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Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables #2)

by L.M. Montgomery, Scott McKowen (Illustrator), Arthur Pober (Afterword)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 51,866 ratings · 1,353 reviews

A century ago, with the publication of the classic book Anne of Green Gables, one of the most appealing heroines in children’s literature was born. Of course, fans wanted a sequel, and here it is.
When twelve-year-old Anne Shirley came to Avonlea, she quickly won everyone’s heart. Now, she’s five years older, almost a woman, and about to embark on a new adventure: becoming...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published October 7th 2008 by Sterling (first published 1909)

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Jun 20, 2010 Abigail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone Who Loved "Anne of Green Gables"

Shelves: childrens-fiction, lm-montgomery

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Sep 13, 2011 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boy-crush, gorgeous-prose, history-smishtory, just-been-cutting-onions, oh-how-we-laugh, of-epic-proportions, soul-sister-heroine, when-can-i-move-in, you-got-a-friend-in-me, e

"Don't you know that it is only very foolish folk who talk sense all the time?"

Another Series of Letters.

Manchester,
A woman picked a leaf out of my hair on the bus today (true story… it's very windy and ~~I don’t brush my hair~~ there are a lot of trees near me). Also, I’m pretty sure One Direction (and their fan girls) were on the same bus this morning. (Brits… you’ll understand my pain. Everyone else, you don’t want to know...I promise you.)
Also, the postman didn’t knock on the door and just sh...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Chandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: l-m-montomery, kids-young-adult, favorites, 2010_reads, clever-girls, classics-kids

In this second installment we find Anne living at Green Gables farm preparing to teach at Avonlea School (although she’s only sixteen/seventeen herself!?) Much has changed in Anne’s world. She and Marilla’s once contentious relationship has become one of easy affection and mutual respect. Anne has matured and is no longer the fiery tempered little urchin of the previous book. However, she’s still Anne and has much to learn about life and love. Like all new teachers she has some idealistic (and s...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was more enchanted by this book the first time I read it. More recently, I was put off by the description of the pair of twins Anne and Marilla adopt: Davy and Dora.

Davy is a handful, asking impossible questions, getting into trouble and so forth. Dora is quiet and well-behaved. Anne and Marilla love Davy more (by their own words). The idea is repeated three or four times. Good little Dora is respectable, obedient, predictable and boring; she just doesn't need as much attention and direction a...more

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Oct 05, 2009 Susann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

When I began my re-read of this, I thought that I would end up giving it 3 stars. In my memory, the book was a string of episodes with a much too poetically precocious Paul. But Montgomery brings meaning to these episodes and shows how Anne grows and how Avonlea changes during Anne's two years as schoolmarm. Paul is still too much for my tastes and I do wish Montgomery had given Dora *some* personality. I'm sure she wanted to contrast her against Davy, but that doesn't meant that poor Dora has t...more

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Melissa Anne is my first kidlit love, and on my latest reread of Rilla, I did occasionally get annoyed with the repetition and some heavy-handedness.
I certain...more
Oct 07, 2009 08:49pm

Kate I love The Blue Castle and Jane of Lantern Hill. But I've never really warmed to A Tangled Web which is odd because all the things I praised Windy Pop...more
Oct 08, 2009 07:34pm

May 21, 2012 Gundula rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anne of Green Gables Fans

Shelves: childrens-literature, school-story, l-m-montgomery, canadian-fiction, book-reviews, family-stories

I've spent about a month rereading Anne of Avonlea for our "Kindred Spirits" May 2010 group read, and I am debating wether to re-rate the novel and give it a 3 star rating instead of a 4 star rating. I think that I will (at least for the time being) keep the 4 star rating, as the story is still very much a favourite for me, although if It were possible to give it a 3.5 star rating, I would do so.

I remember liking this story immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent...more I've spent about a month rereading Anne of Avonlea for our "Kindred Spirits" May 2010 group read, and I am debating wether to re-rate the novel and give it a 3 star rating instead of a 4 star rating. I think that I will (at least for the time being) keep the 4 star rating, as the story is still very much a favourite for me, although if It were possible to give it a 3.5 star rating, I would do so.

I remember liking this story immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent reread, I enjoyed most of the story as much as I did then, especially the anecdotes about the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS). But even more than the AVIS anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading about both Paul Irving and Lavendar Lewis (two characters to whom I did not really feel drawn when I originally read the novel).

However, I did find myself having major problems universally liking the character of Davy Keith. And it is not Davy's mischievous nature that I find problematic, but the fact that he is so often deliberately cruel to his twin sister. Not only that, but I find that Dora is more often than not ignored or denigrated by almost everyone from Anne to even Mrs. Lynde, simply because she is a quiet, unobtrusive child, and must therefore also be monotonous. When one remembers what Anne's own childhood was like, and how she was both emotionally and spiritually neglected before she came to Green Gables, it is supremely ironic that she now seemingly neglects Dora as well throughout the story, often ignoring her because Davy's exploits are more interesting or perceived as being more interesting.

I also think that there is a somewhat uncritical acceptance by L.M. Montgomery herself of this attitude towards Dora, as Anne's (and others') attitudes towards her are not really actively criticised (yes, Anne realises that she might have a bit of an unfair attitude towards Dora, but even though she is aware of this, she does not really strive to rein in her at times quite overt favouritism of Davy). As someone who was rather quiet and unobtrusive as a child, this quite bothered me during my recent reread (strangely enough though, when I was a teenager, this part did not seem to bother me all that mcu, although at that time, I often felt ignored and under-appreciated).(less)

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Tracey Excellent review! I know my five-star ratings are partly holdovers from my lifelong adoration of Anne; I can't be objective.

Miss Lavendar is one of my...more
May 23, 2012 05:52am

J. Wootton It's been so long since I read this series, I had forgotten about Davy and Dora. It's very interesting that you find yourself more uncomfortable with...more
May 25, 2012 08:41am

Feb 19, 2009 Sylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Roos, Mia, Erie, Dini

Fiuh... baru kali ini baca buku kayak ngejer setoran. Udah sekian lama seri Anne of Green Gables ini menghiasi rak, tapi sekali pun nggak minat buat menyentuhnya. Ntar aja ah, ntar aja ah. Sampe akhirnya bulan kemaren baca bareng gerombolan dan ku akui, ku jatuh cinta.. huu huu.

Buku kedua ini mengangkat kisah hidup Anne dari umur 16 tahun hingga 18 tahun. Anne yang lincah dan ceria kini agak kalem dan lebih bisa mengendalikan emosi. Awalnya sih sedih ya, secara Anne yang di buku pertama tuh nge-...more Fiuh... baru kali ini baca buku kayak ngejer setoran. Udah sekian lama seri Anne of Green Gables ini menghiasi rak, tapi sekali pun nggak minat buat menyentuhnya. Ntar aja ah, ntar aja ah. Sampe akhirnya bulan kemaren baca bareng gerombolan dan ku akui, ku jatuh cinta.. huu huu.

Buku kedua ini mengangkat kisah hidup Anne dari umur 16 tahun hingga 18 tahun. Anne yang lincah dan ceria kini agak kalem dan lebih bisa mengendalikan emosi. Awalnya sih sedih ya, secara Anne yang di buku pertama tuh nge-gemesin banget! Tapi seiring dengan perjalanan waktu, memang itu yang terjadi pada tiap manusia, bukan? We grew up..

Seperti yang diceritakan di buku pertama, Anne memutuskan untuk tidak mengambil beasiswanya dan menjadi guru di sekolah Avonlea. Sekolah yang tadinya akan diajar oleh Gilbert, tapi dia memilih mundur dan memberikannya pada Anne.

Mulai lah cerita tentang murid-murid Anne, tentang kelucuan mereka dan tentang salah satu murid kesayangan Anne yang bernama Paul Irving. Paul ini anak 'blasteran' lah istilahnya. Ibunya orang Yankee yang dinikahi ayahnya waktu ke US. Paul anak yang suka berimajinasi, dan siapa lagi yang bisa mengerti dia kalo bukan... yep, Anne Shirley, the schoolma'am.

Trus kesibukan Anne yang juga aktif berkegiatan bersama teman-temannya. Mereka membentuk sebuah organisasi yang bertujuan membangun dan mempercantik desa Avonlea. Ditambah lagi Marilla ngadopsi anak kembar: Dora dan Davy. Untungnya Dora anak yang manis, jadi masih bisa lah menghandle Davy yang super aktif.

Ada sih sedikit cerita-cerita romance nya, kek ayahnya Paul Irving yang balik lagi sama cinta lamanya *uhuy, C.L.B.K.* trus Diana yang juga jatuh cinta. Trus Gilbert yang diam-diam mengagumi Anne, tapi masih menyimpannya dalam hati. Mungkin berharap di kampus nanti cinta akan bersemi *duh, jd 'tergetar' nih hati gw baca yang romantis-romantis*

Tapi secara Anne belum menunjukkan tanda-tanda akan jatuh cinta, mungkin di buku ketiga akan diceritakan? Secara mereka kan bakal ke Redmond College bareng-bareng gt loh. Seperti kata pepatah: Witing tresno jalaran opo?

Hyuuuk... lanjut ke buku ke-3: Anne of the Island.(less)

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Feb 04, 2012 Lora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who enjoyed the first two books

Recommended to Lora by: Jo

Shelves: classics, lib-read

When I was younger, my mother and I would watch reruns of Dennis the Menace. Truth be told, the only enjoyment I got out of these sessions was spending time with my mother. You see, Dennis was, to me, exactly what the title proclaims him to be: a menace. Since I was very young I've had a strong aversion to any one who causes trouble for others or keeps getting into scrapes, be they intentional or not.
As anyone who's read Anne's first installment can imagine, this made it a bit difficult for me t...more When I was younger, my mother and I would watch reruns of Dennis the Menace. Truth be told, the only enjoyment I got out of these sessions was spending time with my mother. You see, Dennis was, to me, exactly what the title proclaims him to be: a menace. Since I was very young I've had a strong aversion to any one who causes trouble for others or keeps getting into scrapes, be they intentional or not.
As anyone who's read Anne's first installment can imagine, this made it a bit difficult for me to take to her character.
In Anne of Green Gables, Anne is rather rash and even careless in her decision making. But boy has she grown up now! I didn't think Montgomery would make young Anne grow so fast, rather I thought her character would take several installments just to reach age sixteen. Gladly, this isn't the case.

In Anne of Avonlea, Anne starts off at the age of half-past sixteen; and the book ends two years later. I must admit she's won my admiration from here on out. Anne is the sort of girl who makes you think they invented the word "spitfire" as a means to describe her alone, and coupled with her copious amount of enthusiasm and optimism, I dare say it is nearly impossible for one to not fall for her eventually!
And in the second part of her story, we see Anne strungle with her new position as schoolma'am at the Avonlea school. To top this off, she must aid Marilla in the caring of two children whom Marilla has chosen to adopt: the naughty but adorable Davy, and the prim and and slightly-dull Dora.
Sprinkle on mulitple new acquaintances, several furnerals, two engagements, a wedding . . . and you've got an awfully busy two years for our dear Anne.

This series is clearly something I'd have missed out on had Jo not spoken so highly of it through her lovely reviews, so thank you, Jo. I find myself slowly but surely warming to the characters and their world more with each chapter. And of course, as with all classics, the writing is stunning.

"A September day on Prince Edward Island hills; a crisp wind blowing up over the sand dunes from the sea; a long red road, winding through fields and woods, now looping itself about a corner of thick-set spruces, now threading a plantation of young maples with great feathery sheets of ferns beneath them, now dipping down into a hollow where a brook flashed out of the woods and into them again, now basking in open sunshine between ribbons of goldenrod and smoke-blue asters; air athrill with the pipings of myriads of crickets, those glad little pensioners of the summer hills; a plump brown pony ambling along the road; two girls behind him, full to the lips with the simple, priceless joy of youth and life."

Naturally, this sort of passage always stirs up some envy in my blood; I can't help but wish I could write like that.
Although I suppose there is some comfort --- and, for other reasons, sadness --- in knowing that practically no one writes this way anymore.

Although I still can't bring myself to give this a higher rating than the one you'll read momentarily, I assure all who read this that I'm enjoying myself very much while following Anne through her journeys in life. I'll be sure to read Anne of the Island soon. 3.5 stars(less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrensclassics2013, classics2013, readin2013

Montgomery, L.M. 1909. Anne of Avonlea.

Anne of Avonlea is the second book in the Anne series by L.M. Montgomery. Anne has graduated from Queens now, and is ready to begin her teaching career. She'll be teaching at the Avonlea school. She is still quite chummy with Diana Barry and Gilbert Blythe. And she is almost (but not quite) just as prone to getting into trouble as she ever was.

This second book adds some great characters: Mr. Harrison, the cranky neighbor with a parrot; Davy and Dora, the tw...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Savanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, reviewed, favourites

Anne of Avonlea has nearly all the strengths I described in my review of Anne of Green Gables—which is to say that its characters are richly developed, its setting powerfully immersive, the plot engaging, and Montgomery's writing style truly gifted. It also continues to portray strong, diverse, independent women and sympathetically eccentric characters.

This second novel of the Anne series, however, wasn't quite as brilliant as the first. It's simply too cheerful, and it lacks the sorrowful elem...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Renae M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, literary-fiction, books-i-own, saw-the-flim

Though Anne of Avonlea isn’t my favorite in the Anne series, this book is still very good, and it’s far from being my least favorite. Montgomery utilizes the same style and characters that readers came to know in Anne of Green Gables, and the story is just as unique and charming as ever.

As with the majority of this series (excepting possibly the last two books), Anne of Avonlea is written in a very episodic way, and there’s no driving conflict or central issue, though there are overarching theme...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"In the twilight Anne sauntered down to the Dryad's Bubble and saw Gilbert Blythe coming down through the dusky Haunted Wood. She had a sudden realization that Gilbert was a schoolboy no longer. And how manly he looked—the tall, frank-faced fellow, with the clear, straightforward eyes and the broad shoulders. Anne thought Gilbert was a very handsome lad, even though he didn't look at all like her ideal man. She and Diana had long ago decided what kind of a man they admired and their tastes seeme...more "In the twilight Anne sauntered down to the Dryad's Bubble and saw Gilbert Blythe coming down through the dusky Haunted Wood. She had a sudden realization that Gilbert was a schoolboy no longer. And how manly he looked—the tall, frank-faced fellow, with the clear, straightforward eyes and the broad shoulders. Anne thought Gilbert was a very handsome lad, even though he didn't look at all like her ideal man. She and Diana had long ago decided what kind of a man they admired and their tastes seemed exactly similar. He must be very tall and distinguished looking, with melancholy, inscrutable eyes, and a melting, sympathetic voice. There was nothing either melancholy or inscrutable in Gilbert's physiognomy, but of course that didn't matter in friendship!

Gilbert stretched himself out on the ferns beside the Bubble and looked approvingly at Anne. If Gilbert had been asked to describe his ideal woman the description would have answered point for point to Anne, even to those seven tiny freckles whose obnoxious presence still continued to vex her soul. Gilbert was as yet little more than a boy; but a boy has his dreams as have others, and in Gilbert's future there was always a girl with big, limpid gray eyes, and a face as fine and delicate as a flower. He had made up his mind, also, that his future must be worthy of its goddess. Even in quiet Avonlea there were temptations to be met and faced. White Sands youth were a rather "fast" set, and Gilbert was popular wherever he went. But he meant to keep himself worthy of Anne's friendship and perhaps some distant day her love; and he watched over word and thought and deed as jealously as if her clear eyes were to pass in judgment on it. She held over him the unconscious influence that every girl, whose ideals are high and pure, wields over her friends; an influence which would endure as long as she was faithful to those ideals and which she would as certainly lose if she were ever false to them. In Gilbert's eyes Anne's greatest charm was the fact that she never stooped to the petty practices of so many of the Avonlea girls—the small jealousies, the little deceits and rivalries, the palpable bids for favor. Anne held herself apart from all this, not consciously or of design, but simply because anything of the sort was utterly foreign to her transparent, impulsive nature, crystal clear in its motives and aspirations."

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps. . . perhaps. . .love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."

...oh, Gilbert Blythe...<3(less)

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Mar 08, 2011 Charity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids

The Anne of Green Gables series was one of my absolute favorites when I was a child. Over the holidays I was feeling a bit nostalgic, so I decided to pick up the first in the series, Anne of Green Gables. I laughed, I cried...well, not really, but I DID enjoy revisiting Anne Shirley and all the characters of Avonlea so much that I decided to continue on reading the rest of the series. So far, I've only made it through the second in the series, Anne of Avonlea (where Anne becomes a school teacher...more

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Sep 17, 2009 miaaa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ophelia-s-library, fictions-others

Anne kini mulai beranjak dewasa. Yah memang dia masih Anne yang itu kau tahu, yang memiliki imajinasi luar biasa itu! Tapi kita bisa melihat dan merasakan bahwa dia telah beranjak dewasa. Aku merindukan emosinya yang meledak-ledak, seperti saat Gilbert menyebutkan Gadis Rambut Wortel atau saat dia ngamuk ke Mrs. Lynde yang mengatakan dia gadis biasa.

Memang sih dia masih melakukan kekonyolan seperti menjual sapi yang salah, atau ketika cat untuk gedung pertemuan tidak seperti yang diinginkan ole...more

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Nov 20, 2008 1morechapter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian

What a wonderful book! I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, but I absolutely adored Anne of Avonlea. Now a schoolteacher, Anne is much admired by her students. I loved the sweet descriptions of Anne’s pupils. I enjoyed meeting the new cast of characters as well: Mr. Harrison and his parrot, Miss Lavender and her lovely stone house, the twins Davy and Dora, and the motherless Paul Irving. I anxiously await Anne of the Island.

I listened to the CD read by Barbara Caruso. What an excellent narrator. I wo...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Loo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: eng-356-books-13-25

Anne of Avonlea explores the life of sweet Anne as a seventeen-year-old, teaching the children at her local school. She encounters a series of hilarious and hard events as she attempts to win over the reluctant Anthony Pye, secure the students’ love, and cope with the twins adopted into her household. This is a darling tale full to the brim with the hilarity and sweetness of children. The book eventually focuses on Anne, Paul Irving, and Miss Lavender. These three, proclaimed “kindred spirits,”...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Bethany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-books-i-own

Once I finished the first Anne book, I was eager to continue the story in the second novel. I really enjoyed seeing how Anne grew and also enjoyed the new characters that were introduced in the second book. This novel had lots of adventure and excitement just as all the other books and I greatly enjoyed it! One thing I liked about the comparison to the movie and actual book is that whether you read the book first or see the movie first, both ways you don't have to be worried about any spoiling....more

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Feb 14, 2012 The UHQ Nasanta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-books-2012, children-s-books, 2nd-in-series, series-0-connected-family, own, format-audiobook, reviewed

3 stars

I give 3 stars for this audio version of Anne of Avonlea. The book itself would be about 3.5 stars. I will be reviewing strictly the audio version, not the book.

I used to love the "Anne" books by L.M. Montgomery as a child. Recently, I got the itch to reread them. Having thoroughly enjoyed "Anne of Green Gables [Radio Theatre]" by Focus on the Family publishing (and being disappointed that they did not continue the series), I was interested in continuing with an audiobook reread. Out of...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Carsten Thomsen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read the first book Anne of Green Gables a few years ago - and it's such a delight to continue the story of Anne. This second in the series follows her life in Avonlea from her 16th to her 18th year.

Anne - of course - get's herself into new accidents and troubles - but are also maturing a lot through her work as a teacher - and finding new important "kindred spirits" - with her open and welcoming attitude to life.

This is some of the best children's literature around - because readers of all...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Tessa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anne of Avonlea
By L.M. Montgomery

Reviewed by Tessa Dubey
I started reading Anne of Green Gables and found out that there were more of L.M. Montgomery’s books about Anne. So I wanted to read more. I have currently read 3 of Montgomery’s books out of the Anne of Green Gables series.
Anne being the red headed freckle face that she is has loads of imagination to go with her wild hair. She always has a twinkle in her grey eyes that cannot be explained but it is loved by all. Some people say she is plai...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, read-on-my-kindle

More wonderful Anne. This book was full of quotes I liked (and just as an aside, it is SO easy to highlight lines I like on the kindle...ok, commercial for kindle over):
"A fellow has to fight something all through life...didn't somebody once define man as a fighting animal?"
"It does people good to have to do things they don't like.....in moderation."
"You're never safe from being surprised till you're dead."
"no child should be cooped up in the four walls of a school until it was seven years old"...more

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Jan 05, 2011 Lydia Presley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, classics, coming-of-age, childhood, young-adult

I started reading about Anne's antics when I was a young girl, not yet a teenager, and had an imagination to rival even this beautiful, darling red-headed girl. As you can imagine (and like so many other girls), I fell promptly in love with Anne after reading the first book and hungrily devoured every book in the series. I felt both the "flying high with anticipation" and the "thud" that came after finishing each book, knowing that I was one step closer to having to put Anne away.

It's those thud...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Shirley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've had misgivings in reading this book, since I was scared to know what would happen when Anne would grow up. I can only be too happy to have read this though :)
Even though Anne is older in this book, I still do adore her so. Her personality and spirit are as fiery as ever, and her fancies and whims are still passionate, though maybe a bit subdued... which is kind of endearing. She's growing up, and her world is growing older as well. I can't wait to see what kind of woman she'll turn out to b...more

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May 23, 2012 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadiana, classics, entertaining, guilty-pleasure-read, history, leisure, super-reserved-love-o-rama, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Admittedly, I thought I had read this but I am surmising that I only managed to touch the tip of the iceberg with certain bovine calamities (which were, for the record, roughly only the second chapter into the book). Point being: I was delightfully surprised to find that Anne of Avonlea was a book I hadn't tapped in my early adolescence -- probably, I surmise, because I was too unready to deal with the fact that Anne Shirley starts to grow up. Actually, at the time, I totally thought she had gro...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I came to this second installment in the Anne of Green Gables series with no clear memory of having read it as a child, although I'm fairly sure that I did. This means that I lack the strong emotional attachment to the book and to the series as a whole which I know is felt by many readers.

When I recently listened to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables for the first time since my childhood, I felt engaged by the characters and by the setting. I especially responded to Marilla as she came to re...more
I came to this second installment in the Anne of Green Gables series with no clear memory of having read it as a child, although I'm fairly sure that I did. This means that I lack the strong emotional attachment to the book and to the series as a whole which I know is felt by many readers.

When I recently listened to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables for the first time since my childhood, I felt engaged by the characters and by the setting. I especially responded to Marilla as she came to recognise her love for Anne and developed her ability to express that love. However, I felt less engaged by the characters in this book. In my view, there's not enough of Marilla and the teenage Anne of this book is less interesting a character than the child Anne of the first book. She still has a wonderful imagination, a poetic attachment to the landscape in which she lives and she still gets into scrapes, but Anne appears to undergo very little development until the last paragraphs of the novel. In addition, the other main child characters are not particularly satisfying: Paul seems too good to be true, Davy is irritating and Dora is rather overlooked and neglected.

Another weakness of the novel is that whereas Anne of Green Gables had Anne's character and her development as its narrative focus, this novel seems to be much more a series of episodes strung together without a real theme. That said, one element that emerges is that of communication in relationships between women and men and the danger to happiness caused by unresolved misunderstandings. (view spoiler).

A particular disappointment for me was the narration by Laurel Merlington. Her reading is very clear, but her voice lacks warmth and softness. My unhappiness with Merlington's narration was probably increased because of my very positive reaction to Kate Burton's reading of Anne of Green Gables. As I listened, I kept feeling that I would be enjoying the book more if I were reading it. I usually count the voice of the narrator as a positive feature of the audiobook format, but not this time.

Overall, I can appreciate how much more I would have liked the book had it been a childhood favourite. It would have had all the familiarity and comfort of visiting old and much-loved friends. This felt a bit like visiting acquaintances after a very long interval and not being totally sure the visit was a good idea.

I don't want to give the impression that my less than totally favourable reaction to this book means that I don't want to read the the rest of the series. I've become attached enough to Avonlea and its inhabitants to want to know what happens next. If I choose an audiobook next time, I'll make sure it's narrated by a kindred spirit with a warm and pleasant voice.

For me, this was a 3-1/2 star read. (less)

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May 15, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is nice to go further in the series and find out exactly "what happened?" to Anne, Marilla, Mrs. Lynde, Gilbert, Diana, and the host of other "Avonlea folk" from the first book. The hamlet of Avonlea is still, author Lucy Montgomery assures us, the prettiest place on earth with the most interesting and well-meaning inhabitants to ever grace Prince Edward Island. Yet, I wasn't prepared for the amount of reminiscing on what happened in Green Gables. Montgomery clearly doesn't belong to the writ...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Melee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think I used to be slightly bored by this one when I was younger but that was definitely not the case this time around!

But I have to mention one random thing that really stood out this time through: L. M. Montgomery's not seeing fit to give Dora a character. You might be saying "Dora, who?" And, well, case in point! I would almost get the feeling from this book that L. M. Montgomery is not at all interested in the merits of little girls, since she gave all the interesting quirks and conversati...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Shablandelina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite, books-read-in-2013

This book was,just like the first one,amazing.I mean whenever Anne did something good in the book i truely wanted to be like her and after i read this book for a few weeks anything that happened i would ask my self:"what whould Anne Sherly do?" and then i would do whatever i thought she would do because i thought it was the perfect thing to do.I just think this book is truely amazing and i think it's one of those books that everyone should read and learn from.
The only that i would change about t...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youth-fiction

I enjoyed this as much as the first in the series. While Anne is now older and not nearly so humorous a character (after all, as a schoolma'am she must act in a somewhat reserved fashion)--except for a hilarious predicament she gets herself into involving a china platter and a less than stable roof--the author has introduced some new characters--chiefly the little boy, Davy--to fill the bill. Montgomery certainly has an understanding of little boys and not necessarily the stereotyped version. I...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Megan Larson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-ya, modern-to-contemporary

Oh, how I wish there were half-star ratings--this book would be a perfect 4.5. I really loved it, thought it was wonderful, will read it again--but it just didn't quite meet up to the first book in wonderfulness. Not quite.
I absolutely love L.M. Montgomery's dialogue-writing. Each person has such a clear voice. She is a genius with dialects, and you can clearly hear the pronunciation (or mis-pronunciation) of each word by mischievous little Davy, bristly-but-loveable Mr. Harrison, beautiful Pau...more Oh, how I wish there were half-star ratings--this book would be a perfect 4.5. I really loved it, thought it was wonderful, will read it again--but it just didn't quite meet up to the first book in wonderfulness. Not quite.
I absolutely love L.M. Montgomery's dialogue-writing. Each person has such a clear voice. She is a genius with dialects, and you can clearly hear the pronunciation (or mis-pronunciation) of each word by mischievous little Davy, bristly-but-loveable Mr. Harrison, beautiful Paul, and many others. I love that so many of them even have their own "catch phrases" that help to define their characters--"I want to know" for Davy, "YOU know, teacher" for Paul, "that's what" for Rachel Lynde.
Those who have not read this book but have seen the movie "Anne of Green Gables: the Sequel" may be wondering, as I did, who all of these characters are (except for Mrs. Lynde). It took me a little while to decide to hear the story Ms. Montgomery's way, but I'm so glad I did. The movie takes a LOT of license with the second, third, (and fourth?) books in order to make everything revolve around romance for Anne...but Anne of Avonlea tells the part of Anne's life where she stops being a child, becomes a woman. Her conception of romance in her own life is barely touched upon, Gilbert is present but in the background, and Anne is learning to become her own grown-up person (as every woman should before trying to make a lasting bond with a man).
That is not to say that romance is lacking--do not despair! My heart is still aflutter after finishing the last chapter. You just have to trust the storyteller, and you won't be disappointed.
As for the few things I didn't love, I felt more distant from Marilla during this book, and I wish that hadn't happened. I also wish that (just sometimes) Ms. Montgomery wouldn't explain every motive and feeling so plainly that we had nothing left to interpret--but then, this is still youth literature and there is a very comfortable feeling when the narrator knows everything.
At the end of the day, I await with bated breath Anne's and Gilbert's adventures at Redmond College in book three. Onward! :)(less)

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About L.M. Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

The author of the famous Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, in 1911 after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911...more

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Books by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)

The Complete Anne of Green Gables Boxed Set (Anne of Green Gables #1-8)

Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables, #3)

Anne's House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables, #5)

Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Green Gables, #4)

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Quotes from Anne of Avonlea

“Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.” — 1,050 people liked it

“After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” — 559 people liked it

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Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables #2)

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