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I loved this book! The various family tales in here were intriguing to read about, and I especially liked the character of the old aunt who started this whole mess ;)
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A Tangled Web
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Over the years sixty members of the Dark family and sixty Penhallows have married one another--but not without their share of fighting and feuding. Now Aunt Becky, the eccentric old matriarch of the clan, has bequeathed her prized a legendary heirloom jug. But the name of the jug's new owner will not be revealed for one year. In the next twelve months beautiful Gay Penhallow's handsome fiance Noel Gibson leaves her for sly and seductive Nan Penhallow; reckless Peter Penhallow and lovely Donna Dark, who have hated each other since childhood, are inexplicably brought together by the jug; Hugh and Joscelyn Dark, separated on their wedding night ten years ago for reasons never revealed, find a second chance--all watched over by the mysterious Moon Man, who has the gift of second sight. Then comes the night when Aunt Becky's wishes will be revealed...and the family is in for the biggest surprise of all.
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1,1931
This edition
- Format
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306 pages, Hardcover
- Published
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November 10, 1989 by McClelland \u0026 Stewart
- ISBN
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9780771061608
- ASIN
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0771061609
- Language
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English
Characters More characters
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Becky Dark
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Gay Penhallow
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Donna Dark
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Peter Penhallow
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Hugh Dark
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Joscelyn Dark
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This is an excellent use of all the would-be side characters in other LM Montgomery stories. It's wacky and takes us barely deep enough into the characters to see the humour in their wild situations. In a few ways it's a product of the time it's written in, but overall an enjoyable read.
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Enjoyable read apart from the racism on the last page it leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.
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Ahoy there mateys! I adore this author and featured her in me Broadside No. 18. So image me surprise when I read Matey Briana’s review of this book:
"Before Aunt Becky dies, she tells her clan that she’s going to leave a cherished heirloom jug to one of them–but they won’t know the beneficiary until one year after her passing. Even worse: she’s not going to tell them how she’s deciding who gets it, so they’ll have to be on their best behavior just in case she’s instructed someone still living to decide who gets it in a year. Shenanigans ensue as everyone competes for chance at the jug. It’s a ridiculous-sounding premise when you say it’s a novel about people fighting over a jug, but the book is magic and one of Montgomery’s strongest works. It’ also the only one written with multiple points of view."
The problem – nothing other than I had never heard of this book! Embarrassing but true. So I got a copy and read it. The blurb does sound ridiculous but this is a fantastic book which really does highlight the talent of L.M. Montgomery. I absolutely loved all the quirky characters and story. It was endearing and fabulous. I am so glad to have gotten to read this one. Literally the only downside (a big one) was the very last paragraph which used an awful racial slur that was so unnecessary. So the last thought of the book was distaste. But the rest of the book is a gem. Makes me want to reread the Jane and Emily books. Arrrr!
"Before Aunt Becky dies, she tells her clan that she’s going to leave a cherished heirloom jug to one of them–but they won’t know the beneficiary until one year after her passing. Even worse: she’s not going to tell them how she’s deciding who gets it, so they’ll have to be on their best behavior just in case she’s instructed someone still living to decide who gets it in a year. Shenanigans ensue as everyone competes for chance at the jug. It’s a ridiculous-sounding premise when you say it’s a novel about people fighting over a jug, but the book is magic and one of Montgomery’s strongest works. It’ also the only one written with multiple points of view."
The problem – nothing other than I had never heard of this book! Embarrassing but true. So I got a copy and read it. The blurb does sound ridiculous but this is a fantastic book which really does highlight the talent of L.M. Montgomery. I absolutely loved all the quirky characters and story. It was endearing and fabulous. I am so glad to have gotten to read this one. Literally the only downside (a big one) was the very last paragraph which used an awful racial slur that was so unnecessary. So the last thought of the book was distaste. But the rest of the book is a gem. Makes me want to reread the Jane and Emily books. Arrrr!
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Montgomery has such a way with words, from scathing snarky comments to glorious prose about nature. And it's often a joy to read, though I did have a few struggles with this one, despite liking it a fair bit.
Firstly, it reads a bit differently. We basically bounce around in narration from character to character to character to character to character. At the beginning, sometimes it's just a sentence about one character only to have the next five sentences about 5 OTHER characters. There's a lot of names being thrown around and honestly, it was hard to keep track of who was who, unless they were one of the main...10?? For all that it bounced around though, you did feel like it was a complete story in the end.
I had to roll my eyes at so many people here. So many of them were so stupid, and all regarding love. It was slightly frustrating because it was almost hard to believe any of them really in love, they were so fickle or dumb about it. Which made it hard to root for anybody. Most especially Gay I would have liked to bop over the head. Probably Hugh and Jocelyn I most rooted for, and even they to some degree needed a head bopping.
I expected so much more from the stupid jug. I mean, the more it went, the more I knew nothing would come of it, but still, I was promised things, and it was pretty duddy.
Also, dear heavens, I would like to see a family tree for these two families because good grief. Is the whole damn island just these two families intermarrying???? (I know it's not, but it sure seems like it )
But all that being said, it was really genuinely a pleasure to read. Qualms aside, it mostly worked and Montgomery's writing is just so
Firstly, it reads a bit differently. We basically bounce around in narration from character to character to character to character to character. At the beginning, sometimes it's just a sentence about one character only to have the next five sentences about 5 OTHER characters. There's a lot of names being thrown around and honestly, it was hard to keep track of who was who, unless they were one of the main...10?? For all that it bounced around though, you did feel like it was a complete story in the end.
I had to roll my eyes at so many people here. So many of them were so stupid, and all regarding love. It was slightly frustrating because it was almost hard to believe any of them really in love, they were so fickle or dumb about it. Which made it hard to root for anybody. Most especially Gay I would have liked to bop over the head. Probably Hugh and Jocelyn I most rooted for, and even they to some degree needed a head bopping.
I expected so much more from the stupid jug. I mean, the more it went, the more I knew nothing would come of it, but still, I was promised things, and it was pretty duddy.
Also, dear heavens, I would like to see a family tree for these two families because good grief. Is the whole damn island just these two families intermarrying???? (I know it's not, but it sure seems like it )
But all that being said, it was really genuinely a pleasure to read. Qualms aside, it mostly worked and Montgomery's writing is just so
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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!
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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My second book by L.M. Montgomery. I enjoyed it, though not as much as her The Blue Castle.
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انقدر بهم چسبید که حد نداره:))
پیشنهاد میکنم بعد مدتی خوندن کتابای سنگین و ... یکم با قلم نویسندههایی مثل مونتگمری به ذهنتون استراحت بدین..
پیشنهاد میکنم بعد مدتی خوندن کتابای سنگین و ... یکم با قلم نویسندههایی مثل مونتگمری به ذهنتون استراحت بدین..
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