124th out of 312 books
—
311 voters
A Tangled Web
No amount of drama between the Dark and Penhallow families can prepare them for what follows when Aunt Becky bequeaths her prized heirloom jug - the owner to be revealed in one year's time. The intermarriages, and resulting fighting and feuding, that have occurred over the years grow more intense as Gay Penhallow's fiancé leaves her for the devious Nan Penhallow; Peter Pen...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
August 1st 1989
by Seal Books
(first published 1931)
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Apr 15, 2009
Abigail
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
L.M. Montgomery Fans / Readers With a Taste for Old-Fashioned Romance
Shelves:
childrens-fiction,
lm-montgomery
Review Temporarily Removed.
This is probably my tenth reading of this book - it might be (next to Anne of Green Gables) one of the books I've re-read the most times. So, I suppose it goes with out saying that I've always loved this and considered it the best of Montgomery's stand alone books, but after years away from her work I wondered if I would still enjoy it. The answer is an emphatic yes! For me this is one of Montgomery's most unique and grown up books. I feel like Montgomery is really on top of her game here - as s...more
Superb. Absolutely superb. The characters live and step right off the page, leaving me thinking about them after I've closed the book. I like Gay (though she's a weensy bit pathetic and one-track minded) and Roger and Margaret-and even Drowned John, though I wouldn't want to meet him in reality.
All the 'damning' does get a little old-it's almost like LMM was trying to show that she could write something 'realistic' and 'grown-up'- but it doesn't interfere with my delight in the story, nor does t...more
All the 'damning' does get a little old-it's almost like LMM was trying to show that she could write something 'realistic' and 'grown-up'- but it doesn't interfere with my delight in the story, nor does t...more
L.M. Montgomery was very very good at several things, and one of those was keeping a secret from her readers, building suspense until she finally decides to reveal all – which is always done in a satisfying manner. And she never does it better than in A Tangled Web – through the petty jealousies and deep passions and squabbles and allegiances of the tale of the Darks and the Penhallows runs one of the best tantalizers I've ever seen: why did Joscelyn leave Hugh the night of their wedding and ref...more
Wendy Burton and I were talking LMM and how you could see how being known for Anne would be so frustrating and not an accurate portrayal of her full literary skills. We made a list of top LMM books and this one came out in the top three. Why?
1. Excellent descriptions of dresses and hair styles. A red dress you could crumple in your hand with a silver grape pattern paired with a jeweled headband of leaves on the horrible Nan who had great clothes but no ethics is just one great example.
2. Sweepin...more
1. Excellent descriptions of dresses and hair styles. A red dress you could crumple in your hand with a silver grape pattern paired with a jeweled headband of leaves on the horrible Nan who had great clothes but no ethics is just one great example.
2. Sweepin...more
Since we just moved, I opened up several boxes of books that have been packed up for years. Seeing my old favorites always makes me want to reread them, and
A Tangled Web
was the first to catch my eye.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a die-hard LM Montgomery fan, but I admit some of her work is better than others. This is not her best, but it still has enough of her particular charm to be enjoyable reading.
Unlike LMM's better-known novels, A Tangled Web has an ensemble cast rather than one centr...more
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a die-hard LM Montgomery fan, but I admit some of her work is better than others. This is not her best, but it still has enough of her particular charm to be enjoyable reading.
Unlike LMM's better-known novels, A Tangled Web has an ensemble cast rather than one centr...more
I was always an L.M. Montgomery fan. (who wasn't?) But I hadn't heard about this adult literature book until a few weeks ago. I read The Blue Castle during Wesley's wrist surgery and fell in love. I so rarely find a book that I can give heartfelt devotion to at this age. I naturally resolved to read the other book Lucy Maud wrote for adults. I definitely enjoyed my reading, but it didn't quite grab me the way the Castle did. It concerns the fates of a large cast of characters in one stunningly i...more
This is the L.M. Montgomery book for adults I was hoping to read. Keep in mind it was first published in 1931... but it is daring and witty, sarcastic and sentimental. This clever story of the Dark and Penhallow clans, whose family trees are more like shrubs, is a fun romp with the skeletons in their closets. It's a behind the scenes look at the best and worst of human nature among the clan and it's entertaining from start (or almost) to the end (not quite). The first section of the first chapte...more
Having never heard of this book before, I was excited to read Montgomery's book she wrote "for adults" Apparently that meant giving free reign to her racism. Actually there were only two spots, since most of the book dealt with the entanglements of a large PEI Scottish clan, but they were hugely offensive to me. The last page of the book ends with a terrible racist joke. The speaker is an uncultured sailor and the n-word didn't have as bad a connotation in 1930s Canada as it does now, so I can o...more
When I was rereading and reviewing The Blue Castle I came across mentions of L.M. Montgomery's other novel targeted toward adults - A Tangled Web. I knew I had read it because if it was by L.M. Montgomery and the Robinson Public Library owned it I read it. I really couldn't remember much. This definitely lacked much of the charm of The Blue Castle and as it focused on so many characters it was hard to get attached to any. It is also hard to review a book that ends with such controversy. No spoil...more
Overall a really good book. There were a ton of characters and you heard each of their stories- I would forget who some of them were when the story went back to them. This book was all based on what happens in a family clan when they all want the inheritance of the family jug. It is a tale of love- how a young woman sees love, how a widow, or an old maid sees and experiences love. L.M. Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables) uses such beautiful images of her Prince Edward Island midnights an...more
I hate rating a book from L.M. just 2 stars, because I love her and I think she had a wonderful imagination, telling so many stories from so many people in just one book. A Tangled Web is not different. There are so many characters, and all of them are Dark or Penhallows. But I couldn't love the book, although it definetely has L.M. Montgomery's touch.
First of all, that racist remark everybody talks about... It is unpleasant, and the same with Margaret wanting a "rosy, blond-with-blue-eyes baby"...more
First of all, that racist remark everybody talks about... It is unpleasant, and the same with Margaret wanting a "rosy, blond-with-blue-eyes baby"...more
Jul 14, 2011
Mandi Ellsworth
added it
L.M. Montgomery is a genius. This isn't one of those books you can speed through, it's one where you slow your life down to fit the pace of the story. And then you giggle and sigh your way through it. In this story, two families have been intermarrying for decades and one of their Aunts dies, leaving a legendary vase up for grabs. Mingled with the intrigue of who will inherit the Dark Vase, there are break ups, reunions, quarrels, and reconsiliations. It's amazing to me how she is able to involv...more
A Tangled Web is one of the LMM novels I bought on PEI. It is about the Dark and Penhallow -clan and The Jug that everyone wants to inherit. Aunt Becky, the owner of the jug, desides that the name of the one to inherit the jug will be publiced a year after her death, and during this year a lot of things happen in the clan.
Aunt Becky seams to me to be a very vice woman, whereas the younger people are real fools. It's all about relationships and stubbornes and stupidnes. The web is very tangled!...more
Aunt Becky seams to me to be a very vice woman, whereas the younger people are real fools. It's all about relationships and stubbornes and stupidnes. The web is very tangled!...more
This is the first L.M. Montgomery book I have read that was less then wonderful. The beginning of the book seemed to take forever. There were so many characters strung together that it became a chore to sort them out. There was only a hint of the charm I usually find in her books and that was probably the biggest disappointment. However, this book highlighted more than usual Montgomery's knack for social commentary. I loved the bridging in generations of this book and the different perspectives...more
L.M. Montgomery usual milieu was the young-girl-grows-up-story, but she occasionally crafted a story aimed toward the more adult end of the spectrum. The Blue Castle, for one, which is a wonderful story.
A Tangled Web is another. First published in 1931, it follows a large cast of characters, all belonging the extended Dark and Penhallow clans as they speculate on who will inherit the "old Dark jug" from dying Aunt Emily.
We particularly pursue half dozen or so of the family members, all of whom...more
A Tangled Web is another. First published in 1931, it follows a large cast of characters, all belonging the extended Dark and Penhallow clans as they speculate on who will inherit the "old Dark jug" from dying Aunt Emily.
We particularly pursue half dozen or so of the family members, all of whom...more
L.M. Montgomery was very very good at several things, and one of those was keeping a secret from her readers, building suspense until she finally decides to reveal all – which is always done in a satisfying manner. And she never does it better than in A Tangled Web – through the petty jealousies and deep passions and squabbles and allegiances of the tale of the Darks and the Penhallows runs one of the best tantalizers I've ever seen: why did Joscelyn leave Hugh the night of their wedding and ref...more
I've probably read this book more times than any other. I'm talking 12 or 15 times between the ages of 13 and 15. It's the story of a "clan" in Canada (of course), made up of the Darks and the Penhallows. It used to be that the Darks and Pehnhallows would only marry each other, but now it's a little more like no one else will marry a Dark but a Penhallow and vice versa. The story centers around a hallowed family heirloom, a cracked and ugly ceramic jug, and the decision of the clan matriarch of...more
It all begins with garrulous Aunt Becky and the infamous Dark jug. She may be dying but the old matriarch of the large Dark and Penhallow clan is determined to throw one last "levee" - and stir up her extended family with her plan for bequeathing the heirloom. Dating back to when the first Darks came to Prince Edward Island in the early 19th century, the Dark jug has been in the family ever since, and with it comes a certain prestige for the owner. Over the generations, the Darks and Penhallows...more
Some of the characters and story lines will be familiar to readers who have read collected short stories and other works, but Tangled Web is a charming compilation of what Montgomery did so well - small town, large family life closely observed. Most of her familiar characters are there - the old maid with hidden depths, the bitter, witty old woman, the "confirmed bachelor," the lovers, the heartless, shallow, cruel girl.
Initially the book was a bit confusing to follow. It begins with Aunt Becky calling her family together to discuss her will and impending death. The family is actually composed of two families, the Darks and the Penhallows. On the small island of Prince Edward Island, the two clans have intermarried to create one massive clan with plenty of drama.
Read complete review here.
Read complete review here.
I have been saving this book for ten years! It was the very last L.M. Montgomery book I had to read (I have all the others) and as she passed away many years ago I have been putting it off knowing I will never get another chance to read one of her books again. (So silly I know!) Anyway, this was classic L.M. Montgomery. Lots of fun characters doing crazy things and then gossiping about it to anyone who will listen. Loved it!
This is probably my all-time favorite book by LM Montgomery. The characters are admittedly a little predictable, but I am always impressed with her ability to describe them so vividly in just a few words. They are distinct. You can usually read her description and think of someone you know that is just like that!
If you're going to read the book for the first time, I would recommend keeping a quick list of who is who right from the beginning. The whole point is that the jug affects numerous lives...more
If you're going to read the book for the first time, I would recommend keeping a quick list of who is who right from the beginning. The whole point is that the jug affects numerous lives...more
A dated but wonderful book -- a friend and I attempted to adapt it as for the musical stage in college. The comedy and tragedy within a huge extended family comes to a head when the matriarchal figure, Aunt Becky, decides that she's lived long enough and plans to leave one of them a valuable heirloom (but who will it be?). As they all wrangle for her notice, their individual stories play out. There is love, betrayal, absurdity, offense, scandal, style, sweetness, craziness... everything you can...more
A super book by the incomparable Lucy Maud with her usual richness of characters, life, love and nature. My favourite is Margaret Penhallow, who quietly gets her "house o' dreams" at the end. I was very shocked to see the "N"-word on the last page, even more so because I cannot fathom why the editors at Bantam ever left it in. My edition is from 1988! (same cover as pictured). There is NO excuse for that.
If you ever wanted to follow the multiple entanglements that life forces us to make, this is the book to read. Emotions run high in two families that often intermarried. What causes such contention and frustration and general change? A pot. That is all. But in more than one case, it is more than enough. I loved this book. It is what I would deem a MUST-READ!
I just love l.m. montgomery. Her books are the best books for comfort reading. There was nothing really new or special about this one, but I did especially love Roger. The last sentence in the book seemed quite out of place and very shocking by today's standards, and I could have done without it. But other than that I loved it and I'm so sad it's over.
Another story that I have enjoyed and read it multiple times. I enjoyed all the characters and personalities that L.M. Montgomery put into them. I really enjoyed the "Uncle" in the story as I felt as he added character to the story. The one story, that's inside the main story, I enjoyed was about the main two "lovebirds". ;)
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Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.
The author of the famous Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, in 1911 after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911...more
More about L.M. Montgomery...
The author of the famous Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, in 1911 after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911...more
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“It must be admitted frankly that Aunt Becky was not particularly beloved by her clan. She was too fond of telling them what she called the plain truth. And, as Uncle Pippin said, while the truth was all right, in its place, there was no sense in pouring out great gobs of it around where it wasn't wanted. To Aunt Becky, however, tact and diplomacy and discretion, never to mention any consideration for any one's feelings, were things unknown.”
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4 people liked it
“Really, Nan could be very odious when she liked. Yet somehow she [Gay] didn't hate her as before. She felt very indifferent to her. She found herself looking at her with cool, appraising eyes, seeing her as she had never seen her before. An empty, selfish little creature, who had always to be amused like a child. ...A girl who posed as a sophisticate before her country cousins but who was really more provincial than they were, knowing nothing of real life or real love or real emotion of any kind. Gay wondered, as she looked, how she could ever have hated this girl—ever been jealous of her. She was not worth hating. Gay spoke at last. She stood up and looked levelly at Nan. There was contempt in her quiet voice.
"I suppose you came here to hurt me, Nan. You haven't—you can never hurt me again. You've lost the power. I think I even feel a little sorry for you. You've always been a taker, Nan. All through your life you've taken whatever you wanted. But you've never been a giver—you couldn't be because you've nothing to give. Neither love nor truth nor understanding nor kindness nor loyalty. Just taking all the time and giving nothing—oh, it has made you very poor. So poor that nobody need envy you.”
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2 people liked it
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"I suppose you came here to hurt me, Nan. You haven't—you can never hurt me again. You've lost the power. I think I even feel a little sorry for you. You've always been a taker, Nan. All through your life you've taken whatever you wanted. But you've never been a giver—you couldn't be because you've nothing to give. Neither love nor truth nor understanding nor kindness nor loyalty. Just taking all the time and giving nothing—oh, it has made you very poor. So poor that nobody need envy you.”

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Apr 15, 2009 01:18pm
Apr 15, 2009 01:31pm