Reviews

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

demonxore's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

You have to read this through an older lens and release your adherence to some contemporary social progress wrt sex, gender, race, socioeconomics, etc. Under a contemporary lens, this book is probably 2 stars.

This book brought back waves of nostalgia for being a child reading the adventures of other children. That's right - reading a book reminded me of reading other books 😅 Anyhow, this was a cute, feel-good book and I wish I had read it when I was a kid. 

emmalibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've read Anne at different phases throughout my life, starting when I was 13. Now I'm 43, and I find the book just as compelling and delightful as when I was a kid, but for different reasons. With this reading I focused much more on Matthew and Marilla. I loved their relationship with Anne and how much of the book focuses on their internal dialougue about her. There were lots of laugh-out-loud moments, but also moments of real empathy and deep feeling. If you've never read this one, I'd say it's written both for kids and adults and it's worth the time, especially if you enjoy long wistful paragraphs about beauty, delight, spirit, soul, and wonder, along with some practical, down-to-earth replies from Marilla.

ajes's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

shannenm's review against another edition

5.0

There aren't stars enough in the sky. This book made a home in my heart.

roses_are_rosa's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing

3.5

kaatereads's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.75

venation's review against another edition

5.0

Anne of Green Gables, has been one of my favorites as a child, and it still is, in my teenage years. Anne, as many have said, is a lively, vivacious, chatty child and she brings such a force of life into the story that seems otherwise typical. Anne of Green Gables is indeed a children's classic because it reaffirms many childhood themes, everyone is an individual capable of doing anything. Anne is our window to the her world, and she simply shows us that life is full of freedom and new childhood longings.

Anne of Green Gables is classic, because it is the story of a little orphan girl overcoming odds and discovering families, but also because it is in many ways another coming of age story with a strong heroine. I loved this book, and I really still do.

kristymk18's review against another edition

5.0

Anne of Green Gables is arguably one of my favorite movies, but sadly, I had never read the book. I am glad to finally check this off of my reading bucket list as it is truly a classic. However, this is one of the few instances where (even though this book is great) I liked the movie more. This is probably because I first watched it when I was around six, and almost annually ever since. And also...why is Gil hardly in this book! I must get [b:Anne of Avonlea|77390|Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables, #2)|L.M. Montgomery|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305545757s/77390.jpg|63845] soon in order to redeem this.

bluekangaroo's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

novella42's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This story was important to me as a child and now returning to it as an adult I can see why. Anne obviously has as much or more PTSD from trauma as I had as a kid, and turned to daydreaming to cope—dissociating—the way I always have. As an adult I empathize just as much with Marilla and Matthew (who must have had social anxiety) and have found new dimensions in their characters. L.M. Montgomery definitely has a nuanced grasp of compassion, grief, and the human spirit. I enjoyed the amusing way she uses dialogue to have characters "tell on themselves." 

As a writer I was impressed with the way she crafted unique voices for many of the people. (I do think Matthew could've used fewer "well, now..." moments, but it was still part of his charm.) I also was impressed by her ability to convey information through dialogue without it always being an "info dump" — Anne is certainly the "exposition fairy" of this story, but it's well earned in her character, and Montgomery gets quite deft with it at times, especially by the end of the story.