The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse

by L.M. Montgomery

I was not in the least pretty but Uncle Jesse was always telling me I was-and I loved him for it. He told the fib so prettily and sincerely that he almost made me believe it for the time being, and I really think he believed it himself. All women were lovely and of good report in his eyes, because of one he had loved. The only time I ever saw Uncle Jesse really angered was when someone in his hearing cast an aspersion on the character of a shore girl.

26 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2013

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although yes indeed, even though Lucy Maud Montgomery’s 1909 short story The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse is basically so totally akin and alike to how in the author’s, to how in Montgomery’s 1917 Anne of Green Gables series novel Anne’s House of Dreams the wonderful and delightful Captain Jim is described (from his winsome character, from his totally shining personality to Captain Jim’s peaceful and restful death after having finally read and massively savoured his newly published life-book) that it is in my opinion absolutely obvious L.M. Montgomery clearly has used her The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse almost verbatim in a main and essential episode of her Anne’s House of Dreams (because well, aside from there being different names, everything is basically pretty much textually the same), I still always really and massively enjoy reading The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse (both by itself and also as part of Rea Wilmshurst anthology of L.M. Montgomery ocean and sea themed short stories Along the Shore: Tales by the Sea, and I personally also and equally do in fact find it sweetly delightful that Uncle Jesse’s story becomes Captain Jim’s story in Anne’s House of Dreams).

Now while I actually do rather understand those readers who might find it a trifle annoying and problematic to discover that Lucy Maud Montgomery clearly often tended to recycle her published and unpublished short stories for use in her longer fiction, in her novels, for me, this fact is not really something to be regarded with all that much if any criticism but is instead more a state of affairs that certainly and clearly demonstrates how authors who must rely on their work for financial stability, for making money (such as was seemingly often the case for Lucy Maud Montgomery) do at times need to also make use of previously penned and published short story material in order to complete anticipated and demanded to be completed on time works of longer fiction. And indeed, with regard to The Life-Book of Uncle Jesse I do most certainly and equally textually adore both it and how Uncle Jesse’s sweetly tender tale has then been reused and recycled by Montgomery in Anne’s House of Dreams that my rating for The Life Book of Uncle Jesse is a solid four stars, and yes indeed, that L.M. Montgomery’s recycling also does not change Anne’s House Of Dreams from being amongst my favourite instalments of the Anne of Green Gables series.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love Uncle Jesse. He’s exactly Captain Jim from Anne’s House of Dreams and to me they’re the same. What lovely, wonderful men. I wish the Life Book actually existed… <33
Also, THE DESCRIPTIONS. <33
I want to read House of Dreams all over again now. <333

A Favourite Quote: “It’s just that they’ve got sorter lost looking for God, being under the impression that He’s hard to find—which He ain’t, never.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “It was an exquisite morning, full of delicate spring tints and sounds. The harbour was sparkling and dimpling like a girl, the winds were playing hide and seek roguishly among the stunted firs, and the silver-flashing gulls were soaring over the bar. Beyond the Gate was a shining, wonderful sea.”

[Cindy DeLong]

Sweet little story.

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant story of an old man, with not much substance to it.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story by Lucy Maud Montgomery where a girl and her mother visit the “Uncle Jesse in the title learn about his life through the objects in his house and help him write his memoirs before he dies. I read this story in the hopes of reading something less depressing and more relaxing than the last book I finished )Gild by Rebecca Kennedy) while less bleak than that story because of less descriptions of violence and mistreatment this was not the best story to read after Gild because like that story death was still a central theme in this short story. Oh well off to try my luck again with hopefully finding a less depressing read for my next pick.