Starfire Anne of Green Gables

In 1985 when I stumbled upon Kevin Sullivan's wonderful production of "Anne of Green Gables" with Megan Follows as Anne, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla, and Richard Farnsworth as Mathew, it was my introduction to the Lucy Maud Montgomery's red-headed orphan. Like millions of others, I fell in love with the production and then proceeded to read this novel, the other seven books in the Anne Series, and then "The Chronicles of Avonlea," "The Story Girl," the "Jane of Lantern Hill" books, and every other thing written by Montgomery that I could get my hands on (and this was before all of those paperback collections of Montgomery's short stories were published). In 1904 Montgomery had written down an idea for a story in her notebook: "Elderly couple apply to orphan asylum for a boy. By mistake a girl is sent them." In what must be heartening for many would be authors, Montgomery's manuscript for "Anne of Green Gables" was rejected repeated by publishers before it was finally accepted. The book was a bestseller from the moment it was published in June 1908 (I have a 19th impression printed in September 1910), although a critic in "The New York Times" complained that, "there is no real difference between the girl at the end of the story and the one at the beginning of it." Readers of the book would quite happy with that fact, because the reason we love this story is not that the talkative, red-haired orphan girl with her big green-grey eyes changes during the story, but that Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert, the elderly sister and brother who wanted to adopt a boy and got a girl instead, have changed profoundly. Mark Twain described Anne Shirley as "The dearest and most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice," and nobody has been able to top that statement. Supposedly Montgomery's description of her famous literary creation was based on a photography of Evelyn Nesbit, the notorious American beauty who was the mistress whose husband, Harry K. Thaw, shot and killed her love, Stanford White, in the first scandalous murder trial of the 20th century. I suppose there is something archetypal about stories about orphans, that allows young readers to identify with such characters and explains why generations of children have responded to such stories. But what sets Montgomery's creation apart is her ability to provide of laughter and tears, what with her vivid imagination and her great desire to be loved. You laugh over Anne's over wrought apology to Mrs. Rachel Lynde and how her introduction to Gilbert Blythe ends with her breaking a slate over his head. But then there are the wonderfully touching scenes when Marilla apologizes for refusing to believe Anne about her broach, when Mathew goes to town to get Anne a dress with puffed sleeves, and when the Reaper whose name is Death comes to visit Green Gables. There are just so many wonderful moments in this novel, which is the best in the series. When you read the rest of the books in the series, this is the one you will keep coming back to again and again to read once more your favorite parts (I just did). I have two daughters and despite my best intentions I have never been able to persuade them to read "Anne of Green Gables." But given how long it took me to get around to them they still have at least a decade to beat me to the punch in relative terms, and I have the Sullivan productions on DVD so that I can use the same hook that worked so well one me. Once they do I am sure they will be just as captivated by all of the others who love the Anne-Girl and who have traveled to Prince Edward Island to see all of the sites that Montgomery translated into the world of Anne Shirley. My favorite memory is when we went to "Green Gables." You go in through the front door and follow the way around the first floor and then up the stairs to the second floor. As I was at the bottom of those stairs the young woman watching the door had momentarily stopped the line entering the site. In this case that person who had to wait was a young Japanese girl, who looked to be about eight years old, and who was shivering in delight at the fact that she was standing on the threshold of Anne Shirley's Green Gables. That is how beloved Lucy Maud Montgomery's creation is almost a century after she was first set down on paper.

The book is great but too small and i feel like it’ll tear when I open the pages

love the quality of the everyman’s classics. illustrations are gorgeous and i know the book will last because its made with acid free paper. the binding is sturdy and the book is comfortable to spread and hold - which can’t be said for most hardbacks. can’t wait to read this to my daughter ❤️

Hier kommt die geliebte Anne of Green Gables in einem wunderschönen Gewand daher... nein, keine Puffärmel (die Anne im Buch so himmlisch findet ;-), sondern ein Buchcover aus der V&A-Serie beliebter Kinderbücher. Wie schade, dass der Verlag sich nicht die gesamte Anne-Reihe vorgeknöpft und gestaltet hat! Ich habe den ersten Band mit Vergnügen verschlungen, nachdem ich von der "Anne with an e"-Netflix-Serie wieder an Anne erinnert wurde. Hatte als junges Mädchen in den 80ern die kanadisch-deutsche Serie gesehen und GELIEBT und wurde jetzt im Anne-Buch wieder angenehm zurückversetzt. Die Geschichte ist immer noch hinreißend, die Charaktere liebe- und sehr humorvoll gezeichnet. Die Welt von Anne, ihre Sprache und Sitten werden für heutigen Jugendliche natürlich etwas "altmodisch" anmuten, aber ich kann mir vorstellen, dass phantasiebegabte junge Leserinnen auch heute noch in ihren Bann gezogen werden. Ich wünsche diesem Buch - in deutscher und englischer Sprache - noch viele Leserinnen, die mit Anne lachen und weinen und erfahren, dass Liebe und Mut, Phantasie, Klugheit und Beharrlichkeit helfen, über das hinauszuwachsen, was die meisten Spatzenhirne sich (für dich) vorstellen können. (Insofern ist und bleibt Anne ein emanzipatorisches Mädchenbuch, im besten Sinne!) Klare Leseempfehlung! P.S.: Nachdem ich erfahren hatte, dass Astrid Lindgren als Kind stark von den "Anne"-Geschichten geschwärmt hat, war es mir ein besonderes Vergnügen, beim erneuten Lesen festzustellen, dass sich manches von Anne in Astrid Lindgrens Büchern eingeschlichen hat. Die roten Zöpfe und Sommersprossen offensichtlich (wobei Fräulein Langstrumpf ihre selbstredend mit Stolz und Selbstbewusstsein trägt und in keiner Weise als Bürde empfindet wie Anne), aber auch Sätze wie: Das Gute an mir ist, dass ich den gleichen Fehler nie zwei Mal mache (oder so ähnlich) ... Was die Beobachtung bestätigt, dass gute Geschichten die Eigenschaft haben, im Leser etwas in Schwingung zu versetzen. Und wenn es schwingt, dann schwingt es weiter und bringt die nächste und über..nächste Kinderseele zum Klingen... SCHÖN, wenn das passiert!

I had spent my whole life watching the Anne of Green Gables films, whenever my friends came over I would ask if they wanted to play Anne. Growing up I was never the best reader and I was often misunderstood. After visiting PEI and seeing the musical. I wanted to read about Anne. The Anne I had seen in the movies for as long as I could remember. Anne Of Green Gables was the first book I read that was over 100 pages. I loved Anne right away, now nine year after finishing the book I find myself reading it over and over again as well as the rest of the series. Anne represents so much for me she is my "kindred spirit." I still continuously catch myself using quotes from the book when I'm talking. Anne is not just some fictional character she is real and has made me who I am in so many ways. I love the Anne series it is a timeless book. Anne is not the only character that has shaped me. I no longer say "someday my prince will come" I say "some day my Gilbert will come."