[.uk] Kilmeny of the Orchard (ISBN 0770421814)

A beautiful, simple love story...:
This is one of my all-time favorite fairy-tale love stories. No, it's not realistic, and Eric and Kilmeny have precious few faults, at least that we are told about. But I don't think that it's because they don't have any... it's just a love story... not the story of their lives. Eric is awed by Kilmeny's music, first... and then he is wowed by her beauty. And then, as the weeks go by and they spend hours together every day, they fall in love. This is a beautiful story, exquisitely told. We are not drawn into the conversations that they have, and the details of how they get to know each other. We are simply allowed to feel the admiration and respect and love that they come to feel for each other. And that is more than enough for me.

Kilmeny:
I have read this book and I have to say that it is not a bad book, but nor is it the kind of book you read once and have to read again. It is the story of Eric Marshall and his love -- even though she's dumb -- Kilmeny Gordon. The name "Kilmeny" I had never heard before, and when I read the book, I felt that the name went only too well with the myseterious heroine. Kilmeny herself I found a fasinating person, though Eric to me seemed rather boring. My favorite characters would be Aunt Janet and Uncle Thomas Gordon, and the two Williamsons with their "Timothy". Neil Gordon, the villian, put all the action and suspense into the novel, and it's a little lame how he simply jumped town at the end. This story is a lot like a fairy tale romance, and perhaps Lucy Maud Montgomery meant it to be. "Kilmeny of the Orchards" is certainly NOT Montgomery's best work, but it still is worth a read.

Beauty:
I have loved this book since I was a child and I cannot understand why others have such a hard time reading it. It is not an adventure book, and it is not meant to be. It is beautifully written and soothing to the reader's mind. As a musician, it is also nice to see music entwined into a love story like this one. It is refreshing to find a beauty like Kilmeny who believes herself to be unattractive. Some readers have written that they are upset by the fact that their love is only based on looks. Eric fell in love with more than her beauty. Her mannerisms and innocence were a major part of that love. Her good looks only inspired him to look closer at the woman inside. This book is worth the time and money in every way as long as you're not looking for an action book.

Good, overall:
Though I can see why some might get annoyed with this book (Kilmeny is far too beautiful, and Eric is far too good-looking), I always imagined that this was a book Montgomery wrote for herself. In her other major series (Anne, Emily, Pat, Story Girl) the heroine is never really beautiful, and something goes wrong...it seemed to me that Kilmeny was a book Montgomery wrote for fun. There is no real tragedy in the story, everything resolves itself nicely, and the characters are pretty much perfect. If you read the story bearing all this in mind, it's a very easy, enjoyable read. If not, she has 21 other novels.

A good book:
I love LM Montgomery, and this was a good book, well written, with the realistic Victorian era prejudices. Still, I agree with another reviewer. It would have been better if Eric fell in love with 'the plain, dumb, illegitamite girl' of the town. It would have been a more interesting plot.