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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
“She was out of beginnings, this she knew.”
Fifteen-year old Ana Cortez finds herself in a difficult situation as she has been kicked out of yet another foster home and her future is one big question mark. She is desperate to find a way to avoid going to a group home, which seems to be her only option. Her case-worker suggests a farm trainee program in Northern California, and Ana the city girl sets out to discover a new life. She meets Emmett and Abbie Garber, siblings who run the family farm, each having been through their own challenges. Emmett is unsure wether Ana is cut out for the farm, Abbie however, thinks she is just what the farm needs. Ana adjusts to life in the small farming town, finding friendship with the town rebel Rye, and romance with the misunderstood Cole.
Ana of California is a modern take on the classic Anne of Green Gables. It is a novel that stands on its own, with an interesting cast of characters and a compelling protagonist. Ana is spunky, charming, and so very loveable. The dialogue between Ana and Rye, as well as Ana and Cole, is fun and their interactions are quite enjoyable. The small town in Northern California is a great setting made all the more amusing by the characters we meet along the way. Ana of California is a lovely summer read.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Favourite quote: ‘Why doesn’t she just be her own hero? I mean, why is she waiting for some knight on a steed when she could get a steed herself?’
https://cozybookmark.wordpress.com
Fifteen-year old Ana Cortez finds herself in a difficult situation as she has been kicked out of yet another foster home and her future is one big question mark. She is desperate to find a way to avoid going to a group home, which seems to be her only option. Her case-worker suggests a farm trainee program in Northern California, and Ana the city girl sets out to discover a new life. She meets Emmett and Abbie Garber, siblings who run the family farm, each having been through their own challenges. Emmett is unsure wether Ana is cut out for the farm, Abbie however, thinks she is just what the farm needs. Ana adjusts to life in the small farming town, finding friendship with the town rebel Rye, and romance with the misunderstood Cole.
Ana of California is a modern take on the classic Anne of Green Gables. It is a novel that stands on its own, with an interesting cast of characters and a compelling protagonist. Ana is spunky, charming, and so very loveable. The dialogue between Ana and Rye, as well as Ana and Cole, is fun and their interactions are quite enjoyable. The small town in Northern California is a great setting made all the more amusing by the characters we meet along the way. Ana of California is a lovely summer read.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Favourite quote: ‘Why doesn’t she just be her own hero? I mean, why is she waiting for some knight on a steed when she could get a steed herself?’
https://cozybookmark.wordpress.com
When I was asked if I would be interested in an Anne of Green Gables retelling, my first thought was….Gilbert. Then it was...will he still be named Gilbert. Then of course...will I still want to have his babies like I do Gilbert. So Ana of California does not have Gilbert but it does have Cole, the story takes much of the idea of what it’s based off of but has it’s very own unique story.
Ana is an orphan who has been moved from home to home. Her story is both interesting and heart wrenching. When the way she lost her parents and grandmother finally comes to light, you want to hug her. I enjoyed Ana’s character and loved that she still contained the flare for dramatic, the constant talking and her strong spirit. I also loved that she could express herself through her brilliant sketches. The descriptions of the drawings made me want to see how they actually look.
We also have Ana’s bff Rye (Diana) and of course Cole (Gilbert). I actually did not like Rye that much because she just managed to get under my skin. Of course Cole was sweet but it felt like their relationship and his development was a little rushed. It’s something that needed to spread across more books.
Abbie and Emmett are the brother and sister duo that take Ana in. I loved how the story followed them and their growing affection for Ana. Forming their own little family. Ana needed them and they needed her and I liked seeing how that developed.
This is the first time I’ve read a retelling like this and I thought that it was well done. I definitely enjoyed the story and the way it gave it’s own new twist. I think if you are fan of Anne of Green Gables you should give this a try.
Ana is an orphan who has been moved from home to home. Her story is both interesting and heart wrenching. When the way she lost her parents and grandmother finally comes to light, you want to hug her. I enjoyed Ana’s character and loved that she still contained the flare for dramatic, the constant talking and her strong spirit. I also loved that she could express herself through her brilliant sketches. The descriptions of the drawings made me want to see how they actually look.
We also have Ana’s bff Rye (Diana) and of course Cole (Gilbert). I actually did not like Rye that much because she just managed to get under my skin. Of course Cole was sweet but it felt like their relationship and his development was a little rushed. It’s something that needed to spread across more books.
Abbie and Emmett are the brother and sister duo that take Ana in. I loved how the story followed them and their growing affection for Ana. Forming their own little family. Ana needed them and they needed her and I liked seeing how that developed.
This is the first time I’ve read a retelling like this and I thought that it was well done. I definitely enjoyed the story and the way it gave it’s own new twist. I think if you are fan of Anne of Green Gables you should give this a try.
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So I'm a sucker for retellings and Anne of Green Gables, so I did very much enjoy this, but it did turn very melodramatic at the end.
This heartwarming book is a modern take on Anne of Green Gables. The book is fun in its own right, with a quirky small town/rural setting and cute characters. (BTW--I loved Anne of Green Gables.)
This book is definitely for an older audience than the original because Ana is older (I believe) than the original, and there are many scenes from the point of view of adults in her life. I think teen readers and adults would enjoy this (probably more so than some of those Anne of Green Gables sequels which I read but didn't love...)
This book is definitely for an older audience than the original because Ana is older (I believe) than the original, and there are many scenes from the point of view of adults in her life. I think teen readers and adults would enjoy this (probably more so than some of those Anne of Green Gables sequels which I read but didn't love...)
Grade: C
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was a weird preteen. I didn't like Anne of Green Gables at all. I loved it as a kid (I read an abridged version of the book and watched the popular movie adaptation too many times to count), but by my preteens, Anne annoyed me and I wasn't feeling the story anymore. Fast forward about five-six years, and I fell in love with the web-series adaptation, "Green Gables Fables." And I've decided Gilbert Blythe is one of my top book boyfriends. Suffice to say, I was very eager to read a contemporary retelling of Anne of Green Gables.
I appreciated the diversity in this book. Ana was Mexican. Rye (the Diana character) was part Native American. Most (or I actually think all) of the farm workers were Latino. None of them take on a cultural stereotype. However, I found Rye to be stereotypical in other ways. She was kind of that best friend who's an outsider and thinks they're better than everyone else. She also was a bit of a hipster and just went against the flow so much that it grated on my nerves. I liked Abbie and Emmett, though. They were kind of the reverse of Matthew and Marilla, in my opinion. Abbie was warm and open and Emmett was gruffer and less welcoming of Ana at first. Ana was dramatic and poetic like Anne; she was more into art than wanting to be a writer, but I liked that she was still creative. She was a hard worker who screwed up occasionally, as teenagers are apt to do. Her relationship with Cole (the Gilbert of the book) was interesting. I don't think it quite lived up to Anne and Gilbert, though. Cole wasn't an outstanding love interest or anything.
The writing style was interesting. It definitely seemed more for adults than teenagers. It seemed a bit distant, which made it hard to connect with the narrative and characters.
Mild foul language. Kissing and making out. Rye does drugs (that's the equivalent of the raspberry cordial incident). Cole and Ana steal sparkling wine to drink.
The Verdict: Overall, a good book, but I'm still looking for a really great Anne of Green Gables retelling.
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was a weird preteen. I didn't like Anne of Green Gables at all. I loved it as a kid (I read an abridged version of the book and watched the popular movie adaptation too many times to count), but by my preteens, Anne annoyed me and I wasn't feeling the story anymore. Fast forward about five-six years, and I fell in love with the web-series adaptation, "Green Gables Fables." And I've decided Gilbert Blythe is one of my top book boyfriends. Suffice to say, I was very eager to read a contemporary retelling of Anne of Green Gables.
I appreciated the diversity in this book. Ana was Mexican. Rye (the Diana character) was part Native American. Most (or I actually think all) of the farm workers were Latino. None of them take on a cultural stereotype. However, I found Rye to be stereotypical in other ways. She was kind of that best friend who's an outsider and thinks they're better than everyone else. She also was a bit of a hipster and just went against the flow so much that it grated on my nerves. I liked Abbie and Emmett, though. They were kind of the reverse of Matthew and Marilla, in my opinion. Abbie was warm and open and Emmett was gruffer and less welcoming of Ana at first. Ana was dramatic and poetic like Anne; she was more into art than wanting to be a writer, but I liked that she was still creative. She was a hard worker who screwed up occasionally, as teenagers are apt to do. Her relationship with Cole (the Gilbert of the book) was interesting. I don't think it quite lived up to Anne and Gilbert, though. Cole wasn't an outstanding love interest or anything.
The writing style was interesting. It definitely seemed more for adults than teenagers. It seemed a bit distant, which made it hard to connect with the narrative and characters.
Mild foul language. Kissing and making out. Rye does drugs (that's the equivalent of the raspberry cordial incident). Cole and Ana steal sparkling wine to drink.
The Verdict: Overall, a good book, but I'm still looking for a really great Anne of Green Gables retelling.
A rather meandering sort of telling, this book opens with promise but ultimately fails to engage if one is distant from the characters. I really wanted to like Ana and at first did, but to me she strayed into Mary-Sue territory: her life is fraught with tragedy, she's an incredibly talented artist, she's unfailingly articulate and sometimes tells adults off but only when they totally deserve it.
I recognize that the author is skilled and her descriptions downright evocative, but the plot barely existed and the characters started out interesting but all too often failed to develop past their quirkiness. Seeing a Latina protagonist is nice, especially given she's from Los Angeles, but Ana is basically a tangle of skills and sob stories that occasionally serves as a mouthpiece for the author's views. I see more valuable in a well-written character than one I can agree with.
While the book may appeal to young readers struggling with a sense of identity and belonging, it doesn't really fit as a YA book. It's a general fiction book that happens to have a young protagonist.
I should note that I had no idea this was in any way related to Anne of Green Gables until reading other people's reviews. I've never read it. Now I'm not particularly inclined to.
I recognize that the author is skilled and her descriptions downright evocative, but the plot barely existed and the characters started out interesting but all too often failed to develop past their quirkiness. Seeing a Latina protagonist is nice, especially given she's from Los Angeles, but Ana is basically a tangle of skills and sob stories that occasionally serves as a mouthpiece for the author's views. I see more valuable in a well-written character than one I can agree with.
While the book may appeal to young readers struggling with a sense of identity and belonging, it doesn't really fit as a YA book. It's a general fiction book that happens to have a young protagonist.
I should note that I had no idea this was in any way related to Anne of Green Gables until reading other people's reviews. I've never read it. Now I'm not particularly inclined to.
This novel is wonderful! When I first began reading (actually, listening- the audiobook is good too), I found I enjoyed it in the same way as the novels about Woefield, by Susan Juby (also my faves). When I read that this novel is modernization of Anne of Green Gables, I basically fell off my chair I was so excited. It did not disappoint. It did not try to recreate every element in a modern way, but the overall arc and the themes of family, friendship, making mistakes, and giving and receiving grace and forgiveness, are perfect for an "Anne" retelling.
There is some of this I really loved (the adaptation of the raspberry cordial shenanigans for example) and I really, really wanted to love this retelling of Anne of Green Gables (a childhood favorite, standby, best friend) featuring a Latina foster kid but I felt like Teran hit the plot points without capturing the spirit of what she was adapting.
Like, Anne is about childhood (reclaiming and refashioning it), this is necessarily about adulthood (learning to grow into it, even against one's will) and the way that discrepancy was forced into resolution felt really hollow to me.
I think where Teran gets lost is in not giving the story room to breath. I don't care about anything when I'm being asked to care about ten thousand things at once. There's too much: Abbie and Emmett's respective and combined backstories, Cole's stuff, Rye's stuff, Rye's stuff with Cole, Cole's stuff with Abbie and Emmett, Ana's history, Ana's future, Ana's art, Abbie and Emmett's business.
I don't even know what the point was -- I think maybe Cole's family's stuff with Emmett but there's nothing to grab onto. (The shifting perspective doesn't help. Could we just stay in third-person limited Ana pov please? Like I do not even care for a minute what is motivating Will the restauranteur with a thing for Abbie.) This was all very pleasant to read (and I will probably order it for my library for that very reason) but ultimately pretty hollow.
Maybe in retrospect Montgomery's book would feel the same way. I don't think so but I don't really have an argument for why not.
Like, Anne is about childhood (reclaiming and refashioning it), this is necessarily about adulthood (learning to grow into it, even against one's will) and the way that discrepancy was forced into resolution felt really hollow to me.
I think where Teran gets lost is in not giving the story room to breath. I don't care about anything when I'm being asked to care about ten thousand things at once. There's too much: Abbie and Emmett's respective and combined backstories, Cole's stuff, Rye's stuff, Rye's stuff with Cole, Cole's stuff with Abbie and Emmett, Ana's history, Ana's future, Ana's art, Abbie and Emmett's business.
I don't even know what the point was -- I think maybe Cole's family's stuff with Emmett but there's nothing to grab onto. (The shifting perspective doesn't help. Could we just stay in third-person limited Ana pov please? Like I do not even care for a minute what is motivating Will the restauranteur with a thing for Abbie.) This was all very pleasant to read (and I will probably order it for my library for that very reason) but ultimately pretty hollow.
Maybe in retrospect Montgomery's book would feel the same way. I don't think so but I don't really have an argument for why not.
Great old-fashioned story-telling for the modern day reader!! What a refreshing novel! Yes, there are definite parallels,to Anne of Green Gables, but the book definitely stands on its own with three-dimensional characters that the reader actually cares about. Ana is an amazing character who learns to depend on others and see the gifts and talents of herself. A great coming of age story!