Review of 'House of Dreams' by Liz Rosenberg
Review of 'House of Dreams' by Liz Rosenberg
Release date: July 1st, 2020
Publisher: Candlewick Press
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The book blurb from publisher:
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maud who adored stories. When she was fourteen years old, Maud wrote in her journal, “I love books. I hope when I grow up to be able to have lots of them.” Not only did Maud grow up to own lots of books, she wrote twenty-four of them herself as L. M. Montgomery, the world-renowned author of Anne of Green Gables. For many years, not a great deal was known about Maud's personal life. Her childhood was spent with strict, undemonstrative grandparents, and her reflections on writing, her lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, her “year of mad passion,” and her difficult married life remained locked away, buried deep within her unpublished personal journals. Through this revealing and deeply moving biography, kindred spirits of all ages will be captivated anew by the words of this remarkable woman who never gave up “the substance of things hoped for.”
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REVIEW
I am a huge fan of L M Montgomery’s writing, including her published journals. I have also read a number of books about her but Liz Rosenberg’s House of Dreams is one of the most beautifully written accounts of Maud Montgomery’s life, sprinkled with tender moments— unencumbered by sterile facts— I have ever read. The author weaves together the highlights and low points of Maud’s difficult and lonely journey from childhood to adulthood. Her homelife challenges with her father and grandparents, her teaching and author dreams and jolting realisations. Her bitter-sweet romantic relationships, taxing marriage and untimely death. The words and experiences of this woman’s life are woven like silk threads together in poetical descriptive prose to provide a most pleasing, rich and rare view. It is gentle and reverent in its approach and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter. I loved the special chapter headings, often extracted from Maud’s own writing. This maintains a clear topic focus while covering each stage of the beloved PEI author’s life.
I will treasure this book that peeks in on one of my all-time favourite authors whose life was filled with much sadness and many trials. But who provided so much joy to readers around the world. I love that House of Dreams covers the many colourful aspects of L M Montgomery’s unique personality and attributes. In many ways, it reads like a fictional story with snatches of Maud’s memorable phrases but is strongly rooted in what is known about the author. I loved House of Dreams immensely and highly recommend it to all LM Montgomery fans. The artwork is lovely, too, and complimentary to the text as it reflects the simple natural pleasures and loves of Maud’s inquisitive heart and key moments in her literary and personal life. An epic 5 Star rating from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
