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 Norval resident
L.M. Montgomery is revisited in new book
Although she was born a Prince Edward Islander and was eventually laid to rest under its red soil, Canadian author L.M. Montgomery actually spent about half of her life in Ontario with her husband, Rev. Ewan Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister.
Former Halton County, Ontario resident Deborah Quaile has completed her four-year research project on the life of author L.M. Montgomery during her years living in Norval Presbyterian Church’s manse from 1926 to 1935. Mrs. Quaile, a former editor of The Halton Compass newspaper, was intrigued by the concept of tracing her favourite author through the weekly papers, as well as rediscovering archived materials from Norval area residents that relate to Montgomery.
The result is L.M. Montgomery: The Norval Years, 1926–1935, and details not only the author’s life and events, but chronicles Norval history, residents and businesses, offering a selection of images that have not been seen for decades. Tucked amongst the local newspaper ads for Marcel waves, flapper dresses and farming tips, Mrs. Quaile found glimpses of Montgomery.
“Newspapers are a community’s source of information, and were especially so before radios became popular. Since Maud spent some time working at the Halifax Daily Echo in 1901–02, she was familiar with what was required to place advertising or to obtain space for press releases. She undoubtedly had a hand in inserting ads for plays, or copy regarding social notes.”
Montgomery was active in church social life, taught Sunday School, played the organ, directed the Young People’s Guild plays, performed in Olde Tyme Nites, acted as president of the Norval Women’s Institute, and many more creative outlets, as she wrote five more novels and many articles during her Norval years. She also created scrapbooks that contained her life’s memorabilia.
“Scrapbooking was a blissful occupation, but her creativity suffered from time constraints, so I’ve created a new history that follows Lucy Maud Montgomery Macdonald’s village years using photos, quotations, and local journalism. Residents remember her sauntering down the street to the general store, composing snatches of dialogue for her latest novel, or enthralling a troop of Girl Guides on the banks of the Credit River with stories of shipwrecks. The chapters try to balance her washing dishes at the church’s Fowl Suppers to her speaking engagements across the country where standing ovations were the norm.”
Excerpt by Deborah Quail about her book available which is available for sale at Crawford's Bakery and Word Bird Press as below.
L.M. Montgomery: The Norval Years, 1926–1935, is available by mail order from www.wordbirdpress.ca or at select local stores.
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