Novel Notes

Lucy Maud Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables" is probably one of the most beloved and widely known Canadian classics and I am almost ashamed to say that it hasn't been on my radar before watching "Anne with an E". This book tells the story of Anne Shirley, an extremely talkative and bright young orphan girl who is adopted by an elderly pair of siblings. The first novel of the series spans five years, in which a dreamy eleven-year-old Anne keeps Marilla and Matthew on their toes, forms friendships and unitentionally causes quite a stir from to time, all whilst growing into an ambitious and warm-hearted young woman. I enjoyed reading "Anne of Green Gables" a lot. I loved Anne as a protagonist and enjoyed watching her grow, not only in age, but in character as well. Even though this book was written more than a hundred years ago, the issues Anne deals with in her young life are still relevant today, and everyone - no matter their age - will find something of themselves in her. But not only the eponimous heroine is a highly relatable and well-rounded character - the same holds true for a handful of others as well, most notably Matthew and Marilla. The only "problem" I had with this book was that the more the story progressed, the more rushed it felt to me. The first year of Anne's life at Green Gables is described quite detailedly, whilst the remaining four fly by with only little glimpes into it here and there. "Anne of Green Gables" truly is a book for all ages and I highly recommend it to virtually everyone. Personally, I can't wait to see how Anne's story continues in "Anne of Avonlea".