format : ebook
Published: June 1908
Series: Anne of Green Gables (#1)
Genre: Children’s fiction (classic, realistic fiction)
Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis
Anne of Green Gables is about a girl who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Anne is a very outspoken girl that is moving in with a very quiet and proper family. Anne is very energetic, talkative. She is and dramatic. Since Anne is a very talkative girl, she gets herself into a lot of trouble. However, Anne never tries to get in trouble- she always has the best, albeit naive intentions and plans which almost always contain some type of folly that overwhelms Anne's best efforts. Anne never looks at the negative side of things; she always looks at the positive side of things. Anne meets a girl named Diana Barry who becomes her very best friend. Diana and she become very close and make up imaginary names for places, and make up imaginary stories. They spend a lot of time together. As Anne is living in Avonlea, she encounters many things. A boy by the name of Gilbert Blythe makes fun of her hair, she gets into trouble with her teacher, she gets Diana Barry drunk (by accident) and she yells at Mrs. Lynde. Anne breaks her ankle by falling off of a ridgepole, dyes her hair green and she almost poisons the ministers wife, Mrs. Allan. Anne gets into a lot of problems but over the years she gets better and makes fewer mistakes. Near the end of the book Anne and Marilla are faced with a huge loss. Matthew has passed away. Anne decides that she is not going to take the scholarship to Redmond. Anne decides that she wants to stay with Marilla and teach at one of the nearby schools. In the end Anne was given a teaching job at the school in Avonlea, she forgave Gilbert Blythe and they talked for awhile. Anne in the end has grown up into a beautiful, intelligent young woman.
My thought
Lucy Montgomery has an impressive sense of humour and her way with words is exceptionally awesome. In the book the author has used a third person narrative mode to unfold the plot. The vivid descriptions of nature and Anne’s beautiful portrayal of the places in her day dream as well as her surroundings makes Lucy Montgomery a detailed oriented writer.
It is impossible for anyone after reading this book to not love Anne not only because she is one of a kind, but mostly, because we can all relate our childhood to hers. Though the book is known to be a children’s classic, it never ceases to impress readers of all ages. Me being an adult, reading this book brought memories of my childhood, and teenage years when the most simple things in life could make you happy. Happiness then was not in having an iPod or play station , all you needed was a ‘bosom friend’ with a’ kindered . Anne of Green Gables is also surprisingly progressive. I was thrilled to read the characters talk of how brilliant it would be if women could vote, and it’s the women who travel miles to the next town to watch a political tour. Out of context, some passages will seem old fashioned to the point of offensive, such as Anne saying she’d ‘rather be pretty than clever’, but the irony is that she’s one of the smartest children at her school. I think this is more of a set up so we can see how much Anne changes over time, especially as Marilla is always encouraging her to care more about being intelligent.
I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. The characters are just wonderful and I would love to have had a friend like Anne. How much fun that would have been! Matthew and Marilla are perfectly depicted; the soft spoken older man who is nearly in awe of this boisterous young girl and the spinster who tries to fight her tender feelings for the child. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
