Book Review: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

At First Sight: Mathew and Marilla Cuthbert - brother and sister - were getting on in years and figured it was a good idea to adopt a orphan boy to help Mathew run their farm, Green Gables. 

So, on a late Spring day, Mathew sets out to retrieve this boy from the train station... only to find a small, red-haired girl instead- a girl named Anne Shirley. She's a rather unconventional child, with a wild imagination and she can to talk non-stop, painting incredible worlds and giving amazing life to the most common place things just with her imagination. 

And, Mathew, who is shy and old and never liked talking to females of any kind or age, promptly loses his heart to the imaginative child. 

His sister Marilla isn't quite so keen. A practical woman, she finds Anne's whimsy a little trying but since Matthew so likes her and Marilla figures it's her Christian duty to bring Anne up in a proper fashion. 

So they take Anne in, and for the first time, she has a place to call home. Anne thrives at Green Gables and soon makes friends and becomes an integral part of the Avonlea community.

Second Glance: Anne of Green Gables was one of those books that I always meant to read but never got around doing it, and I don't know why I decided it was time, but I'm so glad I finally took the plunge.

I was lucky enough to get this in audiobook format and I loved it. This is one of those stories where you just have to give into the narrative - for the prose can get a little flowery with Anne's descriptions and whimsy - and enjoy the way the words flow. 

I loved getting to know and Anne and Gilbert and Mathew and Marilla - I cried a lot in the end, btw, and I loved how Anne always tried to make the Cuthberts proud. This is such a simple story about simple people and I loved that about it, it made me want to go to Prince Edward Island and never leave. 

Now, I gotta say that going in I had no idea just how much time the book covered - over four years of Anne's life - and sometimes I felt the book was a bit long, though it wasn't. Not really, considering how much time and things happen, but I guess I just wasn't prepared for it.

Anne could be a little over dramatic at times, but she's such a nice person and I adored her, I loved the way she just loved life. In a world where kids and teenagers can get so sullen and whiny, Anne was a breath of fresh air. 

Bottom Line: I loved Anne of Green Gables, it's a sweet, feel good story that just warms you up from the inside out. A definite 'must read' for anyone, no matter their age.  

1/2