The Story...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 Cuthburts 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. Anne is not like anybody else, the Cuthburts agree; she is special - a girl with an enormous inagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables.
A Reader's Experience...
Like a comfortable old sweater, a favorite home cooked meal, or a scrapbook full of intimate and special memories, Anne of Green Gables is a delightful and timeless classic to fall in love with over and over again. She appeals to all ages as s a magnificently developed masterpiece capturing so much spirit, so much heart, and so many experiences. Montgomery writes with sensitivity and passion, exposing the heart and soul of Prince Edward Island, of family and community bonds, and of childhood realities and dreams. I can only wonder if she ever dreamed that her first novel would still be the source of such widespread impact and appeal so many years later.
As a born PEIslander, I can appreciate how Anne remains an iconic image of our sights, history, values and way of life, as well as an immense source of pride (not to mention a staple to the tourism industry). The author's description is colorful and vivid, the changes and moods of nature playing off of the changes and moods of the characters as Anne in particular interacts with the lush natural paradise around her with tenderness and facination. As readers, we can easily discover or rediscover pieces of the Island as if for the first time through Anne. It is where Anne discovers her true "home", and it serves to remind me of what a unique and special place it is to belong.
Anne of Green Gables invites readers to articulate and question what forms the bonds between family and friends and among community. As an orphan, Anne is desperate need of belonging and companionship. She is brought to the Cuthburts by chance and remains with them through choice, and it ultimately seems not only as if they were exactly what she needed, but as if she was also what they needed. Further, the community of Avonlea adopts her as their own and has developed a tight knit sense of loyalty and trust typical of small communities. Everyone knows everyone's business, everyone knows their place, and everyone has a reputation.
The author effectively represents a huge breadth of worries, challenges, joys and discoveries, and changes involved in growing up (on Anne's part) and raising a child (Matthew and Marilla's part). Anne struggles to tame her active imagination and her temper, make friends, succeed in school, learn life lessons, manage her feelings for Gilbert, accept her looks, deal with grief, and leave home, among other things. She has many first time experiences and accomplishments, from eating ice cream to passing exams. Matthew and Marilla too allow us to question how to raise our own children - to nurture, to discipline, to manage conflict, to communicate, to encourage, and to let go. Matthew and Marilla play different roles and have differing views, but it is clear that unbreakable, lifelong bonds have formed between Anne and them as her proud adoptive parents. I am amazed that the themes dealt with, using laughter and heart, are as central and prevalent now as they were back in 1908. Everything changes, of course, but some things stay the same.
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