Book Review: Jane of Lantern Hill

Plumfield Moms

"Despite some over-the-top incidents, such as Jane being instrumental in capturing an escaped circus lion, she is a loveable character. Montgomery gives her some unbelievable wisdom and talents for a girl her age, which isn’t unusual for Montgomery’s heroines. Bringing Jane’s parents together because of a life-threatening illness is an awfully tired device, one that has been used by some of the best authors. In the end, the good people are happy and the not-so-good people get their come-uppance, which is a neat ending for a children’s story.

The way the ending landed for me reminds me of how I felt about Pat of Silverbush. Montgomery didn’t seem to know how to manage a well-adjusted family. Not only is neither of Jane’s parents well-suited to keeping house as well as their twelve-year-old daughter can, but she is also going to have to keep an eye on their marriage? Throughout the story, the responsibility Jane felt for taking care of the adults in her life was slightly off kilter, but I hoped that when her parents got together again, they would lift that responsibility from her young shoulders. For me, the story ended completely out of balance."