A review by margueritestjust
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

Phil Gordon!!  I'm not saying that's all but that's all!!!

I much enjoyed this book over the previous installment of this series.  There's so much romantic drama, there's a cozy little house that she shares with her friends, there's her first sale for her writing, what more can you want!

Anne and Gilbert's entanglement (perhaps we should say their drawing apart and coming back together) has been an enduring part of why people love these books so much, and it's not hard to see why.  Their "decoy" love interests are a necessary part of the realization, that euphoric moment where their true desires become clarified. 
Of course, Gilbert's purported love interest isn't interested in love with him at all, not he with her.  But then of course, Anne doesn't know that.
 

Which of course is to say nothing of the nonsense pulled by the author at the end of the book.  We have 10 pages left and Ms. Montgomery is like guess what!!  He's dying of typhoid!!  And you're like dying??!!  I didn't even know he had typhoid!!  I think perhaps this realization would have worked far better if she'd had devoted more time afterwards to a denouement, but this is typical of her work, as Matthew's death in the first book similarly occurred with only about 20 pages left, if I remember correctly.
  Still, the pining that takes place throughout the book is just delicious to me.  Anne's jealousy (that is obvious to everyone except herself) is just the cherry on top.

Overall, this installment had a more centered plot throughline which made it much more enjoyable, next to no Davy (thank goodness), and the culmination of the Anne/Gilbert plotline from the first three books.
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