EDEN MILLS – “I wonder if a hundred years from now, anybody will win a victory over anything because of something I left or did. It’s an inspiring thought.”
–L.M. Montgomery
Hidden behind the thin screen door of her studio and surrounded by countless paintings pouring off the table and crowding the walls, Eden Mills author Janet Wilson sits at her easel, working to add finishing touches to original illustrations for her new book Maud of Green Gables.
The author’s new book is a well-timed non-fiction piece to celebrate the 150th birthday of Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery this November.
The book explores the legacies of Montgomery and her world-renowned novel Anne of Green Gables, which, since it was first published in 1908, has been translated into 40 languages and studied by scholars around the world.
The book features full-page impressionist oil paintings, each accompanied by one of Anne’s or Montgomery’s memorable quotes.
“It’s kind of everything you’d ever want to know about Green Gables, but maybe you didn’t,” said Wilson. “A lot of it is about her process, how she came up with an idea, how she fit it into her schedule and why it is so popular internationally.”
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in New London, Prince Edward Island 1874. She is best known for her novels, essays, short stories and poetry collection. She published a total of 20 novels, 530 short stories, 30 essays and 500 poems.
The accomplished author had three children in her lifetime and died at the age of 67 in 1942.
Maud of Green Gables cover. (Submitted image)
Wilson, who has been writing books since the early 2000s, has written exclusively about child activists, and while Wilson says she enjoyed it, she felt she needed to do something more personal.
The author took a break from writing during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead turning her focus to painting and fine arts.
“I had no desire to do another book,” said Wilson. “And then my friend Kathy phoned me and said, ‘Have you ever thought…’ and so I started by asking around.”
The friend, Kathy Gastle, is the chair of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre in Georgetown.
“Janet is already an accomplished author with [In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae] and Lucy Maud the Cavendish Cat, so I knew her work, and I knew that she would do a phenomenal job,” Gastle said.
Gastle took a strong interest in Montgomery from a very young age, as the enthusiast was born and raised in the village of Norval, where Montgomery moved in 1926 and was known in the village by everyone, including relatives of Gastle.
“My family has been here for over 100 years on both sides, so I grew up in the village knowing the people who knew Maud,” said Gastle.
She noted scholars from all over the world have been coming to Canada for years to study Montgomery and her work, with scholars visiting as close as the University of Guelph, which holds a significant collection of Montgomery’s work, including personal journals, recipes, poetry, scrapbooks, needlework and even photographs – all of which is open to the public for viewing.
“It’s quite phenomenal the imprinting she has done on the world and continues to do,” said Gastle.
For Wilson, Montgomery holds a special place in her heart, something she feels she shares with generations of women.
“I’m not alone. There are whole generations of women now who have not only read the books but also read about her life and immediately became kindred spirits with her,” said Wilson.
Curious readers can pick up a copy of Wilson’s book as well as view the book’s original illustrations on Sept. 7 at the Eden Mills and District Community Club.
The event will run from 1 to 3pm and feature some home baking fresh from the author’s kitchen.