In the First Person: Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery[1]

Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery. Alexandra Heilbron. Dundurn Press, 2001. 255 pp. $26.99 paper. ISBN 1-55002-362-4.

In Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery, Alexandra Heilbron has done the Lucy Maud Montgomery community, and all her fans, a great service through interviewing so many individuals, and collecting stories and reminiscences that would otherwise be lost forever. It is a rare occurrence for an author to have a book of recollections written about her, especially 60 years after her death. It is a fun read, and it helps the reader in developing a more broad understanding of one of Canada's most important writers. The stories Heilbron brings to us are delightful snapshots both into the lives of those sharing their reminiscences and Lucy Maud Montgomery's life, from a perspective that only a few have ever seen.

Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery is organized into six sections containing interviews that focus on Maud as family member, employer, neighbour, teacher, and author, as well as a selection of articles about Maud published from 1909 until her death in 1942, reprinted from newspapers and magazines. Having personally met a number of the individuals Heilbron has interviewed, some of whom are no longer with us, it is clear that she has captured many of their most cherish memories. This book is the product of a strong and abiding personal interest, on the part of the author, in the world of LMM.

The book suffers, however, from a number of defects that limit its value. Foremost is the lack of any apparatus that would make the book useful to scholars or researchers, and more satisfying to the average reader. Everyone's experience would be enhanced by knowing more about where these stories come from, the milieu in which they exist, and who these people are aside from their direct reference to Maud. The introduction is woefully short and idiosyncratic. It could have set the scene for the interviews and contextualized them within the life of LMM, and what has been written by LMM herself relating to the stories we are soon to find before us.

The dates on which the interviews took place are not recorded. Aside from general interest, the dates are an important clue in understanding the tone, and perhaps content, of what made it to print. Some of the interviews took place before the publication of volume four of LMM's diaries (Rubio and Waterston,1998), and perhaps some preceded the publication of volume three in 1992. But it is in light of the controversial nature of volume four that the dating of the interviews becomes important. It is possible that some contributions were selectively slanted to refute what was published, or to place an event in a more flattering light. It is possible that none of the contributors read the journals, and it would have been even more delightful to have known which entries are untainted by Maud's own bitter memories. Mary Rubio, co-editor of the Journals and Maud's official biographer, notes in "Dusting Off: An Anecdotal Account of Editing the L. M. Montgomery Journals" how many individuals changed their stories, and in some cases remembered events they had previously said to have forgotten, when interviewed after the publication of volumes one and two of the journals.

The reference information for the reprinted articles in Chapter Six is sparse, just title and date. More information would have been helpful, and easily included. Although there are no clues to this effect in the book itself, some of the other sections are reprints or reworkings of the author's own publications, such as pages 36-43 on Keith Webb which appeared in Avonlea Traditions Chronicle Issue No. 17, Fall 1996. Sections on Georgie MacLeod, Luella Veijalainen, Ethiel Currie, Beatrice Thurman Hunter, Elsie Davidson and perhaps others are also reprints (See Bibliography for information on the original publications). In some cases the tone changes from the original publication, and in others there is an editorial shift in focus. And there are instances where quotations are substantially altered in this text from the original publication. One would have expected that the original publication information be included, and reference made to how the material was further developed or revised for publication.

Compare excerpts from the interview with Elsie as presented in Avonlea Traditions Chronicle in 1996, with excerpts from Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery.

"Well, I was a farmer's daughter and Mrs. Macdonald wanted help. Her maid had gone out for holidays or something and she'd called mother and asked her if I could go up there and work and mother was quite delighted to let me go because it was a nice start for me." (Avonlea Traditions Chronicle, p. 4)

"Well, I was a farmer's daughter and Mrs. Macdonald wanted help. I filled in when her maids were away on occasion, and when the last one left, Lil Meyers, Mrs. Macdonald asked me if I could be her maid and I was delighted. Mother was quite delighted as well to let me go because it was a nice start for me. And it was nice and handy to be going home only a mile and a quarter." (Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery, p. 67)

"I never noticed too much around. They were pretty good, you know. I don't know how she disciplined them at all. And I never knew that she and Mr. Macdonald didn't get along, either. They got along to a point, but I never knew that he was sick with this melancholy disease. I knew he was sick, but I had no idea that he was like he was. He'd go for a holiday or something. He was tired, and he wanted a rest. It was all covered up." (Avonlea Traditions Chronicle, p. 5)

"Not that I ever noticed. They were pretty good boys, you know. I don't know how she disciplined them at all. And I never knew that Mr. Macdonald was sick with a melancholy disease. I knew he was sick, but I had no idea what it was, exactly. He always just said he was going away for a holiday or something. He was tired, and he wanted a rest." (Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery, p. 71)

Although the sense and the tone of the responses are not greatly altered, it is highly problematic when an interviewer treats a subject's responses with such casual disrespect. It is possible to compare the inconsistencies of Heilbron's two transcriptions of six of the interviews, but there's no way to know which is the correct version, and whether sections are complete fabrications. In a sense, it leads to questions as to whether some of the interviews took place at all.

Leaving that issue aside, it would also be useful if the photographs were dated, even if only on an acknowledgements page. Photographs taken decades apart grace opposing pages, leaving the reader to guess at their date and provenance. Many photographs have no attribution whatsoever, and one is left to assume that they were taken by the author. Other photographs are accompanied by notice as to who provided them, but not who took them. At least one of the pictures is attributed differently in Avonlea Traditions Chronicle (Winter 1997/8, Issue No.22, p. 30) and Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery (p. 62). As well, though it is possible to guess, it would be useful to know which pictures were taken by Maud herself. A little more thorough attention to these details would have resulted in a book that inspired a greater level of confidence with respect to the tales told.

Finally, an index would have been most useful, especially due to the nature of the book, where many of the individuals interviewed may recount similar or identical situations. The opportunity to cross-reference the material is lost. As well, the author had the opportunity to note where events mentioned by the interviewees also appear in LMM's journals, such as the story of when Ethel Currie was hired as LMM's housekeeper (July 23, 1934. LMM Journal Vol 4, p. 280). Since Heilbron notes that this happened in August, and LMM says it happened in July, there is an interesting discrepancy. Of course LMM's errors in her copying own journals are well documented, and there's no reason to assume that Heibron made the error, however it would have made for a more interesting read had Heilbron brought these sort of issues to the fore.

A more compelling reason for both an index and cross-referencing to the journals is evidenced in further discrepencies between the stories of Ethel and LMM. Both women recount the 'blue pill' episode where LMM gives Ewan "the deadliest germicide on the market" having been given the wrong pills at the Georgetown drugstore. (Rubio, 286) According to LMM it was the doctor's arrival with an antidote that saved Ewan, and she makes no mention of the events that Ethel recounts to Heilbron. Ethel says that someone from the drugstore had called, while LMM was out, and prescribed an egg mixed with soda to be given to Ewan immediately. And she adds, "I was told later that if I hadn't had Mr. Macdonald drink that mixture right away, he could have died." (Heilbron, 82) Heilbron misses the opportunity to bring these two stories together to enhance the relationship between her book and LMM's life.

After one has made a leap of faith as to the accuracy of the information presented in the book, Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery becomes a fascinating encounter with people whose lives were directly touched by Montgomery; people who can enrich our understanding of an author who spent as much time crafting her persona as she did crafting her fiction. Though with the sustained questions as to the authenticity and accuracy of the content, it may be wise to take everything in Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery with a grain of salt.

Jason Nolan, PhD, is a contributing editor for CCL, and teaches at the University of Toronto. He is co-editor of the International Handbook of Virtual Learning Environments to be published by Kluwer in 2003, and is also co-founder of the LMM scholarly discussion list (http://lmmontgomery.net/list.html).

[1] I would like to thank Yuka Kajihara of the Osborne Collection of Children's Books, Toronto Public Library, for her assistance in identifying materials and references.

Bibliography

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Elsie Bushby Davidson shares her memories of LMM." The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Spring 1996, Issue No. 15. Pp. 1, 5-7.

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Beatrice Thurman Hunter, successful children's author remembers her first meeting with LMM." [sic] The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Summer 1996, Issue No. 16. Pp. 8-11.

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Keith Webb remembers his famous cousin's visit to his family's home, Green Gables, P.E.I." The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Fall 1996, Issue No. 17. Pp. 10-13.

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Georgie Campbell Macleod of Kensington, P.E.I., shares fond memories of her famous cousin" The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Fall/Winter 1996/7, Issue No. 18. Pp. 22-24.

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Ethel Dennis Currie shares her memories of LMM." The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Summer 1997, Issue No. 20. Pp. 12-14.

Heilbron, Alexandra. The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Winter 1997/8, Issue No. 22.

Heilbron, Alexandra. "Memories of L.M. Montgomery: Granddaughter Luella Macdonald Veijalainen remembers her famous grandmother." The Avonlea Traditions Chronicle. Autumn 1997, Issue No. 21. Pp. 12-14.

Rubio, Mary Henly, and Elizabeth Waterston. The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery: Volume IV: 1929-1935. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Rubio, Mary Henley. "'A Dusting Off': An Anecdotal Account of Editing the L.M. Montgomery Journals." Working in Women's Archives: Researching Women's Private Literature and Archival Documents. Ed. Helen M. Buss and Marlene Kadar. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2001. 51-78.