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Anne Shirley was different. Sure, she was essentially a good person, but it was her faults that endeared her to me more than anything: her continual battle with her “lifelong sorrow” (her red hair); her profound yearning for a pretty dress with puffed sleeves; her uncanny ability to get herself into scrapes; and her stubborn pride. She’s a bit excessive, a bit odd, but that makes me love her all the more.
Anne of Green Gables is the first in a series of books that L.M. Montgomery wrote about the red haired orphan, and tells the tale of her arrival in Avonlea. Siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a young boy to help around their farm; a misunderstanding brings a young girl, Anne, to their home instead. Her long speeches and odd ways instantly charm Matthew, and Marilla isn’t far behind: against all logic, they decide to keep her, and so the strange young soul begins her journey towards becoming Anne of Green Gables.
For all the quaint tales of Anne’s triumphs and despairs, it’s the relationships that make this book work. You see, when Anne brings joy into the lives of the Cuthberts, I believe it. Matthew adores her and hangs on her every word from the beginning. Marilla takes longer to soften, but when she does, Anne becomes her comfort and joy. I’m still charmed by the whole section where Matthew notices that Anne dresses differently to the other girls, and goes out to try and get her a dress with puffed sleeves. Matthew telling Anne that she’s “my girl – my girl that I’m proud of” is one of my favourite speeches in anything, ever, while Marilla’s silent but sure love for the girl is equally real.
Anne charms most of the residents of Avonlea, including a certain young Gilbert Blythe. He doesn’t feature much in this first book: he calls her “carrots” the first time they meet, she cracks a slate over his head, and refuses to forgive him for years, not relenting until the second last page of the book. It’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship that, of course, develops into something more. I loved reading all of the books in this series, as they follow Anne from her teaching days, via university and six marriage proposals, to her inevitable destiny, marriage to Gilbert. Clever, funny, handsome and patient: Gilbert Blythe is the man of my literary dreams.
And through all this, Anne Shirley grows and develops, becoming a good wife and a brilliant mother, but still keeping her original spark and charm. In all honesty, I still want to be her.
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