to think that Amy March is one of the most irritating literary characters ever.

[squoosh]

God she annoys me, throwing Jo's book in the fire, being a general brat and then sin of sins marrying Laurie when she had no business do any such thing.

I don't care what the subsequent books may say the Amy/Laurie union was a stupid idea.

They should have left her to drown in the icy river.

that is a brilliant review. I agreed with every word, and yet like the author, loved the books too.

Remus I second the literary slap for Emma Bovary. I'd forgotten about her. I couldn't enjoy the book because I was so outraged at how selfish she was!

Was anyone else a fan of E Nesbit's books? I loved the Bastable series and of course The Railway Children. Nesbit herself had a really interesting and unconventional life.

Is that right about the probate, Kingscotestaff ? Can't understand why GBB don't republish the ones that sold out, how hard can it be when there is clearly a market for them.

I LIKE Amy March. She has spirit and it was a very brave and unusual decision to have her marry Laurie, which makes LW stand out from the crowd.

My now grown(old) children have never forgotten the beastly Vanilla and worshipped Horrible Hepzibah.Forgotten the book.

I like Fanny Price too. Unusually Mansfield Park is my most re-read Austen. I love all of them though.

Doesn't anyone remember the scene when Anne realises her first baby is going to die? The "wee white lady"?

I couldn't really believe what I was reading, seeker. I had to go back and look at it again

Very good at grief, LM Montgomery,

Poor baby Joyce.

I always remember how she describes an elderly Marilla and Rachel waiting anxiously by the newly installed telephone in Green Gables.

Oh has anyone read The Wide, Wide World?

has anybody read
the little women letters sort of updating of good wives for modern day

Kitchenandjumble and Tanith, easy to see why the BBC had to change the ending of 5 little Aussies, it is indeed very harrowing.
KingscoteStaff, have you read the other books by Jean Webster? "Just Patty", a school story, but American schools of that era were clearly very advanced, they did sociology and all sorts. In it and in its sequel "Patty and Priscilla" where Patty goes to college, some of the "Daddylonglegs " characters fleetingly appear. "Just Patty" is downloadable free via the Gutenberg project.
NeoMaxi, yes, another weepie.

Just checked with Gutenberg, and though my copy is entitled "Patty and Priscilla" their version is called "When Patty Went to College".Keatsiepie you would love this.

Oh, yes, baby Joyce is so sad. It's awful that they don't let her see the baby after the first few hours - I know it was the received wisdom of the day but it seems so cruel now.

She never really writes about Marilla dying, does she? In Rilla of Ingleside we know Rilla gets fed up about being named after an old woman she never knew before Marilla died, but not much more. Or have I missed that bit?

(Incidentally, I snort like mad at Rilla wishing people called her by her middle name, which was 'beautiful and dignified'. It was Bertha FFS! )

Bertha was her first name, rills her middle. Just finished reading them, got the full set for 77p on kindle and yes, sobbed like baby again at Matthews death, joyces death and Walters. Oh and dog Monday waiting for jem at the station for the whole war.

rilla not rills obv!

I've just downloaded all th Anne books for 49p!

Can't wait for bed time.

Oh, sorry, I had it the wrong way around.

Yes, dog Monday was lovely.

The bit about the little boy who drowned his kitten as a bargain with God to make Walter come back was a bit though.

yes, I was always aghast at the kitten drowning.

Susan was a brilliant character in the later Anne books.

I found it really hard to read the Anne books past Anne's House of Dreams. I could not handle the idea of her being middle aged and having marriage troubles! It really upset me.

I loved Miss Cornelia. I love how she starts out as this grumpy spinster who doesn't care about fashion, then ends up with Marshall Elliot. It's a really funny reversal of genre really - instead of the shy secretary taking her glasses off and everyone saying she's beautiful, Miss Cornelia gets her bloke shaved and everyone suddenly realizes he's a catch. It amuses me.

Yes the kitten was shocking! I had totally forgotten it too so was quite taken aback.

I didn't like Leslie Moore and her tragic life and haunting beauty.

The thing that amuses me about Leslie now is that I remember Anne was assuming she was a young girl and Leslie admits she is the - great age of - 28 years old.

Yeah.

Ancient, like.