At sixteen, Anne is grown up... almost. Her grey eyes shine like evening stars, but her red hair is still as peppery as her temper. In the years since she arrived at Green Gables as a frekle-faced orphan, she has earned the love of the people of Avonlea and a reputation for getting into scrapes. But when Anne begins her job as the new schoolteacher, the real test of her character begins. Along with teaching the three Rs, she is learning how complicated life can be when she meddles in someone else's romance, finds two new orphans at Green Gables, and wonders about the strange behaviour of the very handsome Gilbert Blythe. As Anne enters womanhood, her adventures touch the heart and the funny bone.
A Reader's Experience...
While I do recall reading the Anne books as a child, I am now finding that I somehow enjoy and get even more out of them as an adult. As I am beginning to re-read the entire series, I am already certain that it would have been an unfortunate loss had Montgomery chosen to stop writing it after the first book. It's a delight to follow such a vibrant and memorable character as Anne Shirley as she begins to move on into adulthood, and I find myself continuing to relate strongly to many of her feelings and ambitions. I admire her for her sense of devotion and compassion towards others, and I am captivated by the novel's developing sense of romance.
Anne is now a schoolteacher, who is also helping to care for orphan twins with ambitions to further her education. As a student teacher, I too feel the heavy load of responsability, high hopes for my students, and the desire for relationships built on mutual trust and inspiration which seems to affect Anne as a schoolmaster. She senses a road full of opportunity ahead of her, and while there are apprehensions about the changes moving her forward, she is very much after the thrill of the journey. I am energized by the ambition and adventure of youth, as well as the journey of curiosity and self discovery that is so thrilling for Anne. I am hoping to inspire my own youthful ambition and sense of wonder to continue to move my own story forward in to new and intriguing places.
Anne is a character who demonstrates great instincts towards the people around her, and seems to make friends, even "kindred spirits" quite naturally. She is quite gentle and sensitive when dealing with pupils in her classroom or with the twins at home. She listens to Davy's questions or Lavender's imaginings with interest and care. She is a loyal friend to many others including Paul Irving and the Harrisons, and of course Diana and Gilbert. She is a leader of the Avonlea villiage society. All of these characteristics demonstrate such strong people skills that I hope readers can pick up on and learn from. Anne seems to find the something good within everyone, even those she is not especially fond of, that they have to offer or contribute.
Oe magic element that clinches my interest in the novel is the theme of romance. It is a simple and sweet romance, even old fashioned, which to me is the essence of its charm. Anne becomes involved in the romantic tales of the Harrisons and the Irvings, as well as Diana and Fred Wright. The first two are instances of romance being re-kindled and given another chance, which to me is a beautiful and a powerful message of hope, along the lines of "if you love something let it go... if it comes back it's yours". This combined with Anne and Gilbert's changing feelings toward one another, seem to beg readers to give romance a chance. It will have it's share of heartbreak, but is a risk worth taking. Of course I love happy endings, and I believe that Anne's story at this point has only enhanced this feeling through such an uplifting sense of realistic encouragement.
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