Lucy Maud Montgomery

Book excerpt: Born into a dark, unhappy childhood and battling severe mental and physical health issues all through her adulthood, Lucy Maud Montgomery had a challenging private life. But she gave the world Anne Shirley — the freckle-faced, fiercely independent redhead as representative of Canada as the maple leaf. Anne of Green Gables is considered one of the greatest works in Canadian literature. Available in thirty-two editions, it continues to be immortalized on television, film and stage. Determined to succeed against all odds, Lucy Maud Montgomery published twenty-three books over a thirty-year period — her writing still resonates with readers today. Updated with the latest research — encompassing the last few years of Lucy's life and death — and beautifully illustrated with photographs, this biography recounts the story of Anne's creator and her contrasting public and private lives.