Hello fellow Anne lovers!

May is already flying by, and I am a bit behind my ideal schedule for posting this first review of the read along. Sorry for the delay!

A few exciting read along announcements.

• First, welcome to Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku, my co-host for the read along!! I am so excited to have Jackie hosting. She is awesome!
• Be sure to use our read along hashtag and spread the word: #AnneReadAlong2017.
• It’s never too late to join! Check out the details on this page.
• I’m still messing with the read along images. Thanks for your patience 🙂

Now onto my review! I actually posted a review of this book about a year and a half ago here. I am using that review as a guide in writing this review. Enjoy!

Initial Thoughts:

• I love this book. And every time I read it, I love it more. This story makes me happy. It’s just a feel good story that inspires me to be happier, more loving, and more kind. I want to read it over and over again.
• I want to be Anne’s best friend and live in Avonlea and live in this book.
• Every time I read it, I am reminded how much I want to go visit Prince Edward Island in Canada, especially in the fall.

Anne of Green Gables chronicles the coming of age story of Anne Shirley, an imaginative and quirky orphan girl looking for kindred spirits and a place to call home. Through a lucky miscommunication, she finds herself at Green Gables, the beautiful Canadian farm belonging to siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. And she immediately wants to call it home. Anne is always on an adventure and trying to be good (while making some hilarious mistakes). After a short trial period, they adopt Anne and change her life–and Anne officially becomes Anne of Green Gables.

Anne is a classic protagonist. I love everything about her. She is quirky, loving, passionate, and hard working. I love that she loves books and learning. I love how hard she works in everything she does. Because she works hard, she nearly always succeeds, in school, work, and in friendship. I love that is a true and loyal friend to all sorts of people from sweet, kindred spirits Diana Berry and Matthew Cuthbert to tough skinned Marilla Cuthbert to incredible teacher Miss Stacey. But the best thing about Anne is that she tries to learn from her mistakes and is willing to change. I see myself in Anne, making mistakes and trying to be better. I think we can all see ourselves in Anne and her story.

Green Gables is one of the great settings within a novel. I hope to one day explore Anne’s Avonlea on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Because her writing is so vivid, I feel that Montgomery has already transported me her so many times. Not only is the larger setting of Prince Edward Island lovely, but I think Green Gables is equally memorable. It’s a picturesque farm that becomes a special home for Anne. It inspires me to create a similar safe haven in my home for my children.

One of my favorite elements in this novel is the writing style. Montgomery creates a truly memorable and beautiful story through her writing. Her style is simple and easy to get enveloped in.  Her writing makes me feel like I am a part of her story. I have been to Green Gables and wandered the paths of Prince Edward Island with Anne and Diana. I cried and mourned with Anne when she lost Matthew. I laughed at Anne’s antics and ridiculous mistakes like her green dyed hair and superfluous apology to Mrs Lynne. I have traveled to Queens with Anne and wandered through her Lover’s Lane. I just feel happy when I read Montgomery’s writing.

What caught my attention this time reading the novel is the depth of the secondary characters. I think we can all agree that Anne is a fabulous protagonist. But I think equally round and complex are characters like Marilla, Matthew, Gilbert, and more. I love all the characters, not just Anne. We learn so much about these characters even in a simple story. And of course, many of them continue to make appearances in later books. Perhaps these rich characters are part of the reason the Anne books feel so real. Not only is the setting real in Montgomery’s descriptions and tone, but the people feel real as well.

The themes that flow throughout this story are lovely and add to the quality of this novel for me. The importance of friendship, loyalty, education, family, learning from mistakes, and finding happiness are all seen throughout this novel. Anne teaches us to find kindred spirits in all sorts of places. She teaches us to make sacrifices for the people we love. She teaches us the value of an education and of working hard to fulfill big dreams. She teaches us to move forward after we make a mistake and seek to make amends. And she teaches us to find joy and happiness in life’s journey, no matter our circumstances.

A few favorite Anne quotes from this read:

A review of Anne of Green Gables would be incomplete without a mention of Gilbert. I adore Gilbert. From his first interaction with Anne and the broken slate over his head, to their reconciliation and budding friendship at the end of the novel, I was always rooting for Gilbert. He is the classic boy next door who is perfect for Anne. It just takes her so long to figure it out for herself. We all breathe a contented sigh when they finally become friends at last. And look forward to what happens in later books for them 🙂

What a great way to being the #AnneReadAlong2017! I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I always do! Link up your first review below.

Enter your information in the form below, and I will add it to the list of reviews.

Basically, I discovered that because I have a free wordpress account, it is complicated and potentially impossible to get a inlinkz widget on my site. So we are going with the next best thing here. Be assured that your post will be on the list below if you submit it on the above form. Thanks!

Posts about Anne of Green Gables:

Review by Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf

Birthday Coincidences by Sarah @ Sarah Emsley

Review by Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku

The Many Faces of Anne by Naomi @ Consumed by Ink

5 Reasons You Should Read Anne by Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom

Review by Hamlette @ The Edge of the Precipice

Things that Made Me Cringe in Anne by Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom

Review by Laila @ Big Reading Life

Review by Melanie @ Grab the Lapels

Review by Valancy @ Blue Castle Considerations

Review by Avalinah @ Avalinah’s Books

Review by Jobe @ Inklings

Review by Krysta @ Pages Unbound

See you in June for Anne of Avonlea!