Emily gazed on it and recalled Teddy’s old fancy of his previous existence in a star. The idea seized on her imagination and she spun a dream-life, lived in some happy planet circling round that mighty, far-off sun. Then came the northern lights–drifts of pale fire over the sky–spears of light, as of empyrean armies–pale, elusive hosts retreating and advancing. Emily lay and watched them in rapture. Her soul was washed pure in that great bath of splendour. She was a high priestess of loveliness assisting at the divine rites of her worship–and she knew her goddess smiled.
I liked this book mostly because it was another Emily book, full of her whimsical, imaginative beauty as demonstrated in the quote above. However, I felt that it was kind of an in-between book with not much happening. Mostly just accounts of her life living with her mean Aunt Ruth while going to school in Shrewsbury. Teddy, Perry, and Dean were mostly absent. Ilse was there — they had a huge row that kept them from even speaking to each other for a while.
Towards the last 70 pages or so, it finally picked up and I enjoyed reading the little stories and events that happened to her. However, (view spoiler)
I mean, earlier in the book, Emily did have a want to explore (although maybe not a big city):
The great gulf stretched out before us, silvery, gleaming, alluring, going farther and farther into the mists of the northern sky. It was like an ocean in ‘fairylands forlorn.’
“‘I would like to get into a ship and sail straight out there–out–out–where would I land?’
“‘Anticosti, I expect,’ said Ilse–a bit too prosaically, I thought.
“‘No–no–Ultima Thule, I think,’ I said dreamily. ‘Some beautiful unknown shore where “the rain never falls, and the wind never blows.” Perhaps the country back of the North Wind where Diamond went. One could sail to it over that silver sea on a night like this.’
On another subject, Emily does grow a lot in the book and learns some difficult life lessons. Towards the end of the book when she realizes she and Ilse will be going their separate ways, she concludes, “[A]nd what I will do without her next year I do not know. Our to-morrows will always be separated after this–and grow apart–and when we meet occasionally it will be as strangers.” Such a depressing thought, but so true to life.
Other interesting reviews:
– A comparison of the Emily books to Anne here
– Another comparison, this time of the ending lines (she points out something I never noticed before – how haunting and mystical the Anne lines are as compared to Emily) here
– How the Emily books are autobiographical, some comparison, on the psychic experiences and pagan influence in this book, and a beautiful quote here
The Bookish Expedition 