Any fans of the books here..?
If so, there's a lot to discuss...for starters I always wondered what other Emily readers made of "the flash"..
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
I've just re-read them again and I'm surprised how truly excellent they are. I know I enjoyed them when I read them for the first time, but now, they keep cropping up in my thoughts. They are of great literary skills and Emily is a really cool person. I've read the Anne books many times and I'm a huge fan of L.M.Montgomery's. I can't say that the Emily books are better than the Anne, because that feels like being disloyal, but they are up there with Anne. Wow, they're good, and funny too.
To me the flash is the fleeting feeling of pure happiness. I think I feel something like it when I regard nature around me, clean air, green woods, bright stars on a royal blue sky. Sometimes there is just that special perfectness about it.
Yes, I know what you mean; Emily has very strong emotions too so the complete happiness that she feels is probably overwhelming.
I've actually never read the Anne books properly, I did begin them once some years ago, but I just didn't seem to take to Anne's character half as much as that of Emily. But saying that, I should think about reading the Anne books alright, just to compare. I love the setting of Emily's tale too (which possibly is the same as in the Anne books?)..I think I'd like to visit P.E. Island!
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
You should really read the Anne-books. I feel the same way about P.E.I. and that's definitely based on the descrptions in Anne. A good thing about the Anne books is that there are a total of eight books. I somehow wish there were more about Emily because she was such an intriguing character. The first and third of the Anne books are the best. The last one is with her daugther as the main character. It is set during the first world war so you actually learn some history, too, and it is very good. You can read that independantly from the rest of the books, though you will of course discover who Anne married and stuff like that. I think you should read them.
How did you feel about Teddy just agreeing to marry Ilse? I hope that Ilse's reports on the courting was exaggerated.
I'll definitely give the Anne books another go. I've put together a list of books I want to read this year, so Anne is certainly joining that list!
Yes, more Emily would be nice, but I think LMM rounded it off nicely, with Emily going to live in the Disappointed House :)
Teddy and Ilse was an odd pairing. I really like Ilse in the books actually, and in a way it was a pity that we didn't get to hear more about Perry/Ilse. I'm trying to remember now what Ilse said about courting Teddy..she seemed a tad bored by him. She did claim that he pursued her for a good while..I guess he was trying to take his mind off Emily. I discovered that there is fan-fiction on the net, and somebody has written a piece on what Teddy felt when Ilse abandoned him on their wedding day!
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
I hope that's the reason why because I felt a bit disappointed that he just proposed to Ilse. I think it's mainly the proposal that I hope is exaggerated, maybe Ilse pressured him in to it. I liked his remark about hating Vega of the Lyre - that showed he still cared. Come to think of it, I think Ilse said that neither of them loved each other that way. They were just great chums, but I still think he should have refrained from Emily's best friend. Not that I don't like Teddy or anything.
I thought the ending was a bit hasty. I would have liked a nice wedding and some sweet remarks from Teddy. Maybe I just didn't want the book to end.
How do you feel about Teddy's mother? I find it very hard to accept that she just disposed of Teddy's real letter. It was only a coincidence that Emily discovered Mr. Kent's letter. It could just as easily have laid in that old book forever, and Emily would never have known Teddy loved her and vice versa. That was a bit too lucky. I don't mean to sound negative, though, because I loved the books. It just bugged me a little.
Hello again, sorry for my delayed reply..yes it was a very handy coincidence alright, and an obvious way to move the story onward. I just read over those few pages again there. I never noticed it as being a flaw in the tale or anything although I can understand why it might bug you. I suppose things have a strange way for working out for Emily..and because she has this touch of magic about her, it's like the fates intervened or something. I can see how it may seem unrealistic, but it managed to fit the story ok I think.
I suppose the fact that Emily never replied to Teddy's letter made him think she wouldn't even care if he married Ilse. Perhaps he was making a statement by then proposing to Emily's close friend.
What did you think of Dean Priest and his relationship with Emily? If anything in the books sits uncomfortably with me, that's it. It was an interesting aspect of Emily's tale, but I'm so glad she didn't marry him! When I first read the Emily books as a child, I didn't notice anything untoward. But when I read them years later, I found him a tad suspect, the way he hangs around waiting for Emily to turn to him. He's quite selfish, and possessive over her.
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
I don't like the relationship between Emily and Dean. It is uncanny. It has been a while since I have read the first book, but I am at now, and just today I read the passage when she meets Dean and he says things like "I think I will wait for you," "I won't kiss you - yet" and so on, and hey, the girl is only twelve. He is thirty-six! I don't like it. Besides, I have this theory, that the main character should always marry the first love potential she meets and has feelings for, even if it is only hinted implicitly (which I think it is here with Teddy). I think that is the ending which satifies the reader the most, in most cases anyway. I can apply this on most of the books I have read. What kind of books do you read?
Back to Dean - I didn't like the time in the third book where the two of them were engaged. It was a duty to Emily, like she felt she owed it to him which is really a bad basis for a marriage. Dean was not very pleasant either. He was too possessive. There is also another thing which bothered me, and I know it sounds superficial, but I didn't want Emily to marry an ugly man, well, not ugly, but jarbacky. I can't really explain it. I think it is because that in novels at least you want the story to exceed reality. I just think I want that perfect ending in the storis. As Emily says about her stories "they are true to life as it should be." That's what I want from the books I read. Anyway, Dean's ugliness is not only about his looks, it's a combination of that, his personality, and his behaviour. Teddy is more pleasant.
Teddy is certainly far more pleasant. I couldn't imagine Emily with Dean at all. She was almost with him out of guilt. Yes I understand what you mean about wanting books to exceed reality. Books, and movies, are so often about escapism..and I suppose people will argue that girls have been brought up on fairytales where the princess always lands a HANDSOME prince, but that's precisely why they're fairytales. I know that I like the happy ending if at all possible when I read novels too. And I'm definitely glad Emily ended up with Teddy :) In a way I felt that Emily would have lost her freedom had she married Dean. He kept her back from pursuing her dreams due to his jealous nature. I hated it when he lied to her that her book was rubbish, after which she burned it. She is such a free spirit naturally and I think he might have killed her spirit in the end.
In some ways Dean wasn't unlike Teddy's mother; she drowned (I think) a poor pup just because Teddy loved it and in Emily's Quest Dean even says "You love that old cat more than me" about Emily's fondness for Daffy. They were both consumed by jealousy, even if Mrs Kent was by far the worst case.
You were asking what books I read, and I suppose I like crime fiction a lot..I love Agatha Christie books. One of my favourite books is Wuthering Heights. I love the passionate characters and the way there's a sense of mystery about Cathy/Heathcliff and the moors around them. Not unlike the sense of mystery associated with Emily and 'the flash' when she is out amongst nature.
What do you make of the other characters in the Emily books? Would you say you have some favourites? Aunt Elizabeth is a strong character, but likable, I think, particuarly as she softens toward Emily as time goes on. I like Cousin Jimmy too; I always felt a bit sorry for him, living under Elizabeth's thumb!
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
I was also outraged when he lied to her about that book. That was a really low blow. I liked the way she had gotten the idea for it from Teddy during that night when they were stuck in the old hut. That was also the night she realised she loved Teddy, so the book was linked to Teddy - and along comes Dean and ruins everything.
I have read excerpts from Wuthering Heights in school which is really not a recommendable thing to do because I now know the ending without having had the chance to enjoy reading the book. Is it better than Jane Eyre? I have never really read crime fiction, though I do remember enjoying Nancy Drew and The Famous Five when I was younger - guess you can't really compare that to Agatha Christie.
I like Aunt Elizabeth. Of course she is not very nice in the first book, but I like that she warms up to Emily and enjoys her stories, even though her stubborness prevents her from admitting it. I didn't like Aunt Laura as much. It was good that Emily had a sweet person to turn to, but Laura was rather dull, something I think sweet persons in books often tend to be. No matter how nice, they are just not that interesting. Elizabeth seemed more vivid to me. Besides, even though Laura was kind, she did not understand Emily. You should really read Anne of Green Gables. Marilla, who adopts Anne, is somewhere in between Laura and Elizabeth - a bit more like Elizabeth but with a human touch. The conversations between Ruth and Emily were quite fun, I liked the way Emily stood up for herself.
Yes, Aunt Ruth could be impossible at times! I like the segment in Emily Climbs where she becomes so fed up of school that she ups and leaves in the middle of the night and walks all the way home. That's when she finds Jimmy awake and they share doughnuts before she walks back again. What a different time..when you could safely walk 3 miles in the dark!
I also used to read Nancy Drew and the Famous Five/Secret Seven when I was a kid..so you would probably also enjoy Agatha Christie. There are always good characters in her novels. I'd mostly recommend 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' but they are almost all enjoyable.
I like Jane Eyre, but I still prefer Wuthering Heights. You should give it a go..I know it can be annoying to read excerpts. It's a book that is divided into two parts, each part concerning a different generation of characters.
I'll certainly give Anne of Green Gables a go...looking forward to it.
Also apologies for my very late replies to this thread. Don't know where the month of May has gone!
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"
I like that part too. I can't remember if it's in that part, but I like it when Emily says something like "I forgive you, but you will never let it happen again." She turned their roles around completely, very funny.
I think Wuthering Heights will be my summer reading. Then I'm one down on my list of classic books.
Anne is my favourite book, it's really, really good. You should definitely read it as fast as you can.
By the way, since we are on a movie board, have you seen the series about Emily? I haven't. Are they worth watching? I found the series about Anne likeable for the most part, but still, it is just not the same.
shareI remember seeing two or three episodes when I was younger, and being slightly disappointed with it. It centres on Emily's childhood, rather than showing her adult years aswell. It isn't a straight adaptation at all; from what I remembered they played around with the story a bit to create more episodes. However, if I could get my hands on a cheap box-set I would give it another go, as it's years since I've seen it.
Apparantly there's a Japanese anime series about Emily too.
Gonna start on some Anne books soon!
"These pretzels are making me THIRSTY!"