Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables no.1)

published	May 6th 2003 by Signet Classics
first published	1908
binding	Paperback
isbn	0451528824 (isbn13: 9780451528827)
pages	320
characters	Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, Diana Barry
setting	Canada
description	When Marilla Cuthbert's brother, Matthew, returns home to Green Gables with a chatty redheaded orphan girl, Marilla exclaims, "But we asked for ...more [close] When Marilla Cuthbert's brother, Matthew, returns home to Green Gables with a chatty redheaded orphan girl, Marilla exclaims, "But we asked for a boy. We have no use for a girl." It's not long, though, before the Cuthberts can't imagine how they could ever do without young Anne of Green Gables--but not for the original reasons they sought an orphan. Somewhere between the time Anne "confesses" to losing Marilla's amethyst pin (which she never took) in hopes of being allowed to go to a picnic, and when Anne accidentally dyes her hated carrot-red hair green, Marilla says to Matthew, "One thing's for certain, no house that Anne's in will ever be dull." And no book that she's in will be, either. --Emilie Coulter (review of an abridged version) [close]
date added	12-09-06 edit book

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Samantha rated it:

04/27/08

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in March, 2008

Ive decided that instead of reviewing this book, I will copy my favorite passages....passages that capture what I love about the book.....
Page 180 describes Anne perfectly, "The downfall of some dear hope or plan plunged Anne into "deeps of affliction." The fulfilment thereof exalted her to dizzy realms of delight."
I love the way Anne thinks...I love the way she jumps from thing to thing in a frenzy of thoughts.....

Page 44 the chapter begins..."Do you know,"...more

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M. rated it:

04/19/08

Anne's precocious reading tastes and romantic imagination are similar to what we know of Montgomery's, but Montgomery did not star in a post-girlhood series of sequels in which she marries Gilbert Blythe. Instead, Montgomery went through two serious relationships: an engagement to a man she did not love, and a non-engagement to a man whom she loved passionately but couldn't bring herself to marry because he was an uneducated farmer. The farmer died, after which she renounced her romantic dreams ...more Anne's precocious reading tastes and romantic imagination are similar to what we know of Montgomery's, but Montgomery did not star in a post-girlhood series of sequels in which she marries Gilbert Blythe. Instead, Montgomery went through two serious relationships: an engagement to a man she did not love, and a non-engagement to a man whom she loved passionately but couldn't bring herself to marry because he was an uneducated farmer. The farmer died, after which she renounced her romantic dreams and stayed home to look after her unpleasant grandmother. When she finally did marry, four months after the grandmother's death, she had premonitions of disaster - it's not a good omen to sit at your wedding breakfast feeling that it's your own funeral. Indeed, things did not work very well. Her husband, Ewen MacDonald, was a minister, and Montgomery had to perform the many tedious duties of a minister's wife, for which she was by no means as well suited as the beloved Mrs Allan of Avonlea. But then Ewen began to suffer bouts of something then called "religious melancholia", but which today might be classified as clinical depression or even bipolar disorder, and Montgomery had to devote more and more time to his care. Later in her life, she herself suffered from nervous collapses, and no wonder. "Nobody ever did want me" was a burden imposed on her by her own childhood, and it proved a hard one to overcome. The many fictional worlds she created through her writing were both an escape from and a way of coming to terms with a deep underlying sadness. There's another way of reading Anne of Green Gables, and that's to assume that the true central character is not Anne, but Marilla Cuthbert. Anne herself doesn't really change throughout the book. She grows taller, her hair turns from "carrots" to "a handsome auburn", her clothes get much prettier, due to the spirit of clothes competition she awakens in Marilla, she talks less, though more thoughtfully, but that's about it. As she herself says, she's still the same girl inside. Similarly, Matthew remains Matthew, and Anne's best chum Diana is equally static. Only Marilla unfolds into something unimaginable to us at the beginning of the book. Her growing love for Anne, and her growing ability to express that love - not Anne's duckling-to-swan act - is the real magic transformation. Anne is the catalyst who allows the crisp, rigid Marilla to finally express her long-buried softer human emotions. At the beginning of the book, it's Anne who does all the crying; by the end of it, much of this task has been transferred to Marilla. As Mrs Rachel Lynde says, "Marilla Cuthbert has got mellow. That's what."...less

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*Christie* rated it:

03/10/08

bookshelves: classics, young-adult

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: Everyone in search of a Kindred Spirit

A Kindred Spirit- a Bosom friend.

Every once in a great while a book (or series of books) comes along and while you read you feel like you are finally home.

When I was nine years old my Dad gave me a set of books: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I’ve treasured them, but never picked them up. How I made it through girlhood without reading these classics is a mystery to me as I now firmly believe that every girl should read Anne. I loved the movies. I still do. I can watch ...more A Kindred Spirit- a Bosom friend.

Every once in a great while a book (or series of books) comes along and while you read you feel like you are finally home.

When I was nine years old my Dad gave me a set of books: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I’ve treasured them, but never picked them up. How I made it through girlhood without reading these classics is a mystery to me as I now firmly believe that every girl should read Anne. I loved the movies. I still do. I can watch all of them right through- breaking only to use the facilities and restock my junk food.

A week or so ago I looked at them on my shelf and decided that it was high time I read them. To say that I related to Anne is putting it mildly. I more feel like Lucy Maud Montgomery looked forward a hundred years into the future, saw me (and my daughter for that matter) and went back and wrote about me. I feel like the very soul of Anne is so much like me, it’s uncanny. I love her misadventures, her willingness to be bold and fight for a cause, her dramatics, her love for fashion. I love Avonlea. I love Marilla and Matthew- OH MATTHEW!!! And of course I love Gilbert Blythe.

From the minute I picked the book up I laughed and cried aloud. It has been a delightful week. I could have read it faster than I did, but there are so few of the books that I’ve savored it, allowing myself small bits every day- even rereading some of Anne’s most glorious little speeches. About half way through the week I went online and researched L.M. Montgomery. I thrilled to discover that the original manuscript of Anne of Green Gables resides at the University of Guelph (a mere mile from my dad’s house). I can’t wait till August when I’ll get to go see it! And I’m planning a trip to Prince Edward Island to see the house that inspired the Books. Yes, it is a thirteen hour drive from Guelph to PEI but I don’t care!

I finished the first book about an hour ago, flailed myself flat on my face on the floor and just sobbed. Suffice it to say, I loved the book. We’re talking an all time favorite type liking. As Anne would say, I truly feel as if I’ve found a kindred spirit- a bosom friend.
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Hailey rated it:

02/13/08

Read in January, 2008

recommended to Hailey by: my mom
recommends it for: all ages

Marilla Cuthbert and Matthew Cuthbert are middle-aged siblings who live together at Green Gables, a farm in Avonlea, on Prince Edward Island. They decided to adopt a boy from an orphanage in Nova Scotia. They needed him as a helper on their farm. After a series of mistakes they end up with an eleven-year-old girl, named Anne Shirley. Anne is a very smart girl and eager to please but unhappy with her name, her pale skin and freckles, and her long red hair. However, being a child with a great imag...more

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Franklin rated it:

05/13/08

Read in June, 2007

To be brutally honest, I was disappointed. I found Anne quite often to be annoying and found my self skimming through many of her rambling soliloquies. Many (especially those of the female gender I suppose) may find her apt to talk ad nauseum to be one of her most enduring qualities, I however did not.

I discovered that it was difficult for me to continue reading once the characters had been established, that is I had no motivation to continue reading as there appeared to be no underlying plo...more

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Becky rated it:

06/14/08

Montgomery, L.M. 1908. Anne of Green Gables.

I first 'discovered' Anne Shirley through watching the 1985 and 1987 films by Kevin Sullivan/Wonderworks when they aired on my local PBS station. As far as I'm concerned, these two are the ONLY films that are 'real.' Meaning that the monstrosity of a film released in 2000 doesn't exist at all. It's something that should be avoided at all costs. It is evil, evil, pure evil.

It would have been around sixth or seventh grade (1989-1990 or 1990-1991) tha...more

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Andrea rated it:

(review of isbn 055321313X)

07/01/08

Read in May, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Catherine rated it:

07/03/08

Read in July, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Ryan rated it:

07/04/08

Read in June, 2008

I finally did it!! Years ago, MK and I made a deal, I would read her favorite book Anne of Green Gables and she would read mine, Ender's Game. I started hers and made it strong through two-thirds before becoming disillusioned with Anne's many meanderings. MK made it through half of Ender's book before giving up humanity as a doomed cause to the buggers.

******Spoiler Alert******...more

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Erin rated it:

08/30/07

bookshelves: childrens, favorites, fiction

Read in January, 1986

recommends it for: women, chidlren, sensitive gentlemen

This spawned an entire life and community for me. The first time I read it, I was not so into it. My grandmother saw me reading it and said, "Oh! I loved that book as a girl!" It was written about five years before she was born. (Its 100th anniversary is next year!) A few years later I saw the CBC movie with Megan Follows, and loved the guy that played Gilbert. DREAMBOAT DREAMBOAT DREAMBOAT! At the time I was still a forest nymph and a country girl and an aspiring novelist who loved to...more

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Janice rated it:

05/28/08

Read in May, 2008

I keep reviewing books too long after I've read them, but here goes...This was mostly charming and adorable. The Anne character is a delightful classic and I loved her antics. The style of writing—beautiful descriptions of the bucolic Prince Edward Island—is just lovely and the dialogue twinkles with humor. The problem comes toward the end when Anne sort of grows up. Who wants Anne the mischief-maker to become somewhat responsible? The fun of the book is that she can't help but get into trou...more

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Tracey rated it:

12/19/07

bookshelves: e-text

Read in April, 2005

Thanks to Memoware.com, I downloaded an e-book version and finished reading it yesterday afternoon.

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are staid, middle-aged siblings, living on a farm in rural Prince Edward Island around the turn of the twentieth century. They decide to adopt an orphan boy to help Matthew with the chores, but are instead sent Ann(e) Shirley, a red-headed, chatty and highly-imaginative young girl. Despite their misgivings, they decide to keep her, and the story follows Anne's tria...more

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Melissa rated it:

07/06/08

bookshelves: all-time-favorites

Read in July, 2008

Probably the most influential and loved book of my childhood. I was probably about 8 or 9 when I first read it (I wish I could remember!)--it was part of a two book set from the book sale leaflet, and what I really wanted was A Little Princess (Shirley Temple movie!). Never heard of that Anne girl!
When I first read it, I remember falling completely in love. Here's a girl who talked too much and had a big imagination and was smart and wanted to be a writer. My love began right when everythi...more

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Jennifer Marie rated it:

07/09/08

bookshelves: 2008-book-list, classics

Read in July, 2008

One thing that amazes me with this book and always has, is Anne's nonstop chatter. It's hard to writer (at least harder than you think--I had one minor character that chattered endlessly and it was a challenge to write). L.M.M has a main character Anne that does it from start to finish in the book. I do love the character of Anne.

Another thing I love about this book is how it deals with the passage of time. I'm working on a novel where 15 months go by and it's hard from chapter to chapte...more

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Angela rated it:

(review of isbn 055321313X)

07/20/08

bookshelves: children-and-teens, classics, fiction, to-reread

recommended to Angela by: My neighbour
recommends it for: Anyone!

I am now fourteen and though I should probably be obsessed with Heat magazine and skinny jeans, it is Anne of Green Gables who has the place in my heart. These books (there are eight in total) are my favourite children's books ever and some of my favourite books ever full stop. Years after I discovered them and this year a hundred years after the first was written, Anne is still my favourite literary character.

Reading this book will make you feel like nothing is wrong with the ...more

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Kara rated it:

07/07/08

bookshelves: young-adult-kids

This is the first chapter book that I remember my mother reading to me, probably before I was old enough to understand much of what was going on in the story, but I adored it anyway. I have read this book at least seven times over the years and I love it more and more each time. Its' funny, but I get something different out of this book each time I read it. When I was young I looked up to Anne. I loved how she used big words, accidentally got herself into all sorts of trouble and was always ...more

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Jessica rated it:

07/04/08

bookshelves: 2008, fiction

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: anyone looking for a sweet story, anyone who lived in their imagination as a child (or still does)

I loved these books as a girl. Found a copy at a yard sale for 25 cents last summer, and thought it might be time to revisit!

7-4-08 Such a cute book. Written in 1908, it has held up to the times. A cute tale of a red-headed orphan girl mistakenly sent to an older brother and sister's farm. They really wanted a boy, but go so much more. She lives in her imagination, talks too much, and is always getting into a scrape. A sweet quote that I found towards the end:

"That's the wor...more

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Casey rated it:

02/28/08

bookshelves: childrens

recommends it for: Any girl or young woman who doesn't fit the norm.

I have read this book so many times, I can't remember! It was such a big part of my childhood. I grew up watching the Japanese cartoon of it on television as well. Anne is for me (this is a bold statement,...I know) one of the best characters ever written. I have never read about a character who's anything like her. She's intelligent, feisty, romantic, funny, emotional, imaginative and just plain brilliant!
She dies her hair green, gets her best friend accidentally drunk and nearly drowns after ...more

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Julie rated it:

07/07/08

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Julie by: Julia

I started off tentatively, worried that Anne’s garrulousness would become wearing, or that I would be unable to see a poor little orphan girl with an unjaundiced eye. I thought at first that she would be the kind of character that would be appealing when you are a child, but annoying when you see her through an adult’s eyes. (I haven’t re-read A Little Princess for that reason, since I think that Sara Crewe must be absolutely insufferably and unbelievably angelic.) But Anne is no...more

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Tambre rated it:

05/04/08

recommends it for: dramma queens or mothers of one

The first time I read this book I was 11 or 12 and I thought it was the greatest book ever. I totally related to Anne and her problems. Now that I'm 16 I've tried to read it again and I couldn't get passed the first 2 chapters. Anne is such a dramma queen, and she's suborn to a fault. It got to the point where I was yelling at the book, "Anne you idiot! Just forgive the guy and move on!" Either that or I was rolling my eyes asking myself when she was going to get a life.

I'm kind o...more

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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.40 (11177 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.40 (9365 ratings)
number of reviews: 922

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Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables no.1)

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