A collection of short stories involving the sea by LM Montgomery. Enjoyable, with a surprising moment of racism right at the end. (Not surprising for 1930 I'm sure.)

These are fairly charming stories, a couple that had some dated notions, which I did not like so much, but others that were of a similar character to Anne's stories. Enjoyed it overall, but not mindblowing.

2.5 stars

This was a more varied collection of short stories than some of LMM's others as they don't all focus on one subject such as marriage, but rather it encompasses stories about people young and old, and not just on romance. However, as always, some stories were fun while others could barely hold my attention and I trudged through the book. Rounding down because it really had to go and end on a seriously racist note on the last page of the last story.

A nice collection of stories that take place in and around the shore by L M Montgomery. I enjoyed most of them; my favorite was actually the longest one, "Four Winds".

As with all the collections, there are some good, some bad stories here. I tend to prefer Montgomery with a lighter touch (except when she goes REALLY REALLY dark, which is why I like the "Emily" trilogy and the "Among the Shadows" collection best), by which I mean the stories that just breeze along (heroic doggies! Ministers who wear raincoats! Love affairs conducted through telescopes using sign language!). Otherwise you get stuck with people who say "hitherto" in conversation and a lot of description of beautiful girls who look more or less the same as each other. I also have to complain about the choice of "A House Divided" as the last story. Not only was it a weaker story overall, with the two heavy-handed aw-shucks caricatures as the only characters, but then to have the very end of the very last story contain a heaping dose of good old fashioned down-home racism? HUZZAH! Not the best choice the editor has ever made.

3.5

Some good stories, some not so. One with a horrible racist term. A bunch of men named Ned, a bunch of beautiful women, lots of romance and fish.

I have mixed feelings about this book. L.M. Montgomery is a master storyteller and in this book she does not disappoint. But the book is made up of short stories and each story left me wanting MORE! Not just tidbits of reading pleasure! I want the buffet!

I was mildly disappointed in this collection of stories. Don't get me wrong, the stories were good. Its just that that the author recycled characters and plots from her earlier short stories for her books. So as I read these stories, I was reading (in some cases word for word) excerpts from books I had already read and I was hoping for something new. Captain Jim from Anne's House of Dreams, Paul Irving from Anne of Avonlea, even shades of Barney Snaith from the Blue Castle.... they are all in here. It gets a little redundent for a true (obsessive) L.M. Montgomery fan. It would probably be better as an introduction to L.M. Montgomery but then again, for a true novice, I would be more likely to recommend reading one of the novels (Anne, Emily, Jane, etc.) or, if they were looking for short stories, Chronicles of Avonlea.

L.M. Montgomery is a long time and all time favorite author of mine. She writes the perfect girls story with just the right mix of adventure, drama and happiness. I find her books a comfort to read and have re-read most of her works many times over the years. They are classics for a reason and that reason is they are great. These are true comfort books for me and books I enjoy re-reading again and again.

I enjoyed most of these stories but I was severely disappointed in the very last one, leaving me unsatisfied in the end.

Short stories by one of my favorite authors. Some are just potboilers, but some are very good.

An uneven collection of stories centered around the sea or shore. This is a companion to the Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side collection, and suffers from the same issues, IMO, including an introduction that is better served as an afterward.

The final story ends on an especially sour note, which dropped the score for me.