As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever . . . but will the Cuthbert’s send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she’s not what they expected—a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she’ll try very hard not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. -Back of book

So, I am a little older than the average reader is the first time they read L.M. Montgomery and while it makes me more persnickety and wouldn’t say it took away any of my enjoyment of Anne of Green Gables. Because that’s right I enjoyed this book, but don’t get me wrong, like I said persnickety, and I had several issues with it as well. So great ready for the rollercoaster of emotions that are my feelings about books.

 

First off, Montgomery has a beautiful writing style and a powerful ability to manipulate words. Her descriptions are gorgeous and vibrant and lush (as in really, really long) and she paints a clear and immersive picture in the readers head. This style of this novel is different than many books I’ve read in that it is really told more in vignettes than one overarching plot beyond Anne and her life and growth. Each chapter is basically its own little mini plot with its own issues that are nicely resolved by the end. Due to this the novel quickly loses any sort of real tension or suspense for the reader. Though as a first-time reader on the first book there is still this soft hope in your heart that things might take a turn for the more suspenseful. The joy of this book is in its simplicity and beautiful imagery and language that permeates the novel. Even when Anne gets into the funniest and most unusual scraps there is no doubt of her quick escape and the forgiveness of the other characters. I feel like this would be a great book to read to one’s children at the end of the day. Since you could easily leave off after chapters and still remember the main character without fear of forgetting important plot developments or small details.

 

It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.

One glaring problem for me is due to this vignette quality I feel we never get the chance to really fully know any of the characters beyond Anne. Each character seems almost more of a caricature than a fully developed and realized persona. Each character is given a specific characteristic that then defines everything they do and say and then never act outside of that single perimeter leaving them rather flat. Characters lack real backstories (Even Anne beyond her orphanage stint) aspirations in the larger sense, no one seems particularly inclined or motivated by anything and so stakes are non-existent, beyond Anne and her ambitions. Honestly, there were two types of characters in the book “kindred spirits” (Matthew, Diana, Miss Stacy) or non-kindred spirits (Josie Pye, Gilbert (at first), Mrs. Lynde, etc.)

 

 

Due to one’s constant interactions with Anne, she is the only one who becomes more than this she’s unfailingly optimistic and loyal and therefore makes for a rather inspiring if “perfect” heroine. Don’t get me wrong she gets into scrapes and mischief that are amusing and she is far from perfect in that sense and she can laugh at herself which instantly endears me. Anne approaches life with enthusiasm, armed with her imagination and like I said inspiring.

Life is worth living as long as there’s a laugh in it.

 

This lack of character was especially depressing to me in regard to Gilbert. I had been so excited to get to know this character that would be after Anne’s heart and I was disappointed to realize I wouldn’t get the chance. Gilbert plays too little a role in this book. We had more scenes of Anne cutting herself off from mentioning him than of him actually be in the novel. I loved every scene he was a part of but hardly got a slip of dialogue from him. Would get page(s) long dialogue from Anne and like 4 lines throughout the whole book from Gilbert. So have absolutely no sense of his character beyond a vague, shadow.

 

This book is really, truly, very sweet for its real-life moments and truth to growing pains of childhood that it expresses, and there is truly something special about watching her grow up and taking that journey with her. Anne is definitely a character I’ll never forget even if everyone else fades to the background.

While this review has been mostly negative, don’t mistake me I really did enjoy this novel overall for its lighthearted, peaceful, sweetness. And the book was clearly decent since I proceeded to read the next two in rather rapid fire. I couldn’t put the second one down. Honestly, Anne had a lesson or two to teach her readers about how to approach the world and one can’t ignore the beauty of that.

‘Dear old world’, she murmured, ‘you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.’

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Parental Rating: For all ages

Anne of Green Gables was a novel of imagination and life, of a young girl growing into herself. Please leave your opinion and thoughts on Anne of Green Gables in the comments below. Feel free to ask questions about the novel or offer a differing opinion. Also look forward to hearing from Danielle about her opinion on this novel, which is a bit differnt from my own! If you are interested in a juvenile fiction with unendingly optimistic characters purchase a copy, here.