In Defense of Anne Shirley
In Defense of Anne Shirley and the Books that Make Us Love Her
There are two kinds of people in this world: people who have read Anne of Green Gables, and people who are about to have their lives improved by reading Anne of Green Gables.
Maybe that is a slight exaggeration…
But also maybe not.
Because if you haven't read L. M. Montgomery's Anne books, I would like to make a very gentle suggestion: this might be your fall.
And if you have read them, if Anne Shirley is already a beloved member of your imaginary friend group, if you know exactly what it means to find a kindred spirit, if you have strong opinions about Gilbert Blythe, and if the mere mention of Green Gables makes you want to go find a cardigan and walk through an orchard—well.
You know.
You already know.
Anne is, frankly, a lot.
Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables with a wild imagination, a dramatic vocabulary, and seventeen opinions about everything. She is prone to catastrophe. She talks too much. She feels things deeply. She gives places superfluous names because she can’t bear for the “extraordinary” (in her opinion) to remain ordinary. She makes mistakes with spectacular enthusiasm.
And yet somehow, she is also one of the most delightful literary characters ever created.
I think part of her particular brilliance is that Anne notices and is grateful for what we often gloss over. She seems to look at the world more acutely, feeling grateful for life itself. She notices beauty. She notices injustice. She notices when someone is lonely. She notices the particular quality of light coming through in the evening. She notices a tree and decides it deserves a better name. Even with all of her wild ideas, high drama, and flights of fancy, I read my Anne books and feel thankful for this world again. She brings out the gratitude that we so desperately need to find.
And then there is Avonlea.
If you've only encountered Anne through one of the many adaptations, you may think the story is primarily about Anne, but it really isn't. It’s quite centered on the place, and the wide cast of characters within, just as much as its centered on Anne.
Green Gables. Avonlea. The Haunted Wood. Lover's Lane. The Lake of Shining Waters.
Montgomery creates a world so particular that you begin to feel as though you've been there. You can smell the apple blossoms and see the dirt paths Anne walks along. You can picture the schoolhouse, and the children running through the cow pastures, and Mrs. Rachel Lynde up in arms over the scandals of Avonlea.
L.M. Montgomery was kind enough to build a whole world, and invited us to stay awhile. A habit which I gladly practice every few years.
If you've only read the first book...
Here's something I would especially like to tell new Anne readers:
There are more books.
I know. Exciting news.
Anne of Green Gables is only the beginning. Anne grows up. She goes to school. She makes friends. She teaches. She falls in love. She gets married. She has children.
And then, wonderfully, the world of Anne continues beyond Anne herself.
The later books introduce us to new characters and new corners of Montgomery's world, while still carrying that particular warmth, humor, romance, and sense of place that make the series so beloved.
So if you read Anne of Green Gables and think, “Well, that was lovely,” don't stop there.
Keep going.
Also: Can We Talk About the Book Covers?
One of the great hazards of loving a classic is the covers.
There are some truly beautiful editions of the Anne books.
And there are some... choices.
If you've ever wondered how many ways publishers can make Anne Shirley look absolutely nothing like Anne Shirley, there are people who have done the research.
You are welcome.
I will say, though, that one of my favorite things about collecting and displaying classics is seeing all the different ways a story has been interpreted over the years. Some covers are elegant. Some are nostalgic. Some are wonderfully strange. And some make you stop and ask who approved this?
All of them are part of the long life of a book that has refused to disappear.
Why Anne, Now?
Because Anne is such an enthusiastic lover of life!
Because the books remind us to pay attention to the world and people around us.
Because Montgomery understood something we still need reminding of: Ordinary places can be beautiful, ordinary people can be extraordinary, and imagination is not a frivolous thing.
In short, she has made my life better.
So yes, for many reasons, we have decided that this fall at Plenty is an Anne of Green Gables fall. We've gathered the Anne books because they are fantastic. Truly, genuinely, wonderfully fantastic. And because we would love for a whole new generation of readers to discover them.
And for those of you who already love Anne?
Come see us at Plenty. Write a name on our Kindred Spirits tree. Read the Anne quotes sprinkled about. Remember again that life can be beautiful.
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