Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Genre: Classics
Blurb (on back of book): When twelve-year-old Anne Shirley came to Avonlea, she quickly won everyone’s heart. Now, she’s five years older, almost a woman, and about to embark on a new adventure: becoming the teacher in her old Avonlea school. It’s an exciting year as Anne struggles to win over all her students, welcomes two new members to her family, and feels the first stirrings of love.
MY OPINION: *****
Short short short review because I am literally so behind I missed my deadline which has never happened before.
I love this series. We all know by now. I haven't read this one in a while, though, and I've only seen the movie recently. I was surprised by how many differences there were (and also how many similarities there were with the show, which I thought had changed a lot but actually didn't) and liked to getting to know a sort of different version of the Anne story we all know and love. Obviously, this is the original version, but since it's been so long, it felt brand new to me.
I listened to this on audiobook and was so hooked. I even listened to it when I wasn't at work (which is the only time I usually listen to audiobooks) because I was so addicted. I remembered again why I loved this series so much as a child and still love them to this day.
This one covers Anne's adventures as a teacher (at the young age of 16-18!). I am aware that school was obviously different back then and wasn't as structured as it is now in terms of grades and teachers and so on, but it still always feels just a little weird to me to see a character younger than or the same age as me doing something I consider an "older person job."
I felt bad for Anne. You could tell she was going through a lot but she still kept up the same happy demeanor as best as she could, even when things went wrong or her friendship with Gilbert felt like it was deteriorating because of his unrequited romantic advances. I will say that part hurt the most to read about because I am a hardcore Shirbert stan until I die (as I should be). However, it is definitely a slow burn and I'm always here for that trope. You just have to wait.
I loved Davy and Dora. I am pretty sure they were never even mentioned in either the movies or the show and I had forgotten all about them. I do think Dora deserved better. She was the perfect angelic child that literally everyone always tried to discipline their kids into being but nobody liked her... They all liked Davy and his misbehaving antics a little too much. And they were not afraid to say it.
I do wish we got to see more of Anne's relationships with her friends from the first book. Yes, we do see Diana Barry but it's not the same feeling of friendship as it was before. I will say it's probably because they're growing up and naturally going on different paths in life, but it still sucked. Maybe because it hit a little too hard.
Anyways, I'm going to end it there. I'd definitely recommend continuing this series if you've only read the first one or seen the movies, because they add a lot to the story and don't lose any of that flavor. They are super fast and fun to read as well, and are perfect for the fall/winter.
Main Character: Anne
Sidekick(s): Gilbert, Diana, Marilla, Davy, Dora, etc
Villain(s): Growing up, growing apart, etc
Classics Elements: This is a classic children's book.
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