Reviews with content warning for Death - Anne of Windy Poplars

Every Anne book has so many things I love that something I’ve forgotten always pleasantly surprises me. In this case, I’d remembered little Elizabeth, but entirely forgotten about Katherine Brooke, despite the fact that she has exactly the kind of character arc which appeals to me. I love her and I love Nora — both of whom start out being prickly towards Anne, before inevitably softening up.

Anne of Windy Willows feels slightly different from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s previous books. The book consists primarily of ‘extracts’ from Anne’s letters to Gilbert while she’s living in Summerside, so readers are given Anne’s own perspective and descriptions for the first time. This mostly works delightfully, but there are a few sections where Anne supposedly faithfully reports entire paragraphs of other people’s dialogue which stretch credulity somewhat. There are also fewer of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beautifully coloured narrative descriptions of things, but as the previous books still exist to go back to, that’s an acceptable trade-off to get more of Anne’s inner thoughts.

These give the reader a deeper understanding of Anne and how her life (especially her life before Green Gables) shaped her. Lucy Maud Montgomery calls extra attention to this when Katherine explicitly compares her own upbringing with the details of Anne’s history before she was adopted. There have always been hints of this, from as early as Anne telling Diana she didn’t know anybody could love her, but Anne of Windy Willows is the first time the reader is allowed into Anne’s head to see what she thinks of herself.

Anne of Windy Willows is chronologically fourth in the series, but was written seventh, after Rilla of Ingleside, which perhaps explains the almost complete absence of Diana. Her only mention is as part of Katherine’s subplot, to show Katherine’s feelings about babies. While Diana’s marriage and motherhood would naturally change her and Anne’s relationship somewhat, it shouldn’t bring it to such an abrupt and total halt!

Despite a more-than-usually-critical review, Anne of Windy Willows still has all of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s usual charm. Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel is based largely on Anne of Windy Willows and capitalises on some of the best small stories — Pauline Gibson’s day of freedom, Jen Pringle’s betrayal of the amateur dramatics society. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Marilla Cuthbert’s name stands for household competence, even outside of Avonlea.

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad

3.75

Just as always, Anne is a delight to spend time with. I missed seeing her interact with some of our favorites (Marilla, Davy, Gilbert, etc.) but watching her charm a whole town with her lighthearted spirt and kind heart was a treat. I loved the drama with the Pringles and the young people Anne listened to that had problems similar to her own or at least with just as must enthusiasm. The Aunts and Rebecca Dew were darling and amusing. Little Elizabeth stole my heart from the minute she arrived, and I'm so glad Anne meddled when she did.

It sometimes felt a little tedious to read because I just can't wait for her and Gilbert to be married and live in their house of dreams, but this book isn't worth skimming because the people she met and the experience she had really shaped her. And her letters to Gilbert are something I'm sure formed their relationship for the long three years they were apart.

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

“I hate to lend a book I love…it never seems quite the same when it comes back to me…”

The weakest book in the series yet. I think mainly because there are almost no old characters and Anne herself seemed to be reacting to the people around her, rather than doing anything herself. It was still lovely though, even despite the scandalous lack of Gilbert and Marilla.

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reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

I picked up Anne of Windy Poplars because I desperately needed a book that was going to be heartwarming and sweet and lift me up because I’ve been feeling so gloomy lately. Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books of all time. I was hoping that this, the fourth book in the series, will give me that same warm feeling. It didn’t.

Anne Shirley is growing up. No – she is grown up. While we can expect this to happen to any child, there’s something particularly disappointing to watch Anne grow up because her childlike imagination and innocence is so touching to read about. It was the strangest thing to read Anne of Windy Poplars and watch Anne Shirley take walks with her neighbor Elizabeth, and to have Elizabeth waxing poetical about the world and all the possibilities of tomorrow through Anne’s eyes. The same fancies that would have certainly come from Anne’s mouth just a couple of books ago are now sweet and foreign to her. Childish fancies.

Much of the book is filled with that sort of resignation that the reader must have – Anne is not a child anymore. She is a teacher, she is engaged, and she is responsible for helping so many young couples get married. I do believe there were at least four different weddings that were somehow arranged or contrived with Anne’s assistance in one way or another in this book alone. Not only did Anne feel grown up, other than the older women she was living with, Anne feels like the oldest character in this book. And, oh I don’t know, I guess it made my heart ache a little.

There’s nothing wrong with growing up I suppose. The loss of innocence is always a sad thing, but the loss of fancy and imagination I think it’s just as hard for me to see, and in a character like Anne Shirley where this brought her absolutely off the page and into our hearts, seeing her trodden down by the banalities of life and becoming just another female character in a series of books by an author who likes to write about the young women of Prince Edward Island, she somehow loses her remarkableness. In the same breath, her adulthood reminds us of our own shackles to societal whims.

Anne of Windy Poplars is a perfectly acceptable book in many ways. Montgomery‘s writing is just as flourished and lovely as ever, and we still get snippets of the lives of the people in Anne’s world. There is no moment in this book that will make it stand out in my memory, although Rebecca Do’s character is a delight. This book also contains the “g” word (the one used as a slur against the Romani people), and though it is never used in a negative context, I think it is important to note its presence.

Beyond the disappointment of Anne just becoming another person instead of the remarkable young woman she was in the earlier books, there is the issue of gender to speak about. These books were written in the early 20th century, and gender views were not so broad back then. Anne’s success as a teacher was surely the revelation of a young, independent women to readers of the time. This is the strongest moment of feminism in the book. There are far, far too many passages focusing on external beauty to be quite comfortable, especially the constant reassurances that Anne is beautiful despite her traits. And every single young women in this book, and even some of the older ones, are focused around the idea of their worth being equal to their place in the household and securing a good marriage. I just couldn’t enjoy it. Our world is a different place now, and we treat different genders with much more respect and autonomy than we used to. It is difficult to go back and read works that assume all of the roles we have fought to shed are admirable norms. It’s more tiring than offensive, but the repetition of the theme grated on me.

I don’t think I would recommend Anne of Windy Poplars to any except folks who deeply love the Green Gables series. This book requires some background knowledge on Anne in order for it to be a successful read, but because Anne is displaced from Green Gables for most of the book, I can’t imagine anything happens here that will be missed if the book is skipped all together. It is dull and a bit disappointing, and I know Montgomery can do better. And, selfishly, it left me with more irritation than the feel good feeling I wanted, so I’m a bit prejudiced against it.

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