Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
Genre: Classics
Blurb (on back of book): Anne's own true love, Gilbert Blythe, is finally a doctor, and in the sunshine of the old orchard, among their dearest friends, they are about to speak their vows. Soon the happy couple will be bound for a new life together and their own dream house, on the misty purple shores of Four Winds Harbor.
A new life means fresh problems to solve, fresh surprises. Anne and Gilbert will make new friends and meet their neighbors: Captain Jim, the lighthouse attendant, with his sad stories of the sea; Miss Cornelia Bryant, the lady who speaks from the heart—and speaks her mind; and the tragically beautiful Leslie Moore, into whose dark life Anne shines a brilliant light.
MY OPINION: ***
While I will always love the Anne series with my whole heart, I have to say that this one is definitely not my favorite of the eight books we got. I think once we got to the fourth book, the series kind of tapered off a little bit, and rightfully so. L.M. Montgomery did not want to keep writing about Anne. She was forced to keep writing more and more and it showed in her writing how bored she was with Anne. This is her longest series by far and I believe that 4, 5, 6, and 7 were honestly unnecessary. I love 8 so I don't count that one.
This book follows Anne and Gilbert's first time moving in to a house together after marrying. They move into a small town and we are just regaled with stories of the various interactions they have with their new neighbors and community.
It just felt like a filler novel. We are introduced to brand new people and we basically forget about all of the old Green Gables crew, aside from some scanty appearances. The focus is almost entirely on the side stories of the various other characters and their lives, and quite honestly, I didn't really care all that much about them. It's not what I wanted to read about in an Anne novel.
Anne and Gilbert have their first experiences with grief and joy as a married couple. I think the pacing in this one moved way faster than it needed to. I literally don't even remember their wedding, which I feel like should have been a really core scene, especially since we've followed Anne's story since she was literally eleven years old. Anne and Gilbert also have their first children, which was cute, but also it just felt so fast and random. There was no build-up to it. We don't get any description of Anne's pregnancy (which may have been some sort of a taboo topic in this time, I'm not sure) and suddenly it just shifts to a random chapter where she gives birth, and then it moves straight back to the random love stories between the other people.
We needed more Gilbert. We literally got nothing and we're supposed to be seeing their married life. I was disappointed, to say the least.
The side plots were interesting but unrealistic.
All that being said, I really enjoyed this one because it's always nostalgic and sentimental for me. I've loved these books for so many years and it's been so fun doing a cute little reread all these years later. I also like how I'm able to see its many flaws from a less biased perspective than my malleable, obsessive childhood tendencies. It's definitely been a great experience and I'm excited to start the next Anne novel ASAP. I'd recommend continuing the series if it's your first time but if you're like me, doing a reread, I honestly don't think that the intermediate novels are really worth it.
Main Character: Anne
Sidekick(s): Gilbert, friends, etc
Villain(s): Death, misunderstandings, etc
Classics Elements: This is a classic children's novel.
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