When I was around nine or ten...
...my Aunt in America sent me a birthday gift - a complete boxed set of the Anne of Green Gables books. I had never heard of Anne, but the books were beautiful, and what ten year old bookworm doesn't love a box set? Naturally, I sent a long and heartfelt thank you letter. Probably.
However, much like the also gorgeous boxed set of the Narnia books sent by the same Aunt, the Anne books remained utterly pristine in their box. Why? I do take very good care of my books, yes (don't even mention dog-eared corners) but really it's because, in both cases, I only read the first one and never touched the rest.
Now, I admit, that in the case of Anne, I possibly didn't give her a fair hearing. Although the books were beautiful, they did look slightly dull and old fashioned to a ten year old who was more interested in magic and mystery. I mean the books were 80 years old by then, so it's a bit like trying to convince today's kids to read the Little House on the Prairie books, when there is Harry Potter.
Also, my mum's reaction to the books didn't do much to persuade me that I would like them. I think she suffered endless comparisons with Anne throughout her childhood (in America), being redheaded, orphaned and fiery tempered. Let's just say she didn't sing Anne's praises.
Anyhoo, I read Anne of Green Gables, and I didn't love it. All I can really remember about why was that I found Anne quite annoying, and the plot quite boring. In fact, up until about a week ago, I couldn't have told you a thing about it, other than the fact that Anne had red hair which she dyed and it went green. Seriously, I remembered nothing else. Was I just not paying attention? Or was this the most interesting thing that happened in the book? Clearly, I didn't like it enough to read the rest of the series. But was it really that bad? And what would it be like to reread Anne of Green Gables as an adult?
Anne Shirley - delightful or annoying?
In case you don’t know anything about Anne, it is set around 1875 in the town of Avonlea (fictional) on Prince Edward Island (real, it’s near Nova Scotia). The plot is pretty simple. Brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a child – not out of the goodness of their hearts mind you, but because they want a boy to help around the farm. By accident (maybe) they are sent 11 year old Anne Shirley instead, and because she’s just SO winning and wholesome, they decide to keep her anyway. Anne gets up to various exploits, grows up and goes to college, and that’s pretty much it for the plot.
Before arriving at the Cuthberts’, Anne hasn’t had a very happy childhood. She’s been passed around from pillar to post, used as free childcare and has generally spent her time in drab places, longing for nicer ones. Somewhat unbelievably, Anne manages not to become an embittered juvenile delinquent, and instead retains a cheerful demeanour and a near maniacal optimism and positivity.
She knows how to make the best of things, and lives largely in a world of her imagination. She longs for beauty, harmony, pretty clothes and fine things, and where she finds functionality and plainness instead, she merely imagines them to be as she wants them. She’s always talking in flowery language and superlatives, and sometimes this gets quite schmaltzy and annoying. I can see why she got my ten year old nerves.
"The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and storytellers; but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland."
Anne Shirley.
"the dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice".
Mark Twain.
Thank goodness for the Cuthberts
When you do find yourself wishing Anne would shut up, fortunately, we have Marilla to do it for us. Marilla is stern and sensible and doesn’t hold much truck with many of Anne’s foibles. She spends most of the book trying to instil some calm and sense into Anne – she’s often strict, unforgiving and doesn’t give into Anne’s pleas for pretty dresses and trips to concerts. However, she’s actually very fond and proud of Anne and the two develop a lovely mother/daughter relationship, with Anne learning to slow down and be a bit more sensible and Marilla learning to chill out a bit and embrace joy.
Anne also has a nice relationship with Matthew. Matthew is a man of few words or opinions, where Anne has an abundance of both. He enjoys listening to her chatter and Anne, who’s probably never had anyone actually listen to her ramblings before, appreciates his attention. Marilla is always reminding Matthew that she is raising Anne and he isn’t, but Matthew does nice little things for Anne on the quiet and gently persuades Marilla to ease up a bit and to let Anne be Anne.
I quite liked the Cuthberts and their evolution throughout the book, and to be honest, the book definitely wouldn't work without them. You need Matthew's calm and Marilla's sense to temper Anne's exhuberance. Without them the whole thing would crumble like a cake with too much sugar and not enough substance.
"Please just call me red-headed and forgive me"
The other thing that saves us all from getting cavities from Anne's sheer JOY ABOUT EVERYTHING, is her temper. She properly lays into the busybody neighbour for calling her ugly (fair play) and spends almost the entire book with an angry grudge against Gilbert Blythe for calling her ‘carrots’ on the first day of school. And where she usually looks for the best in people and her situation, she’s pretty critical of herself – hating her hair, bemoaning her temper and beating herself up a lot for making mistakes. I liked the fiery side of Anne because it makes her feel a lot more human. I wished there was a bit more of it, to be honest.
Anne reminded me a lot of both Heidi (published in 1880), and Pollyanna (1913) These two are also both orphans who are relentlessly optimistic and positive and win who succeed in winning over the grumpiest of grown ups. However, on reflection, I think I like Anne better. She’s a much more complex, rounded character and a bit less sugary. Given that I didn’t take to Anne when I was ten, it’s probably a good job I didn’t meet Heidi or Pollyanna at the same time.
Rereading Anne of Green Gables
So all in all, I enjoyed Anne far more as a grown up than I did as a kid. Really, it’s no wonder that I had only remembered the green hair episode, as much of the plot is forgettable really – it’s the characters and their relationships that make it a classic.
Having said that, if presented with an immaculate and beautiful box set of the series now, would I read them all? I’m not sure I would. I liked the book, but didn’t love it, and certainly didn’t finish it eager to find out what happened to Anne next. I’m afraid I’m got other books to read, and besides, I get the impression that Anne can take care of herself.
Verdict
Not as boring as I remember it being. Probably liked Anne more as an adult than I did as a kid.
Details and Availability
- Title: Anne of Green Gables
- Author: L.M. Montgomery
- Illustrator: N/A
- Publisher: Various
- Date: First published 1908
You can find Anne in all good libraries. Oh, and bookshops too.
I was obsessed with these books and read them all. I sobbed at various points, railed with Anne (WITH AN E) against the injustice she encountered, and swooned over the burgeoning romance with Gilbert Blythe. And then, when I was a teenager, there was a Canadian miniseries which set me off all over again, helped more than a little by Gilbert being a total dish. For years of my childhood I wanted to be an Edwardian Canadian orphan 🤣