Amelia’s Reviews > Anne of Avonlea > Status Update

I think it is interesting to see how social standards have differentiated from the time this book was written and now. A lot of the things that happen or are said even by the "good" characters are not things that would be acceptable now. However, you have to think whether you should analyze the writing with our modern perspective or just enjoy the story with the perspective that this was acceptable at the time.

I love the way Anne's character thinks of things. On page 110, she describes a stream as a poem, describing "the real poem" as "the soul within them". I think this is an incredibly beautiful sentiment. I also like how Anne's character has developed in this book, especially in terms of what she values. In previous books, she really didn't like her hair, but now, she doesn't find it an important concern.

I'm struck by how much Anne has changed and matured from the first book to this second book. Of course a lot of Anne is and will always stay the same, however she truly does seem like an adult even though only 16. It's interesting how much more quickly people grew up back then, or at least were forced to grow up, since she's already teaching at 16.

At this point, Anne has been going around asking for "subscriptions" (donations) for her Improvement Society as well as trying to tame the twin Davy. I'm curious how this book is going to be similar or different from 'Anne of Green Gables'. When I read the previous book, I was already fairly familiar with the story so I just focused on the writing, but for this book, I am not sure how the story is going to unfold.