Review: Anne of Green Gables

The last time I read Anne of Green Gables, I was in my grade nine English class. It was just as simple, sweet, and touching 11 years later as it was back then. Back in the eighties, a television film of this novel came about, and I remember borrowing it from the library in the nineties. There were so many scenes in the book that I had forgotten about, but when I came across them, I could see film playing in my head.

There were two parts to the book that I remembered fully before picking it up to read it again for my Children's Literature course: the first was Gilbert calling Anne "carrots," and Anne bringing her slate crashing down over his head. The other part I remembered was the death of a main character. The rest of the book was like new to me all over again, while comfortably familiar all at the same time.

Reading Anne of Green Gables, I felt like I was growing up right along with Anne. How four or five years can be compressed into 308 pages, I don't know, but it worked out beautifully.

For those who aren't Canadian, and are unfamiliar with the Anne books, they were written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and take place on Prince Edward Island in the late 1800's-early 1900's. Anne Shirley is an orphan girl, mistakenly sent in place of a boy, to assist two elderly siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Her hair is fiery red, and so is her temper. But, before long, Matthew and Marilla soon come to realize how wonderful their lives have become as a result of this mistake. With the Cuthberts, Gilbert, Diana, Miss. Stacey, and Mrs. Rachel Lynde, the imagination of Anne, and the reader, soars.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this charming children's novel. It really is a fine sample of some of the greatest writing Canada has to offer.