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    Anne Of Green Gables
    Anne Of Green Gables
    Anne Of Green Gables
    Audiobook10 hours

    Anne Of Green Gables

    Written by Lucy Maud Montgomery

    Narrated by Laurie Klein

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables had no intention of adopting the talkative, mischievous, red-headed girl the orphanage in Nova Scotia sent by mistake. What they wanted was a sturdy, sensible boy to help with the chores. Instead, they got eleven year-old Anne Shirley, whose capacity for adventure was only matched by her bright spirit and love of life. Still, there was something about the little girl that gave them second thoughts. She was keen of wit with a scintillating effervescence that was purely captivating. Just perhaps...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBooks in Motion
    Release dateFeb 15, 2000
    ISBN9781596077324
    Author

    Lucy Maud Montgomery

    Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1874 and raised by her maternal grandparents following her mother's death when she was just two years old. Biographical accounts of her upbringing suggest a strict and rather lonely childhood. She later spent a number of years working as a teacher before turning to journalism and then, ultimately to fiction writing. While Anne of Green Gables was completed in 1905 Montgomery was at first unable to find a publisher for it and - having set it aside for a while - eventually found a champion for it in the Page Company of Boston. Her first novel - and the one which was to prove by far her most successful - was published in 1908 and has remained in print the world over ever since. In creating the uniquely memorable Anne, Montgomery gave the world of classic fiction one of its most enduring heroines.

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    Reviews for Anne Of Green Gables

    4.5/5

    5,985 ratings267 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Anne is sent, by mistake, to an elderly brother and sister who want a strong boy to help them. Anne is a delightful dreamy chatterbox who soon makes friends. The book charts her teenage years, and is very moving in places. Excellent, for adults as well as teenagers and children.
    • 5/5
      I just love this edition. It is so pretty and ofcourse the story is fantastic . Very well written. I admit I have never read the other books but I have to get my hands on the others.
    • 2/5
      First time I'd read this, having somehow missed it as a child. I can see why it works, it's a sweet tale of a girl worming her way into the hearts of those around her. But, dear me, Anne talks and talks and talks and it's about nothing at all in particular. She has a vivid imagination, but it;s not terribly to much point and I found her somewhat tedious. I don't feel I missed much not reading this d=sooner.
    • 5/5
      i enjoyed reading Anne of green gables it's a great book & i would like to re-read it again
    • 5/5
      I adore this book (and others by LM Montgomery) as much as the next girl... but I have to say I particularly love the way she describes the countryside of P.E.I. I find it as engaging as the human story.
    • 5/5
      I can't believe I never read this book growing up! I want to go back in time and live there and grow up like Anne and her friends did. From start to finish I was hooked.
    • 4/5
      Thoroughly delightful.
    • 5/5
      It had been several years since I last read this, so it was wonderful to revisit the first Anne book. It was just as magical as I remembered. : - )
    • 4/5
      Well, now I feel I finally lived up to my name. As Anne from the book describes, you can often tell whether people are spelling your name with an "e" just by the way they say it. I think all Ann"e"s can relate. Besides this, I'm amazed that this book was written in 1908. Yes, the language is dated and sometimes not politically sensitive, but the themes of the book carry amazingly into today's very different world (though I did find myself nostalgic for some of the simplicities of life, but not the hardships and limitations). Overall, I'm very glad I finally spent this time with my literary namesake, though don't think I need to read the 6 sequels.
    • 4/5
      I had a much harder time enjoying this as an adult than I did when I first read it. When you have grown out of the perspective that children, in having imaginations, know much more about what is truly important than adults, you find it harder to enjoy Anne's chatter, and unfortunately I didn't find the adult characters fleshed out as well. They largely seem to be based on stereotypes, and it gets rather annoying to hear almost every chapter end with either Marilla or Rachel saying something about how Anne never stops talking.And yet, somehow, this book is still endearing, in spite of its predictability, repetition, and frequent overt moralising. Perhaps it is because the adults, while stereotyped, represent archetypes that still exist today. Or, perhaps it is because we can all remember some bad experience as a schoolchild that makes us sympathise with Anne. I wish this book were a bit more polished so that I could enjoy it as much now as I did when I was younger, but I can still appreciate its appeal to "tween"-aged children. The language is certainly more varied than most modern books targeted at that age, so I would still recommend it as worthy reading for the appropriate age group.
    • 4/5
      “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”Anne of Green Gables was written in 1908 yet the magic of this childhood classic continues to charm readers over 100 years later. Even at 28 years old, Anne managed to charm me. Yes, this is actually my first real read of Anne of Green Gables. I read The Secret Garden and Little House on the Prairie but somehow managed to miss out on the story of Anne, a spunky, chatterbox of a redhead with a knack for getting into trouble. I have no doubt I would have adored her then as I still managed to do so now.Anne’s story is a simple one but full of heart. She was living in an orphanage for many years before she was finally put on a train and sent to Prince Edward Island where she was requested to assist Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, a brother and sister that lived on a farm in Avonlea. Immediately upon her arrival, she finds out that the duo had actually required a boy and that she wasn’t needed and would be sent back to the orphanage. She becomes determined to win them over so as to not be sent back, and succeed she did. Matthew was instantly enamored by this interesting child but Marilla was much more stubborn.“It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”Anne is clearly the protagonist of the novel, however, I found myself paying a lot of attention to Marilla and the transformation that she undergoes throughout the novel because of Anne’s presence. Anne grows up and matures as any child is expected to do but Marilla is truly the one that changes, and definitely for the best. Marilla is a stern woman who sets out to teach Anne how to be a proper young lady and not to be so fanciful all the time yet it’s that fanciful nature of hers that slowly breaks down Marilla’s harsh demeanor. It’s a gradual breakdown but by the end of the novel she is able to admit to her love of Anne, how proud she is of her and how happy she is that she came into their lives. It was truly touching to not only see the benefit to Anne because Marilla and Matthew chose to take her in but how she in turn equally changed their lives.Details of Montgomery’s early life reveal that she was the inspiration for her character Anne. Montgomery’s mother died when she was just 21 months old from tuberculosis and her father sent her away to live with her elderly grandparents who resided in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Their manner of raising her was strict, such as Marilla’s manner was at first, yet their demeanor never lightened in the time she lived with them. The story of Anne is clearly how Montgomery wished things could have been for her yet despite her difficult childhood, one good thing clearly came out of it for Anne would have never existed without her experiences.
    • 5/5
      When I told my mom that I had decided to start reading Anne of Green Gables the other week she said, ?You haven?t read that yet?? ?What? I saw the movie,? I replied. But when I finished this book the other day, the first thing I told my fiance was, ?I can?t believe I hadn?t read this!?I had always liked the movie, and whenever PBS aired it I would automatically tune in to watch, no matter how late I came into it. As a kid, I never realized there was already a book about Anne Shirley, and as I grew older I looked for new stories, instead of reliving ones I already knew. However, now that I?ve read the first in the Anne (spelled with an ?e?) series, I know I?ll have to read them all. There are two things that have hooked me to these novels: Anne?s undying and unsurpassed spirit, and the language that flows through the pages and sticks in my head. I?ve found myself thinking in Anne?s terms, using ?big words? and colorful adjectives, and dreaming about beautiful places.Lucky for Anne, however, she didn?t have to use her imagination to dream up nature at its finest (although should could have without even trying). Prince Edward?s Island, the setting of Avonlea and our story, is described as one of the most beautiful places I can imagine; trees blossom around every corner and flowery scents pervade the air. Of course, Anne grew up in the early 1900s, and that is probably one of the reasons L.M. Montgomery could describe such beauty. Had she tried to place Anne in a new home today, the poor girl would have had to use a whole lot more imagination. This story really made me look around our city and realize that nature is basically what we have in between the strip malls and highways. We have just enough trees to give us a little bit of color, but nothing that would make you stop and take notice, just for its beauty. It makes me want to take a long vacation in some remote part of the world that?s been untouched by human hands.Anne of Green Gables tells the story of an orphan who is adopted (unwillingly at first) by an older brother and sister who want help on their farm. Anne is nothing short of a surprise on all accounts, from her red hair (and temper to match) to her constant story-tellings and imaginings. She isn?t the dependable boy the Cuthberts had planned on adopting, but Anne?s vivacity and gratitude for the home she never thought she?d have win over not just her benefactors, but the entire town. Anne is unlike anyone in Avonlea has ever met, and this not only causes her to get into a few scrapes, but catapults her into their hearts. It doesn?t matter if you?re 12 or 50, Anne?s spirit will win you over, and the language Montgomery uses will transport you into her world.5 out of 5 stars for being one of the best books I have read in a long time, and for making me want to read it again and again in the years to come.
    • 5/5
      It makes you laugh and cry.
    • 4/5
      This was a fun read. I have always been interested in reading any of the Anne books because I am such a fan of the movies that were produced with Megan Follow in them. I went in with the knowledge that they may be different from each other, but I left this book being more charmed than I intended to be. I could feel the progression of Anne developing in the characterization of Montgomery in a way that I haven't felt in many other books. I knew she was growing up as I noticed subtle slight changes. It made me appreciate what a gifted writer is capable of doing if they put their mind to it.
    • 5/5
      Anne (with an ‘e’ of course) Shirley starts out as a mistake. The elderly Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert had planned on adopting a boy to help Matthew with the chores on their Prince Edward Island farm. What are they to do with the red-haired, high-spirited girl who arrives instead? This is a great children series especially for little girls. I loved Anne's spirit, her imagination and her adventures. She would be a great friend and a fun playmate. Highly recommended and a great look at life on Prince Edward Island. A must classic read for young and old.
    • 4/5
      I feel somewhat hypocritical as I wield my stars, since I docked Little Women a star for being very 19th century, and here is a 1908 story of a girl who chooses a fairly conventional path. But there's something about Anne Shirley... I find myself quoting her when something goes awry: "I never make the same mistake twice." I think it's very wise to pack all your mistakes into your youth when everyone around you is filled with indulgence and forgiveness :)
    • 5/5
      Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert adopt Anne because they need some help around the house. Marilla is sure she’s going to be a handful, but Matthew finds himself wrapped around Anne’s finger from the first time they meet. Anne is an incredibly sweet and thoughtful girl, but she’s also a daydreamer which can lead her into trouble. It seems that whether or not Montgomery intended it, she wrote Anne as a perfect example of a girl with ADHD. This is the first book in the Anne/Avonlea series and follows Anne until she graduates from school. It is a tender little book and one I am very glad I finally read.
    • 5/5
      April 2009 Church of the Cross Book Club selection.

      The first of my favorite series of books; I come back to them again and again. This is my comfort food book. Previously read October 2006 and many times before that.
    • 4/5
      Finally getting around to reading this classic, I enjoyed it immensely. The sweet story of an orphan girl adopted by mistake by a old maid sister and brother. Her wild chatter, imagination, and mischief both try and delight the old couple. The ugly little duckling of a girl turns out to be a beautiful swan of a woman. She excels in her educational goals and gives up glory to willingly and lovingly take care of a loved one in the end. Though, she still knows her goals will be met eventually and there's a hint that she's finding the love of her life too.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully illustrated re-release of this timeless story. I read the story for myself years ago, then to my daughter, and now to my granddaughter. It still thrills and will never get old. The redesigned books larger format, nice clearer print and almost 3D type cover picture is sure to be treasured for generations to come.
    • 4/5
      This was a fun read. I have always been interested in reading any of the Anne books because I am such a fan of the movies that were produced with Megan Follow in them. I went in with the knowledge that they may be different from each other, but I left this book being more charmed than I intended to be. I could feel the progression of Anne developing in the characterization of Montgomery in a way that I haven't felt in many other books. I knew she was growing up as I noticed subtle slight changes. It made me appreciate what a gifted writer is capable of doing if they put their mind to it.
    • 5/5
      A walk back into my youth.
    • 5/5
      A most delightful tale of the most admirable Anne of Green Gables. I definitely want to hear of the Anne of Avonlea...
    • 4/5
      I feel somewhat hypocritical as I wield my stars, since I docked Little Women a star for being very 19th century, and here is a 1908 story of a girl who chooses a fairly conventional path. But there's something about Anne Shirley... I find myself quoting her when something goes awry: "I never make the same mistake twice." I think it's very wise to pack all your mistakes into your youth when everyone around you is filled with indulgence and forgiveness :)
    • 5/5
      Anne is a very charming and intelligent creature. It's fun to see her live and grow in the beautiful, rural landscape.
    • 4/5
      I know several people who consider this book to be a childhood favorite, my own mother being one of them. In fact, she gave me this copy of the novel several years ago and I let it languish on my shelves until now. I certainly understand why people cherish it so much. Precocious and spunky Anne is charming (even though she talks too much); I adored her imagination. We probably would have been kindred spirits had I read this book back when my mom first recommended it.Overall, this coming of age story is quite sweet. Anne learns the true meaning of friendship, how to accept her looks (after dying her hair green!), and grows as a student. Her education takes the forefront of this story, especially at the end, and she becomes quite the grown-up in 373 pages. I would have slightly preferred spending more time in Anne?s imagination than reading about her studying for college examination, but I guess all little girls must grow up. Lucky for me, Montgomery?s novel is here to remind me of life as an imaginative child.
    • 5/5
      Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908, is a classic known the world around for its irrepressible, lovable heroine and great good humor. In Anne, L. M. Montgomery has created one of those iconic, inimitable literary characters who take on a life outside their stories. It is my all-time favorite comfort read, a book I nearly memorized as a child because I revisited it so often. I remember how rich I felt when my mother gave me the complete set. When the brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a boy to help with the chores, Anne Shirley is sent to them by mistake. They decide to keep her, to her great joy, and soon learn that Anne is not like other children. As an orphan thrown on charity, she has sustained her dreary existence with a strange dream-life, comforting herself with the fancies of her mobile imagination. She is a passionate lover of beauty and romance, but that doesn't prevent her from getting into the most embarrassing and ridiculous scrapes. Anne manages to set her best friend drunk, dye her hated red hair green, flavor a cake with anodyne liniment instead of vanilla, and commit many other mistakes that make Marilla despair of her — and all with the most innocent intentions! But though this is a very funny book, that isn't all it is. Books with only humor to recommend them don't inspire the kind of lifelong love Anne fans have for the series. Montgomery's characterizations are one of the main strengths of the book. Characters like officious Mrs. Rachel Lynde, repressed Marilla, shy Matthew — even minor characters like severe Mrs. Barry and coquettish Ruby Gillis — are drawn with such skill. Montgomery lets her characters be themselves, even if that means that sympathetic characters are foolish, prejudiced, or ridiculous at times. Avonlea may seem idyllic with its homey, warm atmosphere, but its people are not perfect by any stretch. They gossip, argue, backbite, act selfishly and self-righteously, and in general behave like people everywhere else. This is a far cry from the type of children's fiction that paints all adults as wise, understanding beings. Oh no! The people in Avonlea are shown with all their flaws, often through the medium of Mrs. Lynde's busy tongue. And what delightful speeches Montgomery gives her characters! Each has a distinct voice, and Anne especially is wonderful. Much of the story is told through the characters' speeches. This gives us a feel for the context of the community; often the characters will discuss people we never see except when they are mentioned in the gossipy dialogue. And that's completely natural for this kind of story. It never becomes cumbersome with all the names, places, and histories that are related. They fade together into a complete and rounded backdrop for the main characters. What keeps Anne from becoming an irrelevant, impossible goody-two-shoes is her humor and Montgomery's brilliant, wryly hilarious narration. Flights of fancy are beloved and the land of faerie certainly receives its due, but Montgomery keeps her story grounded by her keen eye for all that is funny in people. And there is plenty of it. This is one of the bigger themes of the story, the tension between the romance of poetry and the humdrum, unpoetical events of everyday life. As Anne says after her lily-maid adventure comes to a soggy end, "I have come to the conclusion that it is no use trying to be romantic in Avonlea. It was probably easy enough in towered Camelot hundreds of years ago, but romance is not appreciated now" (p. 227). Much of the humor also comes from Montgomery's many literary and biblical allusions, some of which I am just now understanding. The author's love for Prince Edward Island is evident in the lovely nature descriptions that grace each chapter. Some people complain of these frequent descriptions, but I love them. They are probably responsible for more than half of the troops of tourists that descend upon Prince Edward Island each year to visit where Montgomery lived. I would love to visit there someday and see the red roads for myself. I can't close this review without a word on Kevin Sullivan's 1985 miniseries starring Megan Follows. Megan Follows is Anne. In some parts the script is not faithful to the letter of Montgomery's books, but it certainly fulfills the spirit. The second part especially fudges and compresses many of the books' events, but I have never felt that it violates the author's intent. The same cannot be said for Kevin Sullivan's attempt at a third part, "The Continuing Story." If you haven't seen it, DON'T. Anne is time-warped into World War I, hasn't married Gilbert yet, thinks about having an affair with her publisher, and then ends up roaming Europe looking for Gilbert, who is missing. Outrage is too weak a word to describe my feelings toward this travesty, and I hear that Follows wasn't too hot on the script herself. I read somewhere online a comment from another fan, who asked if an evil alien had taken possession of Kevin Sullivan while he made this thing. No other explanation seems possible. But back to Anne — the real Anne. Thankfully, a dreadful butchery (I won't call it adaptation) like that can't touch the original. Mark Twain, that crusty old cynic, called Anne "the sweetest creation of child life yet written," and I have to agree with him. I am thankful that this is one of the books that shaped me, and I look forward to introducing Anne to my own children. I know they will love her as I do. A wonderful, wonderful book.
    • 5/5
      Orphan Anne Shirley is brought to Green Gables by mistake - brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert wanted a boy to help with the farm chores. But talkative and exasperating as she is, they decide to keep her and she goes on to charm just about everyone she meets - except for that pest, Gilbert Blythe, whom she's determined not to like. But she excels in school, makes a bosom friend in Diana Barry, and melts even Marilla's crusty exterior.I really like the Anne books and I've read the whole series through multiple times. This time, I listened to the audio made available through Audiobook Sync one summer, which is read by Colleen Winton. I didn't love her voice for Anne when she was on one of her long spells of talking (oh my goodness, did it grate after awhile) and Diana's was irritating instead of the jolly she was aiming for. I was a little surprised at how much of the book wasn't the events I remembered from the series so much as Anne's recounting of them for another character, but then the original did come out in 1908 - and all things considered, it's amazing how well the story holds up as having appeal for modern readers. 4.5 stars for the story; 3 for the audio.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure how I missed this Avonlea boat as a young person. Oh wait, I do know. But that it's taken me 40 years to discover it, I shall not despair. I will catch up soon enough! In the beginning of the book I didn't think Anne was my kind of gal. I said to myself, "I'm more of a Matilda person." Matilda is quiet and determined and observant. Yet, as happened to so many of the other characters in this book, she grew on me. I'm still not convinced that Mrs. Rachel Lynde is a "good soul," but I guess I should forgive her for being a backwards, snobby, a-hole. She was a woman of her times. I've already looked into airfare and accommodations to Prince Edward Island. It's on my bucket list.
    • 5/5
      It is nearly impossible for me to describe my absolute fondness for this book and the character of Anne, herself. She is perhaps the most relatable, lovable fictional character in my heart, and the background of Green Gables and Avonlea, charming beautiful places, so well described and romantic, I hardly need the words on the page to love it. I feel that Anne Shirley and I, are mist definitely kindred spirits.