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Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Scholastic Paperbacks (1989), Edition: Later Printing, 384 pages
Description
Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.
Local notes
0911-020
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908, is a classic known the world around for its irrepressible, lovable heroine and great good humor. In Anne, L. M. Montgomery has created one of those iconic, inimitable literary characters who take on a life outside their stories. It is my all-time favorite
When the brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a boy to help with the chores, Anne Shirley is sent to them by mistake. They decide to keep her, to her great joy, and soon learn that Anne is not like other children. As an orphan thrown on charity, she has sustained her dreary existence with a strange dream-life, comforting herself with the fancies of her mobile imagination. She is a passionate lover of beauty and romance, but that doesn't prevent her from getting into the most embarrassing and ridiculous scrapes. Anne manages to set her best friend drunk, dye her hated red hair green, flavor a cake with anodyne liniment instead of vanilla, and commit many other mistakes that make Marilla despair of her — and all with the most innocent intentions! But though this is a very funny book, that isn't all it is. Books with only humor to recommend them don't inspire the kind of lifelong love Anne fans have for the series.
Montgomery's characterizations are one of the main strengths of the book. Characters like officious Mrs. Rachel Lynde, repressed Marilla, shy Matthew — even minor characters like severe Mrs. Barry and coquettish Ruby Gillis — are drawn with such skill. Montgomery lets her characters be themselves, even if that means that sympathetic characters are foolish, prejudiced, or ridiculous at times. Avonlea may seem idyllic with its homey, warm atmosphere, but its people are not perfect by any stretch. They gossip, argue, backbite, act selfishly and self-righteously, and in general behave like people everywhere else. This is a far cry from the type of children's fiction that paints all adults as wise, understanding beings. Oh no! The people in Avonlea are shown with all their flaws, often through the medium of Mrs. Lynde's busy tongue.
And what delightful speeches Montgomery gives her characters! Each has a distinct voice, and Anne especially is wonderful. Much of the story is told through the characters' speeches. This gives us a feel for the context of the community; often the characters will discuss people we never see except when they are mentioned in the gossipy dialogue. And that's completely natural for this kind of story. It never becomes cumbersome with all the names, places, and histories that are related. They fade together into a complete and rounded backdrop for the main characters.
What keeps Anne from becoming an irrelevant, impossible goody-two-shoes is her humor and Montgomery's brilliant, wryly hilarious narration. Flights of fancy are beloved and the land of faerie certainly receives its due, but Montgomery keeps her story grounded by her keen eye for all that is funny in people. And there is plenty of it. This is one of the bigger themes of the story, the tension between the romance of poetry and the humdrum, unpoetical events of everyday life. As Anne says after her lily-maid adventure comes to a soggy end, "I have come to the conclusion that it is no use trying to be romantic in Avonlea. It was probably easy enough in towered Camelot hundreds of years ago, but romance is not appreciated now" (p. 227). Much of the humor also comes from Montgomery's many literary and biblical allusions, some of which I am just now understanding.
The author's love for Prince Edward Island is evident in the lovely nature descriptions that grace each chapter. Some people complain of these frequent descriptions, but I love them. They are probably responsible for more than half of the troops of tourists that descend upon Prince Edward Island each year to visit where Montgomery lived. I would love to visit there someday and see the red roads for myself.
I can't close this review without a word on Kevin Sullivan's 1985 miniseries starring Megan Follows. Megan Follows is Anne. In some parts the script is not faithful to the letter of Montgomery's books, but it certainly fulfills the spirit. The second part especially fudges and compresses many of the books' events, but I have never felt that it violates the author's intent. The same cannot be said for Kevin Sullivan's attempt at a third part, "The Continuing Story." If you haven't seen it, DON'T. Anne is time-warped into World War I, hasn't married Gilbert yet, thinks about having an affair with her publisher, and then ends up roaming Europe looking for Gilbert, who is missing. Outrage is too weak a word to describe my feelings toward this travesty, and I hear that Follows wasn't too hot on the script herself. I read somewhere online a comment from another fan, who asked if an evil alien had taken possession of Kevin Sullivan while he made this thing. No other explanation seems possible.
But back to Anne — the real Anne. Thankfully, a dreadful butchery (I won't call it adaptation) like that can't touch the original. Mark Twain, that crusty old cynic, called Anne "the sweetest creation of child life yet written," and I have to agree with him. I am thankful that this is one of the books that shaped me, and I look forward to introducing Anne to my own children. I know they will love her as I do. A wonderful, wonderful book.
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comfort read, a book I nearly memorized as a child because I revisited it so often. I remember how rich I felt when my mother gave me the complete set.When the brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a boy to help with the chores, Anne Shirley is sent to them by mistake. They decide to keep her, to her great joy, and soon learn that Anne is not like other children. As an orphan thrown on charity, she has sustained her dreary existence with a strange dream-life, comforting herself with the fancies of her mobile imagination. She is a passionate lover of beauty and romance, but that doesn't prevent her from getting into the most embarrassing and ridiculous scrapes. Anne manages to set her best friend drunk, dye her hated red hair green, flavor a cake with anodyne liniment instead of vanilla, and commit many other mistakes that make Marilla despair of her — and all with the most innocent intentions! But though this is a very funny book, that isn't all it is. Books with only humor to recommend them don't inspire the kind of lifelong love Anne fans have for the series.
Montgomery's characterizations are one of the main strengths of the book. Characters like officious Mrs. Rachel Lynde, repressed Marilla, shy Matthew — even minor characters like severe Mrs. Barry and coquettish Ruby Gillis — are drawn with such skill. Montgomery lets her characters be themselves, even if that means that sympathetic characters are foolish, prejudiced, or ridiculous at times. Avonlea may seem idyllic with its homey, warm atmosphere, but its people are not perfect by any stretch. They gossip, argue, backbite, act selfishly and self-righteously, and in general behave like people everywhere else. This is a far cry from the type of children's fiction that paints all adults as wise, understanding beings. Oh no! The people in Avonlea are shown with all their flaws, often through the medium of Mrs. Lynde's busy tongue.
And what delightful speeches Montgomery gives her characters! Each has a distinct voice, and Anne especially is wonderful. Much of the story is told through the characters' speeches. This gives us a feel for the context of the community; often the characters will discuss people we never see except when they are mentioned in the gossipy dialogue. And that's completely natural for this kind of story. It never becomes cumbersome with all the names, places, and histories that are related. They fade together into a complete and rounded backdrop for the main characters.
What keeps Anne from becoming an irrelevant, impossible goody-two-shoes is her humor and Montgomery's brilliant, wryly hilarious narration. Flights of fancy are beloved and the land of faerie certainly receives its due, but Montgomery keeps her story grounded by her keen eye for all that is funny in people. And there is plenty of it. This is one of the bigger themes of the story, the tension between the romance of poetry and the humdrum, unpoetical events of everyday life. As Anne says after her lily-maid adventure comes to a soggy end, "I have come to the conclusion that it is no use trying to be romantic in Avonlea. It was probably easy enough in towered Camelot hundreds of years ago, but romance is not appreciated now" (p. 227). Much of the humor also comes from Montgomery's many literary and biblical allusions, some of which I am just now understanding.
The author's love for Prince Edward Island is evident in the lovely nature descriptions that grace each chapter. Some people complain of these frequent descriptions, but I love them. They are probably responsible for more than half of the troops of tourists that descend upon Prince Edward Island each year to visit where Montgomery lived. I would love to visit there someday and see the red roads for myself.
I can't close this review without a word on Kevin Sullivan's 1985 miniseries starring Megan Follows. Megan Follows is Anne. In some parts the script is not faithful to the letter of Montgomery's books, but it certainly fulfills the spirit. The second part especially fudges and compresses many of the books' events, but I have never felt that it violates the author's intent. The same cannot be said for Kevin Sullivan's attempt at a third part, "The Continuing Story." If you haven't seen it, DON'T. Anne is time-warped into World War I, hasn't married Gilbert yet, thinks about having an affair with her publisher, and then ends up roaming Europe looking for Gilbert, who is missing. Outrage is too weak a word to describe my feelings toward this travesty, and I hear that Follows wasn't too hot on the script herself. I read somewhere online a comment from another fan, who asked if an evil alien had taken possession of Kevin Sullivan while he made this thing. No other explanation seems possible.
But back to Anne — the real Anne. Thankfully, a dreadful butchery (I won't call it adaptation) like that can't touch the original. Mark Twain, that crusty old cynic, called Anne "the sweetest creation of child life yet written," and I have to agree with him. I am thankful that this is one of the books that shaped me, and I look forward to introducing Anne to my own children. I know they will love her as I do. A wonderful, wonderful book.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I read somewhere recently that the best books are those that you close with a big sigh and then clutch it to your chest and Anne of Green Gables is exactly that sort of book for me. I have read this book about 4 times during various stages of my life, the last time was over twenty years ago when I
Although the style of the book, published in 1908, is somewhat dated, I personally still found a lot to admire on these pages. The author’s descriptions of nature and the passing of the seasons is lovely. Her characters are well-rounded and even though the story is somewhat predictable, it is a wonderful read.
This is a book I first read and loved when young, the first book where I had to read about the death of a beloved character, the first book that offered me a fictional heroine to be a role model during my younger years. I simply can’t be impartial about this book. When called upon to name my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables is always in the top five, and that is still true today.
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read it to my youngest daughter, and I wondered if the story would still hold up and, for me, it does. The story of an orphan girl who is taken in by an elderly spinster and her brother, who goes through more than her share of scrapes and troubles is as charming today as it was when I first read it. Anne comes across as a very real girl, far from perfect, yet loveable and entertaining just the same.Although the style of the book, published in 1908, is somewhat dated, I personally still found a lot to admire on these pages. The author’s descriptions of nature and the passing of the seasons is lovely. Her characters are well-rounded and even though the story is somewhat predictable, it is a wonderful read.
This is a book I first read and loved when young, the first book where I had to read about the death of a beloved character, the first book that offered me a fictional heroine to be a role model during my younger years. I simply can’t be impartial about this book. When called upon to name my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables is always in the top five, and that is still true today.
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LibraryThing member keristars
Sometimes a book that you read when you were young and which you absolutely adored holds its appeal when reread as an adult, sometimes it doesn't.
For me, Anne of Green Gables falls in the "doesn't" tally. I adored the series of books about Anne Shirley when I was in middle school - I think I read
At any rate, I adored Anne Shirley and Anne of Green Gables was for a very long time my favorite of the series. I liked that it wasn't bogged down with her romance with Gilbert Blythe as much as some of the later stories are, and the scene where Anne and Diana act out the Tennyson poem is one of my favorites. I also enjoyed the newness of all the imagination stuff, as Anne and Diana create their little world and give things names, before it all becomes more ordinary. I loved the overarching story of Anne being a lonely orphan outsider who slowly makes Avonlea become her home, and the residents of the town her family. It always crushed me when dear old Matthew dies at the end, leaving Anne and Marilla in Green Gables alone.
But. But but but. Trying to read the novel now, ten to twelve years on, it's almost unbearable. Trying to get through the purple prose (which is mostly Anne's fault, really) and the scads upon scads of imaginings is like sludging through a swampy marsh. It's difficult and annoying and I just want to skip ahead to the plotty bits. I still quite like the plotty bits, mind, and the town gossip, and the characters. But I have no patience for Anne's dreamery, and I feel rather more like Marilla as she is at the start as I read.
It's not the book that has changed, since that can't be. I suppose that I've grown up and my tastes have changed. My favorite of the Anne Shirley series is no longer Anne of Green Gables or Rainbow Valley, but Anne of Windy Poplars with Rilla of Ingleside following. While I still appreciate Anne of Green Gables and love it with a fond remembrance, it has been demoted from its place on my shelf for books to take with me to a Deserted Island.
For me, Anne of Green Gables falls in the "doesn't" tally. I adored the series of books about Anne Shirley when I was in middle school - I think I read
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the whole set no less than five or six times in a three year period. I wanted very much to be a part of Anne's community, with all the interesting relationships (and gossip) to be had, and the amazing things Anne and Diana were able to imagine. In fact, looking back on that period, my parents have commented that they were a bit worried because every time I'd go through a phrase of reading nothing but books by Montgomery, my personality would start to show mimicry of Anne and the other girls. I don't actually remember this myself, but I don't doubt that it happened - I have Asperger's Syndrome and often will unconsciously mimic real people's behaviors, and I definitely immersed myself in my books enough for the characters to seem real to me.At any rate, I adored Anne Shirley and Anne of Green Gables was for a very long time my favorite of the series. I liked that it wasn't bogged down with her romance with Gilbert Blythe as much as some of the later stories are, and the scene where Anne and Diana act out the Tennyson poem is one of my favorites. I also enjoyed the newness of all the imagination stuff, as Anne and Diana create their little world and give things names, before it all becomes more ordinary. I loved the overarching story of Anne being a lonely orphan outsider who slowly makes Avonlea become her home, and the residents of the town her family. It always crushed me when dear old Matthew dies at the end, leaving Anne and Marilla in Green Gables alone.
But. But but but. Trying to read the novel now, ten to twelve years on, it's almost unbearable. Trying to get through the purple prose (which is mostly Anne's fault, really) and the scads upon scads of imaginings is like sludging through a swampy marsh. It's difficult and annoying and I just want to skip ahead to the plotty bits. I still quite like the plotty bits, mind, and the town gossip, and the characters. But I have no patience for Anne's dreamery, and I feel rather more like Marilla as she is at the start as I read.
It's not the book that has changed, since that can't be. I suppose that I've grown up and my tastes have changed. My favorite of the Anne Shirley series is no longer Anne of Green Gables or Rainbow Valley, but Anne of Windy Poplars with Rilla of Ingleside following. While I still appreciate Anne of Green Gables and love it with a fond remembrance, it has been demoted from its place on my shelf for books to take with me to a Deserted Island.
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LibraryThing member Jenners26
Story Overview
On Prince Edward Island in the little town of Avonlea, brother and sister Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to adopt a young boy to help out around their farm. Both are getting older and know they'll need some help to keep the farm going. They send word to a local woman who is going
Shy and tongue-tied around others, Matthew reluctantly agrees to take Anne home until the mix-up can be sorted out. But on the ride home, Anne charms Matthew with her imagination, vivacity and view of the world. By the time they reach the Cuthbert house at Green Gables, he is convinced he wants Anne to stay with them. His sister, Marilla, is not so sure -- but after a few days -- she too falls under Anne's spell and the little orphan girl finds a home in Green Gables.
The book focuses on Anne's coming of age at Green Gables -- her problems with her flaming red hair, her big imagination, her dreaminess and the various escapades and problems caused by all of these aspects of her personality. She finds a "bosom friend" in her neighbor Diana and flourishes at the local school -- except for her long-standing rivalry with Gilbert Blythe (who dared to call her "Carrots" one time.) The book follows Anne until her entry into the Queen's school and eventual return home to Green Gables.
My Thoughts
What can I say? This book was so charming and delightful! I cannot imagine a reader who would not fall in love with Anne -- it is no surprise that all of Avonlea falls under her spell! I know this is considered a children's book, and I wish I had read it when I was Anne's age -- I know I would have just adored her and modeled myself after her!
The writing is just delightful, and Anne's frequent monologues are just so charming. She is the type of person who is so full of life, zest and (most of all) IMAGINATION that you feel yourself drawn to her -- just like Matthew and Marilla. I love that she hates her red hair and freckles, frets about not having puffs on her sleeves, and daydreams while she is supposed to be doing chores. Anne is so relatable and down-to-earth that even a modern day girl could relate to her. After all, what tween girl doesn't fret about the physical attributes that make them different, wish for clothes of the latest fashion and spend inordinate amount of times daydreaming?
The other charm of the book was Anne's love of nature and her constant ecstasy at the beauty around her. I've never been to Prince Edward Island (located in Canada) but the descriptions in the book make it sound like an idyllic and enchanted place. (Of course, Anne could make anything sound amazing and better than life.)
My Final Recommendation
Anne of Green Gables definitely deserves its place as a classic of children's literature. I am so glad I took the time to read it, and I would recommend it unreservedly to a reader looking for a charming and delightful book that hearkens back to a simpler time and space. And if you have a young girl in your life with literary tendencies, I think this would make a wonderful gift! I wish I'd gotten it when I was young!
On Prince Edward Island in the little town of Avonlea, brother and sister Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to adopt a young boy to help out around their farm. Both are getting older and know they'll need some help to keep the farm going. They send word to a local woman who is going
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to the orphanage to bring them home an 11-year-old boy. But when Matthew goes to the train station to pick up the boy, he is surprised to find a young girl -- Anne Shirley.Shy and tongue-tied around others, Matthew reluctantly agrees to take Anne home until the mix-up can be sorted out. But on the ride home, Anne charms Matthew with her imagination, vivacity and view of the world. By the time they reach the Cuthbert house at Green Gables, he is convinced he wants Anne to stay with them. His sister, Marilla, is not so sure -- but after a few days -- she too falls under Anne's spell and the little orphan girl finds a home in Green Gables.
The book focuses on Anne's coming of age at Green Gables -- her problems with her flaming red hair, her big imagination, her dreaminess and the various escapades and problems caused by all of these aspects of her personality. She finds a "bosom friend" in her neighbor Diana and flourishes at the local school -- except for her long-standing rivalry with Gilbert Blythe (who dared to call her "Carrots" one time.) The book follows Anne until her entry into the Queen's school and eventual return home to Green Gables.
My Thoughts
What can I say? This book was so charming and delightful! I cannot imagine a reader who would not fall in love with Anne -- it is no surprise that all of Avonlea falls under her spell! I know this is considered a children's book, and I wish I had read it when I was Anne's age -- I know I would have just adored her and modeled myself after her!
The writing is just delightful, and Anne's frequent monologues are just so charming. She is the type of person who is so full of life, zest and (most of all) IMAGINATION that you feel yourself drawn to her -- just like Matthew and Marilla. I love that she hates her red hair and freckles, frets about not having puffs on her sleeves, and daydreams while she is supposed to be doing chores. Anne is so relatable and down-to-earth that even a modern day girl could relate to her. After all, what tween girl doesn't fret about the physical attributes that make them different, wish for clothes of the latest fashion and spend inordinate amount of times daydreaming?
The other charm of the book was Anne's love of nature and her constant ecstasy at the beauty around her. I've never been to Prince Edward Island (located in Canada) but the descriptions in the book make it sound like an idyllic and enchanted place. (Of course, Anne could make anything sound amazing and better than life.)
My Final Recommendation
Anne of Green Gables definitely deserves its place as a classic of children's literature. I am so glad I took the time to read it, and I would recommend it unreservedly to a reader looking for a charming and delightful book that hearkens back to a simpler time and space. And if you have a young girl in your life with literary tendencies, I think this would make a wonderful gift! I wish I'd gotten it when I was young!
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LibraryThing member rainpebble
This isn't truly a review but just a bit of trivia about the author.
I think we all know the story of Anne of Green Gables and I loved it and have loved it again and again. Anne Shirley is someone I would have loved to have had for a best friend growing up. Her escapades are hysterical and she is
I really liked that I was able to connect with all the characters in the book and that Montgomery has created such complete characters; so well rounded and fleshed out.
I took Anne of Green Gables to bed with me last evening and enjoyed her tremendously. I bought my copy of the book at my favorite used book store (sadly out of business now) and inside the book was a four page story on the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. It was quite interesting. I, without really thinking about it, always just assumed anyone who wrote such happy books was quite a happy person. Apparently Mz. Montgomery had quite a bit of hardship in her life. Her mother died when she was two of T.B. and she was raised by her maternal grandparents. She became a school teacher until the death of her grandfather whereupon she returned to tend her grandmother and the farm where she was raised.
Her grandmother died in 1911 and she married a local minister who suffered profoundly of depression and melancholy. She, herself suffered "nervous spells" and severe headaches.
But she continued to write the Anne series and then the Emily series, which she said was much more autobiographical. In 1933 she became ill and her husband suffered influenza, and a complete nervous breakdown and was entered into a sanitarium. She said that was "the most terrible year I have ever lived." She, herself had a minor breakdown in 1936. Her husband retired and she wrote her last book, Anne of Ingleside.
She died in 1942 and her husband survived her by only one year.
One just never knows.
I think we all know the story of Anne of Green Gables and I loved it and have loved it again and again. Anne Shirley is someone I would have loved to have had for a best friend growing up. Her escapades are hysterical and she is
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sooo dramatic. I really liked that I was able to connect with all the characters in the book and that Montgomery has created such complete characters; so well rounded and fleshed out.
I took Anne of Green Gables to bed with me last evening and enjoyed her tremendously. I bought my copy of the book at my favorite used book store (sadly out of business now) and inside the book was a four page story on the life of Lucy Maud Montgomery. It was quite interesting. I, without really thinking about it, always just assumed anyone who wrote such happy books was quite a happy person. Apparently Mz. Montgomery had quite a bit of hardship in her life. Her mother died when she was two of T.B. and she was raised by her maternal grandparents. She became a school teacher until the death of her grandfather whereupon she returned to tend her grandmother and the farm where she was raised.
Her grandmother died in 1911 and she married a local minister who suffered profoundly of depression and melancholy. She, herself suffered "nervous spells" and severe headaches.
But she continued to write the Anne series and then the Emily series, which she said was much more autobiographical. In 1933 she became ill and her husband suffered influenza, and a complete nervous breakdown and was entered into a sanitarium. She said that was "the most terrible year I have ever lived." She, herself had a minor breakdown in 1936. Her husband retired and she wrote her last book, Anne of Ingleside.
She died in 1942 and her husband survived her by only one year.
One just never knows.
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LibraryThing member susanbevans
Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorite books! I'm re-visiting some old classics from my youth this summer, and L.M. Montgomery's beautiful series about the "Anne girl" is at the top of my list. The story is well-known and loved - purely by mistake, plucky orphan Anne Shirley comes to
Anne Shirley is wonderfully relatable - she is a smart and creative girl, full of spirit and amazingly introspective for someone her age. Anne is a unique and entertaining character in a novel full of interesting characters - I want to be Anne Shirley when I grow up! From Marilla and Matthew to their curmudgeonly neighbor Rachel Lynde, Montgomery created a fascinating cast of characters that are impossible to forget.
L.M. Montgomery crafted a true masterpiece with Anne of Green Gables. The story is timeless and the setting is meticulously illustrated with a graceful use of words and phrases. The writing is simply delightful - there is true magic between the covers of this book!
"Mrs Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops, and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-constructed little stream, for not even a brook could run past Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case - Montgomery's own words are the only ones that do the story justice. Pick-up Anne of Green Gables immediately if not sooner for a real adventure!
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live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They wanted a boy to help with the farm work, but what they got was a charmingly verbose little girl who quickly makes a place for herself in their lives. Anne gets into so much trouble that it would be nearly impossible to chronicle in a review without retelling the whole story, so suffice it to say that she is definitely the queen of the caper! Anne Shirley is wonderfully relatable - she is a smart and creative girl, full of spirit and amazingly introspective for someone her age. Anne is a unique and entertaining character in a novel full of interesting characters - I want to be Anne Shirley when I grow up! From Marilla and Matthew to their curmudgeonly neighbor Rachel Lynde, Montgomery created a fascinating cast of characters that are impossible to forget.
L.M. Montgomery crafted a true masterpiece with Anne of Green Gables. The story is timeless and the setting is meticulously illustrated with a graceful use of words and phrases. The writing is simply delightful - there is true magic between the covers of this book!
"Mrs Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops, and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-constructed little stream, for not even a brook could run past Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case - Montgomery's own words are the only ones that do the story justice. Pick-up Anne of Green Gables immediately if not sooner for a real adventure!
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LibraryThing member _Zoe_
I'm a bit ashamed that I had never read this book before now. I think everyone was pushing it a bit too much when I was younger, which of course had the opposite effect than they'd intended. Also, it's not quite the kind of book I usually read--more character-driven than plot-driven, and set in the
But I can say now that everyone else was right and I was wrong. I'm really glad I finally got around to this one. All of the characters are just wonderful, and you can't help loving them. The descriptions of PEI are great too; I'm definitely inspired to visit. Plus, I enjoyed getting a sense of what Canada was like a hundred years ago.
It was interesting to see how much of the story was already familiar to me. I had seen a school play of it when I was in Grade 2, and I had also seen bits of movies or TV shows, so I often knew what was going to happen. One part in particular that I knew was coming still made me cry when it actually happened, though. I had hoped that was in a future book, but no such luck.
I was planning to write a proper review, but I don't think I can do it justice. Suffice it to say that I'd definitely recommend this to anyone else like me who had somehow avoided reading it for years. I'm sure I'll be reading the sequels soon too.
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real world.But I can say now that everyone else was right and I was wrong. I'm really glad I finally got around to this one. All of the characters are just wonderful, and you can't help loving them. The descriptions of PEI are great too; I'm definitely inspired to visit. Plus, I enjoyed getting a sense of what Canada was like a hundred years ago.
It was interesting to see how much of the story was already familiar to me. I had seen a school play of it when I was in Grade 2, and I had also seen bits of movies or TV shows, so I often knew what was going to happen. One part in particular that I knew was coming still made me cry when it actually happened, though. I had hoped that was in a future book, but no such luck.
I was planning to write a proper review, but I don't think I can do it justice. Suffice it to say that I'd definitely recommend this to anyone else like me who had somehow avoided reading it for years. I'm sure I'll be reading the sequels soon too.
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LibraryThing member pa0ro
This book is one orphan girl's story.
Her name is Anne.
One day she came to green gables.
She ran into many problems.
But her sonny personality makes people happy.
I like this story very much.
I want be like a Anne.
She is very kind person.
Her name is Anne.
One day she came to green gables.
She ran into many problems.
But her sonny personality makes people happy.
I like this story very much.
I want be like a Anne.
She is very kind person.
LibraryThing member bookworm12
I fell in love with this book when I was a kid; actually I fell for the whole series. It seemed like Anne (with an E) embodied everything wonderful about childhood. She was fanciful and earnest. I always identified with her stubborn nature and envied her belief in the good of most people. She made
In the last few years I've been re-reading the entire series and I still love it, but for completely different reasons. I'm more cynical now and Anne's eternal optimism sometimes seems naive, but it's so beautiful and innocent. In the later books, like Anne's House of Dreams, Anne experience true tragedy and still manages to hang on to her hopeful nature.
As much as I love the character of Anne, there are so many other things about this series that set it apart. The story is full of characters to love, Matthew, Marilla, Gilbert, Diane and so many others. Montgomery's prose is perhaps the most brilliant part of the books. In someone else's hands Anne might have seemed silly and trite. But instead, Montgomery makes her a girl with such a deep and pondering heart that you can't help but root for her. Montgomery manages to say the simplest thing in a way that taps into the deepest part of your heart and makes you nod your head in agreement, because you have no words that could top hers.
If you've never read Anne of Green Gables you should pick it up immediately. If you have read it, but it's been awhile, re-read it. You'll find new gems in the stories that you never noticed before.
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me long to find kindred spirits and to give romantic names to everything around me.In the last few years I've been re-reading the entire series and I still love it, but for completely different reasons. I'm more cynical now and Anne's eternal optimism sometimes seems naive, but it's so beautiful and innocent. In the later books, like Anne's House of Dreams, Anne experience true tragedy and still manages to hang on to her hopeful nature.
As much as I love the character of Anne, there are so many other things about this series that set it apart. The story is full of characters to love, Matthew, Marilla, Gilbert, Diane and so many others. Montgomery's prose is perhaps the most brilliant part of the books. In someone else's hands Anne might have seemed silly and trite. But instead, Montgomery makes her a girl with such a deep and pondering heart that you can't help but root for her. Montgomery manages to say the simplest thing in a way that taps into the deepest part of your heart and makes you nod your head in agreement, because you have no words that could top hers.
If you've never read Anne of Green Gables you should pick it up immediately. If you have read it, but it's been awhile, re-read it. You'll find new gems in the stories that you never noticed before.
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LibraryThing member alana_leigh
I would venture to say that for young girls of an imaginative nature (who hit their pre-teen/early teen years from 1910 through the end of the 1900s), there is no book more influential to their romantic notions than L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. And when that young girl is a redhead?
Anne 's arrival at Green Gables was a complete mistake. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, siblings, live on Prince Edward Island and had decided that they were going to adopt a boy of ten or eleven so that he might grow up and be of help to Matthew, in exchange for providing the boy with a comfortable home and an education. However, when Matthew Cuthbert arrives at the train station to pick up the child, he finds a red-haired, freckled, slip of a girl by the name of Anne Shirley and she will not stop talking. Matthew is already terrified of women, no matter their age or size, but as he drives the girl back to Green Gables (so Marilla can decide what to do), he finds himself listening with pleasure at the girl's chatter. Marilla is less enthused at first, but even she comes to find something charming in the girl and the prospect of sending her back becomes slimmer with every passing moment until finally the decision is made to keep the child. Anne has many faults, but she becomes the focus and pride of their lives as they decide to keep and raise the young orphan with the wild imagination and boundless energy. She finds a "bosom friend" in neighbor Diana Barry and settles herself upon a life-long hatred of Gilbert Blythe after he calls her carrots and humiliates her in class (though fans of the series know that "lifelong" lasted approximately five-six years and her emotions toward this handsome young man became very different with time). She re-names most every location in town to suit her fantastic notions and enlists her friends in writing wild stories. Incredibly bucollic worries (will Anne be allowed to attend the picnic or drive to the exhibition?) mingle with more serious issues (like Marilla's missing brooch and the ill Barry baby) and ridiculous mix-ups (Anne's attempt to dye her hair and Diana getting drunk on wine mistaken for cordial). The substantial middle of the book follows several scenes of adolescence, which simply contribute to the heroine's development, even if they don't necessarily prop up an overarching storyline. As a result, I always thought this would be an excellent book to read aloud to one's child. Anne of Green Gables follows its titular heroine for something like six years, watching her make both good and bad decisions, almost all of which have amusing consequences. With an imagination that far outstrips everyone in Avonlea, she captivates the entire town, whether they'd admit it or not, and this is just the first in a long series of books about the vivacious redhead.
I cannot remember how many times I've read this book, but last count probably hovers around at least nine or ten. It had been years since I'd picked it up, but everything rushed back with fond familiarity. Anne is so bold and romantic, but the book feels a little dated in how quaint and idyllic the town seems. Perhaps it's just that I live in New York City, where kids seem to grow up long before they should, but I was incredibly worried that this might no longer be the same kind of childhood classic for this generation. Will it be added to the list of books that mothers beg their children to read, ultimately abandoning the effort and simply forcing them to watch the filmed series? I went to dinner with a few college friends and even the young men in the group could remember watching it (only one admitted to reading the book, but played the "I have sisters" card). I just don't know if it's something that children today (particularly city kids) can relate to without drawing conclusions about "the good old days" and "what life would be like if we moved to a farm and I was home schooled."
The only bad moment that I experienced came with the ending of the book, when I remembered my own significant criticism that, even as a child, I had to make of this first book (spoiler alert!) -- Anne's choice to give up her scholarship and stay home to care for Marillia was something that never sat well with me. One of the best things about Anne is the fact that she is incredibly intelligent. Geometry might be her Achilles heel, but every other subject would see Anne fighting with Gilbert to come out at the head of the class. Not only is she smart, but she's diligent about studying and set on doing her absolute best with her schoolwork, which makes her final decision all the most frustrating. Yes, Anne mentioned taking courses to ultimately get her college degree, but I remembered thinking to myself that no good parent (or pseudo-parent like Marilla) would allow her child to abandon her education in favor of staying home to care for the parent. My mother would have plucked out her own eyes to hasten the whole going blind thing rather than let me give up on such a significant opportunity. Chalk it up to the era, perhaps, but I still dislike the message that it sends with the ending of the book. Everyone understands *why* Anne does it, but it still doesn't make it the right decision.
Anne of Green Gables is, however, a major classic and despite this final flawed message about higher education, I will always love it. It inspires loyalty and dedication, so the next generation of girls better hope that it cane still appreciate Anne, or they're in for some long, frustrated hours, as I find it unlikely that their mothers will let this one go. I know families that have gone on Anne-inspired trips to Prince Edward Island. I know women who attribute their dyed auburn hair to the desire to be Anne. And I myself was always a little miffed that I could never pull off pigtail braids. Indeed, Anne Shirley is firmly rooted in even my generation's cultural consciousness and I hope that she retains such a place of honor with the generations to come.
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Well, let's just say that we all knew that this was going to be one of the most significant books of my youth before I even opened its pages. (Quite frankly, only the Tamora Pierce series about redheaded Alanna could rival it.) I can't say much about girls that have reached those critical years post-2000, but I certainly hope that a large number of them are still being charmed by this series. While visiting my parents, my bedroom stuffed with the books of my childhood (despite the fact that it's not my childhood bedroom, but my parents could never throw away my library), I decided it was time to visit Green Gables once more, at the beginning of the long series that features one of the most beloved heroines of children's literature.Anne 's arrival at Green Gables was a complete mistake. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, siblings, live on Prince Edward Island and had decided that they were going to adopt a boy of ten or eleven so that he might grow up and be of help to Matthew, in exchange for providing the boy with a comfortable home and an education. However, when Matthew Cuthbert arrives at the train station to pick up the child, he finds a red-haired, freckled, slip of a girl by the name of Anne Shirley and she will not stop talking. Matthew is already terrified of women, no matter their age or size, but as he drives the girl back to Green Gables (so Marilla can decide what to do), he finds himself listening with pleasure at the girl's chatter. Marilla is less enthused at first, but even she comes to find something charming in the girl and the prospect of sending her back becomes slimmer with every passing moment until finally the decision is made to keep the child. Anne has many faults, but she becomes the focus and pride of their lives as they decide to keep and raise the young orphan with the wild imagination and boundless energy. She finds a "bosom friend" in neighbor Diana Barry and settles herself upon a life-long hatred of Gilbert Blythe after he calls her carrots and humiliates her in class (though fans of the series know that "lifelong" lasted approximately five-six years and her emotions toward this handsome young man became very different with time). She re-names most every location in town to suit her fantastic notions and enlists her friends in writing wild stories. Incredibly bucollic worries (will Anne be allowed to attend the picnic or drive to the exhibition?) mingle with more serious issues (like Marilla's missing brooch and the ill Barry baby) and ridiculous mix-ups (Anne's attempt to dye her hair and Diana getting drunk on wine mistaken for cordial). The substantial middle of the book follows several scenes of adolescence, which simply contribute to the heroine's development, even if they don't necessarily prop up an overarching storyline. As a result, I always thought this would be an excellent book to read aloud to one's child. Anne of Green Gables follows its titular heroine for something like six years, watching her make both good and bad decisions, almost all of which have amusing consequences. With an imagination that far outstrips everyone in Avonlea, she captivates the entire town, whether they'd admit it or not, and this is just the first in a long series of books about the vivacious redhead.
I cannot remember how many times I've read this book, but last count probably hovers around at least nine or ten. It had been years since I'd picked it up, but everything rushed back with fond familiarity. Anne is so bold and romantic, but the book feels a little dated in how quaint and idyllic the town seems. Perhaps it's just that I live in New York City, where kids seem to grow up long before they should, but I was incredibly worried that this might no longer be the same kind of childhood classic for this generation. Will it be added to the list of books that mothers beg their children to read, ultimately abandoning the effort and simply forcing them to watch the filmed series? I went to dinner with a few college friends and even the young men in the group could remember watching it (only one admitted to reading the book, but played the "I have sisters" card). I just don't know if it's something that children today (particularly city kids) can relate to without drawing conclusions about "the good old days" and "what life would be like if we moved to a farm and I was home schooled."
The only bad moment that I experienced came with the ending of the book, when I remembered my own significant criticism that, even as a child, I had to make of this first book (spoiler alert!) -- Anne's choice to give up her scholarship and stay home to care for Marillia was something that never sat well with me. One of the best things about Anne is the fact that she is incredibly intelligent. Geometry might be her Achilles heel, but every other subject would see Anne fighting with Gilbert to come out at the head of the class. Not only is she smart, but she's diligent about studying and set on doing her absolute best with her schoolwork, which makes her final decision all the most frustrating. Yes, Anne mentioned taking courses to ultimately get her college degree, but I remembered thinking to myself that no good parent (or pseudo-parent like Marilla) would allow her child to abandon her education in favor of staying home to care for the parent. My mother would have plucked out her own eyes to hasten the whole going blind thing rather than let me give up on such a significant opportunity. Chalk it up to the era, perhaps, but I still dislike the message that it sends with the ending of the book. Everyone understands *why* Anne does it, but it still doesn't make it the right decision.
Anne of Green Gables is, however, a major classic and despite this final flawed message about higher education, I will always love it. It inspires loyalty and dedication, so the next generation of girls better hope that it cane still appreciate Anne, or they're in for some long, frustrated hours, as I find it unlikely that their mothers will let this one go. I know families that have gone on Anne-inspired trips to Prince Edward Island. I know women who attribute their dyed auburn hair to the desire to be Anne. And I myself was always a little miffed that I could never pull off pigtail braids. Indeed, Anne Shirley is firmly rooted in even my generation's cultural consciousness and I hope that she retains such a place of honor with the generations to come.
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LibraryThing member justabookreader
It’s funny how books that captured your imagination as a child are so very different for you as an adult. I’m not saying Anne of Green Gables was a bad read as an adult but it was so much different than I remember it being. For instance, I don’t remember Anne talking so much. Really, she
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, brother and sister who live on the Green Gables farm in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, decide to adopt a boy to help out with the farm work since Matthew is getting up in age. Arrangements are made and Matthew leaves to pick up the boy at the train station. He comes home with a red-haired girl who won’t stop talking. Marilla wants to send her back but Matthew has already become attached and sort of nudges Marilla to think about keeping her. Anne, even with her loquacious ways, manages to charm Marilla who decides she can stay. Anne is enchanted with her new home, a new friend, and even her new school. However, she’s not always the proper little girl she should be and gets into several incidents that somehow all manage to work themselves out for the best.
Anne of Green Gables is such a sweet book and pretty funny too. There’s not much that happens in Avonlea that doesn’t get back to Marilla, and Anne, who it must be said is not a bad child in the least, is always doing something that gets talked about. One day it’s flowers in her bonnet, telling ghost stories with her dear friend Diana, or cracking Gilbert Blythe over the head with her writing slate --- Marilla hears about it. That’s small town living for you.
Reading this as an adult, I found it a lot funnier than I did as a child. At 10 years-old, Anne was a bit of hero. She was courageous and she stood up for herself. She was a person with guts and she was really smart. I loved all that about her as a child. As an adult, I can see how everything she did was vexing to every adult in her vicinity but it’s also so easy to see how everyone could love her. The kindness and caring stand out to me now but I don’t think I saw that as a child. Now, I’m also amused by the nosy neighbors, the teacher who’s in love with the student, and how parenting styles differ among the women in the story. I’m not saying that to be sexist, but it’s the women in this story that talk about it, not the men.
I’m glad I went back to this as an adult. My appreciation for it is different but all together much the same. Anne of Green Gables will always be a favorite of mine.
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never shuts up! It’s so endearing though and you come to quickly understand why Matthew and Marilla fell in love with this red-haired orphan. I also remembered the decision as to whether or not Anne would stay was much more drawn out but that could have been how I perceived it as a child. I keep saying as a child because I think the last time I read this book was probably when I was 10. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, brother and sister who live on the Green Gables farm in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, decide to adopt a boy to help out with the farm work since Matthew is getting up in age. Arrangements are made and Matthew leaves to pick up the boy at the train station. He comes home with a red-haired girl who won’t stop talking. Marilla wants to send her back but Matthew has already become attached and sort of nudges Marilla to think about keeping her. Anne, even with her loquacious ways, manages to charm Marilla who decides she can stay. Anne is enchanted with her new home, a new friend, and even her new school. However, she’s not always the proper little girl she should be and gets into several incidents that somehow all manage to work themselves out for the best.
Anne of Green Gables is such a sweet book and pretty funny too. There’s not much that happens in Avonlea that doesn’t get back to Marilla, and Anne, who it must be said is not a bad child in the least, is always doing something that gets talked about. One day it’s flowers in her bonnet, telling ghost stories with her dear friend Diana, or cracking Gilbert Blythe over the head with her writing slate --- Marilla hears about it. That’s small town living for you.
Reading this as an adult, I found it a lot funnier than I did as a child. At 10 years-old, Anne was a bit of hero. She was courageous and she stood up for herself. She was a person with guts and she was really smart. I loved all that about her as a child. As an adult, I can see how everything she did was vexing to every adult in her vicinity but it’s also so easy to see how everyone could love her. The kindness and caring stand out to me now but I don’t think I saw that as a child. Now, I’m also amused by the nosy neighbors, the teacher who’s in love with the student, and how parenting styles differ among the women in the story. I’m not saying that to be sexist, but it’s the women in this story that talk about it, not the men.
I’m glad I went back to this as an adult. My appreciation for it is different but all together much the same. Anne of Green Gables will always be a favorite of mine.
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LibraryThing member lauraodom
It seems trite to do a review on something that seems like it's always been a part of who you are. No matter how many times you read it, this book never gets old. The red-headed "Anne with an E" completely steals the heart of the reader. She's everything a young girl could want in a role model ~
The flowery language and big words in this book make it a difficult read for a young girl, as they sometimes have trouble wading through the vocabulary independently. My favorite way to read this book is out loud to my girls, because when they are read to, they can enjoy the story of Anne that much sooner. I first read it to my eldest when she was probably around 8. We would read it at bedtime. She actually ended up sneaking the book out of its spot and finishing it on her own because she wanted to know what would happen. I recently finished reading it again to the three girls together (7, 8, and 12) as one of our read aloud books during school. We seriously laughed together, cried together and just enjoyed the awesome Anne-ness of Anne!
If you are a lover of literature, of imagination, of poetry and adventure and you have not read this book -- walk, don't run, to your nearest library and check it out. Better yet, download the free version from iTunes. You will not regret it. 5 of 5 stars, of course!
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bright, funny, good-hearted, imaginative & spunky. This book has been one of my favorites since childhood, and my firstborn, although not named after Anne per se, has her middle name spelled with an "E" at the end.... because you could never read this book and then name your child "Ann."The flowery language and big words in this book make it a difficult read for a young girl, as they sometimes have trouble wading through the vocabulary independently. My favorite way to read this book is out loud to my girls, because when they are read to, they can enjoy the story of Anne that much sooner. I first read it to my eldest when she was probably around 8. We would read it at bedtime. She actually ended up sneaking the book out of its spot and finishing it on her own because she wanted to know what would happen. I recently finished reading it again to the three girls together (7, 8, and 12) as one of our read aloud books during school. We seriously laughed together, cried together and just enjoyed the awesome Anne-ness of Anne!
If you are a lover of literature, of imagination, of poetry and adventure and you have not read this book -- walk, don't run, to your nearest library and check it out. Better yet, download the free version from iTunes. You will not regret it. 5 of 5 stars, of course!
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LibraryThing member Stewartry
Anne is a gentle, indispensable book, wise and lovely, with the mores of another time that make me feel like an uncivilized slatternly fishwife every time I swear or fail to make my bed… It's a perfect book for making one feel better about the human race, a literary oasis that refresh and
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strengthen the spirit. This is one of a handful of books I can't live without. Show Less
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
First published in 1908, L.M. Montgomery's classic tale of a young red-haired orphan with a big imagination and an even bigger heart needs little introduction. Anne (spelled with an "e") Shirley finds a home at Green Gables - the Prince Edward Island home of elderly siblings Marilla and Matthew
I am always amazed at L.M. Montgomery's immense skill, in painting a portrait of her heroine that is both sympathetic and humorous. The reader can appreciate the absurdity of some of Anne's melodrama, while still entering whole-heartedly into her experience, and identifying with her feelings. I am likewise amazed at my own continued difficulty, when it comes to articulating just what it is that draws me back, time and again, to this treasure from my childhood.
What is it that makes this book so memorable? Is it Montgomery's lovable heroine? Her engaging cast of secondary characters, from shy, loving Matthew, to stern Marilla, with her secret sense of humor? Is it the well-drawn social environment of Avonlea, or the beautiful passages devoted to the natural wonders of Prince Edward Island? It is all of these things, I am sure, but mostly, it is that sense of home, and home-coming, that Anne's narrative evokes. Through her, the reader experiences one of the greatest of human fears - that of being outcast: alone, unwanted, homeless - only to see it proved false, to experience the greatest desire of the human heart, in finding a home, a family, and love. This is "comfort" literature on a grand scale - well-written, engaging, and endlessly satisfying.
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Cuthbert - in Anne of Green Gables, and the reader finds a home in Anne's story. This is a book that yields something new and wonderful, every time it is read, a book to grow with, shifting identification - from Anne to Marilla, for instance - as one ages.I am always amazed at L.M. Montgomery's immense skill, in painting a portrait of her heroine that is both sympathetic and humorous. The reader can appreciate the absurdity of some of Anne's melodrama, while still entering whole-heartedly into her experience, and identifying with her feelings. I am likewise amazed at my own continued difficulty, when it comes to articulating just what it is that draws me back, time and again, to this treasure from my childhood.
What is it that makes this book so memorable? Is it Montgomery's lovable heroine? Her engaging cast of secondary characters, from shy, loving Matthew, to stern Marilla, with her secret sense of humor? Is it the well-drawn social environment of Avonlea, or the beautiful passages devoted to the natural wonders of Prince Edward Island? It is all of these things, I am sure, but mostly, it is that sense of home, and home-coming, that Anne's narrative evokes. Through her, the reader experiences one of the greatest of human fears - that of being outcast: alone, unwanted, homeless - only to see it proved false, to experience the greatest desire of the human heart, in finding a home, a family, and love. This is "comfort" literature on a grand scale - well-written, engaging, and endlessly satisfying.
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LibraryThing member lycomayflower
A reread of a book I thought, even as a child, that I ought to have liked better as a child. I'm not sure how many of the Anne books I actually read as a sprout (more than just the first, surely, and, certainly, not all of them--and, in fact, I'm not sure I actually read any of them; they may have
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been read to me), but I know I only liked them okay, and several of my friends liked them a good deal better than I did. That being said, there was a lot in this volume that I remembered clearly and fondly (being in the "depths of despair" and Anne's trials with geometry, in particular). I had forgotten how episodic the book is, and that the first book takes Anne, in only just over 300 pages, from eleven to nearly seventeen. It's episodic nature may have been partly why I didn't warm to it as a kid, as then (and now), I generally like my books hung on solid stories with firm narrative thrust. Still, this was a pleasant and enjoyable read, it does make me want to read more about Anne, and I'm glad I came back to it after all these years. Show Less
LibraryThing member Trippy
I actually had to buy a new copy of this classic, having lost mine (and all the sequels) in a move. I bought the Aladdin Classics version that has reading circle questions at the end...very nice for the teacher in me. Reading it again only took one rainy Sunday afternoon, but it was a lovely read.
My imagination has gotten me in fixes sometimes too...though no mice in the pudding thank goodness! I do love the Eastern Canadian feel to the book as well. Prince Edward Island becomes almost a character in the book...with Anne fascinated with the red roads, each tree and each brook equally.
Anne's love of romanticism brings some intertexuality to the book in the scene of the lily maid, Elaine. I actually own an original copy of Tennyson's Poems including Idylls of the King. It was handed down to me from my grandmother's great aunts. I find its placement in Anne of Green Gables delightful.
Mathhew and Marilla are both such wonderful characters as well...both so solitary, alone and seemingly to like it that way...until the whirlish dirvish red-haired Anne shows up and shakes them both up...until they both realize (Matthew sooner) that they love her...and therefore realizing that they are worthy of love as well. A lovely message that L.M. Montgomery was aiming for.
For all you non-Canadians (and *gasp* any Canadians) that haven't read Anne of Green Gables I quote Anne "Oh...what you miss!"
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I connected with Anne again just like I had as a child, when everyone used to ask if I had an 'off' button, and I was in trouble at school for talking so much. While I never broke a slate over any of my classmates heads, I did throw a desk at someone who was teasing me. And I've been fortunate to have the Auburn 'tresses' that Anne so wanted. My imagination has gotten me in fixes sometimes too...though no mice in the pudding thank goodness! I do love the Eastern Canadian feel to the book as well. Prince Edward Island becomes almost a character in the book...with Anne fascinated with the red roads, each tree and each brook equally.
Anne's love of romanticism brings some intertexuality to the book in the scene of the lily maid, Elaine. I actually own an original copy of Tennyson's Poems including Idylls of the King. It was handed down to me from my grandmother's great aunts. I find its placement in Anne of Green Gables delightful.
Mathhew and Marilla are both such wonderful characters as well...both so solitary, alone and seemingly to like it that way...until the whirlish dirvish red-haired Anne shows up and shakes them both up...until they both realize (Matthew sooner) that they love her...and therefore realizing that they are worthy of love as well. A lovely message that L.M. Montgomery was aiming for.
For all you non-Canadians (and *gasp* any Canadians) that haven't read Anne of Green Gables I quote Anne "Oh...what you miss!"
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LibraryThing member thedenathome
I loved the TV series with Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst and Richard Farnsworth...they will always be how I see their respective characters. But the book, oh the book! It far surpasses the series as good books always will. Twain's comment quoted in the blurb on LM Montgomery's life is so à
Montgomery uses simple techniques to delight the reader. Such as when Anne is taken unwillingly to apologize to Mrs. Lynde and Marilla notices a change in Anne's attitude "Anne had no business looking rapt and radiant. Rapt and radiant Anne continued until they were in the very presence of Mrs. Lynde..." The repetition of "rapt and radiant" sets you up for one of the many delightful moments in the book.
As I chew my cud about the story now, I wonder to what extent one can insert the author into the characters that she so brilliantly portrays. Is one to see her in Anne or Marilla or perhaps the minister's wife or maybe a little in all of them? Be that as it may, this 58 year old man found Anne of Green Gables to be a highlight of not just his summer, but of his life!
The uses one might put to this book seem endless: text for a primary aged class, text for a creative writing group, part of a course in Canadian Children's Literature, one could use it as a challenging piece of enrichment for teaching of English as a Second Language, and of course, one could use it as I did, just for the sheer pleasure of reading. I think of using it too similarly to how it was originally parcelled out as a serial Sunday School paper. Thus one can teach morals, human relationships, Christian theology or other such technical matters. And, I would hope to one day be able to read it as a bedtime story to my (hoped for) grandchildren.
If you have never read Anne of Green Gables, do yourself a favor and spend some of the most delightful hours you will ever spend with a book.
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propos "the sweetest creation of child life yet written". How can you gainsay the creator of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? Especially when you agree whole-heartedly with him? Montgomery uses simple techniques to delight the reader. Such as when Anne is taken unwillingly to apologize to Mrs. Lynde and Marilla notices a change in Anne's attitude "Anne had no business looking rapt and radiant. Rapt and radiant Anne continued until they were in the very presence of Mrs. Lynde..." The repetition of "rapt and radiant" sets you up for one of the many delightful moments in the book.
As I chew my cud about the story now, I wonder to what extent one can insert the author into the characters that she so brilliantly portrays. Is one to see her in Anne or Marilla or perhaps the minister's wife or maybe a little in all of them? Be that as it may, this 58 year old man found Anne of Green Gables to be a highlight of not just his summer, but of his life!
The uses one might put to this book seem endless: text for a primary aged class, text for a creative writing group, part of a course in Canadian Children's Literature, one could use it as a challenging piece of enrichment for teaching of English as a Second Language, and of course, one could use it as I did, just for the sheer pleasure of reading. I think of using it too similarly to how it was originally parcelled out as a serial Sunday School paper. Thus one can teach morals, human relationships, Christian theology or other such technical matters. And, I would hope to one day be able to read it as a bedtime story to my (hoped for) grandchildren.
If you have never read Anne of Green Gables, do yourself a favor and spend some of the most delightful hours you will ever spend with a book.
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LibraryThing member chlebo
I am upset with myself that I did not read this gem of a book earlier! The characters are great, the dialogue is great, and so is the narrative. This book makes me want to move to Canada and live on a farm and have tea time every day with cake and jam.
LibraryThing member BarbaraHouston
What is there to say about a book that helped me feel that my quirks and oddities weren't so odd? The lovely sweetness of that red-haired orphan has stayed with me ever since.
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
It is undeniable that this is a timeless classic for all ages! Although I should have read this some many years ago, I was simply enchanted by Anne's adventures and felt as transported by her tales as if I were a teen again. The descriptions of Avonlea, Anne's bubbly enthusiasm and her dreamy
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disposition, Marilla's no-nonsense approach, Matthew's shyness and all of Avonlea's cast of characters do make this an unforgettable book which endures through the generations. I can't wait to introduce Anne to my daughter who, more than a hundred years later, feels and acts the same way as that little orphan child! A real delight! Show Less
LibraryThing member stephxsu
Aging brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables, Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, Canada wanted to adopt an orphan boy to help Matthew with the farm chores. Instead, they got Anne Shirley, a feisty, redheaded, nature-loving, somewhat vain, always entertaining little sprite of a
It is not long before Anne wins the hearts of her whole town, and not just because she is bright, for the cute and mischievous Gilbert Blythe—whom Anne refuses to ever speak to again after he teasingly called her Carrots—is a good brain, too. It is her unmatchable spirit and optimism in the face of adversary that conquers the coldest hearts…well, all except the unconquerable, Anne concedes, concerning the egotistical Josie Pye. But Anne, together with her “bosom friend” Diana Barry, Marilla, Matthew, the new minister’s wife, Diana’s grumpy old aunt, and yes, even Gilbert Blythe, proves that life is a magical, magical thing, no matter what it throws at you.
This is hands-down one of my favorite books of all time. There is no one like Anne in the history of literature who can match her spirit and ability to get into hilarious scrapes. This children’s classics will be loved by readers of ALL ages, guaranteed. It will make you laugh and cry and wish you were living in Anne’s world. I LOVE it!
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wonder. Anne surprises but charms the Cuthberts with her lucrative overactive imagination and nonstop chatter.It is not long before Anne wins the hearts of her whole town, and not just because she is bright, for the cute and mischievous Gilbert Blythe—whom Anne refuses to ever speak to again after he teasingly called her Carrots—is a good brain, too. It is her unmatchable spirit and optimism in the face of adversary that conquers the coldest hearts…well, all except the unconquerable, Anne concedes, concerning the egotistical Josie Pye. But Anne, together with her “bosom friend” Diana Barry, Marilla, Matthew, the new minister’s wife, Diana’s grumpy old aunt, and yes, even Gilbert Blythe, proves that life is a magical, magical thing, no matter what it throws at you.
This is hands-down one of my favorite books of all time. There is no one like Anne in the history of literature who can match her spirit and ability to get into hilarious scrapes. This children’s classics will be loved by readers of ALL ages, guaranteed. It will make you laugh and cry and wish you were living in Anne’s world. I LOVE it!
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LibraryThing member gilbertine
Kudos to Tundra Books and Random House on this new edition of an old favorite. The book itself is physically attractive, with quality paper and binding not usually found in a children's book, and a beautiful cover illustration by Elly Mackay. It is enhanced by a brief biography by Caroline Parry.
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I'm seriously thinking of investing in the remainder of the Anne series as well as the Emily series in this lovely Tundra version. Show Less
LibraryThing member 1morechapter
I am probably the last adult female in the world to fall in love with Anne Shirley, but it’s finally happened. Her sweet, spunky, imaginative spirit is impossible not to fall in love with.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a book I wish I’d read in childhood. I know I would have gobbled
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery is a book I wish I’d read in childhood. I know I would have gobbled
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up this series just like I did the Little House books. While as a child I could relate to Laura’s tomboyishness and her location on the prairie, I now see in Anne a competitive spirit that I could have also related to, particularly with academics. It also would have been nice to have the American/Canadian contrast while I was a young girl, but at least now I know what I’ve been missing. Just as those around her were spellbound by Anne, so was I. I can’t wait to read more of the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member llamkin
I love this book! It has been my very favorite for as long as I can remember. My Mother checked it out from the Library to read to me when I was very young. I reread the whole series on my own in High School and often watch the Kevin Sullivan Movie version of the story. It is comfort food for the
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soul! Show Less
LibraryThing member bear08
I read all of the Anne books as a child, and then drifted away from them, but upon coming back I find that I still love these books. While they aren't as "meaty" as other books I could be reading, they are definitely enjoyable.
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2005)
Whitcoulls Top 100 Books (78 — 2008)
501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006) (Children's Fiction)
Around the world in 80 books (Canada)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1908
1996 (Nouvelle édition française, Presses de la Cité)
Physical description
384 p.; 7.61 x 1.13 inches
ISBN
059042243X / 9780590422437