Katharine's Reviews > Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon has a much darker quality than the Anne of Green Gables series – and Emily as a character is not nearly as likable or sweet as Anne. But she seems real. Although LMM tends to stylize/idealize her heroines a little, you can sense the three-dimensional quality of Emily's personality from the first chapter. Anne is 3D too, of course, but Anne's character tends to emerge little by little, whereas Emily dominates her story right from the start. And there's plenty of attention to Emily's worst qualities – pride and a nasty temper being the main two. As beloved as Anne is, Emily has more interesting possibilities. When I read these books as a child, I identified less with Emily, but found her fascinating all the same. And rereading as an adult, I'm more aware of the way LMM is playing with twists on the expected in these books.

The plot follows basically the same arc as Anne of Green Gables, with orphaned Emily coming to live in a farmhouse on Price Edward Island; but whereas in Anne you get comic scenes like Diana and the cordial, or apologizing to Mrs. Rachel Lynde – in Emily you get adultery, hatred, gossip, and several extremely creepy, possibly psychotic characters. Teddy's mother is horrible, and Dean Priest a little weird – I notice the dark tone so much more rereading now than I did fifteen years ago!

Bottom line: One of LMM's more complex and interesting stories and heroines, if not as heartwarming and lovely as the Anne series.