Anne of Green Gables Collection: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne’s House of Dreams, Rainbow Valley, Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery - Reviewed by Christina J Donato

Reviewed on Jul 11, 2021

Worth reading 😎

Spurred on to read the 2nd in a series of books about Anne by watching a TV series about the 1st one, I want to know Anne's full story.

I'm reading this book because I just saw the Netflix series "Anne with an E", based on "Anne of Green Gables".

My first impression of this book is that it is very wordy - lots of descriptives. I found myself thinking, "Give me a noun and a verb!"

As I read more, I started getting more acclimated to the writer's style. Considering that the character of Anne is extremely imaginative and talkative, the style makes sense.

It took longer than usual for me to finish the book. Life kept getting in the way. When I did find a few moments, I was taken back to a time and place where I could take respite in the detailed prose and imagery of Lucy Maud Montgomery's imagination.

As often happens, film adaptations do not closely follow the book author's complete vision. There is either a gap of time or deliberate deletion of events in the Netflix adaptation of "Anne of Green Gables, In "Anne of Avonlea", the character of Matthew has obviously passed on. When or why I do not know.

Does Anne continue with her teaching career? Does she get to travel the world more than in her imagination? Are her hopes and dreams fulfilled? Does she get married and have her own family?

It looks like I will have to read the original book of the series as well as the subsequent ones to get Montgomery's full story.

Reviewed by

Raised on Long Island, NY, Ms. Donato graduated Empire State College with an AA in Creative Writing and a BA in Political Science & Sociology. She was a computer programmer and is now semi-retired. She enjoys crossword puzzles, black & white movies, swimming, church activities, and dogs.