Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

“I like babies in moderation, but twins three times in succession is too much.”

There’s a lot to love about our Anne girl and her adventures in L. M. Montgomery’s beloved novel Anne of Green Gables, from the follies that ensue when Anne loses herself in her imagination (think drowned mouse in plum pudding sauce!) to a richly rehearsed apology to Mrs. Rachel Lynde. Let’s not forget when Anne dramatically smashes her slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head in retaliation for the indignity of being teased about her hair. She will NOT be called “Carrots.”

The warm and endearing nature of Anne Shirley makes it undeniably apparent why she is one of children’s literature favorite heroines, yet Anne’s temperament is also informed by the difficult and, at times, tragic period of her early childhood. Orphaned as a small child and sent to live amongst families in Nova Scotia pre-PEI days, Anne finds solace in imaginary friends she creates and finding beauty in the world amidst her trials, something we think we can all relate to a little these days.

This episode feels particularly personal to both of us. As for Chelsey, she has vivid memories of being introduced to Anne around eleven or twelve and reminisces on how Anne and Diana mirrored her own bosom friendships. As a mom to a young girl, Sara found that being a parent hugely informed her experience during this reread, something we think many readers will also relate with.

We have lots to unpack in today’s episode, so make sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Join us for Book Club!

Are you considering joining our Classics Club? Now is the time! We will be discussing Anne of Green Gables together on Wednesday April 26th at 7 pm EST. Come and discuss this classic with a community of enthusiastic bookworms.

In addition to our book club, we also release weekly bonus mini-episodes, including last week’s bio episode on the life of prolific and cherished Canadian author L. M. Montgomery. We’re known for looking at novels through different literary lenses, and members of our Classics Club also get access to our English class-esque webinars, including our recent class on common themes and tropes in children’s literature. For more information about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings to sign up!

Anne (and Lucy) Retellings to Try

A fun way to experience a novel again or view it through another lens is to try a retelling. Here are a few retellings and author fictionalizations that center on Anne and our dear Lucy Maud Montgomery.

• Anne of Greenville by Mariko Tamaki: This YA retelling follows ABBA-loving, disco-opera writing, queer, Japanese American Anne and her relocation to middle-of-nowhere Greenville. While longing to be understood for her artistic genius, Anne must navigate starting a new school while dealing with her tendency to fall in love quickly and deeply and flying off the handle in the face of jerks. This updated version aims to keep the familiar warmth of the novel while translating Anne’s personality and passions for modern sensibilities.

• Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy: This is a retelling reframed from the perspective of the dignified and sometimes stern Marilla Cuthbert. We agree that there is a lot to love and consider about Marilla, and this retelling aims to answer those questions. In this moving historical novel, we follow Marilla’s years pre-Anne and get context for the hard-learned lesson Marilla learned from her own stubbornness.

• Maud by Melanie Fishbane: A YA fictionalization of young Lucy Maud Montgomery’s life, Maud is a vivid and moving story the embodies the spirit of Montgomery’s younger years and her writing aspirations. Maud takes place during L. M. Montgomery’s transitionary period of being removed from her grandparents’ care to live with her father and his new family, giving a peek into the tumultuous nature of Lucy’s care as a young adolescent and how that may have informed her writing of Anne.

• Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir and Myisha Haynes: Not only updated for contemporary audiences, this retelling of Anne is freshly retold as a graphic novel, and there is a lot to be intrigued by in this work. Avonlea is moved from the remote island off the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the heart of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia, and Anne is not an orphan but a foster child moving in with the Cuthberts. Add in the relatable issues of school in the 21st century and this book makes for a fascinating comparison to the original.

Links

Check out these links related to today’s episode.

The Many Different Annes of Green Gables (JSTOR Daily)

Why Anne Makes us Dizzy: Reading “Anne of Green Gables” from a Gender Perspective (Critical Study available through JSTOR)

About L. M. Montgomery (L. M. Montgomery Institute)

How Anne of Green Gables became Popular in Japan (anneofgreengables.com)

Final Words

Readers, thanks for coming along with us to read Anne of Green Gables. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We loved getting to talk about our own memories of experiencing Anne and we hope you’ll share yours with us in the comments.

Next week, we’ll be back with with our episode on The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg.

Chelsey & Sara