Friday, April 12, 2013

26 Books that Changed My Life: #11 Anne of Green Gables (1-3)

K: Keep On Dreaming

I thought I would spend the month of April delving into the literature that has made me the person I am today.

1] In this list you will find some of my favorite books, but you will also find books that I appreciate and books that I would recommend although they may not be my favorite. These are books that changed my way of thinking or my way of looking the world. These are books that helped solidify the core of who I am.
2] These books are in order of the theme that I came away with not alphabetical by title or author.

About these three books from Goodreads:
When mischievous orphan Anne Shirley arrives at the Cuthbert farm Green Gables, she knows she wants to stay forever. One of the best-loved & most enduring books in all of children's literature, written with sweetness and charm. 

Book #1: Everyone's favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins to try to win them and, consequently, the reader, over.

Book #2:  At sixteen, Anne is grown up...almost. Her gray eyes shine like evening stars, but her red hair is still as peppery as her temper. In the years since she arrived at Green Gables as a freckle-faced orphan, she has earned the love of the people of Avonlea and a reputation for getting into scrapes. But when Anne begins her job as the new schoolteacher, the real test of her character begins. Along with teaching the three Rs, she is learning how complicated life can be when she meddles in someone else's romance, finds two new orphans at Green Gables, and wonders about the strange behaviour of the very handsome Gilbert Blythe. As Anne enters womanhood, her adventures touch the heart and the funny bone.

Book #3:  New adventures lie ahead as Anne Shirley packs her bags, waves good-bye to childhood, and heads for Redmond College. With old friend Prissy Grant waiting in the bustling city of Kingsport and frivolous new pal Philippa Gordon at her side, Anne tucks her memories of rural Avonlea away and discovers life on her own terms, filled with surprises...including a marriage proposal from the worst fellow imaginable, the sale of her very first story, and a tragedy that teaches her a painful lesson. But tears turn to laughter when Anne and her friends move into an old cottage and an ornery black cat steals her heart. Little does Anne know that handsome Gilbert Blythe wants to win her heart, too. Suddenly Anne must decide if she's ready for love...

Publication Date:  1908, 1909 and 1915, respectively

Why this book:
I read these books a little later than most girls, as I didn't read them until after viewing both of the Kevin Sullivan mini-series. I think that every girl has a little bit of Anne Shirley embedded in their DNA. I am no exception. What I love most about Anne is that she is best when she is helping and showing love to others. This is especially true of her love/hate/love relationship with Gilbert Blythe (my first book crush...if only there were more Gilberts in the world). It is when she recognizes that giving her heart to someone else doesn't mean that she has to live solely for that other person that all of the lessons she's been learning piece together. I love Anne's strong-will, stubbornness and passion. I love that she learns that these traits aren't always positive. I love that she never stops learning and maturing. She never lets go of her dreams.




6 comments:

  1. I bought this entire set for my daughter. I was thrilled when Anne of Green Gables came to PBS.

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  2. Thank you for sharing, and I will need to check those out at the library!! I truly haven't read any of those. Thank you for your post, I enjoyed it very much. www.sandysanderellasmusings.blogspot.com

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  3. Hello! First time reader, and new follower. Now I want to read through your entire list thus far. There are so many awesome books out there!

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  4. I saw the film first, and read the books much later in life. I absolutely adored Anne, and as a redhead myself felt she and I were definitely kindred spirits.

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    1. me too! ...well, except for that red-hair part :P...actually i was always a bit envious of people with red hair. :D read any good books lately?

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  5. Hi! I also wrote about Anne of Green Gables for "M" L.M. Montgomery. Now I really want to go back and watch the miniseries. I've been looking online for them and it seems there are many different versions and box sets. Maybe I'll just rent from Netflix.

    The stories definitely have a lasting sense to them. I like your theme for A to Z!

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