Candi's Reviews > Anne of Green Gables

"Excitement hung around Anne like a garment, shone in her eyes, kindled in every feature."

Oh, what sheer pleasure it was to spend just a moment in time with Anne and her delightful companions in this little classic. What pure joy to catch a glimpse of the beauty of Prince Edward Island. I am likely one of the last persons on earth… well, on Goodreads at least… to read this novel. What in the world was I waiting for?! As a child and adolescent, I wrongly assumed that this book would be of no interest to me. I wasn’t a ‘girly girl’ and surely this was written for ‘that sort’ of reader, right? Wrong! By the time I was old enough to know better, I thought I had grown too mature in years to pick this one up. Wrong again. The ‘sort’ of reader that this does appeal to however: one who appreciates exquisite writing and vibrant characters, one who relishes being steeped in another time and place, and one who enjoys an all-out fantastic story. In short, this book should satisfy nearly everyone!

You can’t help but fall in love with Anne. She is the friend you have always longed for, the daughter that will bring that much-needed light in your life, that student that any teacher would be proud to instruct. She is funny, imaginative, bright, and a regular chatterbox. She laments about her red hair, apologizes for being a ‘great trial’ to Marilla, and always manages to see the positive in most everything. However, she does maintain a long-standing rivalry with her peer, Gilbert Blythe. "She was as intense in her hatreds as in her loves." Nothing is ever lukewarm when it comes to Anne’s feelings.

There were moments I wanted to laugh with her and moments when I wanted to cry. When she first arrived at Green Gables, Anne learned that it had all been a mistake. For, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert meant to adopt a young boy to help with the chores. A little girl was not needed. It nearly crushed me when Anne fell in love with Green Gables only to find that she must surely be turned away and carted straight back to the orphanage. "Have you ever noticed what cheerful things brooks are? They’re always laughing… I shall always like to remember that there is a brook at Green Gables even if I never see it again." What transpires after this will melt even the most hardened hearts.

Some might say this book is too wholesome, too charming, and perhaps too unrealistic. I have to say that I don’t believe those are good enough reasons to skip reading this enchanting novel! It didn’t take place just yesterday so I didn’t expect the trials and tribulations of today’s day and age. The events do occur on an idyllic island, so I felt the beautiful scenery I was immersed in was wholly believable. Anne is not a perfect little girl and each character has their share of flaws. Not every story has to be full of doom and gloom to get all the stars! Sometimes one just needs to sit back, relax, and just surrender to the small pleasures in life. We could all use a lesson from Anne’s book of optimism here and there!

"Dear old world, you are lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."