Anne of Green Gables - A Work of Art

Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908, making Lucy Maud Montgomery almost instantly famous. She had had a few of her poems published in her local Prince Edward Island newspapers, but this was much bigger. Anne of Green Gables would go on to be translated into more than a dozen languages, and have nineteen thousand copies sold in the first five months of publication.


For over a century readers of all ages have enjoyed irresistible Anne, with her unpredictable, delightful, outgoing personality, and captivating story. I must admit, before reading the book I expected an unbelievable story filled with pink, sparkly “fluff”, but afterwards couldn't wait to read the next book in the series.

The story starts off with middle-age, almost elderly siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert wondering how on earth they are going to take care of this little eleven year old orphan they received by mistake. The book goes on through Anne’s childhood, sharing with us her trials, temptations and achievements, all in the setting of Prince Edward Island, Canada with her friends, foes and in-betweens.


Starting out, the book was a bit slow, in my opinion. But, the more I read, the more I loved. I really like Anne’s poetic way of talking, peculiar speeches and her love of all things beautiful. My favorite thing about her though, is her romantic thinking. While some may call it ridiculous, I think it’s lovely that she is so girlish, even in spite of, or maybe out of necessity, her hard and painful childhood. I also liked how Anne, and all the P.E.I. ladies really, encouraged me in my femininity, helping to show what a real lady is like, inside and out. Outwardly, she is modest, yet feminine in her dress, and inwardly she is gracious and kind, joyful in all things, yet serious in the Lord.

While many “kindred spirits” have enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, I believe any girl twelve or thirteen and older would appreciate the story the most. I know that when tried to read it when I was younger, around ten, I found Anne’s chatter and all the sentimental aspects of the book hard to understand. But, now that I’m older and have grown in my vocabulary and understanding a bit, I have found the book to be a real treasure.

In closing, I have to agree with all the critics when they said that Anne of Green Gables was beautifully written. When Montgomery published her manuscript, she truly blessed young ladies by sharing with us the little gangly, red haired Anne-with-an-E.