Mary Henley Rubio has spent over two decades researching Montgomery’s life, and has put together a comprehensive and penetrating picture of this Canadian literary icon, all set in rich social context. Extensive interviews with people who knew Montgomery – her son, maids, friends, relatives, all now deceased – are only part of the material gathered in a journey to understand Montgomery that took Rubio to Poland and the highlands of Scotland.

From Montgomery’s apparently idyllic childhood in Prince Edward Island to her passion-filled adolescence and young adulthood, to her legal fights as world-famous author, to her shattering experiences with motherhood and as wife to a deeply troubled man, this fascinating, intimate narrative of her life will engage and delight.

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FINALIST 2009 - British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction

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"Rubio deftly paints the portrait of a multitasking modern woman with an amazing work ethic. The biography soars with the energy of its title, but delves even deeper into Montgomery's dark side."
— The Globe and Mail

"A poignant story about a real family…. The result of Rubio's research is pure Canadian Gothic: a story of sexual repression, class conflict and family secrets."
— The Gazette (Montreal)

"Absolutely gripping … nothing short of brilliant, an un-put-downable read, and a wonderful examination of this troubled woman's tragic life."
— Ottawa Citizen

"Magisterial."
— National Post

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Introduction

The PEI Years 1874—1911

The Leaskdale Years 1911—1926

The Norval Years 1926—1935

The Toronto Years 1935—1942

Epilogue


Acknowledgements
Endnotes
Select Bibliography
Index

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Mary Henley Rubio is University Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. She co-edited The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery (five volumes, 1985-2004), co-authored Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery, and edited Harvesting Thistles: The Textual Garden of L.M. Montgomery. Her most recent book is the Norton Critical Edition of Anne of Green Gables.

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