Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Anne of the Island

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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soph22's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

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brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

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chalkletters's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.5

As I said to Nickie last weekend, I love all the Anne books so much that I can’t pick a favourite. Anne of Green Gables has the incomparable Matthew, Anne of Avonlea has Miss Lavender, and Anne of the Island has not only the culmination of Anne and Gilbert’s relationship, but also Miss Patty’s Place — one of the many, many places in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s writing that I would live if I could.

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s descriptions never fail to enchant me. She has a way of making places feel absolutely magical, whether they’re an old house owned by two elderly spinsters, a flower-filled wood or an ancient graveyard. Her language is perfectly simple, but she uses colour and beautiful-sounding words which make every page of Anne of the Island a delight, as long as you’re into sort of thing.

The heart of the Anne book is, of course, Anne Shirley herself — the way she’s different from everyone else, feels things more deeply and thinks in unexpected ways. In Anne of the Island, Lucy Maud Montgomery surrounds her with the memorable Phil Gordon and Aunt Jimmie, as well as old favourites Diana and Gilbert. However, not all Anne’s friends stand out so clearly: Priscilla and Stella fade into the background somewhat, becoming difficult to tell apart.

Fittingly for a book set at college, Anne of the Island does show a tendency to lecture. Lucy Maud Montgomery makes more explicit references to a life lived according to the bible than she has in previous books. Many of her messages are just as applicable today and to readers who don’t share Anne’s faith, but not all, which comes as a slightly unexpected surprise.

Anne of the Island is a fabulous book for readers putting down roots in a new place, or looking back at a period of life to set down the lessons learned.

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amotoquinha's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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bexi's review against another edition

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emotional 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

Is it or me, or was it incredibly out of character for Anne to

allow the attempted murder of a homeless, unloved cat? It's like someone decided to prank L.M. Montgomery by sneaking it in after she submitted her manuscript.

But other than that, this was an overall good book with lots of beautiful lines, and much better than the previous book in the series.

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bookfilledcottage's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

Every time I finish another Anne book, I find myself in a simultaneous state of bliss and sadness: the first one as a result of how much I adore each story and Montgomery’s writing style; and the second one as a result of how sad I am that I have one less Anne book to enjoy for the first time.

But, this one? Oh! It tucked at my heartstrings. It was emotional, exciting and adorable in perfect measures. I find myself loving Anne even more with every book. These were some truly beautiful years in her life to experience with her.

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eepi's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

4.25 stars
i like this better than the second one.
the animal cruelty tho

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