Why, oh why have I not read this before now? It would have been *perfect* for me when I was a young girl, but better late than never. I suppose because it’s Canadian lit that there wasn’t much talk about it in England. That, or I was completely enthralled with Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers and the books of Gerald Durrell.
A classic for many readers, Anne of Green Gables is the first volume of several that chronicles the life of a Canadian orphan girl who ends up on Prince Edward Island with a brother and sister pair who need help with their farm. The couple had originally asked for a boy orphan, but when sent Anne, ended up falling in love with her and keeping her. And I found that I fell in love with Anne as well. (Remember that “e” at the end of Anne… like my middle name! I would also make a big fuss about the “e” at the end of mine, even it is a middle name. Just one of many things I have in common with little old Anne.)
She is extremely sweet (without being sickening), a huge chatterbox, and just can’t help making mistakes even though she tries her best not to. She loves using big words (even if it’s not always quite the right meaning), and Anne has a large imagination that she frequently engages. The descriptions of the farm where she ends up living are just gorgeous – green, rolling hills, trees. (This may have been viewed as even more appealing than usual as here in West Tx, we have not had measurable rain since last October.)
Anne really wants to have a special friend, and finds one in Diana across the way. The two girls become bestest friends, and the one day when they are required to “break up” their friendship due to a misunderstanding on the parental level is really sad and yet funny at the same time.
Haven’t seen the movies of this yet – are they are good? Or is it one of those cases where the books are way better than the movies?
Written in 1908, this book is still relevant for readers today: who hasn’t been someone who makes mistakes no matter how hard you try not? Anne goes through the trials of learning to make new friends, dealing with hardship, and learning to look on the bright side of things. My socks were charmed off reading this. I thought this was close to a perfect read, and with more volumes ahead, the fun goes on.
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Love! I’m surprised as well that you haven’t read it before, but better late than never. I adore Anne. This book, along with Alice in Wonderland, are extremely close to my heart. I’ve often felt like these books were written specifically for me, and it’s clear so many people do as well.. I would definitely recommend the movies. Some of my most fond memories are of my mother and I spending a whole Saturday watching them, under a blanket, with a mug of hot cocoa.
Glad to hear that the movies are good. Are the later volumes of the Anne chronicles as good as this first one?
They are good for sure, but don’t quite compare to the first. I would still recommend them.
This was one of my absolute favorite tv shows of all time when I was a pre-teen. I so wanted to grow up to be her. LOVE!