A Tangled Web by l.m. montgomery

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I enjoyed this book much more than I ever dreamed I would. It masquerades as a vintage melodrama, but is chock full of essential life lessons - especially about the nature of true love.

When I see racial epithets in old books, I usually manage to skim over them as a product of their time, but the one in this book was the equivalent of a bucket of cold water thrown over my head. I'm still recovering from the shock.

Otherwise, this is a rollickingly funny and poignant story of finding hope in spite of crushed dreams.

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Inspektical

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

When I first read this back in my early twenties, I didn't really like it - I was all about Anne at the time, and this is quite a different kind of story. I'd re-read since then, but still I didn't rate it much. But it came up in November for a re-read on the kindred spirits email list, and so I thought I'd give it another go. Christmas, and other books, got in the way a bit as I started the first few chapters then it got lost in a pile on my table, but yesterday I sat & read the last 3/4 of it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is waspishly funny. It has an absolutely huge jumble of characters, and somehow they sit perfectly together as real individuals, in an enormous interwoven family group. The skill of LMM as a writer is on display throughout, as she captures character, dialogue, plot, scene setting, emotional punches and humour. It's cleverly done, I had totally forgotten the resolution to the story so it kept me guessing. I found myself caught up in all the multiple stories - goodness knows how she kept them all straight in her head as she wrote.
It's a shame it ends on a racist note - I wonder if now publishers would edit that final brief chapter out, since it's unnecessary to the story?
Anyway, I'm glad I came back to it again to see what a gloriously deft writer she was.

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The_Brave_Frog

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I'm sorry L.M. Montgomery fans, I just can't read this book right now. I am finding it painful to continue, I only like three people out of the dozens of Penhollows and Darks. In the summer, when I have more patience I may try again. Maybe then I will be able to stomach A Tangled Web.

Right now, I just can't be bothered. Why everyone wants an ugly old vase that has no sentimental value I don't know. They're all ready to bite each others heads off for the stupid thing! And that infuriating Nan! Ugh. I. Can't. Take. Her.

Another time perhaps.

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Chuthulu09

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

This is the first Montgomery book that I started and kind of didn’t want to finish. I don’t know why–maybe it was the slurry of characters that you get hit with in the very beginning. But, it was just kind of overwhelming.

The premise was promising. I mean, a whole family, all very much invested in an heirloom jug that an aunt left one of them. And they won’t know who gets it for awhile. So, they all do their best to be on their best behavior–in the hopes of getting the jug.

What’s funny, is that the “race” for the jug, leads to a domino effect in so many of their lives–events that wouldn’t have happened if not for the jug.

So, by the middle of the story, I was invested. I couldn’t help but love some of these characters as they were changed and challenged.

This is one of Montgomery’s later works and you can tell by the way she wrote her characters. Not quite as whimsical–and a little more jaded.

But, I’m really glad I read this one. It ended up being one of my favorites, regardless of the rocky start.

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flowersofmoe

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I'm sad to say that I was very disappointed in this book. I could tell that it was meant to be a romantic comedy, but it really lacked. There were literally more than 50 characters in this book, and you had to follow more than 10 of the characters through their struggles of love and fighting over a plain jug. You never really get attached to any of the characters because there were too many to keep track of. If you plan on reading it anyways, keep track of everybody's name. Believe me, it will be helpful. I'm leaving my index card full of names and who they are in the book when I return it to the library (I know my library doesn't go through each book before returning it to the shelf).

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Sirch456

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I'm going to enjoy this book a lot more the next time I read it. This time, I was so terribly worried about how some of the storylines were going to turn out that I simply had to finish it as fast as possible, which was not exactly relaxing. Next time, I will be secure in the knowledge of whose storylines turn out happily (and nearly all of them do), and I can just laugh at all the sarcasm and acidic wit, and at all the completely ridiculous human foibles they're aimed at.

The title makes me think of the old Sir Walter Scott quotation, "Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive." Which I'm sure it's meant to. What's interesting is that most of the deception practiced in this book is self-deception. I laughed aloud quite a lot over this book. Montgomery reveals a sharp and biting wit similar to Jane Austen's as she lays bare the ridiculous things people are capable of thinking and doing. I suspect I will laugh more next time I read it, as I said, because I won't be so worried about what will happen to everyone!

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somesorta

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Echoing other reviews a little, but that ending...so unnecessary. I just sat and reread the line several times to figure out how it connected with the story. It is racist but I think there's already proof the character wasn't a nice person, so one can either be mad at the whole book or just ignore that last chapter.

Anyhow, the rest of this book is delightful and funny and entertaining as many of her books are and all the relationship drama was delightful. I was cracking up so much about the ending with the jug and how the reader is led on to keep reading in order to find out what happens.

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cutekittenlady

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I think I first read this book when I was 14 or 15, and--oh! how I loved it. I still remember how hard I laughed, that first time, at Aunt Becky's levee. And I was so charmed by all the intertwining stories of love and loss and pride and hope and agony and such. Montgomery's Anne books will always be my favorite of hers, of course, but this became a very close second almost immediately. That was more than twenty years ago. And I've re-read it a few times since then, with (iirc) the same delight. But this time when I read it, I felt...older or something. Impatient. The melodramatic, overly-sentimental, sweeping language began to grate on me a tiny bit. I wanted to hurry everyone into their little conclusions, not wanting to watch the sunsets or hear the wind moan this time. Maybe it's just my mood lately. Maybe it's my age now. In a way, this will always be a favorite; I can never not love Roger...Joselyn...Drowned John...Margaret...Ambrosine and that ridiculous ring...Brian...but the flowery language and High Romanticism did wear on me a little this time around. I've had this ranked 5 stars ever since I added it to Goodreads, but I've put it to 4 stars today.

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A Tangled Web

l.m. montgomery

This edition

Becky Dark

Gay Penhallow

Donna Dark

Peter Penhallow

Hugh Dark

Joscelyn Dark

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l.m. montgomery

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