Anne of Green Gables
by Katherine Woodfine (adapter),Isabelle Follath (illustrator)
5 out of 5 stars
I loved this edited version of Anne of Green Gables! It is simplified for younger readers, but still captures all the charm of the original. It’s still all the same dialogue and basic story, but it has just been shortened and condensed.
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Marilla of Green Gables
by Sarah McCoy (Goodreads Author)
Marilla is growing up on the Avonlea farm before the gables were ever built or painted green. Her family are excited for a new baby to arrive soon, and Marilla’s aunt arrives to help out. But Marilla is unsure about these new additions to the family. Will it change their peaceful lives to have their aunt taking over the kitchen? Marilla is also determined to keep homeschooling and studying so that she can pass the examinations to finish school. She is needed at home to help her mother, so she can’t attend school, but a neighbor boy, John Blythe, agrees to tutor her after school and help her pass her exams. There is a flirtation with John Blythe, but all that changes when disaster strikes the Cuthbert family.
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Captain Jim tells them fascinating stories of his adventures at sea. Miss Cornelia hates men and criticizes them mercilessly. Leslie Moore has had a tragic life, and her heart is bitter. Each of these people find solace and compassion with Anne as they form strong friendships that help them through the storms of life. Continue reading
The illustrations are whimsical and colorful, and the pacing of the panels gives a satisfying dreamy feeling to the book. There is a lot of focus on the countryside and the beauties of Avonlea, the trees and lakes and flowers, and then we see Anne’s reaction of wonder and delight to the loveliness of nature. Continue reading
The Road To Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This collection of Montgomery’s short stories is not really her best work in my opinion, but still well worth the read. All the stories are connected distantly to Gilbert and Anne Blythe, since characters in each story are vaguely acquainted with the Blythes, and their names are mentioned in passing, or they play bit parts in the story. After a while, this started to annoy me. It just distracted from the main story, by bringing in other characters from a separate story, who had no real business or impact in the main story.
A few of the short stories had some structural problems in the plots, I though, and a couple of times people in the story seemed to act out of character. But these places were very few and most of the stories are wonderful, and delightfully funny! A couple of them are melancholy and have a healthy dose of pathos mixed in too.
Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me: What My Favorite Book Taught Me about Grace, Belonging, and the Orphan in Us All by Lorilee Craker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book weaves together the stories of several orphans, both fictional and real. Lucy Maud Montgomery was abandoned by her father, left with her grandparents, and grew up feeling orphaned, which inspired her to write her famous Anne stories, one of the most beloved orphan girls of all time. The author, Lorilee Craker, was also an orphan, given up for adoption and raised by her adopted Mennonite family. Lorilee went on to adopt a daughter of her own from Korea. Four orphan stories from widely different times and circumstances, but all with one central message- The Love of God heals us, chooses us, delights in us, and adopts us into a heavenly family. Continue reading
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