Series: Anne of Green Gables, Book #1
Published: August 1st, 1983 (originally published in 1908)
Publisher: Seal Books
308 pages (paperback)
Genre: Classic, young adult, coming-of-age
Acquired this book: As a gift
Warning: May contain spoilers
Synopsis: As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she wanted to stay forever...but would the Cuthberts send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected--a skinny girl with decidedly red hair and a temper to match. If only she could convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables agreed; she was special--a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.
I don’t know if I can call this a review so much as a tribute to the awesomeness that is Anne of Green Gables. As a Canadian, this book is practically required reading. I’m not sure how old I was when I originally read it, but I remember loving it, and I loved the movies, as well as the TV spin-off, Road to Avonlea.
For those of you who haven’t read this book (what are you waiting for?!), it follows Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl who comes to Avonlea, a village on Prince Edward Island, to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at Green Gables. The Cuthbert siblings thought they were getting a boy to help on the farm, but instead what they got was Anne. They originally wanted to send her back, but quickly realized she needed a good home, so they kept her. The story follows Anne’s adventures (or misadventures) from the time she’s 11 to the time she’s just over 16.
Anne…oh, Anne, where do I begin? Anne has an imagination like no other, and it runs away with her more often than not. She lives in a dream world of her own making, which often gets her into trouble because it makes her forgetful and ‘featherbrained’ as Marilla says. It was hilarious how much she talked, and how many times her train of thought derailed during one speech. There were times when she would talk for two pages straight, and no matter what she was on about, it always made me laugh.
She was so innocent, and even though she thought she was often wretched or bad or unable to be the good little girl Matthew and Marilla deserved, she tugged at my heart stings like no other character has ever done. Unbelievably smart, unintentionally funny, eager to please, and a loyal friend, Anne is an unforgettable character. As a child (and still as an adult), I desperately wished I’d had Anne in my life to be my kindred spirit and bosom friend.
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| My Anne of Green Gables collection |
This book is so beautifully written. I could picture everything so clearly, and when I went to Prince Edward Island as a child, I fell in love with it the way Anne did. I felt like I was seeing it through her eyes - everything so lovely and wonderful and alive. The descriptions, the dialogue, just everything about this book make it such a pleasure to read.
Anne isn’t the only character who makes this book come alive. Matthew and Marilla are brilliant. Matthew made my heart melt with his shyness, and then his intense love and devotion to Anne. Marilla made me laugh with her sarcasm and how exasperated she would get over the foolish, careless things Anne did, but it was obvious she loved Anne, despite herself. Diana - well, everyone needs a friend like Diana. Loyal and true like Anne, Diana would have done - and did do - anything for Anne. Rachel Lynde, the girls at school, Mrs. Allan, Miss Stacy - every character had a purpose and made this story that much richer.
Then there’s Gilbert. This book was written over a hundred years ago, but Ms Montgomery knew how to write a swoonworthy boy. We didn’t actually get to see that much of him, but what we did see made it impossible not to fall in love with him. His initial teasing of Anne led to her hating him for years and refusing to forgive him. That was the one thing about Anne that drove me crazy - I kept thinking ‘forgive him already!’ Her pride tended to get the better of her, but despite that, it was always comical to see how she’d deal with things.
Despite Anne acting like he didn’t exist, Gilbert still tried, and he clearly cared about her more than even Anne’s active imagination could comprehend. Even though I’ve seen the movies and know what happens, I can’t wait to read Anne of Avonlea and see where things go with Anne and Gilbert. You just know their love story will be one of epic proportions.
This book made me laugh (and laugh and laugh), cry, cheer, and wish for the simpler times in life. To me, nothing will ever compare to Anne of Green Gables.
Have you read Anne of Green Gables?
This question is one of the extra entries in the giveaway, but if you're not entering the giveaway, I'd still love to hear from you: have you ever had a bosom friend or found a kindred spirit like Anne did with Diana?
For a long time now, I’ve wished I had tons of money so that every time I loved a book I could share it with at least one other person through a giveaway. Well, because I love Anne of Green Gables so much, and because it has such a special place in my heart, I decided to share the love and give away a copy.
Giveaway details:
*To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The only mandatory entry is that you follow Ramblings of a Daydreamer - the others are for those who like extra chances to win.
*This giveaway will remain open until July 31st at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random, contacted, and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.
*Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you.
This post has been part of the Canadian Spotlight Month. Click the graphic below to check out the schedule and all things Canadian here at Ramblings of a Daydreamer.
