changing opinions
Feb. 21st, 2011 07:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deird1I've been re-reading Rainbow Valley, from the Anne of Green Gables series.
It's funny, because I have distinct memories of thinking the worst two books in the series were Anne's House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley, with Anne of Ingleside as a nice interlude between them. This time around, though, the worst two books are clearly House of Dreams and Ingleside, with Rainbow Valley being really really fun.
(The two very best Anne books are Anne of the Island and Rilla of Ingleside, as all right-thinking people are well aware.)
I think it's largely vegemite effect, really. The first time I read them, Ingleside was a pleasant-enough recovery from the deeply dull House of Dreams, even if it did focus on Anne's children, rather than on Anne herself. And then, horror of horrors, Rainbow Valley kept forgetting what the story was about and wandering off into digressions on completely different people, not even noticing that whole chapters weren't about the Blythes. Silly author!
This time, though, I know what to expect. Ingleside is silly stories about the Blythe children... and actually isn't all that interesting. Whereas Rainbow Valley is about a completely different family, who just happen to share a neighbourhood with characters we've met before.
I'm expecting it to be about the Meredith family - and in fact it is. And it's really fun.
I still find it odd when I discover myself switching opinions like that.
It's funny, because I have distinct memories of thinking the worst two books in the series were Anne's House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley, with Anne of Ingleside as a nice interlude between them. This time around, though, the worst two books are clearly House of Dreams and Ingleside, with Rainbow Valley being really really fun.
(The two very best Anne books are Anne of the Island and Rilla of Ingleside, as all right-thinking people are well aware.)
I think it's largely vegemite effect, really. The first time I read them, Ingleside was a pleasant-enough recovery from the deeply dull House of Dreams, even if it did focus on Anne's children, rather than on Anne herself. And then, horror of horrors, Rainbow Valley kept forgetting what the story was about and wandering off into digressions on completely different people, not even noticing that whole chapters weren't about the Blythes. Silly author!
This time, though, I know what to expect. Ingleside is silly stories about the Blythe children... and actually isn't all that interesting. Whereas Rainbow Valley is about a completely different family, who just happen to share a neighbourhood with characters we've met before.
I'm expecting it to be about the Meredith family - and in fact it is. And it's really fun.
I still find it odd when I discover myself switching opinions like that.
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Date: 2011-02-20 09:09 pm (UTC)Gabrielle
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Date: 2011-02-20 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-20 10:57 pm (UTC)Gabrielle
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Date: 2011-02-20 11:00 pm (UTC):)
(I have a certain amount of affection for Third Girl simply because it features Ariadne Oliver, who is always fun.)
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Date: 2011-02-20 11:01 pm (UTC)True, Ariadne Oliver brightens even the most dismal fictional surroundings.
Gabrielle
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Date: 2011-02-20 11:25 pm (UTC)*loves Ariadne*
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Date: 2011-02-21 12:34 am (UTC)I liked the ones about the children, though, because I loved Walter. I so completely have a type.
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Date: 2011-02-21 01:00 am (UTC)I never really liked Walter very much...
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Date: 2011-02-21 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 02:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 02:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 03:07 am (UTC)(I've read almost everything L.M. Montgomery wrote. She's one of my favorite authors.)
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Date: 2011-02-21 03:10 am (UTC)I love that one too.
Rilla; and The Island a close second
Date: 2011-02-21 11:19 am (UTC)Re: Rilla; and The Island a close second
Date: 2011-02-26 11:14 am (UTC)Re: Rilla; and The Island a close second
Date: 2011-02-26 11:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 04:30 am (UTC)But I'm a mad, mad, mad LMM stan; I reread The Blue Castle every few months, and I have sections of the Emily books memorized I've read them so many times. Easily on my top-5 list of writers who have been most important in my life.