Module 2(B) - Anne of Green Gables

Book
Anne of Green Gables
written by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Citation
Montgomery, L.C. (1976). Anne of Green Gables. New York: Bantam Books.

Summary
Anne comes to Avonlea as an adopted child and helper to siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert but quickly becomes much more. We are taken on a tour of all things tangled and disheveled by Anne - she is less than ladylike and certainly not socially adept. At school, she forms a quick alliance with Diana Barry but also fuels hostility and judgement toward Gilbert Blythe. Experiences and maturity finally play their hand, taking us through the transitions of Anne growing up and establishing herself as an intellectual but forgoes the highly-sought-after scholarship to college when her beloved Matthew passes away. Anne commits to staying in Avonlea to care for Marilla and eventually concedes to bridging the divide between her and Gilbert.

Reviews
Library School Journal (2003): With a full cast and some background music, this radio play version of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic hits the high points of the original novel. It is quite abbreviated, so each episode in Anne's orphan-girl-made-good story is afforded just enough time to lay out the bones of the plot. However, Anne's spunky and endearing character shines through scene after scene, as does some of the nostalgic charm of Avonlea's Canadian setting and quaint old Green Gables. All the parts are read very well, with a touching intensity that makes up for some of the brevity of plot episodes. A narrator fills in quite smoothly between the scenes for each event. Two nice features for young listeners make this a useful introduction to audio fiction. There is a pleasant chime played at the end of each side, and at the beginning of each side a line or two from the preceding side is repeated, helping to move listeners smoothly through the break in the action. This entertaining version may help lead youngsters to the original novel. School and public libraries seeking to add abridged novels to their collections or to introduce or entice young readers to longer fiction will want to consider this version.

Contemporary Authors Online (2004): As to Montgomery's entire body of work, many feel that the quality of her books after Green Gables steadily declines. However, most agree that her abiding popularity stems from her storytelling ability and her sensitive understanding of children. Montgomery "remembered exactly how it was to be a child," explained Jean Little in L. M. Montgomery: An Assessment. "More than that, she was able to record the experience of being a child so faithfully and vividly that reading children, years later, find themselves in her stories."


Suggested Use
Anne of Green Gables lends itself to a focus on sequence and character analysis. Students can create a timeline of important, story-changing events to illustrate understanding of the concept and necessity of tracking. Also, students can create a double-sided character, depicting on one side the attributes of a particular character at the beginning of the story or before a traumatic event and, in turn, show, on the other side, the attributes of that same character at the end of the novel.

Impression
Anne of Green Gables is a fascinating, engaging read, albeit more for female students, in all likelihood. The story engages readers to feel the disappointment that both Anne and Matthew feel when their expectations aren't met when they meet each other for the first time at the train station and to feel the hope that Gil and Anne might be able to forge a solid friendship after Anne returns to Avonlea for good. The evolution of Anne's character, alone, is worth the reading of the book.