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I've just had a few emails from a ff.net'er wanting to know why we repeat so many names in our ff's. I explained how it sort of starts with Gil and Walt being mentioned in The Road to Yesterday. What are your thoughts on this collection of short stories? Do you like them or not? Or, are you like me, and just love the little tidbits about the Blythes?
I've never actually been able to find the road to yesterday anywhere..I could always order it but.. I prefer novels to short stories. Is it worth reading?
Yes and no. Here's what I wrote to the person who emailed me. The Road to Yesterday is a collection of short stories, each one either mentions or includes a bit of the Blythes or Susan. It's not very good, though. Sometimes I wonder is Montgomery even wrote it. It was published not that long ago, and not the way she intended. The only thing good about it is that it gives you glimpses into their lives that we don't see elsewhere. I must warn you that it often seems like ridiculous name dropping, and it gets old. Most of the times the Blythes are mentioned, it isn't always in a good light. Some people say this was Montgomery's way of saying she was sick of her most famous family. I don't know. I still wonder if it was really she who wrote it. It often seems less her style than many of the posting on ff.net. I just bought the book out of curiosity.
I have never minded the use of the same or similar names across the myriad stories. I don't seem to notice because it just feels like the natural way things might have been had LMM continued on. After all, all of Anne's children are named in full or in part after someone special to Anne and Gilbert, so I think it is only natural that their children might do the same. I think it also establishes a link with the original works and helps to create the illusion that makes you forget you aren't reading an Anne book. It isn't the easiest thing in the world to continue on someone else's established work and so many of the fanfic authors do a brilliant job of giving us more.
I agree with both Una Meredith and Irish Princess about the names. To really follow the style of L.M. Montogmery, it is logical to reuse names. Obviously, that's how L.M. Montgomery intended it to be. Also, not just the Blythes were names for loved ones. Kennth Ford was named for Leslie's brother who died tragically, and Persis was named for the schoolmaster's bride.
I still can't really make up my mind about The Road to Yesterday. Of course, I love anything written by Montgomery, but it wasn't done the way she intended, and you can tell. I have sort of a love/hate relaitionship with it. It's displayed on my desk with my other tattered copies of Montgomery, but if there was no more room, I would just put it somewhere else.