A review by elisability
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

4.0

Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-old orphan from Nova Scotia, orphaned when she was a few months old and passed around from foster families (where she was treated more like a slave than anything) to the orphanage. Until one day the elderly brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert send for a boy orphan to help on the farm in PEI, and because of a misunderstanding get sent Anne instead. They want to send her back but quickly get won over by her imagination, her talkativeness and her intelligence. So Anne ends up permanently moving into Green Gables and Avonlea, quickly becoming a fixture in all the adventures in the little village.

I got this book when I visited PEI this summer. I visited Green Gables itself, saw the Anne of Green Gables musical, and was embarrassed at being Canadian and not even knowing the story of Anne! So I resolved to remedy the issue.

I can see why it became a classic. Anne is so attaching, sweet and vivacious, funny and intelligent. Even though it’s from the early 20th century, it doesn’t feel that old school. Anne is a girl, but she goes to school, she excels in school, and her cleverness is emphasized many times in the book. It’s a great story for little girls to read, a great coming-of-age tale, and a great portrayal of rural maritime Canada.