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- Title: Further Chronicles of Avonlea
- Author: L.M. Montgomery
- Narrator: Sibella Denton
- Length: 06:44:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2016
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Kids, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Classics
- ISBN13: SABLIB9781289
There’s a particular magic to listening to L.M. Montgomery’s Avonlea stories while traveling through landscapes that feel plucked from her pages. I first pressed play on Sibella Denton’s narration of “Further Chronicles of Avonlea” during a rainy afternoon in a Prince Edward Island farmhouse, the scent of damp earth and apple blossoms drifting through the window. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect – Montgomery’s words and Denton’s warm delivery transformed the already picturesque surroundings into something straight out of the book’s pages.
This collection of fifteen short stories, originally published in 1920 as a follow-up to “Chronicles of Avonlea”, offers delightful vignettes of the island community we first came to love through Anne Shirley. While Anne makes only fleeting appearances here, Montgomery’s knack for creating endearing characters shines through in tales like ‘The Conscience Case of David Bell’ and ‘Only a Common Fellow.’ Listening to these stories feels like flipping through a neighbor’s family album – each narrative reveals another facet of Avonlea’s collective heart.
Sibella Denton’s narration deserves particular praise. Her performance reminds me of those evenings in Oaxaca when the abuela would weave stories – there’s that same rhythmic cadence, that perfect balance of warmth and restraint. Denton captures Montgomery’s blend of humor and sentimentality without tipping into saccharine territory. Her character voices are distinct yet subtle, allowing the writing to remain the star while adding just enough vocal color to bring each personality to life. The scene where old Mrs. Stirling finally makes peace with her past in ‘Tannis of the Flats’ had me pausing my walk along the red sand cliffs just to savor Denton’s poignant delivery.
Montgomery’s themes resonate deeply with my experiences documenting communities around the world. Like the Andean villages I’ve visited or the fishing towns along Portugal’s coast, Avonlea thrives on interconnectedness – the way gossip becomes legend, how small acts ripple through generations. In ‘The Materializing of Cecil,’ when the town rallies behind an unlikely romance, I was reminded of a Chilean mining town where the entire community secretly conspired to reunite two elderly sweethearts. These universal patterns of human connection are what make Montgomery’s century-old stories feel freshly relevant.
The audiobook format particularly suits Montgomery’s descriptive prose. Denton’s voice wraps around passages about ‘the white birches that stood like slim, spectral ladies’ or ‘the harbor lying like a blue mirror under the summer sky’ with such tactile intimacy that you can almost feel the sea breeze. It’s storytelling at its most transportive – during ‘The Brother Who Failed,’ I found myself staring at the rain-streaked farmhouse window, utterly convinced I could see the story’s struggling protagonist walking up the lane.
While some critics argue these later stories lack the depth of the “Anne” series, I’d counter that they offer something equally valuable: a kaleidoscopic view of community. Like sitting in a village square observing daily life unfold, we get glimpses of love, regret, second chances, and quiet heroism. The story ‘The Return of Hester’ particularly moved me with its exploration of how we reconcile with past versions of ourselves – a theme that resonates deeply with my own travels and personal growth.
For those new to Montgomery’s work, I’d suggest starting with “Anne of Green Gables”, but for established fans, this audiobook is like returning to a beloved hometown. The free LibriVox edition makes it accessible to all, though the sound quality occasionally reflects its volunteer origins. Minor inconsistencies aside, Denton’s narration more than compensates, delivering what feels like an intimate fireside reading.
As someone who’s spent years collecting oral histories, I’m particularly attuned to how voice can shape story. Denton understands Montgomery’s rhythm – the way a seemingly simple sentence can contain multitudes when given the right pause, the way humor should bubble up gently like springwater rather than gush forth. Her performance honors the text’s quiet wisdom about how lives intertwine, how places shape people, and how even the most ordinary moments can shimmer with meaning when viewed through compassionate eyes.
With a traveler’s appreciation for stories that make places come alive,
Marcus Rivera
