War comes to Green Gables...at least to it's people, if not directly to it's land...

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

Oooohhhh...I will so miss reading about Anne and Gilbert, and their children,  and all the other wonderfully imaginable characters in their lives! I am ever-so-grateful to Reeder Reads for initiating this read-along. I might have never actually stopped and read them except for this project! See my reviews of the previous books in the series here.

Susan states, "I never take much interest in foreign parts. Who is this Archduke man who has been murdered?"

  "What does it matter to us?" asked Miss Cornelia, unaware of the hideous answer to her question which destiny was even then preparing. "Somebody is always murdering or being murdered in those Balkan States. It's their normal condition and I don't really think that our papers ought to print such shocking things....Merciful goodness, Anne dearie, what is the matter with that cat? Is he having a fit?"--this, as Doc suddenly bounded to the rug at Miss Cornelia's feet, laid back his ears, swore at her, and then disappeared with one fierce leap through the window."

  "Oh, no. He's merely turning into Mr. Hyde--which means that we shall have rain or high wind before morning. Doc is as good as a barometer." (11)

So World War I is just around the corner...the first truly deadly war in the world's history as far as firearms, etc. And there is loss among the local folks over time. (Fortunately, I always have Kleenex--Puffs with lotion actually--by my chair when reading!) :)

One day this superb feline barometer substitute had his head stuck in a salmon can and rampaged through the kitchen breaking dishes, etc. I could relate to this so well. I never will forget over 15 years ago returning home from work to find my Smokie panting so hard I thought she'd die or pass out--she had gotten the handle of an empty plastic grocery bag round her neck and panicked, running and running to get away from it, when, of course, it was right there, still attached, rattling and scaring her even more so that she increased her speed...it was a vicious cycle with no respite until she allowed me to remove it, but I can only imagine she might have killed herself if I'd not arrived in time. Lesson learned, all plastic bags have been stowed away in a cabinet from then on. 

 [Rilla] had been much petted and was a wee bit spoiled, but still the general opinion was that Rilla Blythe was a very sweet girl, even if she were not so clever as Nan and Di. (12) 

As if they weren't enough people living at Ingleside, the Blythes even allow Rilla's teacher, Gertrude Oliver to live with them, bunking in Rilla's room. But Rilla-my-Rilla (as designated by Walter years before) "was fathoms deep in love" with Gertrude, who asked Rilla if she would go to college in the fall:

  "No--nor any other fall. I don't want to. I never cared for all those ologies and isms Nan and Di are so crazy about. There's five of us going to college already. Surely that's enough. There's bound to be one dunce in every family. I'm quite willing to be a dunce if I can be a pretty, popular, delightful one. I have no talent at all. And you can't imagine how comfortable it is. Nobody expects me to do anything....Father says I toil not neither do I spin. Therefore, I must be a lily of the field." 

..."I can't be sober and serious--everything looks so rosy and rainbowy to me. Next month I'll be fifteen and next year sixteen--and then seventeen. Could anything be more enchanting?" (16)
Ah, but life can change drastically...

When England declares war on Germany, Mary Vance states: 

  "What does it matter if there's going to be a war over there in Europe? I'm sure it doesn't concern us."

  Walter looked at her and had one of his odd visitations of prophecy. 

  "Before this war is over," he said--or something said through his lips--"every man and woman and child in Canada will feel it--you, Mary, will feel it--feel it to your heart's core. You will weep tears of blood over it. The Piper has come--and he will pipe until every corner of the world has heard his awful and irresistible music. It will be years before the dance of death is over--years, Mary. And in those years millions of hearts will break."..."this isn't a paltry struggle in a Balkan corner....It is a death grapple. Germany comes to conquer or to die. And do you know what will happen if she conquers? Canada will be a German colony." (34)

It was the depiction of Walter and Rilla's relationship that truly stood out for me in this last installment of the Green Gables series:
It was one of the evenings Rilla was to treasure in remembrance all her life--the first one on which Walter had ever talked to her as if she were a woman and not a child. They comforted and strengthened each other. Walter felt, for the time being at least, that it was not such a despicable thing after all to dread the horror of war; and Rilla was glad to be made the confidante of his struggles--to sympathize with and encourage him. She was of importance to somebody. (48)
Isn't it true? We all need to feel that way--as if we are needed and wanted by somebody... This relationship made me truly miss having had siblings--though I realize not all siblings are this close, at least there might have been a chance for that type of relationship. Though Rilla-my-Rilla soon becomes indispensable to another...

Walter bemoans the idea that he "should have been a girl" so others wouldn't expect him to enlist. Though the females helped as they could, especially by sending their loved ones off to fight: 

"When our women fail in courage, 

Shall our men be fearless still?" (40)

Rilla surprises everyone by founding, organizing, and maintaining the Junior Reds to help with war efforts as they would sew and knit, and collect items for the troops. Yet while trekking through the Glen and Four Winds to ostensibly collect Red Cross supplies, Rilla-my-Rilla discovers one item that demands much more care than she had ever imagined...a "war" baby! (I had never seen this term before...) Noting its delicate physical condition and the fact that his constant crying was ignored by the poverty-stricken woman left to care for it, she places the babe in a soup tureen and hauls it home to Ingleside, assuming her mother and Susan would care for him, a thought of which her father/Gilbert quickly disabused her...

She would look after this detestable little animal if it killed her. She would get a book on baby hygiene and be beholden to nobody. She would never go to father for advice--she wouldn't bother mother--and she would only condescend to Susan in dire extremity. They would all see! 

  Thus it came about that Mrs. Blythe, when she returned home two days later and asked Susan where Rilla was, was electrified by Susan's composed reply.

  "She's upstairs, Mrs. Dr. dear, putting her baby to bed.  (67)
Quite the shock to Anne, I'm sure! It was fascinating to watch Rilla develop as she cared for little Jims. Initially she stated, "If I can't love you I mean to be proud of you." But eventually...well...you can imagine. :)

As with all the Green Gables books there are many subplots and characters. Jem's Dog Monday is quite the tear-jerker, as he waits and waits for return of his buddy, never leaving the train station and inspecting all arrivals, searching for his Jem. (This was particularly fascinating as poor Jem initially had such a challenge in finding a dog he could truly bond with as a youngster.) Mary Vance has a beau, as does Rilla, though both enlist. Some volunteers return and some don't. However, the war perhaps helped some to put certain aspects of life into a larger perspective:
  "I used to hate Methodists," said Miss Cornelia calmly,..."but I don't hate them now. There is no sense in hating Methodists when there is a Kaiser or a Hindenburg in the world." (173)
So if there can be one good thing to come of war, perhaps it is to accept others, regardless of our personal preferences or opinions, we are all just humans after all, with many more commonalities than differences. 

Walter says to Rilla-my-Rilla on the night he decides to enlist:

"It's not death I fear--I told you that long ago....There's so much hideousness in this war--I've got to go and help wipe it out of the world. I'm going to fight for the beauty of life,...this is my duty. (118) 
Being in the middle of a Gone With the Wind read-along, I was reminded of Ashley Wilkes and his own feelings about war and fighting. Walter does become a published poet as he desired, though perhaps not in a way he might have foreseen.

"Comes he slow or comes he fast

It is but death who comes at last." (118)

And this eventually comes to pass for each of us. Though I was relieved to discover that when a person with whom I was discussing this series let it slip that Gilbert died...she was wrong! Both Gilbert and Anne outlived the series! :) (Bit of a spoiler, perhaps, but really...there are only so many tissues manufactured and available at one time!!) I'm certain I was much more relieved about that than I might have otherwise been...

Now these books go to my grandchildren. I only hope they have a portion of the amount of enjoyment from them that I have had! :) And...if you've never read them...it is NEVER too late! 

Come Along on the Green Gables Read-Along!! We meet all the kids!!

Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery

Getting to know the Ingleside and manse kids is quite the pleasure!  These two groups of children meshed immediately:
The race of Joseph recognized its own. (26) 
As an only child who was fairly isolated on a 180-acre farm in the rural midwestern U.S., I cannot imagine having so many other children to interact with all the time! What fun! Little did Susan realize that the "uninteresting" and "immaterial" lead article about the assassination of "some Archduke Ferdinand or other" at a place "bearing the weird name of Sarajevo" would impact all their lives greatly in the future! And of course, for me, one of the most fascinating inhabitants of Ingleside is Dr.-Jekyll-and-Mr.-Hyde or "Doc" as the large fluffy orange cat is known! As Dr. Blythe/Gilbert noted

  "The only thing I envy a cat is it's purr....It is the most contented sound in the world." (3)
I don't know...as I watch my five fur-babies, I'm pretty jealous of their nice home with lots of love and plenty of food, water, and toys! And their naps! They have the luxury of so many naps!! :)

Gilbert and Anne have just returned from a three-month sojourn overseas. Anne is anxiously awaiting Miss Cornelia's arrival so she can hear about "everything" that has happened to everyone in the past three months. Anne confesses, 
  "Do you know, Susan, I have a dreadful suspicion that I love gossip." 
  "Well of course, Mrs Dr. Dear," admitted Susan, "every proper woman likes to hear the news."   (3)
I can't imagine having left my children for three whole months! However, if you were going to travel back then it had to be by ship over water, and that takes a long time. In discussing the Methodist vs. Presbyterian ministers,
  Miss Cornelia's scorn of men had abated somewhat since her marriage, but her scorn of Methodists remained untinged of charity. (10)

Jem, Anne and Gilbert's oldest, was "the child of the House of Dreams," all the others had been born at Ingleside. 
  He was and always had been a study, reliable little chap. He never broke a promise. He was not a great talker. His teachers did not think him brilliant, but he was a good, all-round student. He never took things on faith; he always liked to investigate the truth of a statement for himself. (16)

Next oldest was Walter Blythe, a poet if ever there was one. He was a "'hop out of kin, as far as looks went. He did not resemble any known relative." He had inherited his mother's "vivid imagination and passionate love of beauty" and read poetry from the time he first started reading. Kids at school thought him "girly" and "milk-soppish" since he was always in out-of-the-way locations reading...while other boys were fighting or playing sports. However, the one time he did choose to fight (to defend his mother's and Faith's honor) he won quite handily!
  With Walter food for the soul always took first place. (19)
Rev. John Meredith and he "had taken to each other and had talked unreservedly." 
Mr. Meredith found his way into some sealed and sacred chambers of the lad's soul wherein not even Di had ever looked. (86)
Philosophers and thinkers, both of them. 'Birds of a feather...' Though Mr. Meredith did eventually meet someone and romance blossomed, at least for a while...

The 10-year-old female twins were far from identical in looks. Anne, always called Nan, was very pretty--a "dainty little maiden." Diana, known as Di, had her mother's eyes and red hair. She was Gilbert's favorite and she and Walter were very close--"she kept all his secrets, even from Nan, and told him all hers." And then there's Mary Vance who inevitably 'stirs the pot' almost every time she opens her mouth! Oh, I would have loved to catch her at it just once! She was so mean!

The children of the manse were allowed to run quite wild, as they were left alone much of the time. Rev. John Knox Meredith was an "absent-minded, indulgent man" who lived in a world of books and abstractions," and his Aunt Martha was a rather poor housekeeper who didn't seem to pay much attention to her nieces and nephews. Meredith's wife had died and he was left to raise their children. However, the Glen St. Mary manse was "very homelike and lovable,"  There was an atmosphere of laughter and comradeship about it; the doors were always open; and inner and outer worlds joined hands. Love was the only law..." (20)
The eldest, Jerry had his father's black hair and large black eyes that were flashing rather than dreamy like his father's. Next in line was Faith, who "wore her beauty like a rose, careless and glowing." 
She laughed too much to please her father's congregation and had shocked old Mrs. Taylor, the disconsolate spouse of several departed husbands, by saucily declaring--in the church-porch at that--"The world isn't a vale of tears, Mrs. Taylor. It's a world of laughter." (22)
Ah, yes, back then truly pious people were to be sedate and quiet-mannered, or what I would consider to be dull and boring! :) Though she was none of those when she confronted Norman Douglas, convincing him to attend church AND contribute handsomely to her father's salary! No one could know how that might impact both Ellen and Rosemary West's futures! 

Next came dreamy Una who was not given to laughter. She was quite serious with her "braids of straight, dead-black hair" and "almond-shaped, dark-blue eyes, caring much more than Faith about others' opinions of her and her family. Carl had the "clear, bright, dark-blue eyes, fearless and direct, of his dead mother, and her brown hair with its glints of gold." Carl knew all about insects and critters, sometimes taking them to bed with him and definitely carrying them in his pockets. I so admired these children for not only creating, but maintaining and enforcing decisions of the Good Conduct Club. How sweet... Of course, until little Carl contracted pneumonia as a result of one of his self-imposed punishments! And of Rilla it was said that her "sole aspiration seems to be to have a good time." Ah...but just wait! :) People can surprise you! 

I could relate to the children catching trout and then cooking them outside over an open fire. My sons had built a makeshift shelter in a copse of pine trees by our house and dug a fire pit over which they placed an old grate from a 'dead' grill. They would take my iron skillets out and cook eggs and bacon and even make toast! They had a blast doing that with their friends! Ever so many scandals and excursions amongst these "race of Joseph" children: riding pigs, playing in graveyards, telling ghost stories... Perhaps the biggest scandal of all was when the manse children (sans Carl who was sick) cleaned the house...on a SUNDAY!! Oh, horrors! ;) Miss Cornelia was quite upset about these activities, but Anne defended them,
"...they're only little children. And you know they've never yet done anything bad--they're just heedless and impulsive--as I was myself once. They'll grow sedate and sober--as I've done."
  Miss Cornelia laughed, too. 
  "There are times, Anne dearie, when I know by your eyes that your soberness is put on like a garment and you're really aching to do something wild and young again. Well, I feel encouraged. Somehow, a talk with you always does have that effect on me." (83-84)
Aha! Anne may not be as grown up as she'd like to let on! However, she is very mature in her handling of people...her interpersonal skills are well developed! Of course, as much as she talked as a child, she certainly got a lot of practice interacting with others! 

Really, I am sad that this Green Gables Read-Along is close to finished! I have adored all these books and though this review is almost 3 weeks late, I had read this book and the last one in the series a couple of weeks ago. Just too darned busy to get reviews posted! But here ya go! I hope my review helps you know this book a bit or even brings some memories if you've read it... I love Montgomery's writing!

Wedded bliss and motherhood for Anne

Anne's House of Dreams 

by L.M. Montgomery

Although I was initially a bit disappointed that Anne would no longer be at Green Gables very often, I am NEVER disappointed in another installment of the Green Gables series! Thanks so much to Reeder Reads for putting this read-along together and heading it! I am so way far behind on my reading schedule for May I was uncertain if I could (1) get this read, and (2) complete a blog post, all before June 1st! But I have managed it! I have the usual 30 or more sticky notes in this book to mark those spots to which I wish to refer as I compose my review. However, overall, this is another favorite for me among the five I have now read in this series. 

I adore Montgomery's writing in so many ways. She doesn't hesitate to include what, for me at least, is some challenging vocabulary. I love learning new words! Anne's life always includes some tragedy as well as all the good stuff, so it isn't as "Polly-Annish" as I might have feared. As Marilla notes in considering her feelings and the future once Anne and Gilbert are married, "every joy must bring with it its little shadow of sorrow." (2) And I still believe Montgomery is unsurpassed in introducing new characters in each book and making the reader feel as if you've known them all along throughout the entire series! Captain Jim, Susan, Leslie, Cornelia. These are just four of the newly unforgettable people in Anne's life. I admit I was a bit nostalgic about Anne and Gilbert moving away from Green Gables, because I was going to miss Marilla, Rachel Lynde, and the twins, Davy and Dora, so very much. But it was fortunate for Anne and Gilbert that he was able to locate a doctor willing to retire so Gilbert could take over his practice!

Anne's wedding is held at Green Gables, a very small and intimate affair, as one might expect of Anne--she only wanted those closest to her in attendance. And there was no honeymoon to foreign locations; Gilbert and Anne choose instead to spend their time in virtual isolation at their "House of Dreams" located on the water in a beautifully green and lush setting. 

     "I don't suppose we'll have four such perfect weeks again--but we've had them. 

  Everything--wind, weather, folks, house of dreams--has conspired to make our 

  honeymoon delightful. There hasn't even been a rainy day since we came here."

     "And we haven't quarrelled once," teased Gilbert.

     "Well, 'that's a pleasure all the greater for being deferred,'" quoted Anne. I'm so glad 

  we decided to spend our honeymoon here. Our memories of it will always belong here, 

  in our house of dreams, instead of being scattered about in strange places." (40)

How wise of her. I would agree. 

Anne discussed the pros and cons of the new 'modern inconvenience'--the telephone. I had totally forgotten about the "party lines" of the past (Yes, I do remember them!), when you could literally hear others breathing as they listened to your conversation, and/or the sound of phones being hung up or picked up as you talked! That was a little creepy...to think others could listen. Though I was on my cell phone several years ago speaking with a friend out in California (I was in Indiana at the time) and all of a sudden she and I begin overhearing a conversation between a mother (located in Indiana) and her daughter (in California), then after a couple of minutes, I am speaking with the daughter and my friend is speaking with the mother, and our initial connection was broken! That was freaky! And proof that technology is not infallible! So, although we no longer have party lines...who knows?!? :)

In discussion of her upcoming wedding with Mrs. Harmon Andrews (her friend Jane's rather snooty mother), Anne responds to the mention of her red hair: 

     "Red hair is very fashionable now," said Anne, trying to smile, but speaking rather 

  coldly. Life had developed in her a sense of humour, which helped her over many 

  difficulties; but as yet nothing had availed to steel her against a reference to her hair." 

       (9)

Hah! Some things never change! :)

Anne describes her idea of the perfect marriage ceremony being performed in the orchard at dawn and Mrs. Lynde reacts: 

     "But that would be terrible queer, Anne. Why it wouldn't really seem legal. And what 

  would Mrs. Harmon Andrews say?" 

     "Ah, there's the rub," sighed Anne. "There are so many things in life we cannot do 

  because of the fear of what Mrs. Harmon Andrews would say. ''Tis true, 'tis pity, and 

  pity 'tis, 'tis true.' What delightful things we might do were it not for Mrs. Harmon 

  Andrews!" (13) 

Oh, my, I feel that is particularly true in a rural area, so many worry about what others think. Geeminy! I remember all about that growing up in the rural small-town Midwest! 

Then Phil delivers what is surely Anne's favorite wedding gift ever, Gog and Magog, the ceramic dogs from Patty's Place, where she and Phil lived while at college. Miss Patty and Maria were planning to will them to her, but decided they would give them to her while she was young. Awwww... What a sacrifice for them and yet what a wonderful gift to Anne. That made me love these two older sisters even more! 

As Gilbert describes the house he has found for them to live in, Anne exclaims,

     "Oh, I'm so glad! I couldn't live where there were no trees--something vital in me 

  would starve. Well, after that, there's no use asking if there's a brook anywhere near. 

  That would be expecting too much."

     "But there is a brook--and it actually cuts across one corner of the garden."

     "Then," said Anne, with a long sigh of supreme satisfaction, "this house you have 

  found is my house of dreams and none other." (11)

Montgomery describes the surrounding landscape of the "House of Dreams":

     The woods call to us with a hundred voices, but the sea has one only--a mighty voice that drowns our souls in its majestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels. (54) 

And so Anne was the first bride of Green Gables on a gorgeously sunny September afternoon.

     Gilbert, waiting for her in the hall below, looked up at her [as she came down the 

  stairs] with adoring eyes. It was to him she was coming in the sweet surrender of a 

  bride. Was he worthy of her? Could he make her as happy as he hoped? If he failed her--

  if he could not measure up to her standard of manhood--then, as she held out her 

  hand, their eyes met and all doubt was swept away in a glad certainty. They belonged 

  to each other; and, no matter what life might hold for them, it could never alter that. 

  Their happiness was in each other's keeping and both were unafraid." (21)

I admit to cringing a bit at the "sweet surrender" part! However, the ending seemed a bit more egalitarian, and after all, Gilbert had patiently waited...for years! It required him almost dying to bring Anne around. :)

And there were so many new and wonderfully delightful personalities among the friends Anne and Gilbert would make while living in their "House of Dreams." Captain Jim, though a "homely man"...had a "spirit shining through that rugged tenement [that] beautified it so wholly." (27) Though Miss Cornelia notes, 

     "Captain Jim is a good man, but he's kinda vexing in one way. You can't make him 

  mad. I've tried for over twenty years and he just keeps on being placid. It does sort of 

  rile me." (49)

In fact, Captain Jim and Miss Cornelia's relationship reminded me of my former mother- and father-in-laws' constant bickering! :)

Anne asks Miss Cornelia why she hates men:

     "Lord, dearie, I don't hate them. They aren't worth it. I just sort of despise them. I 

  think I'll like your husband if he keeps on as he has begun. But apart from him, about 

  the only men in the world I've much use for are the old doctor and Captain Jim." (48)

Though I would say there's little difference between hating and despising, I can understand her not wishing to expend the amount of energy it requires to hate... 

Anne becomes just a bit insecure when Gilbert heartily agrees Leslie is beautiful after his first meeting with her--she has a head full of abundantly shiny golden hair.

     "Gilbert, would you like my hair better if it were like Leslie's?" she asked wistfully.

     "I wouldn't have your hair any colour but just what it is for the world," said Gilbert, 

  with one or two convincing accompaniments. "You wouldn't be Anne if you had golden 

  hair--or hair of any colour but"--

     "Red," said Anne. with gloomy satisfaction.

     "Yes, red--to give warmth to that milk-white skin and those shining gray-green eyes 

  of yours. Golden hair wouldn't suit you at all, Queen Anne--my Queen Anne--queen of 

  my heart and life and home."

     "Then you may admire Leslie's all you like," said Anne magnanimously. (80)    

I'd like to think that if I had met Anne and Gilbert, I would have considered them to be of "the race that knows Joseph," too! :) You need to read this to learn about Anne's children, Joyce and James Matthew, and the whereabouts of Leslie's husband. Oh, and Miss Cornelia actually plans to be married at the end!! Shock! There is so much packed into these mere 227 pages! Have you read this series? I am love love loving it!

Engaged Anne--principal and meddler of the best kind!

Anne of Windy Poplars
by L.M. Montgomery

I am so very glad I took advantage of ReederReads' Green Gables Read-Along!

We get to know Anne as the principal of Summertime High School, living on Spook's Lane in Windy Poplars. As Anne writes to Gilbert,
     Isn't that an address? Did you ever hear anything
     so delicious? Windy Poplars is the name of my new
     home and I love it. I also love Spook's Lane, which
     has no legal existence. It should be Trent Street
     but it is never called Trent Street... It's dusk
     dearest. (In passing, isn't 'dusk' a lovely word? I
     like it better than twilight. It sounds so velvety
     and shadowy and...and...dusky.) In daylight I
     belong to the world...in the night to sleep and
     eternity. But in the dusk I'm free from both and
     belong only to myself...and you. (3)

     I wended my way to the graveyard this evening, Anne wrote to Gilbert... I
     think 'wend your way' is a lovely phrase and I try to work it in whenever I
     can. (51)
I'm so glad to see that Anne has yet to lose her fascination with words, nor her imaginative beliefs! Anne is Anne is Anne...and I'm always thrilled with that knowledge as I read each of these books. She becomes so familiar and well-known at the start and never loses that appeal...at least to me! (And, in case you're wondering, like Anne, I also try to use certain favorite words or phrases whenever possible!)

The first person she and Mrs. Lynde meet in town is Mrs. Braddock who immediately warns her of the "Royal family":
     ...a third cousin of theirs applied for the Principalship and they all think he
     should have got it. When your application was accepted the whole kit and
     kaboodle of them threw back their heads and howled. Well, people are like
     that. We have to take them as we find them, you know. They'll be as smooth
     as cream to you but they'll work against you every time. I'm not wanting to
     discourage you, but forewarned is forearmed. I hope you'll make good just
     to spite them. (6)
Ah, that good ol' two-faced business--nice to your face, nasty behind your back! I was once told by a minister's wife that she had learned, the first church members who fall all over themselves to ingratiate you and praise you upon your arrival in a new church, are typically the first to stab you in the back, much as the Pringles are known to be. So very sad, "that's what," as Mrs. Lynde would say! But I loved Mrs. Braddock for telling Anne in a most factual and positive way without lowering herself to the Pringles' level of snide hypocrisy!

Anne lucks out by beating the new banker in town to the "tower room" at Windy Poplars and lives with the two widows and Rebecca Dew, of whom she writes to Gilbert,
     You can't separate those names, Gilbert. It's impossible...though the
     widows do it. They call her Rebecca when they speak to her. I don't know
     how they manage it. (10)
And the way Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty (everyone calls them 'aunt'!) use reverse psychology with Rebecca Dew is hysterical! First to get her to agree to take Anne as a boarder and then to keep Dusty Miller living with them! So funny!

     No matter how often and long I'm away from [Green Gables], the minute a
     vacation comes I'm part of it again as if I have never been away, and my
     heart is torn over leaving it. But I know I'll like it here. And it likes me. I
     always know whether a house likes me or not. (12)
Fanciful Anne! Knowing whether a house likes her or not! :) We learn much about Anne's life during these three years through the letters she writes to Gilbert, as well as narrative. I typically love epistolary novels (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows always comes to mind as a beautiful example.) I so enjoyed imagining Gilbert's reactions as he read Anne's long letters!

Regarding her trials and tribulations with the Pringles:
     School has been 'keeping' for two weeks now and I've got things pretty well
     organized. But Mrs. Braddock was right...the Pringles are my problem. And
     as yet I don't see exactly how I'm going to solve it in spite of my lucky
     clovers. ...they are as smooth as cream, and as slippery.

     My room is full of Pringles and a good many students who bear another
     name have Pringle blood in them. The ring-leader of them seems to be Jen
     Pringle, a green-eyed bantling who looks as Becky Sharp must have looked
     at fourteen. I believe she is deliberately organizing a subtle campaign of
     insubordination and disrespect, with which I am going to find it hard to cope.
     (17) [Confession: I had to google Becky Sharp, having never read Vanity
              Fair!]
But just as Anne believes she has lost this 'war,' as so often happens with her, she lucks out and gains some valuable historical information pertinent to the Pringles that salvages her relationship with them, being accepted by all of them, making her secure in her three-year contract as principal and much happier since she admits that she still can't stand not to be 'liked' by everyone, just as she felt as a child. Interestingly, as I read this I thought of a person who told me their goal in life was to "make everyone love me." This made me uneasy, because it is so unrealistic, not everyone will love any one person, so while you can hopefully establish respectful relationships with most people you encounter, it is impossible to make each person love or even like you. But I assume that Anne was referring to the ability to establish effective and respectful relationships, at least I am making that my interpretation of her desire. :)

One of the main themes of all the Green Gables books I've read thus far is the idea of Anne simply trying to be the best person she can be, even when meddling into other peoples' lives and affairs, and these actions turning out to save her in many ways. For example, her private nurturing of Sophy Sinclair's desire and talent to act, thereby thwarting Jen Pringle, the lead actress in the High School play , when she claimed to be sick the day of the performance, hoping to destroy any hope of Anne's success as the faculty sponsor of the event. This allowed Sophy to stand in and experience success which lead her to become a very successful actress as an adult, and saving Anne from defeat! Anne's persistence to get to know and like Katherine which led the woman to change careers and find happiness she had never hoped to discover within herself.

Perhaps the two most poignant stories of all in this book: Little Elizabeth's hope that her father would rescue her from life with her Grandmother and The Woman, and that bit of magic as Lewis and Anne deliver Little Fellow's picture to his father, altering his life perspective for the better! And finally, perhaps the funniest and most realistic to me, her part in the Hazel and Terry marriage debacle, or so it seemed... Anne's life continues to contain one adventure after another, as she puts herself 'out there' in society and tries to 'do good' for others as much as she is able...

I believe this may well be my second favorite book of this series so far, after the first book, Anne of Green Gables. How about your favorite(s) within this series? And if you haven't read them, you really should. In my opinion this is classic/children's literature at it's best! 

Anne goes to college and receives more than just a degree!

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

Join me for the third installment in the Green Gables Read-Along hosted by Reeder Reads! Although this was not my favorite book in this series thus far, I keep loving Monthgomery's writing! Perhaps it is just the stage of life in which we find Anne--college student fielding marriage proposals, rather momentous and life-altering. I was initially thrilled that Anne and Gilbert were going to be able to attend college at the same time, but that didn't quite work out the way I thought it might... And this cover did not, in my opinion, accurately reflect this book's story. But the series overall is amazing!!

So many truisms by which to live life in these books: 

     ...she was richer in those dreams than in
     realities; for things seen pass away, but 
     the things that are unseen are eternal. 
     (9)

Anne and Priscilla discuss their adjustment to college and Redmond:

     Anne: I'm thankful that neither Mrs. Lynde nor Mrs. Elisha Wright know, or 
     ever will know, my state of mind at present. They would exult in saying 'I 
     told you so,' and be convinced it was the beginning of the end. Whereas it is 
     just the end of the beginning.

     Priscilla: Exactly. That sounds more Anneish. In a little while we'll be 
     acclimated and acquainted, and all will be well. (25)

I admit to being rather surprised at Montgomery making fun of the Sloanes:

     And oh, if only that dismal rain would stop pouring down as if the whole world 
     were weeping over summer vanished and joys departed! Even Gilbert's 
     presence brought her no comfort, for Charlie Sloane was there, too, and 
     Sloanishness could be tolerated only in fine weather. It was absolutely 
     insufferable in rain. (18)

And Priscilla, when Miss Ada asked her (in a reproachful way!) why she had allowed her prized cushion to be sat upon: 

     I told her I hadn't--that it was a matter of predestination coupled with 
     inveterate Sloanishness and I wasn't a match for both combined. (44)

Admittedly, I despise making fun of people for things they cannot help, but the repeated use of the term "Sloanishnessness" does make me chuckle! Although...poor Charlie!

I was so happy that Gilbert was "Big Man on Campus" and desired by all the girls! High time he got the attention and adoration he deserved! Besides being a top scholar, he was elected Captain of the Football Team!

I had to chuckle at Rachel's wish that Anne would never travel to "The States":

     ...The way girls roam over the earth now is something terrible. It always 
     makes me think of Satan in the Book of Job, going to and fro and walking up 
     and down. I don't believe the Lord ever intended it, that's what. (41)

Aaaahhhh...Mrs. Lynde's "that's what" makes me smile every time! How quaint and precious!

Philippa ("Phil") is quite the character. Again, I love how Montgomery introduces new characters in each book, and each of them adds so much! In discussing a walk in the park with Anne, Priscilla, Gilbert, and Charlie:

        "But," said Philippa dolefully, "if I go I'll have to be gooseberry and that will 
     be a new experience for Philippa Gordon.
        "Well, new experiences are broadening. Come along, and you'll be able to 
     sympathize with all poor souls who have to play gooseberry often. But where 
     are all the victims?"
        "Oh, I was tired of them all and simply couldn't be bothered with any of 
     them today. Besides, I've been feeling a little blue--just a pale, elusive azure. 
     It isn't serious enough for anything darker." (43)

Hah! Montgomery's language kills me! The descriptive color of her mood and "victims" rather than admirers or boyfriends! It all makes me chuckle and laugh!

One of the scenes I liked best in this book was Davy's conscience punishing him more than anything else could after he leads Dora astray into truancy from church and Sunday School one fine Sunday morning:

        "What's my conscience? I want to know."
        "It's something in you, Davy, that always tells you when you are doing 
     wrong and makes you unhappy if you persist in doing it. Haven't you 
     noticed that?"
        "Yes, but I didn't know what it was. I wish I didn't have it. I'd have lots 
     more fun. Where is my conscience, Anne? I want to know. Is it in my 
     stomach?"
        "No, it's in your soul," answered Anne, thankful for the darkness since 
     gravity must be preserved in serious matters.
        "I s'pose I can't get clear of it then, said Davy with a sigh. (101)

I adore Davy's honesty and openness! And his "I want to know"! And don't we all, especially when we're young...

As Ruby describes her regrets of a ruined friendship over something petty and now seemingly so "silly," I am once again struck by Montgomery's recurrent theme of misunderstandings and/or lack of communication ripping people apart from each other. I admired Anne's loyalty and devotion to her dying friend; that is difficult to do at any time of life, but especially when you're so young... 

        "All life's lessons are not learned at college. Life teaches them
     everywhere." (111)

Although Anne took her education very seriously and studied hard, she also realized that everyday life offered much learning in and of itself! One such example was Diana's well-meaning use of Anne's story to advertise Rollings Reliable, earning Anne some money by editing, commercializing, and submitting her first short story in a publishing contest. Again, Anne is impressive in her maturity, squelching her shock that Diana had done this without her knowledge, though grateful for the money! And Gilbert proves his practicality:

     "...One would rather write masterpieces of literature no doubt--but 
     meanwhile board and tuition fees have to be paid."
        This commonsense, matter of fact view of the case cheered Anne a little. 
     At least it removed her dread of being laughed at, though the deeper hurt of 
     an outraged ideal remained. (115)

And we know how idealistic Anne can be! 

Sharing my home with five felines, I was appalled at Phil's attempt to kill the kitty that followed Anne home! How awful! But he became "Rusty" and acclimated to Sarah-cat and Joseph, making it a three-kitty household. :) Of them Aunt Jamesina says:

        "Let them fight it out. ... They'll make friends after a bit." (125)

And they did, once Sarah-cat put Rusty in his place "with one contemptuous sweep of her capable paw" and he and Joseph became best buds!

I was gratified that Anne was able to connect to some degree with her own parents, speaking with someone who had known them. As she stated:

        "This has been the most beautiful day of my life. ... I've found my father 
     and mother. Those letters have made them real to me. I'm not an orphan 
     any longer. I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday, 
     sweet and beloved, between its leaves." (147)

Having never met my own father, and having recently acquired part of a letter he wrote many years ago, I could relate to this. And yet, as Marilla contemplates her life:

     ...the coming of Anne--the vivid, imaginative, impetuous child with her 
     heart of love, and her world of fancy, bringing with her color and warmth 
     and radiance, until the wilderness of existence had blossomed like the rose. 
     Marilla felt that out of her sixty years she had lived only the nine that had 
     followed the advent of Anne. (148)

This passage brings tears to my eyes each time I read it. Anne could never fully realize just how much love and happiness she had brought to Matthew and Marilla, much as any child does for any parent...

Regarding Gilbert:

        "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (238)

        The rose of love made the blossom of friendship pale and scentless by 
     contrast. (240)

        "I don't want sunbursts and marble halls. I just want you. You see I'm 
     quite as shameless as Phil about it. Sunbursts and marble halls may be all 
     very well, but there is 'scope for the imagination' without them. And as for 
     the waiting, that doesn't matter. We'll just be happy. Waiting and working 
     for each other--and dreaming. Oh, dreams will be very sweet now." (243)

This was the outcome for which I had hoped...

What is your reaction to this third book in the Green Gables series? Join us in this Reeder Reads read-along! I do believe L.M. Montgomery to be one of my absolute favorite writers EVER!!

Schoolmarm, surrogate mother, and village improver by age 16!

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

This second book in the series is just as enjoyable as the first! I love an author who can successfully introduce new characters and expand the plot with each series installment, and Montgomery does just that. New loves, old loves, reunited loves, old neighbors, new neighbors, new house partners, and...a whole new adventure for Anne! At beginning and end!

I never cease to be amazed by the short childhoods--adult roles when only 13, 14, 15, or 16! I still can't imagine that! Though I do realize times were different, lifespans shorter, etc., but this makes me more aware of the extremely long childhood we have now.

As a former schoolteacher, I can fully realize Anne's idealistic ambitions regarding discipline and guidance to her students. And, overall, I do agree with her philosophy, but as she learns, there are some students for whom kindness and a respectful role model are just not enough to earn their respect and cooperation! Though the event with Anthony Pye represents nothing so much to her as a true lapse of her underlying pedagogy and an action never to be repeated, it did however, change Anthony's assessment of her permanently--in a good way! It does provide an opportunity for Mrs. Allan to philosophize with Anne later: 
  "Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should 
regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into 
the future with us. (page 130)
Definitely words to live by! Objectively, Anne realizes that her students taught her much more the she taught them, "lessons of tenderness, self control, innocent wisdom, lore of childish hearts." (page 253) Isn't that so true? If we pay attention we can learn so much!!

Perhaps one of the most poignant and interesting themes is the demonstration of neighbor helping neighbor, even to the point of allowing another person to live in our own home with you when they would otherwise be homeless. I do realize that unlike now, people living in these villages were quite isolated, hence they must help each other or watch "neighbors" suffer. However, even given that, Marilla's kindness and generosity is, to me, unlimited and ever amazing. I am so glad Anne was the type person to willingly sacrifice for Marilla's health and well-being, for Marilla is certainly very deserving of such consideration in return! And in the end, it has afforded Anne further possibilities for development, beyond what she might have imagined possible in the recent past!

There were several "Stephanie Plum" moments in this book. (Yes, I do love the Evanovich series!) They definitely made me laugh out loud! (1) Anne is thoroughly vexed when she sees her jersey cow, Dolly, out in the middle of Mr. Harrison's "field of late oats" yet once again! She and Diana wade out into the field, getting all muddy in the process, and on impulse Anne sells Dolly outright to Mr. Shearer as he drives past on the road. Only one hitch...the just-sold jersey cow was actually Mr. Harrison's own, for as Anne checked once she reached home, Dolly was out in her pen right where she belonged the whole time! But Anne works out a trade with Mr. Harrison and all parties are satisfied. (I think the cake she delivers to him helps soften him up a bit!) (2) Anne is in no mood for silliness on the day she teaches with a severe toothache and insists upon forcing a student to place an otherwise innocent-looking package into the stove in the middle of the school house...let's just say "fireworks ensued"... ;)  (3) Little did Anne know that borrowing a platter would end up with her literally stuck in a roof, as the rain poured down and she waited for help! Now THAT was funny! :)

Davy and Dora add much to Marilla and Anne's lives; much frustration on occasion, at least with Davy's mischievousness! 
  With all his faults he's really a dear little chap. I can't help loving him, 
Marilla, it may be a dreadful thing to say, but honestly, I like Davy better 
than Dora, for all she's so good."
  I don't know but that I do, myself," confessed Marilla, "and it isn't fair, for 
Dora isn't a bit of trouble. There couldn't be a better child and you'd hardly 
know she was in the house."
  "Dora is too good," said Anne. "She'd behave just as well if there wasn't a 
soul to tell her what to do. She was born already brought up, so she doesn't 
need us; and I think," concluded Anne, hitting on a very vital truth, "that we 
always love best the people who need us. Davy needs us badly." 
  "He certainly needs something," agreed Marilla. "Rachel Lynde would say it 
was a good spanking." (page 82-83)

However, Anne inadvertently proffers a good motivation to Davy--to be as good as Paul Irving--the student with whom she most closely identifies and her one truly "kindred spirit" among all the school children. Paul has an imagination similar to Anne's, particularly when she was his age, whereas Davy is a very literal fellow. But that does not deter Davy from trying to be Anne's favorite or to at least measure up to Paul! Anne and Davy discuss the fact that it is "very bad indeed" to tell "whoppers," uhm...I mean "falsehoods"!
  "Then," said Davy decidedly, "Marilla is bad, for she tells them. And she's 
worse'n me, for I didn't know it was wrong, but she does."
  "Davy Keith, Marilla never told a story in her life," said Anne indignantly. 
  "She did so. She told me last Tuesday that something dreadful would
happen to me if I didn't say my prayers every night. And I haven't said them 
for over a week, just to see what would happen...and nothing has," 
concluded Davy in an aggrieved tone.
  Anne choked back a mad desire to laugh with the conviction that it would   
be fatal, and then earnestly set about saving Marilla's reputation.
  "Why, Davy Keith,' she said solemnly, "something dreadful has happened 
to you this very day."
  Davy looked skeptical. "I s'pose you mean being sent to bed without any supper," he said scornfully, "but that isn't dreadful. Course I don't like it, but 
I've been sent to bed so much since I come here that I'm getting used to it. And you don't save anything by making me go without supper either, for I always eat twice as much for breakfast." (pages 80-81)
I felt as if I should stifle my own laughter as I read this passage! There are many times during the years of parenting my own three sons that I experienced just such situations, and actually sometimes I did laugh...just because!! The children's comments were so honest and heartfelt, and the logic at times so literal and therefore seemingly skewed! :)

One thing I can always appreciate about Anne is that she doesn't really gossip. As with her knowledge of Judson Parker's underhanded behavior in selling his vote; I believe she is correct when she says she would have never said a word to anyone else. Now that I can respect! 

There are two relationships revealed in this book that were split asunder due to wounded pride, anger, and holding grudges. Thankfully, these couples were reunited, but, as Gilbert states,   
  "...wouldn't it have been more beautiful...if there had been no separation or misunderstanding...if they had come hand in hand all the way through life, with no memories behind them but those which belonged to each other?" 
  For a moment Anne's heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert's gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways..."  (page 276)   

Gilbert "had made up his mind...that his future must be worthy of his goddess...he meant to keep himself worthy of Anne's friendship and perhaps some distant day, her love..." (page 168)                                
That Gilbert is a woman's dream come true, is he not? Anne deserves such pure devotion, in my opinion! 

Have you read this second book in the Green Gables series? I am so glad I joined the Green Gables Read-Along! Join us!