About the Book

Edited by Rea Wilmshurst
First published in 1988 by McClelland and Stewart

Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans is a volume of 19 stories, collected and published by Rea Wilmshurst.  The stories, originally published in various magazines and newspapers between 1904 - 1933, all deal with protagonists who are “orphans.”

In the introduction, editor Rea Wilmshurst writes that Montgomery, who was raised by her grandparents after her mother’s death, identified strongly with orphans. In Akin to Anne, there are orphans of all ages:  very young children, students, young working men and women, and middle-aged people who are in need of a home with loving family and friends.  There are children who live in places where no-one loves or understands them.  There are talented young people who cannot pursue their dreams, because they have no family to provide for them.  Many characters are rewarded through their own good deeds.  Those who long for a home find lovable houses in the countryside with congenial inmates and delightful surroundings.

Stories

1. Charlotte’s Quest (1933)
2. Marcella’s Reward (1907)
3. An Invitation Given on Impulse (1900)
4. Freda’s Adopted Grave (1904)
5. Ted’s Afternoon Off (1907)
6. The Girl Who Drove the Cows (1908)
7. Why Not Ask Miss Price? (1904)
8. Jane Lavinia (1906)
9. The Running Away of Chester (1903)
10. Millicent’s Double (1905)
11. Penelope’s Party Waist (1904)
12. The Little Black Doll (1909)
13. The Fraser Scholarship (1905)
14. Her Own People (1905)
15. Miss Sally’s Company (1904)
16. The Story of an Invitation (1901)
17. The Softening of Miss Cynthia (1904)
18. Margaret’s Patient (1908)
19. Charlotte’s Ladies (1911)