Anne Shirley, a Kindred Spirit...

Greetings 1000 Bookies:

"True friends are always together in spirit.” Anne Shirley...

Our next stop on The 1000 Books to Read Before You Die took me to a familiar and welcome place. I landed in the town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, is the tale of the adventures of a high-spirited orphaned girl who through a mix up comes to live with Marilla Cuthbert and her brother Matthew. The Cuthberts decide to keep Anne and her inquisitiveness and hijinks permeate their humdrum lives. Almost immediately, trouble ensues and trouble always finds Anne Shirley—whether dying her notorious red hair, to accidentally serving Currant Wine thinking it was Strawberry Cordial to almost drowning acting out a scene from a play, Anne is always amusing.

The characters in the book are quite charming. Anne becomes very precious to Marilla and Matthew. Matthew spoils Anne with fancy clothes and is always there to support and encourage. Marilla is more hard edged and intent on raising a good God-fearing person. Anne becomes best friends with Diana Barry her next-door neighbor. Anne is locked in a rivalry with Gilbert Blythe and cannot forgive him for teasing her about her red hair (until the end). There is busy-body Rachel Lynde and the indomitable Josephine Barry. Anne charms and wins them over.

 Anne of Green Gables is the first in a line of eventually 9 books. Anne eventually marries Gilbert Blythe who becomes a doctor. Anne and Gilbert have 7 children, the first dying in infancy. Eventually Anne loses one of her sons, Walter, in World War 1. Anne develops into a wife and mother which, the author, Ms. Montgomery comes to believe are the ideals in society—specifically as Lucy’s marriage was strained. Lucy Maud Montgomery married a man who became a minister but who was mentally ill. She ended up caring for him until she died. Many speculate that Lucy Maud Montgomery committed suicide.

 Anne Shirley is a one of the best loved iconic literary characters out from Canada, I would venture to say on the same level as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are literary icons in the United States.  I first met Anne when I was 15 years old. My sister, Terri, loved the Anne of Green Gables movies and the Avonlea television show. I was overawed on how beautiful the setting of the story and have dreamed of a trip to Prince Edward Island. I was not the only one. Colleen Dewhurst, the actress who played Marilla Cuthbert in the films, purchased a home on Prince Edward Island which is now an inn—The Inn at Bay Fortune.

Anne, like many successful characters in literature is an orphan. And similar to Little Orphan Annie, Oliver Twist, and Harry Potter, Anne must brave the world.  The story did not have the dark side which would have been more in tune to reality. Anne keeps her sunny disposition but living in foster homes with an alcoholic must have been tough. The book lightly touches on what could be dark moments but those do not seem to affect Anne. Lucy Maud Montgomery lost her mother and was sent to live with her grandparents so some of the story is autobiographical.

Since reading Anne of Green Gables for this blog, I have since introduced my daughters to the films, which they have enjoyed.  As a father, Anne of Green Gables is an ideal character for my daughters to read. First and most important, Anne searched and found the good in people or at least she tried. Anne was in search of kindred spirits. I hope my daughters follow this example. We all should be in search of kindred spirits. Second, Anne is sassy, and she speaks her mind. Third, Anne is smart and is devoted to excelling in school, her nose is always in a book. We can all identify with her hi-jinks, I had to laugh in the book when Anne struggles with Geometry as I did myself, no thanks to the lousiest Geometry teacher in the world.  Finally, Anne has a determination and an imagination unrivaled. This book is a must read for the young and young at heart, lovers of literature as well as pre-teen and teen girls.

 I highly recommend everyone pick up the book and go for a visit to Avonlea.