Meaning

L.M. Montgomery's line captures a longing for a world where the best of a year never has to end. June, with its long days, warm light, and sense of possibility, stands in for a kind of ideal time, one that feels full of life before the heat of high summer or the turning of the year toward autumn. The thought is framed as wondering rather than wishing, which gives it a wistful, open quality rather than the ache of outright longing.

Context

This line comes from Anne of Green Gables, the beloved 1908 novel set on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The book follows Anne Shirley, an imaginative and sensitive orphan girl who arrives at a farm and gradually finds a home and a sense of belonging there. Anne is a character who notices the beauty of the natural world and often expresses her feelings in lyrical, slightly extravagant terms. This particular line is very much in keeping with her voice and her way of finding something to admire and treasure in the world around her.

About the author

L.M. Montgomery was a Canadian author born in 1874 on Prince Edward Island, the setting she returned to throughout her writing life. She published Anne of Green Gables in 1908 after several rejections, and the book became an immediate success, earning her an international readership. She went on to write sequels and many other works of fiction. Her writing is known for its evocative descriptions of landscape and its warm, closely observed characters.