''The Golden Road'' is a 1913 novel by Canadian author

L. M. Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

Background

As a child, Montgomery learned many stories from her great aunt Mary Lawson. She later used these in ''

The Story Girl ''The Story Girl'' is a 1911 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, L. M. Montgomery. It narrates the adventures of a group of young cousins and their friends who live in a rural community on Prince Edward Island, Canada. In 1917, Montgo ...

'' and ''The Golden Road''.Writing a Life: L.M. Montgomery (Canadian Biography Series), Mary Rubio, Elizabeth Waterston Montgomery married on July 5, 1911 and left

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. She arrived at Leaskdale, Ontario in October, where her husband served as the minister of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. She began work on this novel on April 30, 1912, and gave birth to her first son on July 7. She finished the novel on May 21, 1913, saying "I have been too hurried and stinted for time. I have had to write it at high pressure, all the time nervously expecting some interruption". The book was published on September 1.Mary Rubio, Elizabeth Waterston, ''Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery Volume II: 1910-1921'', Oxford University Press, 2000, , pp. 67, 81, 96, 100, 119, 134 It was dedicated to Mary Lawson.

Plot summary

The plot is based around the character Beverley who remembers his childhood days with his brother Felix and friends and cousins Felicity, Cecily, Dan, Sara Stanley (the "Story Girl"), hired-boy Peter and neighbour Sara Ray. The children often played in their family's orchard and had many adventures, even creating their own newspaper, called ''Our Magazine''. More character development takes place in this novel than in its predecessor and the reader is able to watch the children grow up; in particular, they are able to watch Sara Stanley leave the Golden Road of childhood forever. They also are able to see the beginnings of a relationship between Peter and Felicity, as chemistry between them starts to build; it also seems that Beverley and Sara Stanley are drawn to each other but this is left undeveloped. Throughout the story it is hinted that Beverley's cousin, Cecily, is consumptive; in a passage where the Story Girl tells their futures, the adult Beverley confirms that Cecily never left the Golden Road. As well, Beverley strongly hints that Peter and Felicity will be married. The novel ends after Sara's father collects her to give her a proper education and their small group is never complete again.

References

External links

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The Golden Road by L. M. Montgomery
Project Gutenberg
L.M. Montgomery Online
Formerly the L.M. Montgomery Research Group, this site includes a blog, extensive lists of primary and secondary materials, detailed information about Montgomery's publishing history, and a filmography of screen adaptations of Montgomery texts. See, in particular, the page abou
''The Golden Road''

The Golden Road
LibriVox (free audiobooks of public domain)

The Confederation Centre Art Gallery

An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page
The L.M. Montgomery Literary Society
This site includes information about Montgomery's works and life and research from the newsletter, The Shining Scroll. {{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Road 1913 Canadian novels Novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery Canadian children's novels Novels set in Prince Edward Island 1913 children's books