This is perhaps the oddest of the Anne books, because it has the least Anne in it. Yet as a kid, I really enjoyed reading about the Meredith kids, so Rainbow Valley had a winning way about it for me. And surprisingly, as an adult, this book still holds up for me, though there were a few startling moments I did not remember. John Meredith is the new minister for the Four Winds Presbyterian Church, and he brings with him a lively and spirited family: […]

Family life is a hard sell, but L.M. Montgomery, relying on her strengths, manages to pull off a chronicle of Anne’s family life as the “chatelaine” of Ingleside, the new family home in Four Winds. Through her traditional use of anecdotes strung together, Montgomery pulls together a life that is rich and exciting for the Blythe family, including the next generation—her children. The stories are delightful and engaging, with the humor that comes when Montgomery writes about children (thankfully omitting the obnoxiousness of the Davy […]

Now that I’m halfway through the Anne series, I can say that it’s been a deeply delightful journey. The second half of the series chronicles Anne’s adult married life, and I’ll be curious to see how reading it for the first time since I’ve been married will change my views on the next four books. Anne has finally married her beloved Gilbert Blythe and they have set off to start their new life together in Four Winds Harbor, far from her beloved Green Gables. As […]

This chronicle in the Anne series has a special memory for me: I read it for the first time when on my trip to see my grandma in California back in 1994. I read this book twice on that trip, in fact. I remember chatting with my seatmate about it on the plane back. And so when I read this book, I am transported every time to that summer in 1994. It’s a haunted book, which makes sense, as Montgomery peoples her book with ghosts […]

College was one of my favorite periods of life, so naturally it makes sense that I would enjoy Anne’s college story, as well. We find ourselves outside Avonlea but with interesting new surroundings and chums, so there’s a familiarity with this stage in Anne’s life. Anne has left Avonlea and even Prince Edward Island to go to Redmond College in Nova Scotia. She overcomes her homesickness and finds studies and purpose in life. She makes delightful new friends, including the indecisive but sweet Philippa Gordon. […]

Reading this second book in the Anne series was much different than my times in years past. I think that adulthood can give you a different perspective on childhood than when you were a kid, but you also notice things you might have missed when you were a kid, as well. Either way, while this was a good book, I think it might actually be my least favorite in the series. Anne Shirley has graduated from Queen’s Academy and has deferred her admission to Redmond […]