“When you re-read a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before.” Cliff Fadiman
Someone recommended this book to me many years ago. I did purchase it but it sat on my shelf. I have been trying to dip into the classics and decided this would be a perfect spring read. It was.
First Published: January 1, 1908
Category: Classic, Young Adult, Historic Fiction
Setting: Prince Edward Island
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 4.30
Summary:
I enjoy classics because they never grow old. They have stories that hold you like a warm hug. They have characters you love and they are written with a passion that can be felt even a hundred years after they were first written.
If you are like me and have never read Anne of Green Gables, it is the story of a little orphan girl who is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, an older unmarried pair of siblings.
Matthew and Marilla live on a farm on Prince Edward Island. Because they are getting up in age, they decided a young boy would be helpful for Matthew with the farm chores.
Matthew drives to the train station to pick up the little boy and finds Anne sitting there waiting. The station master tells Matthew there is no little boy, only the little girl.
Matthew who is very shy finally approaches Anne and finds out that yes, she was the child sent to them. He doesn’t let her know of his disappointment. He takes her home because he has no choice, he can’t leave her there alone.
On their way home, Anne talks constantly. ( A trait I noticed when raising both a boy and a girl. My daughter, when she was small, was the chatter box. ) Anne talked constantly while Matthew listened. On that ride home, she stole his heart.
Of course Marilla said she had to go back and Matthew had already decided to leave the raising of the child to Marilla but when he had a moment alone, he let her know that he thought maybe she should stay. She could keep Marilla company.
Anne’s heart is broken and she cries all night while Marilla sleeps on it. After Marilla and Anne go to visit the woman who was supposed to bring the boy they find out that there had been a miscommunication.
In the meantime, Marilla learns about the struggles Anne has already had to endure. She’d been loaned out to other families to help raise children and do housework. She’d often been treated like a slave. She learns that Anne has not had a chance to have a childhood.
Marilla’s heart is softened and she decides to give Anne a try. The story then tells of their time together as a family and how they learn to love each other and grow.
Review:
There are lots of heartwarming characters within the community and you feel for Anne as she tries to fit in but always seems to make mistakes. Sometimes I too wanted to shake Anne because she kept doing so many things she shouldn’t but I learned to love her despite her over active imagination.
Marilla was chosen to raise the child so sometimes she had to be the bad guy. I loved watching her character evolve as Marilla opened her heart to Anne and her attitude softened.
Loved the inter action between Anne and the other children. Anne was a born leader and half the time they all got into trouble for following.
It felt like a snapshot of the past. You were able to experience how life was then without the hardships.
Montgomery tells the story beautifully making you want to pick up the book and read yet not necessarily want to finish it because you’ve come to love her world.
If you want a read that warms your heart and gives you hope, this would be a good choice. This is a book I would read over and over again. I gave this book 5 stars.
I guess I have always had some connection to Anne.
I felt for Anne who hated her red hair. People often made fun of it. I too am a redhead and though I did go through a phase where some kids at school taunted me by saying – I’d rather be dead than red, I ignored them and grew up thinking my hair was beautiful because it was different.
Anne also always pointed out that her name was spelled with an e. I ran into a similar situation when naming my daughter. Her name is Jennifer Anne and the hospital kept trying to drop the e off the end.
About the Author:
Lucy Maude Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island November 30, 1874. She lived at Leaskdale, after marrying Rev Ewen MacDonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote almost a dozen books. She died April 24, 1942 and is buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Coming Soon:
Another reason I chose to read Anne of Green Gables at this time is because I was gifted an uncorrected arc of a book from Goodreads. That book is After Anne – by Logan Steiner. This is a novel that was written using L M Montgomery’s journals. I will have a full review soon.
All The Books 