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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
This is the 4th book, 7th written. I didn't find this out until I wanted to check how old exactly Anne was for people to be treating her like such a stately old woman. The downside was that I would have preferred to read this in publication order. The upside is that I've finally managed to narrow down the age ranges in this series. Under 16 is a girl. 16 to 24 is a woman. Over 24 (and unmarried can't forget that of course) is a decrepit crypt keeper.
Anne is now a BA having graduated from Redmond College. While her beloved Gilbert finishes his schooling to become a doctor she is working as a Principal in the town of Summerside. Windy Poplars refers to the name of the house she is boarding at.
This book wasn't as enjoyable for me personally as the previous book, but I'd say objectively it was about equal quality. A decent chunk of the beginning is Anne's trials with the Pringles - the ruling family of Summerside that also make up a majority of the town either through marriage, technicality, or blood - who despise her for being chosen for the Principal job over a Pringle. After she earns their love (Obviously they couldn't hate Anne forever. She's Anne.), the rest of the book is mostly Anne helping young women around Summerside sometimes intentionally other times incidentally when her meddling goes awry.
I felt that Montgomery's style of writing worked particularly well with this format. If you read my other reviews (shameless plug) then you'll notice I've said this in like every review I've made for this series: these books are a series of shorts with Anne at the head. Thus, the quality falters depending on the plot of the chapter or sometimes few chapters dedicated to it because it's like a compilation. This book felt more suited to this than any other than the first because it felt as if Montgomery embraced it to its fullest.
Half the book is epistolary which did take some getting used to. It didn't bother me too much, however, as it helped to focus the book. Rather than the usual arbitrary traipse through events, the framing of Anne's letters to Gilbert made this feel the most like a conscious choice to write a novel. Especially since the letters were dated. The epistolary format is dropped around halfway through for no reason which I did find annoying.
There was precious little Gilbert in this one which I found really weird. Anne writes him all these letters yet we never see any of his letters to her. I would have liked to hear about his adventures too. It also was a super pointed absence compared to how characters are normally ignored in these books. Anne sees him twice and the first time we skip over their meeting entirely, Anne just writes a letter after the fact telling Gilbert how wonderful it was to see him. The second time Anne does actually meet with Gilbert at Green Gables for Christmas only for Gilbert to be mentioned ONCE and he never speaks. The rest of the second appearance is dedicated to Anne’s goodwill, finally melting the heart of a nasty woman from Springside that she had made her lifes’ mission to befriend. It was perplexing to say the least.
I already mentioned how most of this book was Anne aiding women around town. One super uncomfortable aspect of this was how often this involved absolving abusive or generally problematic men of their misdeeds. This included a wide spectrum of behavior from outright emotional manipulation to weaponized incompetence to occasional rudeness - all was weighted the same regardless of actual impact.
Without fail the women around him would swear that he wasn’t actually that bad and after Anne helps the girls out the man reveals a previously unseen kinder side that totally eclipses his poor behaviors. In real life, Montgomery had been struggling with a severely mentally ill husband who mistreated her for several years. With that context this desire to look for the good in people who do not deserve it is understandable. It still was maddening to read.
Windy Poplars was a decent addition to the series. It was a little messy, and frustrating, but that’s basically the tagline for all of these books outside of Anne of Green Gables (which is just me being generous to be honest). I’ve already read Anne’s House of Dreams so it would be a tad bit hypocritical to not recommend continuing on at this point.
Anne is now a BA having graduated from Redmond College. While her beloved Gilbert finishes his schooling to become a doctor she is working as a Principal in the town of Summerside. Windy Poplars refers to the name of the house she is boarding at.
This book wasn't as enjoyable for me personally as the previous book, but I'd say objectively it was about equal quality. A decent chunk of the beginning is Anne's trials with the Pringles - the ruling family of Summerside that also make up a majority of the town either through marriage, technicality, or blood - who despise her for being chosen for the Principal job over a Pringle. After she earns their love (Obviously they couldn't hate Anne forever. She's Anne.), the rest of the book is mostly Anne helping young women around Summerside sometimes intentionally other times incidentally when her meddling goes awry.
I felt that Montgomery's style of writing worked particularly well with this format. If you read my other reviews (shameless plug) then you'll notice I've said this in like every review I've made for this series: these books are a series of shorts with Anne at the head. Thus, the quality falters depending on the plot of the chapter or sometimes few chapters dedicated to it because it's like a compilation. This book felt more suited to this than any other than the first because it felt as if Montgomery embraced it to its fullest.
Half the book is epistolary which did take some getting used to. It didn't bother me too much, however, as it helped to focus the book. Rather than the usual arbitrary traipse through events, the framing of Anne's letters to Gilbert made this feel the most like a conscious choice to write a novel. Especially since the letters were dated. The epistolary format is dropped around halfway through for no reason which I did find annoying.
There was precious little Gilbert in this one which I found really weird. Anne writes him all these letters yet we never see any of his letters to her. I would have liked to hear about his adventures too. It also was a super pointed absence compared to how characters are normally ignored in these books. Anne sees him twice and the first time we skip over their meeting entirely, Anne just writes a letter after the fact telling Gilbert how wonderful it was to see him. The second time Anne does actually meet with Gilbert at Green Gables for Christmas only for Gilbert to be mentioned ONCE and he never speaks. The rest of the second appearance is dedicated to Anne’s goodwill, finally melting the heart of a nasty woman from Springside that she had made her lifes’ mission to befriend. It was perplexing to say the least.
I already mentioned how most of this book was Anne aiding women around town. One super uncomfortable aspect of this was how often this involved absolving abusive or generally problematic men of their misdeeds. This included a wide spectrum of behavior from outright emotional manipulation to weaponized incompetence to occasional rudeness - all was weighted the same regardless of actual impact.
Without fail the women around him would swear that he wasn’t actually that bad and after Anne helps the girls out the man reveals a previously unseen kinder side that totally eclipses his poor behaviors. In real life, Montgomery had been struggling with a severely mentally ill husband who mistreated her for several years. With that context this desire to look for the good in people who do not deserve it is understandable. It still was maddening to read.
Windy Poplars was a decent addition to the series. It was a little messy, and frustrating, but that’s basically the tagline for all of these books outside of Anne of Green Gables (which is just me being generous to be honest). I’ve already read Anne’s House of Dreams so it would be a tad bit hypocritical to not recommend continuing on at this point.
ekeiser8's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
aiviloolivia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
appaloosa05's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best of the Anne books. Still a fair companion for my long commute though.
catm9's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookloverjenn's review
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
cjexoxo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
actual_goose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bahareads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
A childhood classic that I listened to on audiobook. I resonate with this version of Anne so deeply. I'm working and in school in a new place, away from my significant other and family. I loved this book, and before it was my least favourite when I was a kid.