Cross My Heart Book

Frankly, the only reason I wanted to read the book was because of the "Avonlea" series on TV. I was obsessed with that series and I think I cried when it ended. Childhood never looked so idyllic and magical as it did on the show -- the endearing innocence, the clumsy chaos and petty squabbles, the boundless imagination heightened by the panoramic, postcard quality landscape of PEI. It reminded me so much of my own childhood, enjoying the summer with my cousins, climbing hills and trees, exploring caves and closets; when the world became our playground and the days never ended. God, did I want to be a kid again.

So when the series ended, and the bubble of being a child again burst, this book seemed like the perfect pill to keep my depression at bay. There were a lot of differences between the book and TV series, but I think the nostalgia and magical image of childhood it portrayed were still the same. The story is a testament to being a child and the simplicity and complexity of life as seen through a child's eyes. It's wonderful and sad at the same time, and just like with the TV series, I cried at the end. I know Montgomery isn't Coehlo or Alboom or what not, but it's ironic that she's done more to help me appreciate life more than those other authors have. Y