seek roguishly among the stunted firs, and the silver-flashing gulls were soaring over the bar. Beyond the Gate was a shining, wonderful sea.

This was okay. Some were better then others. You could definitely see some of these stories reused in the Anne books.

I don't like her short stories nearly as well as her novels because it seems like the point you get into the story, it's over. The are nice when you don't have a lot of time to devote to reading and I tend to read these as a story here and there while reading other books (I even set it aside for a bit). It's cool that her short stories are edited into themed anthologies. I noticed a few of the stories in this one are weaved into her later books...more fleshed out. I do love her descriptions of nature...one of my favorite things about her writing.

Picturesque writing brings PEI seashores to life along with colourful and entertaining characters. Pure reading enjoyment.

Enjoyed for the most part, but final story ends on a racist note that really shook me. Why did they include this story in a collection published in 1989?!?