Emily of New Moon Read-Along: Chapters 18-24

Hello again!
I'm am here (late, but here) for Amber at Seasons of Humility's Emily of New Moon Read-Along! Technically, I should already be done with it because March is over... but I last week got away from me. Note to all of you: If you are feeling sick, like you have the flu, it is worth it to check with a doctor.

Make sure to check out Amber's discussion post HERE, and Julie's HERE.

Spoiler Zone! If you haven't read Emily of New Moon, things will be spoiled for you if you continue reading this. So for your sake, go no further.

Emily of New Moon ~ Chapters 18-24

Discussion Format: your favorite quotes, general impressions, and five questions to answer for each week's reading

Favorite Quotes:

1.

'...down behind it the Blair Water dreamed in silver...'

2.

'Everything Emily had ever read of dream and myth and legend seemed a part of the charm of that bush.'

3.

"If you've brains it's better than beauty---brains last, beauty doesn't."

4.

'Through it Emily could see summer fields lying in the magic of a rising yellow moon.'

General Impressions:

We start this session off with some injustice. Lofty John is going to cut down the bush, and they are all blaming Emily! I really am so upset with Aunt Elizabeth for being so mean! I was really starting to like her, but then she was all horrid! This states my thought exactly:

'It was a cruel thing to say, even when all allowances were made,--cruel and unjust, since her own sharp tongue and Murray sarcasm had had quite as much to do with it as Emily.'

But, it was all fixed with Father Cassidy! That made me happy.

That "Romantic But Not Comfortable" chapter cracked me up! I knew that we would eventually run into a love triangle with Emily, Teddy, and Perry. It is just hinted here about what might come later in the series. Oh, it is so embarrassing for Perry! I'm just glad that Ilse wasn't there... I honestly don't know what she would've thought.

I like to continue learning about Emily's thought process. When talking about a snake (yikes!):

"It is hideous but fascinating."

About Wyther Grange: I love Great Aunt Nancy! She is so great! I had the impression all along that I wouldn't, but I was wrong! I mean, she seriously could be nicer to Caroline, but she is still so funny! At one point she said "tradish"! I like how she didn't get mad at Emily because she broke the lamp, but that she just laughed it off. I love the quote describing her:

'Somehow, she looked like an old fairy--and impish, tolerant old fairy, who might turn suddenly malevolent if you rubbed her the wrong way--only fairies never wore long, gold-tasselled earring that almost touched their shoulders, or white lace caps with purple pansies in them.'

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your impressions of Father Cassidy? What do you like or not like about how he interacts with Emily?

I like him! I really, really do. Though, there is something I can't pin down... huh. I like how Ms. Montgomery pointed out: 

'He was nice but ununderstandable.' 

Anyway, he was such a sweetheart to help Emily! And it said that she didn't seem him for a few years, so I will miss him, but maybe he is in the later books.

2. If you could pick a line from these chapters that resonates with you the most—that makes you think, That's me!—what line would it be and why?


This is hard because I tend to read it so quickly and only once in a while remember to type up my favorite quotes. Because of that, I'm sure that there is something much, much more accurate, but this is what I have to deal with:

"It is nice to feel so necessary."

This is me because (especially with spring cleaning), I get tired of it, but keep going because it is helpful, and I am "necessary"!


3. How did you feel about the Murray Christmas gathering described in chapter 20? How is it different from or similar to some of your own family Christmases (from childhood or more recently)?


I guess I blazed through that chapter because I don't really remember it. Ah, yes, now I do. Christmas for me is usually just my family for gift opening, but we sometimes have a lot of people over to dinner, like the Murrays. And yes, I always eat way too much...


4. What was something fashionable when you were younger that you really wanted, like Emily's desire for bangs? Have your tastes changed since then?


I honestly have never been "fashionable" in anyway and haven't really wanted to. But, this did remind me of The Little House Books, because Laura really wanted bangs, and Anne of Green Gables, when Anne really wanted "puffed sleeves".


5. If you were invited to visit Wyther Grange for a while, would you want to go? What might you think of the place and its occupants?

Yes! I would love to go! I don't know what it is, but I feel drawn to it!

Thanks to Amber for hosting this, and thanks to all of you for reading! I'm sorry that this got a little "rambly" today. Have a good April!

MovieCritic