A review by whimsicallymeghan
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

5.0

Marilla and her brother Matthew Cuthbert, decide they’re going to adopt a young boy to help around the house, only to their surprised, a young girl, Anne, shows up at the station. Determined to send her back to the orphanage, Anne soon starts to win them over and she gets to stay at Green Gables. This novel was such a delightful read. The reader got completely lost in Anne’s adventures as she learns of life. The stories were so well written and beautifully told. The illustrated edition also added an extra layer of beauty to the story. For the most part, the pacing was really good. It wasn’t until about the second half of the book where things started to speed up as we watched Anne grow from a child to a young woman. The reader wasn’t really prepared for so many years to elapse in such a short amount of time; it worked but the reader would have liked to take the time, instead of abruptly moving so quickly. That aside, this was still such a great read. Anne is such a wholesome character; she’s truly a treasure to read and it’s hard not to love her. She’s quirky and just full of love and wonder. As she grows older she definitely loses a bit of that childhood wonder, but for the majority of the novel the reader got to bathe in the fascination she has with life. The characters in her life were fun to read too, especially Marilla. It takes time to warm up to her as a character, but by the end the reader can’t help but love her too. The balance between Marilla and Matthew was such a great dynamic, it was slightly stereotypical, but it really worked and helped to shape Anne into the person she became by the end. Her rivalry with Gilbert was fun to read as well; that was a dynamic that truly blossomed for the good. The reader wasn’t prepared for how sad this was going to end, but it still played out well. Now, we’re left curious where Anne’s adventures can take her next. As for this, that can be read as a standalone, was such an enchanting read, with such charming characters.