Anne of Green Gables

If there was ever a question in your mind if you should take the time to read Anne of Green Gables or not, let me answer for you.  Yes.  You 100% should take the time to read this book.  It is absolutely lovely.  I understand why it's on the lists of Books Every Young Girl Should Read.  

Anne of Green Gables (1908) is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written as fiction for readers of all ages, the literary classic has been considered a children's novel since the mid-twentieth century. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl mistakenly sent to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, a middle-aged brother and sister who have a farm on Prince Edward Island and who had intended to adopt a boy to help them. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school and within the town.

That is what Wikipedia has to say about it, but, obviously, there is so much more.  I left this book feeling so uplifted and truly happy.

When I was younger, some of my friends loved Anne of Green Gables.  I tried, but never got into it.  I think I was too immature to read something so fantastic.  I was stuck on the books that had some girl die of leukemia and made you bawl.  Why do kids like those books?  I read many of them.  I have always wanted to give Anne a second chance, but this was my time.  I laughed, even cried (I guess my young self didn't make it that far to find out that I would really cry and thus, call the book a success).  From the beginning, I was cheering for Anne and wanted everything to work out for her, but I also found giddy devilish laughter in her misfortunes...because they were funny!  And her reactions were so dramatic and priceless.

For young girls, young women, and grown-adult-sophisticated women, this book will either plant the seed or remind us of how much we can accomplish.  That we can be loving and compassionate, that we can be dreamers and perhaps flighty, but also very accomplished, smart, and driven.  We can put family and those we love joyfully first while still fulfilling our own personal dreams.  And maybe that means those dreams change along the way.  But that's ok.  In fact, that's a part of the adventure.  If you have not read it, I will not spoil it, but I will say that although the end could be perceived as sad, I was so happy.  It was so well crafted.  I felt like Anne's response to the circumstance was perfect.

Definitely a book I will read to Callie as she gets older.  Loved it.

Now, onto Anne of Avonlea.