Patricia Gardiner: Montgomery's Forgotten Heroine

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Maybe Pat isn’t completely forgotten, but she is certainly on fewer bookcases than the other fictional young women Prince Edward Island is known for—Anne Shirley, Emily Starr, and Sara Stanley.

I read her story this August in Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat. Like the other heroines, we meet Pat Gardiner as a precocious little girl and watch her come into her own as a strong young woman. She has imagination and a deep, poetic love for beauty. Her world is peopled with idiosyncratic relatives, friends, love interests, and characters from Judy Plum’s stories (more on that later!).

But she’s different from the other heroines in a myriad of ways. She has a complete family, with a surviving father, mother, and four siblings. She lives in one place throughout the course of her story—Silver Bush, the old family home passed down from Gardiner to Gardiner since the last century. She’s intelligent, but not in a scholarly way; she’s not ambitious and prefers to excel in domestic wizardry. Mathematics is actually her thing, although she’s good in English, too. Though she’s not supposed to be as beautiful as Anne and Emily, she’s a sweet and eligible young lady, so countless men fall at her feet. But she refuses them all because she doesn’t want to leave her beloved Silver Bush.

It’s entertaining to see a nuclear family in Montgomery’s hands, but actually we barely get to know Pat’s parents and older siblings, Joe, Winnie, and Sid. Her relationship with Sid, who’s one year older, is important to the story, but we don’t become all that familiar with him, just with what he means to Pat. However, little sister Rachel, aka Cuddles, develops beautifully in Mistress Pat as a vivacious lead character.

The other star of the show is Judy Plum, a charismatic character with the unforgettability of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert and Rachel Lynde. She’s the Gardiners’ servant, but far, far more than that, she’s part of their family. Silver Bush could not do without her. On any given day, she tells dozens of stories about people near and far: funny gossip, tall tales, ghost stories, and family anecdotes. She keeps the house running with her old-world wisdom (she’s Irish), constant labor, and fiercely loyal and loving heart. Pat has the enviable distinction of being her favorite.

More than any of the other houses in Montgomery’s titles, Silver Bush factors heavily in the lead heroine’s story. As I mentioned earlier, Pat will not leave her home. When she’s a child, her clinging loyalty is a little hard for me to understand, but as she grows older and takes part in running it, my heart, too, becomes knit to Silver Bush through seeing her devotion. It’s a delightful place, old and full of personality, set in a wood of silver birches and a wild garden. It’s full of heirlooms and history and even has a family graveyard. Everyone who comes to Silver Bush loves it, even the despicable Binnie family in their own twisted way. Charming, old-fashioned hospitality is a matter of honor with Judy Plum, Pat, and her mother. The 1920s and 30s are roaring by, so this is becoming rarer.

Pat hates change, whether it’s in her family or her home. As a child, she gets legitimately ill at the prospect of moving away from Silver Bush. Although I’m not as averse to change as Pat, I do tend to like things to stay the same and am overly fond of my childhood and even the past that proceeds my birth. So I can identify with some of her longings and fears. The climax of Mistress Pat spoke to me more powerfully than any of Montgomery’s other novels, because I need the same life lesson as Pat. 

The hero of the story is Hilary Gordon, aka, Jingle. He’s even more charming than Gilbert Blythe and Teddy Kent, in my opinion. When he appears on the scene as a ragged little boy who becomes one of Pat’s two childhood friends, the story in Pat of Silver Bush instantly gains intrigue. He’s devoted to Pat, his relationship with his mother will make you cry, and his determination to pursue his architect dreams is inspiring.

In one sense, Pat’s books are slower moving than Anne’s and Emily’s. Not as many exciting things happen, because Pat herself doesn’t seek change. (But they’re interesting because they are so different than a conventional story that proceeds crisis to crisis.) And yet the years bring inevitable change, and the two volumes cover many years quickly.

You’ll certainly feel an autumnal atmosphere in Pat’s story, through the theme of change and nostalgia; through Pat’s character—her favorite season is autumn, and her coloring is like autumn; and through the important events that happen in this season. You might even sense it woven in the writing itself…Montgomery seems more melancholy and mature. She wrote these books less than ten years before her death.

To conclude, here are a few quotes to give you a taste of these books:

“Aren’t you glad our birthday is in September? I think it is one of the nicest things that ever happened to me because September is my favourite month in the year. It’s such a friendly month and it seems as if the year had stopped being in a hurry and had time to think about you.” (Pat to her friend Bets in Pat of Silver Bush)

“‘Pat of Silver Bush,’” said Pat happily. It was beautiful to have home and love and family ties. Bold-and-bad, the kitten of the summer, came flying across the yard to her. Pat picked him up and squeezed some purrs out of him. No matter what dreadful things happened at least there were still cats in the world.” (Pat of Silver Bush)

“Pat took stock of things. She was at peace. Her whole world had been temporarily wrecked…ruined…turned upside down, but nothing had really changed in Silver Bush. There was no longer anything to come between her and it…never would be again. She was through with love and all its counterfeits. Henceforth Silver Bush would have no rival in her heart. She could live for it alone. There might be some hours of loneliness. But there was something wonderful even in loneliness. At least you belonged to yourself when you were lonely.” (Mistress Pat)

Have you read or heard of the Pat books? What did you think?

Island Adventure

“Dear old world,” she murmured, “you are very lovely, and I am so glad to be alive in you.” - Anne Shirley (L. M. Montgomery)

After seeing Prince Edward Island for myself last week, I can more than ever agree with Anne’s statement in Anne of Green Gables. Thanks to God and three dear friends, I fulfilled my longtime dream of visiting P.E.I., the small, northeastern Canadian province that’s only the size of Delaware but wrapped in a rich legacy of beloved, true-to-life fiction.

L. M. Montgomery is one of my favorite authors. She wrote twenty novels and hundreds of short stories, and all but one of the novels is set on Prince Edward Island. She was born there, lived there for years, and even when she moved away to live with her minister husband, she visited frequently. Her writing revels in the beauty of nature and the quirks of human beings, so it’s no wonder that her books make her dedicated readers yearn to see the setting.

Although we were on the island for only two and a half days, my friends and I had a wonderful time. We visited all four of the major Montgomery sites, Charlottetown, and the northern seashore. We also got to experience the comforting familiarity of visits to Walmart and Tim Horton’s (a popular Canadian coffee and doughnut chain). To think that the Summerside of the classic Anne of Windy Poplars has a Walmart!

Sometimes dream locations disappoint you when you visit them in person. P.E.I. did not. I was prepared for it to be more modern, populated, and touristy than it was 100 years ago, but I was delighted to find it was less so than I expected. The island felt homey, safe, familiar, and idyllic. Tourism, agriculture, and fishing are its main industries, after all; you can’t get friendlier than that. Since we visited off-season, the sites and attractions blended into the character of the island instead of sticking out like busy anthills. I may have been expecting more striking beauty (Montgomery’s descriptions make my mouth water), but P.E.I.’s beauty crept quietly, warmly into my soul. 

L. M. Montgomery was born in this house in New London in 1874.

Her mother died when she was 21 months old, however, so her grandparents brought her up in the house that stood on this foundation in nearby Cavendish. Her father relocated to Saskatchewan when she was seven, but she never lived permanently with him again. 

Through a walk in what’s called the “Haunted Wood” (after the name Anne and Diana gave it in Anne of Green Gables), the actual house that inspired Green Gables can be reached from the Cavendish homestead. The couple that lived here during Montgomery’s time adopted a little girl – much like Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert adopted Anne. 

“where scores of white birches grew, upspringing airily out of an undergrowth suggestive of delightful possibilities in ferns and mosses and woodsy things generally." (Anne of Green Gables)

One more site is the grand home where Montgomery’s aunt and uncle and cousins the Campbells lived. Today it’s the Anne of Green Gables Museum. Just across the road is the lovely natural mirror, the Lake of Shining Waters, that inspired the special body of water in Anne’s stories. 

Historic downtown Charlottetown, P.E.I’s capital and largest city, is quite a charming specimen. Life picks up a little more speed here, just like it did years ago.

This was my first visit to the ocean. Though it was cold, I got right in and let the experience literally wash over me. It was so incredible to gaze out at the horizon and realize there’s nothing but water for miles and miles and miles. The red sand and rocks were lovely. Just look at that sea grass! The only thing that wasn’t how I imagined it was the taste of seawater – I actually found it rather good (in small sips, of course). On this island, you’re never far from the sea.

“On the left were the steep red sandstone cliffs.... Down at the base of the cliffs were heaps of surf-worn rocks or little sandy coves inlaid with pebbles as with ocean jewels; beyond lay the sea, shimmering and blue, and over it soared gulls, their pinions flashing silvery in the sunlight." (Anne of Green Gables)

Visiting Prince Edward Island greatly enhanced my understanding of Montgomery’s books. No wonder they are so colorful – P.E.I. is full of color, from blue skies, jewel sunsets, green grass, red dirt, reflective water, rainbow flowers, and painted houses. No wonder the books are so cozy – P.E.I. is home to friendly people, close-knit small towns, old-fashioned homes, and industries that rely on nature. The island today is a gratifying descendant of the island so loved by L. M. Montgomery. Have you ever wanted to visit Prince Edward Island? If so, I encourage you to pursue the possibility. You won’t regret it!

Guest Post: Hope Pennington!

Today I'm happy to welcome Hope Pennington to my blog! She’s written a meaningful, fun, poignant post that I’m excited to share. Enjoy and be encouraged!



When You Can't Get Out Of Bed...

Morning dawns. Sun dances on my skin from the window and once again...I don't want to get up.

Static in my mind.

I have no plans for my life.

Gee. Life stinks sometimes.

Some people, some mornings get up, stretch like a Disney princess and dance through chores and their job like a Disney princess.

More often I feel like the villain. I don't save the world. My job isn't important. I'm not a hero, I'm not a princess. Why should I even bother getting up?

There's a sunrise outside.

Don't worry that you're in your pajamas. You walk outside. Feel the wet grass on your toes. Bring your bible. Read a psalms. Climb a fence. Look at clouds.

Stop waiting for something big. Your life. Your moment. Right now. Just looking at that sky. Is something big and amazing. Don't waist it worrying. Leave the worrying to God and laugh that happy laugh or if you can't - smile. Enjoy that sunrise. God painted it for you.

And dance. Dance like it's the last day of your life. Don't worry what people think. People get it wrong anyway. It's just you and God and the sky. And God loves in you.

Enjoy

Yourself

You're the hero of your story. And you rock.

Then go inside. Wear stuff. Who cares what. You kill it kid. So your room's a reck. So you flunked math. So your mom had to tell you for the millionth time to take out the trash. Take it out with pride and kick off your shoes. I need every single one of my adventures to know they're a hero today and live the adventure of having fun here and now.

Today

Kiss your mom.

Hug your dad.

Do your thing and #noworryaloud

Today is your day to #ROCK






Hope Pennington is a nerdy scifi and fantasy author who loves to encourage people to believe that they're the epic hero of their own life story. If she's not writing she can be found vlogging, making comic books or hanging out with random people who like the same TV shows as her.

Here’s how to connect with her:
Blog - The Epic Place, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube.

Author Photoshoot

These photos have been patiently waiting for me to share them since July. A dear friend of mine, Sonja Langford (http://sonjalangford.com/) is responsible for taking these pictures that, I feel, really capture my personality. 

The impetus was my need for an updated author photo, because my previous one is four years old. But Sonja took such a variety that I had to share more. Don't you just love that vintage typewriter? That's a gift from another dear friend!

Surfeited Summer

Life has been chock full of interesting experiences for me lately. Let’s see if I can cover them all in one blog post today!

At the end of June, I spent about a week in Nebraska with some dear friends. I experienced several firsts—first time milking goats (my hands got so tired!), first time helping with calf branding (probably the hardest work I’ve ever done), first time actually directing a horse while I was riding him instead of just sitting back and following a trail. These real-life, out-of-the-ordinary-for-me experiences really enriched me. The time in the unfilled countryside was so refreshing, and the close fellowship with my friends was so sweet.

Nebraska is for the most part wide open country. Southwestern Nebraska, my location, was full of steep hills that gave intrigue to the landscape and made up for the general deficiency in trees. Where trees did take root, however, they were thick and healthy. Mostly there were cattle, horses, corn fields, and wheat fields, but there were also houses, small towns, and wildlife. I was fascinated by the homes built into hillsides, the descendants of Little House on the Prairie-style dugouts. It seems I can’t go anywhere without being reminded of a book or an author; Nebraska is the state of Willa Cather, whose book My Antonia made a big impression on me several years ago. Her books had a big presence at the used bookstore I visited, as did the books by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, a woman who wrote about her homesteading life nearby in Wyoming.

The second week of July, I had a precious friend come stay with me for a bit, and we drove up to be staff members at a Bible camp in Oklahoma. I’ve gone to this camp for eleven years now, and every year is an incredible spiritual event in my life. This time was no exception. I love getting to serve here now that I’m older, but I’m always out-blessed.

When I got back from that camp, it was time to get fully prepared for a local music day camp that took place the first week of August. It was fun putting different creative muscles to work—planning crafts, doing a collage board, choreographing a dance, researching history, writing discussion outlines, and of course listening to music. The kids were fun to teach and interact with, and the other teachers were such gracious and talented people. Our theme was 1950s and ’60s music…talk about catchy songs! They’re still taking turns whirling in my head.

Using clothes as a teaching tool was fun - 1950s

1960s!

Interspersed with all this, plus working and teaching karate, I’ve been developing my proofreading business. I’ve had almost nonstop projects since June, praise God. Fitting creative writing into that has been a challenge, but I’m still feeling my way forward and hope it will all slide into place once I get comfortable with the schedule and new routine.

So now you know how my summer has been! How about yours? Busier or slower than normal? What new experiences have you had?

Update and Top Five Favorite Authors

It took a Homeschooled Authors Read-to-Win post to motivate me to revisit my own blog today!

First, my top five favorite authors:
Jane Austen
Elizabeth Goudge
L.M. Montgomery
Elizabeth Gaskell
Louisa May Alcott

These ladies inspire me with every word they wrote. Who are your top five favorite authors? Check out the Homeschooled Authors for some great choices!

Update: I’ve missed my blog, and I’ve missed keeping up with other people’s blogs. But that’s what comes with the busiest summer I’ve had in years. God has blessed me with many new experiences and fun and challenging opportunities! One day before too long I hope to share more about them.

Emma's Anniversary

“I do so wonder, Miss Woodhouse, that you should not be married, or going to be married—so charming as you are.”
“My being charming, Harriet, is not quite enough to induce me to marry. I must find other people charming—one other person at least.”

I had to chuckle at that, since it so wittily expresses how single women feel sometimes. It’s just one of many clever, timeless, spot-on statements that appear frequently throughout Emma, the last novel that Jane Austen saw published. She died a year and a half later. It was published in December 1815; I read Emma this year in honor of its 200th anniversary.

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Although Sense and Sensibility is my favorite, I think Emma may be her best novel. It certainly is her most mature work. She was older and more experienced when she wrote it than when she wrote all her other completed novels save Persuasion; and Persuasion, published posthumously, did not have the benefit of her final edit. Emma is symmetrical and tightly plotted. Every circumstance and character is tied off in probably the most satisfying ending of her novels (the others tend to finish too quickly for us romantics). The major characters, from Emma to Miss Bates, are so realistic and well drawn you can know them like real people; none of them are the least bit unbelievable or caricature-ish. Their dialogue sparkles. Emma’s character development is probably the most detailed of all Jane Austen’s heroines. The setting of Highbury is a living portrait of a small English village.

I seldom reread books, but I plan to always reread Jane Austen’s novels. This was my second time reading Emma. Just a few things I would like to draw attention to that I especially enjoyed this time around:

- Emma and Mr. Knightley’s delightful relationship and repartee: “Mr. Knightley loves to find fault with me, you know—in a joke—it is all a joke. We always say what we like to one another.” Their conversations are some of the best in all of Jane Austen’s works!

- The cohesiveness of the plot: Perhaps more than any other of Miss Austen’s novels, marriage is the driving plot of Emma. It opens with a wedding and ends with a wedding; a wedding shakes up Emma Woodhouse’s world in the beginning, and rectifies it at the conclusion. Emma’s character arc is bound to it—marriage removes her best friend and former governess, Mrs. Weston, causing her to commandeer Harriet Smith, a graduate of the local girls’ school, as a new constant companion. Matchmaking becomes her hobby as she tries to manage Harriet’s marital prospects. Marriage between her sister and Mr. Knightley’s brother defines Emma’s and Mr. Knightley’s friendship and blinds them to their own feelings for each other. Marriage, or the desire of marriage, brings three new characters to Highbury—Jane Fairfax, Frank Churchill, and Augusta Elton. One of Emma’s most prominent wishes is that she not marry, and one of her father’s most defining characteristics is that he dislikes marriage because it changes things. By the end of the book, we have met no less than six married or soon-to-be married couples, and most of them are the major characters. Only two other major characters are unmarried, Mr. Woodhouse and Miss Bates. Marriage, proposals, engagements, and romantic speculation propel the story. And at the end, marriage between the right pairs puts the world aright again.

- The beautiful theme: While marriage is the driving plot, the take-away theme seems to be truth. I’m indebted to Peter J. Leithart and his book Miniatures and Morals for pointing this out (highly recommended for all Jane Austen fans!). Mr. Knightley, the epitome of a truthful man (he won’t even tolerate any equivocation, but always speaks and acts decisively), is the only man who is right for Emma. Only when there is truth in all the characters’ dealings with each other is the story ready for conclusion. The biggest plot developments hinge on cleared-up misunderstandings (such as those that concern Mr. Elton, Harriet, and Emma; Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax; and Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Harriet). Although marriage propels Emma’s character arc, her growth is measured by the amount of truth she tells, learns, and recognizes about herself. She is ready for marriage when truth triumphs in her life. Takeaway point: Truth is essential for a happy marriage and really, for any wholesome relationship.

I know this is sort of an unconventional review, but I’ll end properly: Not only is Emma humorous and well written, it’s full of insight and rich character studies. It’s a novel that has lived two hundred years without losing any of its freshness or power. It will surprise and delight you with every read!  

What do you think of Emma?