Among the Shadows: Tales of the Darker Side (1990)
By L.M. Montgomery
Edited by Rea Wilmshurst
Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1990
Synopsis
Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side contains characters and themes that will be a revelation to readers who have encountered only L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Those who have read all her works, however, will recognize the darker thread that has been woven through her other novels and stories. The third volume of rediscovered stories to be printed from Rea Wilmshurst’s collection, Among the Shadows offers nineteen tales: most involve drunkards, petty thieves, embezzlers, murderers, and adulterers; five have a supernatural aspect. But no matter how unusual their type, the characters are endowed with Montgomery’s compassion; poetic justice prevails; and her sense of humour is still in evidence.
Akin to Anne and Along the Shore, the first two volumes in this series, were welcomed by L.M. Montgomery’s fans, eager to relish fresh stories from her pen. Readers will be delighted with the depth and sensitivity revealed by Montgomery in this new collection.
Contents
Introduction (7-15)
The Closed Door (17-30)
Davenport’s Story (31-37)
The Deacon’s Painkiller (39-53)
Detected by the Camera (55-64)
From Out the Silence (65-77)
The Girl at the Gate (79-85)
The House Party at Smoky Island (87-100)
The Man on the Train (101-112)
The Martyrdom of Estella (113-128)
Min (129-145)
Miriam’s Lover (147-155)
Miss Calista’s Peppermint Bottle (157-166)
The Old Chest at Wyther Grange (167-180)
The Red Room (181-198)
A Redeeming Sacrifice (199-206)
The Redemption of John Churchill (207-216)
Some Fools and a Saint (217-263)
The Tryst of the White Lady (265-284)
White Magic (285-303)
Editorial Note (305-306)
Acknowledgements (307)
Other Books by L.M. Montgomery (309-310)
Reviews
Conte, Christy. Review of Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Rea Wilmshurst. In Canadian Book Review Annual 1990, edited by Joyce M. Wilson, 198. Toronto: Simon & Pierre, 1991.
Epperly, Elizabeth R. “Montgomery on the Dark Side.” Review of Among the Shadows: Tales from the Darker Side, by L.M. Montgomery, edited by Rea Wilmshurst. Canadian Children’s Literature / Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse 62 (1991): 73-74.
