Anne of Green Gables

SYNOPSIS:

Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.

REVIEW

(4 STARS)

I always find it hard to write reviews about classics because everything has been said already. There’s not much to add, and it sure isn’t up to me to say if this is a good or a bad book because classics are more than that: they should reflect the time they were written on and yet, at the same time, be contemporary to our own society.

I loved Anne of Green Gables. When I started it, I wasn’t immediately convinced because it felt a bit like children’s fiction – Anne arrives at Avonlea with 11 years old and Montgomery does a fine job portraying this young hopeful girl, who breathes tragedy and is always dreaming with her eyes open. At times, her dramas were over the top, and her problems insignificant compared to those of an adult. She fretted about her looks like all teenagers do, she hated boys just like girls her age do, and she’s always getting into scrapes. But that’s what makes this such a good book: she was supposed to do and feel all these things because she’s growing up. We are very fortunate that Montgomery did such a fine job at writing this process so we could see Anne become a woman: as she gets older, her actions are more mature. As the book went on, I was able to connect more with her because I started remembering what adolescence was like for me, and as she approached an age closer to mine, it was easier to relate to what she felt. Once I finished the book, I considered Anne my bosom friend.

As a historical narrative, ‘Anne of Green Gables’ takes you back to the 1880s where everything was different but much alike today. You learn a lot about the author’s life and consequently about life in Prince Edward Island and all Canada; you see how the interaction between genders and neighbours was; how politics was not a matter of opinion but of family tradition and you end up realizing not much has changed. A lot of these dynamics are still as actual as they once were.

Montgomery herself lived in Prince Edward Island during the second half of the nineteenth century, in a time when women were only starting to get a voice of their own. By writing this novel, she expected to change people's mind and inspire other women to free themselves from the shackles imposed by a patriarchal society. She wanted women to know they could dream higher and play different roles other than being housewives or mothers.

Her epoch was also a time of Christian devotion and by writing Anne she wanted to inspire her readers to be good Christians themselves. That's why so many lessons Anne was taught were embedded in Christian values.

Even though there were some sad moments throughout the story, Anne lived in this magic dome, maybe because that's how the author remembered her own childhood – peaceful, gleeful and safe.