Would you believe that I’m almost 30 and that up until now I had never read Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery? It’s almost blasphemous! It was on my list of classics books to read some time in the near future, so when the girls over at Pages Unbound decided to do a Anne of Green Gables Read-Along, I decided it was time to jump on the band wagon.

Book Review: Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Series: Anne of Green Gables #1
Published by Signet on May 6th 2003
Genres: Children's Classic, Classic Literature
Narrator: Laurie Klein
Length: 10 hours, 55 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads

Everyone's favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins to try to win them and, consequently, the reader, over.

For those of you who have never read the book nor seen any of the movies, the story is about an adult brother and sister (Matthew and Marilla) living on a farm in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. They decide they want to adopt a young boy to help them with the household work as they get older, but by mistake they are sent a young girl, Anne Shirley.

Guys, this book was PERFECTION in my mind. I loved everything about it. Below, I’ve detailed just a few of my favorite things (yes, I intentionally dropped a lyric from The Sound of Music):

  • I listened to the audiobook narrated by Laurin Klein and she was 1000000% MOST PERFECT FOR THIS BOOK. I am certain I liked listening this book way more than I would liked reading it. Her voices for Anna, Matthew and Marilla could not have been better.
  • Matthew and Marilla’s relationship with Anne was also perfection and will make your stone-cold heart melt into a lovey-dovey puddle.
  • Anne is the most dramatic creature ever, and it results in some genuine hilarity (for example: When she has to say “goodbye” to Diana after the raspberry cordial incident. I WAS DYING.). She is just tragic when something “horrible” happens to her, and my goodness it is SO entertaining. (Another favorite tragedy: the whole cake incident with the wrong ingredient.)
  • Anne is also insightful in a way that a precocious child is insightful, and it, too, is endless amusing. Her opinions on various topics and her excuses as to why things have been done in certain ways are spot on. I imagine any parent who reads this novel sees a very familiar child in Anne.
  • I smiled so much when reading this book. I think the audiobook was ten-ish hours. I probably smiled for nine and a half of them. And if there’s any reason to read it, it’s that.

If you have not read Anne of Green Gables yet, I think you need to stop what you’re doing and go start it. Or, just get the audiobook and listen to it while running your errands today!

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NOW WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GO READ IT.

 

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Did you love Anne as much as I did? What were some of your favorite scenes?
I have heard the movie is also wonderful, and I plan to see it soon. How does the movie compare to the book if you’ve experienced both?

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