Kindred Spirits Book Club
The podcast all about Anne of Green Gables, kindred spirits, and the books that make us who we are! Two grown ladies geek out about Anne of Green Gables. We explore the themes and characters of this enduring classic. Follow us as we discuss all the books by L.M. Montgomery as well as other favorite novels.
Episodes
The final part of our Rilla Blythe character arc is here! We can’t wait for you to join us in this wide-ranging conversation about Rilla’s moral growth arc in Rilla of Ingleside. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome back the phenomenal Dr. Laura Robinson—a celebrated L.M. Montgomery expert and professor—whose unparalleled insights bring Rilla's sacrifices and moral courage to life. If you want to know more about what Laura is doi...
Rilla’s character arc continues in our episode about how cleverness can take many forms, and we are redefining “geeking out” by framing our conversation with Dungeons and Dragons! Rilla’s intelligence, wisdom, and charisma may not take an academic bent, but she’s brilliant and capable in her own way. Come for the LM Montgomery deep dive, stay for the dragons.
You can check us out on the Swoon-worthy Podcast to hear our fun conversa...
Kelly and Ragon paid a visit to the Swoon-Worthy podcast to talk about, what else? Anne of Green Gables! We had a blast geeking out with host Carly Renaud about why we love the 1985 Anne of Green Gables mini series so take a listen to this trailer and then hop on over to the Swoon-Worthy Podcast and listen to the whole episode!
We are launching into Rilla of Ingleside with one of our signature character studies! Rilla Blythe is the family beauty, and she knows it. But what good is being pretty and popular in the midst of a terrible war? We’re discussing parties and weddings, courtships and crushes, and the way World War I changed everything. We’re also comparing Rilla to a similar heroine – Jane Austen’s Emma.
Inspired by:
Join us for a deep dive into Rilla of Ingleside, the final book in the Anne of Green Gables series! We're recapping Rilla Blythe's coming-of-age journey on the Canadian homefront of World War I, and discussing how Rilla, Anne, and the Blythe family handle love, loss, and adversity, all while finding moments of joy and heroism. This episode is a great place to catch up on the book and sets the stage for the deeper discussions of the...
Hey there Kindred Spirits, we’re back in your feed and ready for a brand new season! On today’s episode, we share our favorite summer reads and summer essentials, reflect on the unexpected pleasures of starting a niche Anne of Green Gables podcast, and preview our season to come.
Big News! We were featured on our favorite substack, Culture Study so go read our Interview for a behind the scenes look at the pod!
What we’ve read:
Kindred Spirits Book Club is an inviting escape into the timeless world of Anne of Green Gables. Hosts Ragon Duffy and Kelly Gerner blend modern perspectives with LM Montgomery's classic storytelling in their engaging discussions of these beloved books. With their signature bookish enthusiasm, they dive deep into plot, characters, and why these classics remain relevant today.
We're popping in to let you know that we are hard at work on season 5! We are giving you a sneak peek to the season ahead so you can get to reading!
Kindred Spirits Book Club joins forces with The Auntie Bulletin for a lively Substack Live conversation about the many “aunties” in Anne of Green Gables—from Marilla to Aunt Josephine to Miss Stacey—and how nontraditional families can offer love, guidance, and community to a child. We share favorite moments from the books, swap stories about real-life aunties, and explore the lasting impact of these relationships.
It's the last episode of Season 4 and we’re back from the Stratford Festival and diving headfirst into Anne of Green Gables—the play! We dive into everything we loved, from the production’s inventive stagecraft to the standout performances. And of course we share the moments that made us laugh, cry, and geek out with other Kindred Spirits. Whether you’ve seen the show or just wish you had, this episode is your front-row seat. And ...
It’s the penultimate episode of this season and we are geeking out about Anne of Green Gables with Briana Corr Scott, whose gorgeous illustrations bring Anne to life in a new book for children - on shelves now! We discuss Briana’s work as an artist, collaborating with a descriptive writer like LM Montgomery, and how we use art and literature to understand our own lives. KSBC and Briana are also joining forces for a giveaway - be s...
Felicity King in The Golden Road inspired today’s episode about unlikeable girls in L.M. Montgomery’s fiction. We talk about what makes these girls and young women challenging, why we often end up liking them anyway, and what we think Montgomery was doing by including depictions of girlhood that break the mold.
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by the podcast Novel Pairings and their current read along of Emma, by Jane Austen.
Curtains up, Kindred Spirits! We went to the prestigious Stratford Festival to attend the opening of the new stage adaptation of Anne of Green Gables and had a magical time. Join us to hear about our whirlwind trip, our first impressions and review of Anne of Green Gables (spoiler-free), and our interview with a true Kindred Spirit: Caroline Toal, who plays Anne in the new production. Caroline is thoughtful, funny, and truly unders...
While many of L.M. Montgomery’s novels depict romanticized childhoods, perhaps no book is more wistfully nostalgic about a childhood on Prince Edward Island than The Golden Road. We discuss the characters' transition from childhood to adulthood, the ways their childhood was captured in real time and in memory, and our own nostalgia for golden moments of youth.
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by: the old-fashioned art of flower press...
Picking up where The Story Girl left off, The Golden Road continues the story of the King cousins and their friends as they begin to grow up, and slowly grow apart. Today we are recapping the final book in the duology, with its many moments of humor, sweetness, and heartache.
Inspired by:
Kelly’s fancy cookie jar.
Kelly is inspired by: Poor Cecily’s hair woes and recommends Angel Rinse by Kevin Murphy for seriously deep condition...
A new Anne of Green Gables is coming to the stage! We are delighted to present our interview with Kat Sandler, the playwright behind a new theatrical adaptation of Anne, premiering at the Stratford Festival this month. Kat, Ragon, and Kelly talk about the challenges and delights of adaptations, updating beloved stories, and giving yourself permission to “go full cheese” after spending time with Anne.
In a special Podcast Swap episode, we are sharing with you an episode from the fantastic limited series podcast Story Girl: The Life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Discover the life and legacy of L.M. Montgomery in this insightful 7-part podcast, in which we explore her childhood, literary journey, and the timeless impact of Anne of Green Gables on generations of readers. Listen to the entire series here.
We are sharing Episode 2: The...
Faith and Una Meredith, Mary Vance, Sara Stanley, Felicity and Cecily King – all of these girls have different relationships with housekeeping and cooking, and PhD candidate Ariel Little is here to tell us all about it! We speculate about how the characters might show up on social media, the way that housekeeping reflects power and authority in Montgomery’s work, and why cleanliness was so important to the Victorians.
Whether they are giving their own church sermons or looking at a picture of God, whether trying not to giggle in church or debating the ethics of prayer, the kids of The Story Girl engage with religion and morality constantly. Today we get into why religion figures so prominently in their lives, and also discuss the invention of Sunday schools. Digressions include prayer to lesser known saints and our recent experience with a one ...
Adolescent identity and values take center stage in this episode. The themes beautiful, clever, and good reappear in The Story Girl as archetypal girls. We talk about beautiful Felicity, good Cecily, and the brilliant Story Girl in today’s episode, and why these girls feel like they can only be one of those things.
Inspired by:
Kelly is inspired by the late lamented Bath and Body Works Juniper Breeze and recommends its sophisticat...
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