On Nov. 29, 1910, Montgomery mused,
“I had finished my book ‘The Story Girl.’ I was sorry to finish it. Never, not even when I finished Anne, had I laid down my pen and taken farewell of my characters with more regret. I consider ‘The Story Girl’ the best piece of work I have yet done. It may not be as popular as Anne—somehow I don’t fancy it will. But from a literary point of view it is far ahead of it. It is an idyl of childhood on an old P.E. Island farm during one summer. I have written it from sheer love of it and revised it painstakingly—up there by the window of my dear white room. It may be the last book I shall ever write there.”
This piece of information makes you wonder about other famous artists and what works meant the most to them. Though Pride and Prejudice left an indelible mark on the world of literature, perhaps Austen felt more sentimental about her first novel, Northanger Abbey. Or, in the case of James Joyce, maybe one of his short stories from Dubliners was closer to his heart than Ulysses. These are all speculations. But the idea can only enhance the experience of the reader when indulging in their works as a whole. What do you think?
Source: The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Volume II: 1910-1921
