Emily of New Moon – Lucy Maud Montgomery (1923)

Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery, published in 1923, marks the beginning of a beloved trilogy following the journey of young Emily Starr. Set in the fictional town of Blair Water on Prince Edward Island, this novel introduces readers to a sensitive and imaginative orphan who must adjust to a new life among her rigid Murray relatives after her father’s death. Like Montgomery’s famed Anne of Green Gables series, Emily of New Moon is rich with introspection, vivid landscapes, and the complex inner world of a spirited heroine.

Plot Summary

Emily Starr had always known magic. It whispered to her from the trees outside her window, danced in the fields with the Wind Woman, and flowed through her fingers when she wrote in her cherished letter-bills. But her enchanted childhood in the little house in the hollow ended with her father’s final breath. Douglas Starr died as gently as he had lived, leaving behind a daughter wrapped in grief and imagination. With no mother and no money, Emily found herself orphaned and at the mercy of the proud, formidable Murray clan.

The Murrays, her mother’s people, came to claim her with stern faces and stricter judgments. At New Moon Farm, a place as rooted and austere as the family who ruled it, Emily was to begin a new life under the care of her aunts and Cousin Jimmy. Aunt Elizabeth, cold and commanding, upheld family tradition as law, determined to mold Emily into a proper Murray. Aunt Laura, soft-spoken and tender-hearted, offered quiet comfort, while Cousin Jimmy – childlike, poetic, and damaged in mind – became her closest ally in a house of restraint.

From the moment Emily stepped into New Moon, she felt herself both imprisoned and inspired. The house was old, the rules older, and the unspoken grief of generations seemed stitched into the very curtains. But outside, the fields rippled with the wind’s secrets, and the trees in Lofty John’s bush shimmered with possibility. Emily found solace in her dreams, in her writing, and in the small flashes of beauty that came to her unbidden – moments of such piercing clarity that the world seemed to burn with wonder.

At school, Emily found kindred spirits. Ilse Burnley, wild and golden-haired, matched her in fierceness and loyalty. The two girls struck a bond as stormy as it was steadfast. Ilse, raised without tenderness by a father too aloof to notice his daughter’s aching heart, offered Emily companionship laced with mischief. Teddy Kent, shy and gentle, drew animals and people with the same quiet reverence that Emily reserved for her words. Perry Miller, the hired boy with ambition in his blood, became the fourth corner of their childhood square – bold, brash, and burning with dreams of greatness.

Though surrounded by friends, Emily often felt the solitude of being different. She saw the world not only as it was but as it could be, and this vision often set her apart. Aunt Elizabeth did not understand her writing, nor her stubborn refusal to be anything less than herself. Yet Emily wrote secretly, fiercely, tucking away her poems and stories, confiding in the stars and in Cousin Jimmy. She found rebellion in ink and freedom in every page.

Her encounters with the adult world came sharply and often without mercy. She endured the patronizing pity of strangers, the cruel pranks of classmates, and the constant scrutiny of her relatives. At Wyther Grange, her eccentric Great-Aunt Nancy tried to entangle her in the faded tapestries of old scandals and ghost stories. A night spent alone in the “haunted” Pink Room, where rustling swallows nested in the chimney, nearly broke her courage – but Emily awoke stronger, her pride intact.

She faced near-tragedy more than once. In a moment of childish ignorance, she ate a poisoned apple meant for rats and spent an agonizing evening convinced she was dying. The terror passed, but the experience left her shaken and older. She quarreled with Ilse, tasted jealousy when Teddy gave his drawings to someone else, and fought bitterly with Perry over wounded pride. Yet each argument, each wound, taught her something of forgiveness, of loyalty, of how fragile and fierce the heart could be.

Writing remained her refuge. Her teacher, Mr Carpenter, saw the spark in her and fanned it with relentless honesty. He tore apart her sentimental verses, praised her honest prose, and taught her the brutal beauty of revision. Emily, hungry for approval but more devoted to truth, began to understand that writing was not merely joy – it was work, and pain, and triumph.

A shadow fell when illness struck, and Emily hovered near death after an appendix attack. The brush with mortality left her changed, more attuned to the delicate balance between light and dark. She returned home to New Moon not weakened, but sharpened. She had glimpsed the other side of life, and now everything shimmered more deeply.

Over time, even Aunt Elizabeth’s rigid façade began to crack. Her disapproval softened into wary respect, and while she never embraced Emily’s ways, she came to accept them. Emily’s place in the Murray family, once so precarious, began to settle like roots finding stone – awkward, but enduring.

By the close of her childhood years, Emily had carved out a space where she belonged. Her friendships, though still riddled with misunderstanding and unspoken yearning, held fast. Her writing had become the pulse of her life. The flash still came, like a beacon, reminding her that beauty was always near, even in the shadows.

New Moon was no longer merely the house of her aunts. It had become hers too – in the feel of the ink-stained desk in the garret, in the whisper of birches along the lane, in the grave where her father slept, in the dreams that stirred behind her dark eyes. Emily Starr was no longer just the orphan in black – she was a girl of fierce light, standing at the edge of her future with pen in hand and the wind at her back.

Main Characters

• Emily Starr – The heart of the story, Emily is a fiercely imaginative, precociously intelligent girl with a deep love of writing and an intense sensitivity to beauty and emotion. Orphaned at a young age, she moves to live with her mother’s Murray relatives. Her character arc is defined by her resilience, creative passion, and inner struggle to stay true to herself despite the restrictive norms around her.

• Aunt Elizabeth Murray – Stern, tradition-bound, and emotionally distant, Aunt Elizabeth is the primary authority figure at New Moon. Though she appears cold and critical, her actions are often governed by a rigid sense of duty and family pride. Over time, subtle nuances of her protectiveness and affection begin to emerge.

• Aunt Laura Murray – Gentle, nurturing, and quietly rebellious, Aunt Laura provides Emily with maternal warmth and emotional support. Her softness stands in contrast to Elizabeth’s severity, offering Emily refuge in her new home.

• Cousin Jimmy Murray – Kind-hearted and eccentric, Jimmy is intellectually simple due to a past accident but possesses a poetic soul and a deep love for Emily. He encourages her creativity and becomes one of her most loyal allies at New Moon.

• Ilse Burnley – Emily’s wild and outspoken best friend, Ilse is fiery, fiercely loyal, and often misunderstood due to her impulsive nature and family neglect. Their friendship is foundational, offering Emily both companionship and challenges.

• Teddy Kent – A shy, gentle boy with artistic talent, Teddy is another of Emily’s close friends. His deep connection with Emily is emotionally rich and subtly romantic, rooted in mutual understanding and a shared love for beauty and creation.

• Perry Miller – Ambitious and grounded, Perry is a hired boy with dreams of greatness. His determination and grit provide a foil to Emily’s dreamy idealism, and his presence broadens the social dynamics of Emily’s world.

Theme

• Imagination and Creativity – Emily’s literary aspirations and vivid inner world are central to the novel. Writing is not just a hobby but a lifeline—a means of understanding herself and shaping her identity. Her connection to “the flash,” a mystical burst of creative insight, symbolizes this ethereal relationship to inspiration.

• Loss and Belonging – The early death of Emily’s father casts a long shadow, initiating a journey through grief and displacement. Her quest for belonging—within the Murray family, among friends, and in the broader world—is deeply felt and delicately drawn.

• Individuality vs. Conformity – Emily constantly grapples with the pressure to adhere to the rigid social expectations of the Murrays. Her defiance and quiet self-belief underscore a broader theme of personal authenticity in the face of societal constraint.

• Friendship and Loyalty – The friendships between Emily, Ilse, Teddy, and Perry form a core emotional network. Each bond is tested by misunderstandings and jealousy but ultimately emphasizes the value of empathy and forgiveness.

• The Natural World – Nature is not just a setting but a living presence in the book. Trees, stars, seasons, and winds are personified, offering Emily solace and a spiritual sense of connection that is often more real to her than human interaction.

Writing Style and Tone

L. M. Montgomery’s prose in Emily of New Moon is lyrical, introspective, and rich with emotional nuance. Unlike the lighter, more whimsical tone found in Anne of Green Gables, Emily is marked by a more complex and often darker psychological depth. The narrative shifts seamlessly between childlike wonder and mature introspection, mirroring Emily’s growth and inner conflicts.

Montgomery uses vivid imagery and poetic descriptions to animate both character and setting. The use of “the flash”—Emily’s transcendent moments of creative clarity—is emblematic of Montgomery’s ability to infuse the ordinary with a sense of mysticism. The tone is a careful balance of melancholy and hope, grounded in realism yet uplifted by the redemptive power of art and inner strength.