Magic for Marigold, by L. M. Montgomery

Rating: 8/10


The story of Marigold Lesley, a blond, imaginative girl, is told in a series of mishaps and adventures, joys and sorrows in her sixth year to twelfth year. She meets many new friends and experiences, learning valuable lessons along the way. The setting is picturesque Prince Edward Island, among the many, diverse members of the Lesley clan and those around them.

I loved Magic for Marigold. It has all the ingredients that make Montgomery's books wonderful: memorable, 'flesh and blood' characters, an imaginative, spunky heroine, humor, and magic; plus some spine-tingling descriptions and sentences-a pleasant spine-tingling. In short, the essence of life.

Montgomery always introduces many set of aunts, uncles, cousins, and playmates in her stories, and the complications between them and the main character. She contrives great scenarios and adventures that are laugh-out-loud or beautiful; sometimes both. I loved the part in the beginning when the Lesley clan is trying to decide on Marigold's name. The input of the various relatives is just priceless.

Montgomery's books also always feature a bit of sadness, especially pertaining to growing up and 'losing the way to fairyland', that makes me sigh and feel wistful. But in a rather beautiful, thrilling way, if that makes any sense. I guess it's those elements of the glories of childhood, the magic, wonder and imagination that characterize her young heroines and their lives.

*Sigh*. To be young again. Alright, so I'm not even out of my teens, but you know what I mean. Young young.

Anyway, great book. It was delightful the whole way through.

Although...one thing that irks me in Montgomery's books is that she tends to emphasize looks too much. It's often 'she was not pretty, but...'   The 'but'! Like homeliness is a factor in judging someone, a flaw.  In one part of this book, a friend of Marigold's was described as 'she was ugly, but' (emphasis mine). That kind of thing just bugs me. I mean, ugly? That's a little harsh. I don't believe anyone is really ugly, except when they are mean, or just plain evil. No matter how gorgeous someone may be, he is ugly if he is wicked. Eh, well, I come across these things in many other books, too. There's really no escaping it, so I'd better learn to deal with my own insecurity.

Besides that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Magic for Marigold.