Anne of Green Gables

If I could choose a book to live in, it just might be Anne of Green Gables. I'd love to live with Matthew and Marilla; go to school with Jane Andrews, Ruby Gillis, Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, and even Josie Pye; sit in Miss Stacy's classroom, and have Diana Barry as a “bosom friend.” Of course, I would be nicer to Gilbert Blythe.

I've read the book and watched the television adaptation several times, but this was the first time I have listened to an audio version. I noticed for the first time what I believe is a key to the book's enduring charm. It's Anne's voice. Although Montgomery uses an omniscient narrator, readers experience many of the key events not as they're happening, but after the fact through Anne's conversations with show more Matthew, Marilla, or Diana. This allows readers to view the world from Anne's perspective, as well as to view Anne as others see her.

Since this book is in the public domain, there are many audio versions to choose from. Narrator Colleen Winton did an admirable job with the vocal characterizations, and I think most listeners would be satisfied with her performance. show less

Our beloved puffed-sleeved, redhaired chatterbox nerd.This was perhaps THE book that made child-me think it was the most important thing to have a best friend. Reading it as an adult, well, that still sounds nice, but I was mostly impressed by how well Anne studied*.

I liked how aspirational the character is - somehow growing up to be so thoughtful and kind and smart - but I loved when she was being a bit wily (hello flower hat church scene!) or naughty or just generally getting into shenanigans.

The story timeline passed much faster than I remembered. How was it already time for her to go to college or work? I had remembered or just imagined endless summers of adventures. There weren't that many scenes with Gilbert at all so why was I so show more obsessed? Also, I had forgotten that Matthew died which I felt was passed over pretty quickly and only done to force Anne to stay.

The only thing I remember from the grown-up Anne series is her saying how despite contemporaneous advice to not baby talk to your baby, she just cannot resist! With this as my only guide, I worry about the subsequent books but I will persist!

*Side rant: She IS the titular character but I wish stories would quit it with the underdog who comes in mid-school year and studies hard and tops the class. Them studying hard and doing fine is also an acceptable storyline. Justice for the kid who studied just as hard to be number one before the main character showed up. Justice for Paris Gellar! show less

Anne of Green Gables is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. No mater how many time I revisit Anne Shirley - whether by physical book, audiobook, or adaptation - I find myself always enchanted by by Anne and the language L.M. Montgomery uses in describing her. It's not a complicated, surprising, or action-packed book... but Anne of Green Gables is heartwarming to the max.

It's amazing that a book about an orphan girl who lived about a century ago and had no astounding adventures can stay so close to the heart of so many people. And yet, Anne Shirley is timeless. I still find myself loving Marilla and Rachel's friendship nearly as much as Anne and Diana's - I find myself longing for a bosom friend such as Diana - and my heart show more absolutely breaking when Matthew passes.

But most of all - Anne and Gilbert's very slow and sweet romance wraps me up and I adore this couple more than any other. I've read this every couple of years since my first read (although the story itself has been with me since childhood) and I imagine I will be drawn back to it again and again and again.
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2017 Review: 5 stars

This book is so charming that it left me smiling even when I wasn't reading it.

Anne is the sweetest child you will every meet. She knows just the right things to say and has the most incredible imagination. It's little wonder that Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to keep her, even though the asked the orphanage for a boy.

This book tells of Anne's adventures - the good, the bad, and the ugly. From falling off a roof to her endless quest for puffed sleeves on her dresses, the reader follows her antics and laughs with her, cries with her, and gets very angry with her (how DARE he call her "Carrots"?!). However, as you fall in love with Anne, you also fall in love with Gilbert, Diana, and her who merry crew. Anne Shirley captures EVERYONE'S heart. She can't help it.

Although this book was written over 100 years ago, it still charms modern audiences. I could read it over and over again and never tire of Anne. That's how wonderful it is. show less

I'm the wrong demographic for this but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Anne was written in 1908 but feels surprisingly modern for a more than a century old book about an even earlier age. The precocious kid with a big mouth and head full of dreams is relatable, and Montgomery manages to track her changes from child to teenager quite well. You really feel Anne is a person, however much at odds with her own time, changing through the trials and tribulations into someone more mature. This is still a work marked by time as to what's considered proper, but Anne is not exactly a demure wallflower despite her great sense of romantic drama.

I don't know how I never read this before.....and the writing style took me aback at first. But, on audio, my goodness, the language! The words! The flowery, joyful, effervescence of Anne is so engaging that it made me smile. And it wants to make me use my words better. Instead of everything being "great", try splendid, terrific, or sublime. And though Montgomery used 20 words when one or two would do, I loved them all.....and I usually prefer a more spare writing style.

I found myself thoroughly engaged throughout the story though the plot is simple and somewhat predictable. This would be an enjoyable read-aloud with a young listener and provide opportunities to talk about "what would you do in that situation" as Anne gets in and out of show more scrapes. Definitely recommended if you haven't read it before. show less

I used to read the entire Anne series when I was at school. Re-reading it now is like wrapping myself up in a lovely, warm blanket, in front of a fire, on a frigid night. It's instant comfort.

Anne is a brilliant character: smart, though she longs to be beautiful; caring, but also self-involved; able to hold a grudge, while being forgiving of those she loves. She makes many mistakes, but as she says herself, always learns from them and never makes the same mistake twice.

I'm not capable of writing an impartial and disinterested review. There are descriptive passages, detailing the trees and flowers in each setting, which I would usually consider overly long. In this book, I love them. I am clearly biased.

As a child, I identified with show more Anne and found in her a dear friend. As an adult, reading this book is a return to the best parts of my own childhood. show less

No matter how many times I’ve read this, it never loses its charm.

Episodic doesn’t always work for me, it’s partly why I’ve yet to push all the way through Windy Poplars and beyond in this series, but this first novel doesn’t feel as labored in that respect as some of its sequels do. Rather than the stop-start choppiness that can be problematic for me in this style of storytelling, the transitions between “episodes” here feel smooth, as does the arc they create.

Anne might be a bit much for some readers with her melodramatic emotions and romanticism, but to me, she’s ever so lovable, particularly in the moments where you feel her longing and appreciation for home, family, and friendship. And from the girl who struggles show more with her temper, who falls into one calamity after another, to the poised young woman we’re left with in the end, Anne’s growth is impeccably paced, between that and her endearing personality, it’s really no wonder that she feels so real to so many of us.

The secondary characters are so rewarding to spend time with, too, I love how shy Matthew absolutely adores chatterbox Anne to the point where he’s willing to venture out of his comfort zone for her, then there’s Marilla with her hard shell and squishy center, and even someone like Rachel Lynde, who gets off to a rocky start with Anne and the reader, yet you come to enjoy her prickly know-it-all presence.

The romance isn’t overt here since Anne & Gilbert are quite young through most of it, plus she’s harboring a grudge against him, still, their chemistry crackles in even the tiniest moments they share, and with each gesture he makes towards her, you can’t help falling in love with this boy even before Anne does. show less