A Tangled Web

3.5 stars.I’ll definitely read this book again. There are enough characters that I feel I’ll always be able to relate with someone.You feel after reading this book that everything turns out for the best in life. People are sometimes proud or ignorant or think they know what they want, and they make mistakes. But in the end, everything turns out for the best, and people find happiness, even if it takes time.The premise of this book is that the matriarch of a large family (Aunt Becky) dies, and it is her request [spoiler!] that the family not find out who is to inherit a beloved family heirloom (a jug) until a year after her death. She threatens her relatives that if they don’t behave in a way that she would have liked over that year, her beneficiary won’t give the jug to them.Throughout the book, you follow the narratives of a bunch of family members—enough that the names were confusing at first. Some of the stories were more engaging to me than others. By the end, you feel that you know the entire family very well.At first, I was annoyed that so many people fell in love at first sight. I was also uncomfortable with how many people seem to be in love with married people. But one of the themes of this book is that people sometimes love the idea of love. Montgomery breaks down this illusion nicely, and in the end, people find and realize what true love is.There is a lot of symbolism with the moon and the wind. The symbolism was very consistent and intentional. It didn’t really bother me, but for other people, it might be distracting. And unnecessary.Language: lots of “damn” and one use of the “N” word at the end of the book—a very racist comment.

An old jug left in secret legacy by a mischievous and temperamental old aunt: who knew that the inheritance of such a trivial (and undeniably ugly) object could lead to such drastic repercussions! Shattered friendships, broken hearts, rekindled romance...the Dark and Penhallow families experience them all and more when the clan matriarch, Aunt Becky, dies after her final "levee" during which she blistered each and every one of them with her tongue and started the kettle of emotions boiling with her unusual will and bequests.Following the funeral, Big Sam and Little Sam, friends for ages, suddenly find that they cannot stand each other's company...but can they learn to live apart? Beautiful Gay Penhallow, whose young heart is in raptures over her recent engagement, learns the painful lesson of the meaning of true love, as does Joscelyn Dark, who has spurned her husband for ten long years in order to remain true to her heart's desire. Brian Dark and Margaret Penhallow, each longing desperately for love and home, finally find solace for their aching hearts just as do Peter Penhallow and Donna Dark, longtime enemies who suddenly find in each other the lover they've been unconsciously searching for. In the year that follows Aunt Becky's death, until the day her secret is finally revealed, these and many other lives will be drastically changed. Just how much damage will the old jug do to this family and will its members survive the change?This is a charming book set in Lucy Maud Montgomery's beloved Prince Edward Island. Its colorful characters, descriptive scenery and interesting plot that employs a mixture of humor, pathos and sweet sentiment make for a comfortable read that leaves behind a pleasant sense of satisfaction at its close. Though I would certainly recommend that readers new to L.M. Montgomery's books read her more popular Avonlea books first, this was an enjoyable book and well worth the time spent.

Love, love love this book! Montgomery’s literary abilities were at their finest and most mature in this novel. Characters well well fleshed out and you could just see the scenes play out in your head , the descriptions were so vivid. Spoiler: Two points that left me scrunching my nose a bit in disappointment: how the jug’s new owner was never disclosed and the ending scene with the Sam’s. I understand it was a different era but it was jarring to see the “N” word in the last paragraph of an otherwise completely inoffensive book. You almost feel duped when you run into it. Bit of a bummer. Still a WONDERFUL book.

Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, justly famous for her "Anne of Green Gables" series, wrote two novels in her career that were explicitly intended for adults. One is her highly entertaining 1931 classic "A Tangled Web."Set on Montgomery's beloved Prince Edward Island, the novel concerns two intermarried clans, the Darks and the Penhallows, whose collective lives are thrown into chaos by the dying wish of matriach Aunt Becky Dark. The clever and meddling Aunt Becky leaves a valued heirloom jug to be awarded to the most deserving clan member one year after her death.The premise may seem a little weak, but Montgomery adroitly uses it as a vehicle to explore the foibles, weaknesses, rivalries and eccentricities of a small town, in the process finding much humor and some considerable human wisdom.The race for the jug will prompt the Darks and the Penhallows to examine their lives, with unexpected results. Men and women who have quarreled all their lives will try to be polite for one year. An estranged couple will attempt to heal their marriage. A young woman in love will compete for the man of her choice, before pondering the wisdom of her choice. A spinster will be offered marriage and a home by a man she has decidedly mixed feelings about. A man and a woman who hate each other will suddenly wonder why. A cruelly abused orphan will find happiness in an unexpected way.In a sense, "A Tangled Web" is a clever intermingling of a series of short stories with predictable outcomes, but Montgomery's ability to make the most of the journey carries it off in superb style. "A Tangled Web" is very highly recommended to her fans.

Indeed an intriguing book

Seit einiger Zeit lese ich auch Montgomery Bücher im Original, zwangsweise, da eine ganze Menge nie auf deutsch veröffentlicht wurden... . Auch dieses Buch kann ich nur empfehlen. Am Anfaang ist es vielleicht etwas schwierig sich einzulesen & die vielen Charaktere verwirren, aber das legt sich rasch.Es geht um ein altes Erbstück, das nach dem Tod des Familienoberhauptes an einen aus dem Clan gehen soll, doch an wen, darüber rätselt man am Sterbebett.Das Buch erzählt die (Liebes)Geschichten einger Frauen aus dem Clan, dessen Familenzweige sich oft nicht freundlich gesinnt gehenüberstehen, da ist z.b ein Paar, das obwohl seit Jehren veheiratet, sich bereits vor der Hochzeitsnacht getrennt hat oder ein junges Mädchen, das seinen vermeintlichen Traummann bereits gefunden hat, aber da taucht die männerrmordende Cousine auf! da bleibt nur noch ein alter Freund zum trösten, der die sitzengelassene schon lang liebt....Vielleicht nicht der beste ihrer Romane, aber auf jeden Fall mal keine Kleinmädchen Geschichte wie in Anne, Emily o. Pat!Auch werden in diesem Roman wie schon in Blue Castle auch einige für die damalige Zeit doch sehr gewagte Themen angesprochen(aus heutiger Sicht natürlich völlig harmlos! Auch dieses Buch fällt somit aus der Reihe der "Kinderbücher"!

I am a huge fan of LM Montgomery and have read, I think, all her works. She has something of a habit of recycling plots and characters, and this book is a prime example. It sets out the tangled relations of various Penhallows and Darks - names that will be familiar from other books. Plots from other books are interwoven and of necessity given a more slight treatment and sometimes given a facile end. It was the ending of the book that shocked me. A vile racist comment including the use of the N word! Whilst I accept that this was written in a less inclusive time and this may have been a reflection of the world Montgomery inhabited, I've never seen any similar sentiments in her other books and this was a real slap in the face.

I am a great fan of LM Montgomery and I loved this book. At first it is difficult to keep track of all the different characters and their individual stories but I found it well worth the effort. In truth, the book is really a series of cleverly observed character sketches knitted together into a story but Montgomery writes so well and includes so many detailed descriptions of her characters' foibles and traits that I found it hugely entertaining. Perhaps not one to start with if you are only familiar with the Anne of Green Gables novel and its sequels. My only criticism is the choice of cover illustration which I hated.

I'm a long-term fan of LMM's books, I believe a lot of her books don't receive the acclaim they deserve! This book was thoroughly enjoyable. LMM does what she does best - describe families with all their eccentricities, quirks, and mannerisms. The narration doesn't focus on one particular character - in fact, the story is told from the point of view of several different characters who, seemingly, have only one thing in common - they belong to the same family. It's a book about family ties, life's twists and turns and about how small things have the potential to become big things. I thoroughly recommend this book.