Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery | 1908 | Aladdin | Paperback $7.99
When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables, she surprises everyone: first of all, she’s a girl, even though Marilla Cuthbert and her brother Matthew specifically asked for an orphan boy to help around the farm. And second of all, she’s not just any girl: she has bright red hair, a wild imagination, and can talk a mile a minute. Anne has a temper as fiery as her hair and a knack for finding trouble, and she also has a big heart and a positive attitude that affects everyone she meets.
FIRST, I just have to fangirl for a minute over this gorgeous cover!
This was a re-read for me, although it’s been years since I read it last. To be honest, my memory of the book was a bit off! I remembered Anne as being an annoying, sickly-sweet character, and for some reason I imagined Marilla as a kind of villain?
Reading it again now as an adult, I found Marilla to be a much more sympathetic character. I did still find Anne a tiny bit annoying in some ways (all those giant wall-o-text ramblings, for instance), but she’s less of a Pollyanna than I remembered — not so much the eternal optimist, more like a little drama queen prone to rhapsodies of imagination and emotion.
I also enjoyed this book for its quality as a kind of snapshot in time. It is set in the Canadian Maritimes in the early 20th century, and there are many interesting little historical details, like food and drink, rural public schooling, early feminism, and fashion of course — who can forget Anne’s obsession with puffed sleeves?
I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll read the rest of the series. I don’t think I ever read them before? But I am glad that I put this on my to-(re)read list and tackled it this year.
Links:
- The L. M. Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island
- The Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario
- ‘Nobody Ever Did Want Me’ article by author Margaret Atwood
- 10 Things You Might Not Know about Anne of Green Gables at Mental_Floss
- 14 Facts About Anne of Green Gables Author L. M. Montgomery at Mental_Floss
Publication information: Montgomery, L. M. Anne of Green Gables. New York: Aladdin, 2014. Print.
Source: Personal library.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
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