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    Anne of Avonlea
    Anne of Avonlea
    Anne of Avonlea
    Ebook317 pages5 hours

    Anne of Avonlea

    By Lucy Maud Montgomery

    4.5/5

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    Anne, now sixteen and a schooteacher, is accepted as a member of Avonlea Society, but she finds it almost impossible to fit the traditional definition of how a young woman should behave.
    Her temper is tested in

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavenport Press
    Release dateMay 7, 2012
    ISBN9781926978154
    Author

    Lucy Maud Montgomery

    L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian author who published 20 novels and hundreds of short stories, poems, and essays. She is best known for the Anne of Green Gables series. Montgomery was born in Clifton (now New London) on Prince Edward Island on November 30, 1874. Raised by her maternal grandparents, she grew up in relative isolation and loneliness, developing her creativity with imaginary friends and dreaming of becoming a published writer. Her first book, Anne of Green Gables, was published in 1908 and was an immediate success, establishing Montgomery's career as a writer, which she continued for the remainder of her life.

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    Reviews for Anne of Avonlea

    4.5/5

    47 ratings58 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Sequel to Anne of Green GablesI love happy endings
    • 3/5
      I was completely prepared to adore this book, but I just didn't. I feel like nothing happened, which is probably why hardly any of this made the cut for the Anne of Avonlea movie. I'm still going to finish the series, and I still love Anne, but this was disappointing. Borrow it?
    • 5/5
      Continuing the tale of Anne and the people of Avonlea. At 16, Anne and her girlfriends were done school and certified to be teachers in the communities on the island. Anne continues with her fanciful ways, Marilla has taken in twins - a docile girl and spirited Davy. And Anne meets Miss Lavender, who was once engaged to a pupil's father. He's now widowed, sent his son back to PEI to be cared for by Grandma & finds out that Miss Lavender is still single - so romance happens for that lucky couple. The book ends with Anne and Gilbert preparing to leave for college.
    • 4/5
      The second in the Green Gables series. Not as good as the first, but still great. Loved it.
    • 5/5
      I couldn't possibly tell you how many times I have read and reread L.M. Montgomery's eight-book "Anne" series over the years, from the classic Anne of Green Gables, in which our red-headed heroine finds a home at the eponymous Green Gables farm of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, to the much-loved Rilla of Ingleside, which follows the story of Anne's youngest daughter during the first world war. Suffice it to say, it's been a fair few times, and every reading, I am happy to report, has strengthened my love for Montgomery's characters, and my appreciation of her work.Originally published in 1909, the year after Anne of Green Gables, this second installment of the series follows Anne through her two years as Avonlea school-teacher, and although I wouldn't say I was blind to its faults (it has a few), it has always been a favorite. There is something so delightful about Anne of Avonlea - a restful quality to it that allows me to sink into the reading experience as I would into a soft feather-bed. Perhaps because its heroine is now an established member of the Avonlea community - no longer the orphaned outsider struggling to find a place to belong - but still young enough to get into scrapes, it seems to function as a transition piece, between Anne-the-child and Anne-the-young-woman, and has all the wistful appeal that such transitions always hold for me. Yes, Davy and Dora Keith - the twin siblings that Marilla and Anne adopt - are a little annoying, and the dreamy Paul Irving can be somewhat precious, but the ups and downs of Anne's first teaching experience, the entertaining efforts of the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (A.V.I.S.) founded by Anne and her friends, the romantic tale of Miss Lavender and her long-lost beau, and Anne's own hilarious misadventures (my favorite was probably her accidental sale of Mr. Harrison's cow!), all combine to make this an immensely engaging read! I'm so happy to own a lovely vintage copy of this jewel, complete with the George Gibbs image on the cover, as Anne of Avonlea truly belongs on my "treasures" shelf!
    • 5/5
      "Anne Of Avonlea"is a great book. It is about a women(Anne) who is a teacher. She teaches all grades because she lives in older times. In the book Marilla adopts twins and Davy (the twin) is crazy. Dora is more of a serious girl. Davy causes the trouble. Dora learns to help around the house. Anne says that Davy reminds her of herself when she was little. Dora is practical and never gets in trouble. Anne likes Davy better. At one point in the story Davy locks Dora in a shed. Anne and Marilla started panicking and looking for her. They eventually found her hours later. Davy got in big trouble. Then he gets sent to his room and a hour later he broke a platter. He was not allowed to eat dinner. He said he felt bad for doing it. I hope you like the book as much as I did.
    • 4/5
      I'm really not sure why I liked this book so much. Anne should really come across as a mary-sue, she gets so close sometimes, but ultimately (at least in my mind) she dodges that particular bullet every time. I think it has to do with how many scrapes she gets into, and how many people think she's crazy. It also probably has to do with the fact that I listened to it as I went to bed, instead of reading through it; I am not sure if I could have stuck with such an optimistic character for so long if I had had to read it.

      So I must say that this book manages to balance happy optimism and realism to the greatest extent that I can remember any book I've read ever doing. I kind of wish that they still let sixteen-year-olds teach elementary schools :p
    • 3/5
      Uggh, Davy and Dora suck. Especially Davy.
    • 4/5
      The first sequel to 'Anne of Green Gables'. Anne is now 16 and begins teaching at the local school. she meets new people, affects lives positively and learns more about herself. Very moving in places, and overall an enjoyable light read.
    • 5/5
      Watching Anne grow up by degrees, I understand it better now than I would have if I'd finished reading this book the first time I started it, a good many years ago. I appreciate the beauty of it now, as well as the way Montgomery, as usual, takes you directly to Avonlea and Prince Edward Island, with all of its seasons and charms. Splendid imagery!
    • 4/5
      Audiobook read by Shelly Frasier

      In book two of the series, Anne Shirley has graduated from school and is now the only teacher in Avonlea. Only sixteen, she is barely older than many of her pupils, but she moves forward as best she can and with the confidence of youth. Many of the characters from the first book reappear, and a few new ones are introduced.

      I am late to the party in regards to this series. I never read them as a child and read Anne of Green Gables only a few years ago. But I immediately fell in love with Anne. Her enthusiasm for life and natural predilection for finding trouble continue to charm and engage readers a century later. There is not much plot, but the characters shine and their relationships are what give the books such universal appeal. The novels are enjoyable for adults and children alike.

      Shelly Frasier does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She imbues Anne with an infectious charm and is particularly delightful when voicing young Davy Keith.
    • 4/5
      Anne, now sixteen, begins her job as a schoolteacher.
    • 4/5

      I never read this series as a child, and don't know why not! I loved it; I am a kindred spirit to Anne, lol! I will read the entire series this year and see if I can find the tv series as well. What a great classic series! Now I want even more to visit Prince Edward Island in Canada - some day.
    • 5/5
      Anne of Avonlea is the second in the series, and sees Anne now teaching in the old Avonlea school. Because of Matthew's death, Anne has given up her dream of college in order to stay at Green Gables and help Marilla, whose eyesight is failing. As may be expected, Anne starts her teaching career with a great many pretty theories ? several of which are proven wrong in funny ways. Anne is sixteen in this story, so the childish high jinks are left to six-year-old Davy Keith, whom Marilla adopts along with his docile twin sister Dora after their mother's death. This is the book in which we first meet Miss Lavendar, and I'm not sure why but I never really liked her very much. Even now I can't really analyze it. I never really cared for Paul either; despite Montgomery's assurances otherwise, he always came across as something of a wimp. Charlotta the Fourth is priceless, however, and not just for her voluminous bows and funny speeches. The parts when she is in her room trying to imitate Anne are so poignant. In some ways she reminds me of a character from a very different book, Sam Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings. Both are lower-class servants who dearly love the ones they serve and have a vague, inarticulate yearning for beauty. I suppose the comparison breaks down if you take it any further, but I'm reading The Lord of the Rings at the moment and noticed that similarity. L. M. Montgomery was a minister's wife; I wonder if she wrote the character of Mrs. Allan as herself ? or perhaps who she wanted to be? I haven't delved into Montgomery's history, but from the little I do know, it seems her life was not particularly easy either. We only get hints of Mrs. Allan's worries... gossip that she dressed too prettily for a minister's wife, a "little grave" in the churchyard, another child's illness, her youth and bloom worn away, and eventually the call to Charlottetown, a bigger church with perhaps higher expectations. I wonder. Again, Montgomery does a wonderful job with her characters ? especially Anne, who remains a consistent, believable character although she is now verging on adulthood. The dialogue is excellent, the anecdotes and village gossip hilarious, and the serious parts sincere. This installment is another of my favorites in the series, and a worthy sequel.
    • 5/5
      Anne of Green Gables returns in this classic. Now she?s a school marm at age 17. Her little batch of students charm and try her by twists and turns. Toss in the recently orphaned twins Davy and Dora Keith, and Anne has her hands full indeed! She has many mishaps and whimsical adventures in this tale.This is a charming little book about Anne. While there?s no central plot to the tale (it reads more like a string of interconnected short stories), the characters really make it work. Anne is so well-meaning even if she makes mistakes and causes property damage. She always apologizes and makes amends (whether through doing repairs or paying for replacements). I especially liked Anne?s idea of the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS) and the Pye family.Anne wants everyone to love her and she strives to find a way to win the trust, love, and approval of all those around her. However, as a school marm she sometimes finds this impossible when the rascals try her sorely. Then there?s Mr. Harrison and his sailor-mouthed parrot Ginger. Davy would probably give her early grey hairs if he doesn?t learn to behave.Marilla, Anne?s adoptive guardian, is still a significant part of the story. I like her steadying hand and well-placed advice. While I did like Book 1 a little more since is was about Anne fitting into this new life, it?s so good to have Marilla be such a backbone presence in this tale.Occasionally the tale dips a toe into the preaching pond with examples of good morals and what not. It was mild but once or twice I did roll my eyes. There is one short discussion about ?injun? feathered headdresses which dates this work.Anne grows up a bit in this book. She?s working full time, has her own chores and adult friends. Then she and Marilla take on Davy and Dora. Marilla?s eyesight is failing so Anne has all the sewing to do for the household. Even though she hates sewing, she?s willing to do it to give these kids a good home, even if just temporarily.There?s busted plates, caterpillars down a shirt, frog in a bed, a cow sold accidentally, a horrendous storm, and plenty more in this tale of Anne?s young adulthood. My favorite was the parrot Ginger. He swears a lot (though we never get to hear it swear) but it provides meaningful companionship for Mr. Harrison.I received a free copy of this book.Narration: Colleen Winton was a great pick for Anne. She has that wonder and gentleness that Anne is well known for. She also does a great Marilla, being a little sour but overall well meaning. She has distinct voices for all the characters and her male character voices are quite well done too. Her little kid voices are great as well as though few for the elderly.
    • 5/5
      In Anne of Avonlea we follow Anne Shirley through the two years she spends teaching school and ends with her about to embark upon her university years. Anne?s sphere is a little wider in this book, instead of concentrating on her home, Anne is now both the teacher of Avonlea?s young, and a member of the community, taking part in many activities and events.Anne is growing up and showing signs of the mature, thoughtful woman she is to become, but, there are flashes of the old Anne where her impulsiveness and her fiery temper lead her into some terrific scrapes. Anne and Marilla open Green Gables to a pair of orphaned twins, she meets some new ?kindred? spirits to spend time with along with her much loved best friend Diana and other friends. Gilbert and Anne are enjoying their new found friendship and are growing closer as time passes. This is a delightful read encompassing the passing seasons of this peaceful rural community and although I freely admit to being biased, I highly recommend the Anne books as great comfort reads.
    • 4/5
      Lucy Maud Montgomery's
      "Anne of Avonlea"
      published first in 1909

      reading this was like visiting an old friend!
      the warmth and delight of discovering
      impetuous red-haired Anne
      as a child in "Anne of Green Gables"
      now developed charmingly
      through two years of her teen life
      as her adventures are enlarged to include
      the rural Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea...

      " an August afternoon with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard was fitter for dreams than dead languages."

      postponing her 17th birthday from the
      vagaries of March in favour of a spring picnic with her friends,
      the walk through vales and lanes spanning bridges and brooks
      provides picturesque settings for their talk
      that soon takes a 'heavenly' turn ~

      "Minnie May asked me the other day if we would wear our best dresses
      every day in heaven," laughed Diana.
      "And didn't you tell her we would?" asked Anne.
      "Mercy, no! I told her we wouldn't be thinkng of dresses at all there."
      "oh, I think we will ... a little," said Anne earnestly.
      "There'll be plenty of time in all eternity for it without neglecting more important things. I believe we'll all wear beautiful dresses...or I suppose raiment would be a more suitable way of speaking.
      I shall want to wear pink for a few centuries at first...
      it would take me that long to get tired of it,
      I feel sure.
      I do love pink so and I can never wear it in this world."

      Anne's role as local school teacher providing
      vivid depictions of student and parent personalities,
      scrapes of all kinds and disciplinary reactions
      had me rolling with laughter!
      the unexpected arrival of 6 year old twins
      into her life when their mother dies
      introduces comedic routine on a daily basis.

      "If I'm as good as good can be all day tomorrow
      will you let me be just as bad as I like all the next day?" asked Davy.
      little Davy's propensity for trouble
      is matched only by Anne's own.
      her wit and creativity
      in responding to their predicaments
      is unmatched!

      beautifully descriptive
      of rural life of another century
      Anne books
      offer great reading satisfaction~
      especially in light of having lived in Anne's land
      of Prince Edward Island
      and experiencing first hand
      L.M. Montgomery's
      accurate depictions of islanders 'thought'
      regarding outsiders!

      lovely opportunities for numerous
      mouthwatering tea and garden parties
      proponents of conflicting theologies
      within the same households,
      well developed characters
      and plentiful humour,
      kept me enjoyably occupied
      to the final page.

      the variety of love stories
      included
      would satisfy the
      most romantically inclined reader amongst us!

      "Gilbert wisely said nothing more;
      but in his silence he read the history of the next four years
      in the light of Anne's remembered blush..."

      tissues at hand,
      definitely recommended!

    • 5/5
      I thought I hadn't read this one before, but I had. It's as delightful as the first, and I made such happy noises at the end, with Anne and Gilbert. I wish there were a little more of Gilbert in this one, but that's my only complaint, really. That, and I miss Matthew.
    • 5/5
      I loved every minute of this book. It is a great follow-up to the classic first book.
    • 3/5
      Much preachier than I remembered. I rolled my eyes a lot.
    • 4/5
      This is quite possibly one of my favorite in the series. The others aren't nearly as dog-eared.

      I do think this book (and any other by Montgomery) are a little tough to get through if you're older than 13. Mostly because of the very fluffy and antiquated language. But I love them!
    • 4/5

      I came to this second installment in the Anne of Green Gables series with no clear memory of having read it as a child, although I'm fairly sure that I did. This means that I lack the strong emotional attachment to the book and to the series as a whole which I know is felt by many readers.

      When I recently listened to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables for the first time since my childhood, I felt engaged by the characters and by the setting. I especially responded to Marilla as she came to recognise her love for Anne and developed her ability to express that love. However, I felt less engaged by the characters in this book. In my view, there's not enough of Marilla and the teenage Anne of this book is less interesting a character than the child Anne of the first book. She still has a wonderful imagination, a poetic attachment to the landscape in which she lives and she still gets into scrapes, but Anne appears to undergo very little development until the last paragraphs of the novel. In addition, the other main child characters are not particularly satisfying: Paul seems too good to be true, Davy is irritating and Dora is rather overlooked and neglected.

      Another weakness of the novel is that whereas Anne of Green Gables had Anne's character and her development as its narrative focus, this novel seems to be much more a series of episodes strung together without a real theme. That said, one element that emerges is that of communication in relationships between women and men and the danger to happiness caused by unresolved misunderstandings. This, of course, is also a theme of the first novel, with Anne's long-standing refusal to forgive Gilbert Blythe and Marilla's tale of having rejected Gilbert's father.

      A particular disappointment for me was the narration by Laurel Merlington. Her reading is very clear, but her voice lacks warmth and softness. My unhappiness with Merlington's narration was probably increased because of my very positive reaction to Kate Burton's reading of Anne of Green Gables. As I listened, I kept feeling that I would be enjoying the book more if I were reading it. I usually count the voice of the narrator as a positive feature of the audiobook format, but not this time.

      Overall, I can appreciate how much more I would have liked the book had it been a childhood favourite. It would have had all the familiarity and comfort of visiting old and much-loved friends. This felt a bit like visiting acquaintances after a very long interval and not being totally sure the visit was a good idea.

      I don't want to give the impression that my less than totally favourable reaction to this book means that I don't want to read the the rest of the series. I've become attached enough to Avonlea and its inhabitants to want to know what happens next. If I choose an audiobook next time, I'll make sure it's narrated by a kindred spirit with a warm and pleasant voice.

      For me, this was a 3-1/2 star read.
    • 4/5
      I remember liking Anne of Avonlea immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent reread (for a group discussion of the book), I enjoyed most of the story as much as I did then, especially the anecdotes about the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS). But even more than the AVIS anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading about both Paul Irving and Lavendar Lewis (two characters to whom I did not really feel drawn when I originally read the novel).However, I did find myself having major problems universally liking the character of Davy Keith. And it is not Davy's mischievous nature that I find problematic, but the fact that he is so often deliberately cruel to his twin sister. Not only that, but I find that Dora is more often than not ignored or denigrated by almost everyone from Anne to even Mrs. Lynde and all simply because she is a quiet, unobtrusive child and must therefore also be monotonous. When one remembers what Anne's own childhood was like, and how she was both emotionally and spiritually neglected before she came to Green Gables, it is supremely ironic that she now seemingly neglects Dora as well throughout the story, often ignoring her because Davy's exploits are more interesting or perceived as being more interesting.I also think that there is a somewhat uncritical acceptance by L.M. Montgomery herself of this viewpoint, as Anne's (and others') attitudes towards and perceptions of poor Dora are not really ever actively criticised (Anne does realise that she might have a bit of an unfair, unflattering perception of Dora, but although she is aware of this, she does not really strive to rein in her at times quite overt favouritism of Davy). As someone who was rather quiet and unobtrusive as a child, this angered me somewhat during my recent reread (but strangely enough, when I was a teenager and reading Anne of Avonlea for the first time, this did not seem to bother me all that much, or perhaps I was not all that aware of it, even though at that time I often did feel very much ignored and under-appreciated by both my family and society).
    • 4/5
      Listened to the Recorded Books CD edition narrated by Barbara Caruso. I've changed my rating from 5 stars to 4 for this one - it's just a little too sickly sweet for me. Paul Irving is sooo precious (not necessarily in a good way) and I'm not convinced any child ever talked the way he does. However Davy balances that sweetness somewhat and I love his constant "How come? I wanna know," questions. I think the rest of the series improves over this - I know Montgomery hadn't originally planned to write a sequel and wasn't thrilled at the thought, but maybe by the time the series continued again she had become more enthusiastic. This is a tough one to listen to thanks to the TV adaptation. Caruso's voices don't always match the voices I have in my head for the characters; she also pronounces Avonlea somewhat oddly with the emphasis on the second syllable and it's distracting to me every time she says it. By the end of the recording I was more used to Caruso's style and it didn't bother me as much, but I wonder if I'm more able to overlook the saccharine parts when I'm reading than when I'm listening. Previously read many times.
    • 5/5
      I loved Anne of Green Gables, and I wanted to read more, so I decided to read the series. Anne is still as imaginative, eccentric, and prone to the occasional scrape as she always was, but she has matured greatly since the first book. There are some new characters, and some old characters, and the town of Avonlea is still as charming as it was. This is a delightful read with new lessons to be learned, obstacles to be faced, and dreams yet to be woven. I recommend this book to everyone, especially if you long for those carefree days of childhood that is the happiest period of a person's life.
    • 3/5
      Anne of Green Gables was a laugh out loud funny book. I suspect this one would have been (more) hilarious if it had been Davy of Green Gables. Unfortunately for me, this book continued to tell Anne Shirley's story. Davy Keith was the second orphan Marilla Cuthbert raised, but he had a minor role. Anne's story became too feminine for me.
    • 5/5
      There are some lovely passages in this book about the influence Anne unconsciously has on those around her. I always find them inspiring and resolve to live truer to my ideals. There's plenty of laughs - Davy in particular stands out with such frank mischievousness. Anne, as always, is delightful.
    • 4/5
      Anne of Avonlea captures much of the charm of its predecessor, Anne of Green Gables. It is the continuing story of Anne Shirley, an imaginative orphan adopted at the age of 12 by the Cuthberts and brought to live on Prince Edward Island. The book is populated by the bright and interesting characters of Avonlea, and this book adds Davy and Dora, two new orphan twins that Anne, now 17, is helping to raise. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first -- it felt a little repetitive and spots, but it still made for a good read.
    • 4/5
      I thought I had read this before, but clearly I haven't -- I've only watched the 1987 film version a gazillion times during the public television pledge drives of my youth.Lovely. Though at some points I really wanted to reach between the pages and smack little Davy upside the head.
    • 4/5
      Delightful, quaint continuation of Anne of Green Gables. Though much can be anticipated, there's still enough surprises. Timeless story, I'm looking forward to the next.

    Book preview

    Anne of Avonlea - Lucy Maud Montgomery

    ANNE OF AVONLEA

    By: Lucy Maud Montgomery

    SMASHWORDS EDITION

    *****

    PUBLISHED BY: Davenport Press

    Copyright © 2013 Davenport Press

    Foreword © 2013 Sullivan Entertainment Inc. & Kevin Sullivan

    Production Movie Stills © 2013 Sullivan Entertainment Inc.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for reviewers who may quote brief passages.

    *****

    FOREWORD

    Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Avonlea was one of the sequel novels that formed the basis for the next movie I created for my Anne of Green Gables film Trilogy. The film was entitled Anne of Avonlea when released in the USA; but was presented as Anne of Green Gables – The Sequel in Canada and elsewhere around the world.

    In addition to using characters and story from Montgomery’s Anne of Avonlea, I also used material from Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars in order to round out what became a four-hour long sequel to the original Anne of Green Gables. The film adaptation ultimately became a composite of these three later novels.

    After the unexpected success of my original film version of Anne Shirley’s story, I was met with a tidal wave of enthusiasm by audiences around the world who implored me to use the actors from the original production and have them reprise their roles. Audiences had fallen in love with Megan Follows as the heroine and they clamored to know more about how Anne would venture into the world as a young woman. At that time, Megan was eighteen and she was in the midst of evolving from child actress to ingénue. She was perfect to continue to play the role she had now made famous.

    Not having read any of Montgomery’s other novels, my role as the interpreter of Anne continued, with diminished skepticism this time, but with more determination to create an ambitious story that would mix scale with intimacy. I wanted Anne’s character to be pushed out of her element, cut loose from her community and family, where her survival skills would be tested.

    I was personally interested in knowing whether Anne would succeed as a writer when she grew up, and most of all, what would become of her burgeoning friendship with Gilbert Blythe. In reading Montgomery’s later works, I discovered that the questions I had posed about Anne’s character and her departure from Avonlea really evolved over numerous books which made adaptation of a single novel impossible. I also recognized that there was a certain element of risk involved in making a sequel to a successful film. Audiences would have expectations that could be easily dashed and I felt that any subsequent film had to be as emotionally powerful as the first. Ironically, I found myself in the same boat as Montgomery, when her publishers insisted she revive Anne over several new novels she had been contracted to write.

    When I sat down to pen the script, I realized that if I was going to move Anne forward in her life, I would have to create my own original story, combining elements from the series of Montgomery’s novels. I included specific moments like Marilla making ‘plum puffs’ to brighten Anne’s spirits, Diana submitting Anne’s original short-story to the Rollings Reliable Baking Company contest behind Anne’s back and I dramatized Anne’s frustrations as a teacher in a one room Prince Edward Island schoolhouse.

    I also read Montgomery’s diaries and journals to get a better understanding of the author. As I did, Montgomery and Anne became synonymous for me. As young writers, they were both struggling to find their voice and develop into full-fledged personalities with a deep desire to communicate their feelings. Though they both had a penchant to lose themselves in romantic fantasy worlds and as they evolved they each began to write about their own experiences peopled with the familiar characters they were surrounded by in life.

    In Anne of Avonlea, Anne begins to rub shoulders with notable members of Avonlea Society, and they begin to accept her as a peer in the community. Moving in these circles, Anne is forced to navigate a complex world of social politics—a world that Montgomery, as a novelist and a woman ahead of her time, also had to struggle with. My goal was to capture Anne’s struggle, as a young writer who constantly finds it impossible to fit the rigid definition of how a woman at that time was expected to behave.

    Everyone assumed (and secretly hoped) that Anne and Gilbert would end up together. I wanted to challenge that assumption and demonstrate how life usually has a way of intervening in our best laid plans. As characters in a drama, Anne and Gilbert are strongest when they are separated and trying find their way back to one another. I set this in motion by providing the dramatic dilemma Anne faces in both Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, where she finds herself divided between two very different suitors: Gilbert, her childhood friend, and an enigmatic older widower by the name of ‘Morgan Harris’– who is a composite I created out of several of Montgomery’s older male characters, found in both novels.

    Gilbert represents Anne’s past life: familiar, reliable, safe. Morgan Harris represents the future: ambition, opportunity, intrigue and endless possibility. Anne initially rejects Gilbert only to realize that she finds herself too far out of her element when confronted by the prospect of accepting Morgan’s honest and open proposal of marriage. In my film, Anne finally looks into her own heart and acknowledges who she really is. In doing so, she confesses her true feelings to Gilbert at the very precipice of losing him. This coincides with the surprise publication of her book of short stories about Avonlea dedicated to Matthew and Marilla. At this juxtaposition of events and despite her ambitions and enormous potential for greatness, Anne chooses the things that matter most to her in life—family, friendship, and community.

    I hope that in reading the original novel of Anne of Avonlea you will experience Montgomery’s wonderful gift for conjuring up her ‘spirit of place’ as she so often refers to it; and perhaps enjoy comparing the sequences from the book that form the basis of my second installment in the Anne Trilogy of films.

    Kevin Sullivan

    Chapter I

    An Irate Neighbor

    A tall, slim girl, half-past sixteen, with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends called auburn, had sat down on the broad red sandstone doorstep of a Prince Edward Island farmhouse one ripe afternoon in August, firmly resolved to construe so many lines of Virgil.

    But an August afternoon, with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard, was fitter for dreams than dead languages. The Virgil soon slipped unheeded to the ground, and Anne, her chin propped on her clasped hands, and her eyes on the splendid mass of fluffy clouds that were heaping up just over Mr. J. A. Harrison's house like a great white mountain, was far away in a delicious world where a certain schoolteacher was doing a wonderful work, shaping the destinies of future statesmen, and inspiring youthful minds and hearts with high and lofty ambitions.

    To be sure, if you came down to harsh facts. . .which, it must be confessed, Anne seldom did until she had to. . .it did not seem likely that there was much promising material for celebrities in Avonlea school; but you could never tell what might happen if a teacher used her influence for good. Anne had certain rose-tinted ideals of what a teacher might accomplish if she only went the right way about it; and she was in the midst of a delightful scene, forty years hence, with a famous personage. . .just exactly what he was to be famous for was left in convenient haziness, but Anne thought it would be rather nice to have him a college president or a Canadian premier. . .bowing low over her wrinkled hand and assuring her that it was she who had first kindled his ambition, and that all his success in life was due to the lessons she had instilled so long ago in Avonlea school. This pleasant vision was shattered by a most unpleasant interruption.

    A demure little Jersey cow came scuttling down the lane and five seconds later Mr. Harrison arrived. . .if arrived be not too mild a term to describe the manner of his irruption into the yard.

    He bounced over the fence without waiting to open the gate, and angrily confronted astonished Anne, who had risen to her feet and stood looking at him in some bewilderment. Mr. Harrison was their new righthand neighbor and she had never met him before, although she had seen him once or twice.

    In early April, before Anne had come home from Queen's, Mr. Robert Bell, whose farm adjoined the Cuthbert place on the west, had sold out and moved to Charlottetown. His farm had been bought by a certain Mr. J. A. Harrison, whose name, and the fact that he was a New Brunswick man, were all that was known about him. But before he had been a month in Avonlea he had won the reputation of being an odd person. . .a crank, Mrs. Rachel Lynde said. Mrs. Rachel was an outspoken lady, as those of you who may have already made her acquaintance will remember. Mr. Harrison was certainly different from other people. . .and that is the essential characteristic of a crank, as everybody knows.

    In the first place he kept house for himself and had publicly stated that he wanted no fools of women around his diggings. Feminine Avonlea took its revenge by the gruesome tales it related about his house-keeping and cooking. He had hired little John Henry Carter of White Sands and John Henry started the stories. For one thing, there was never any stated time for meals in the Harrison establishment. Mr. Harrison got a bite when he felt hungry, and if John Henry were around at the time, he came in for a share, but if he were not, he had to wait until Mr. Harrison's next hungry spell. John Henry mournfully averred that he would have starved to death if it wasn't that he got home on Sundays and got a good filling up, and that his mother always gave him a basket of grub to take back with him on Monday mornings.

    As for washing dishes, Mr. Harrison never made any pretence of doing it unless a rainy Sunday came. Then he went to work and washed them all at once in the rainwater hogshead, and left them to drain dry.

    Again, Mr. Harrison was close. When he was asked to subscribe to the Rev. Mr. Allan's salary he said he'd wait and see how many dollars' worth of good he got out of his preaching first. . .he didn't believe in buying a pig in a poke. And when Mrs. Lynde went to ask for a contribution to missions. . .and incidentally to see the inside of the house. . .he told her there were more heathens among the old woman gossips in Avonlea than anywhere else he knew of, and he'd cheerfully contribute to a mission for Christianizing them if she'd undertake it. Mrs. Rachel got herself away and said it was a mercy poor Mrs. Robert Bell was safe in her grave, for it would have broken her heart to see the state of her house in which she used to take so much pride.

    Why, she scrubbed the kitchen floor every second day, Mrs. Lynde told Marilla Cuthbert indignantly, and if you could see it now! I had to hold up my skirts as I walked across it.

    Finally, Mr. Harrison kept a parrot called Ginger. Nobody in Avonlea had ever kept a parrot before; consequently that proceeding was considered barely respectable. And such a parrot! If you took John Henry Carter's word for it, never was such an unholy bird. It swore terribly. Mrs. Carter would have taken John Henry away at once if she had been sure she could get another place for him. Besides, Ginger had bitten a piece right out of the back of John Henry's neck one day when he had stooped down too near the cage. Mrs. Carter showed everybody the mark when the luckless John Henry went home on Sundays.

    All these things flashed through Anne's mind as Mr. Harrison stood, quite speechless with wrath apparently, before her. In his most amiable mood Mr. Harrison could not have been considered a handsome man; he was short and fat and bald; and now, with his round face purple with rage and his prominent blue eyes almost sticking out of his head, Anne thought he was really the ugliest person she had ever seen.

    All at once Mr. Harrison found his voice.

    I'm not going to put up with this, he spluttered, not a day longer, do you hear, miss. Bless my soul, this is the third time, miss. . . the third time! Patience has ceased to be a virtue, miss. I warned your aunt the last time not to let it occur again. . . and she's let it. . .she's done it. . .what does she mean by it, that is what I want to know. That is what I'm here about, miss.

    Will you explain what the trouble is? asked Anne, in her most dignified manner. She had been practicing it considerably of late to have it in good working order when school began; but it had no apparent effect on the irate J. A. Harrison.

    Trouble, is it? Bless my soul, trouble enough, I should think. The trouble is, miss, that I found that Jersey cow of your aunt's in my oats again, not half an hour ago. The third time, mark you. I found her in last Tuesday and I found her in yesterday. I came here and told your aunt not to let it occur again. She has let it occur again. Where's your aunt, miss? I just want to see her for a minute and give her a piece of my mind. . .a piece of J. A. Harrison's mind, miss.

    If you mean Miss Marilla Cuthbert, she is not my aunt, and she has gone down to East Grafton to see a distant relative of hers who is very ill, said Anne, with due increase of dignity at every word. I am very sorry that my cow should have broken into your oats. . . she is my cow and not Miss Cuthbert's. . .Matthew gave her to me three years ago when she was a little calf and he bought her from Mr. Bell.

    Sorry, miss! Sorry isn't going to help matters any. You'd better go and look at the havoc that animal has made in my oats. . .trampled them from center to circumference, miss.

    I am very sorry, repeated Anne firmly, but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition.

    My fence is all right, snapped Mr. Harrison, angrier than ever at this carrying of the war into the enemy's country. The jail fence couldn't keep a demon of a cow like that out. And I can tell you, you redheaded snippet, that if the cow is yours, as you say, you'd be better employed in watching her out of other people's grain than in sitting round reading yellow-covered novels,. . .with a scathing glance at the innocent tan-colored Virgil by Anne's feet.

    Something at that moment was red besides Anne's hair. . .which had always been a tender point with her.

    I'd rather have red hair than none at all, except a little fringe round my ears, she flashed.

    The shot told, for Mr. Harrison was really very sensitive about his bald head. His anger choked him up again and he could only glare speechlessly at Anne, who recovered her temper and followed up her advantage.

    I can make allowance for you, Mr. Harrison, because I have an imagination. I can easily imagine how very trying it must be to find a cow in your oats and I shall not cherish any hard feelings against you for the things you've said. I promise you that Dolly shall never break into your oats again. I give you my word of honor on that point.

    Well, mind you she doesn't, muttered Mr. Harrison in a somewhat subdued tone; but he stamped off angrily enough and Anne heard him growling to himself until he was out of earshot.

    Grievously disturbed in mind, Anne marched across the yard and shut the naughty Jersey up in the milking pen.

    She can't possibly get out of that unless she tears the fence down, she reflected. She looks pretty quiet now. I daresay she has sickened herself on those oats. I wish I'd sold her to Mr. Shearer when he wanted her last week, but I thought it was just as well to wait until we had the auction of the stock and let them all go together. I believe it is true about Mr. Harrison being a crank. Certainly there's nothing of the kindred spirit about him.

    Anne had always a weather eye open for kindred spirits.

    Marilla Cuthbert was driving into the yard as Anne returned from the house, and the latter flew to get tea ready. They discussed the matter at the tea table.

    I'll be glad when the auction is over, said Marilla. It is too much responsibility having so much stock about the place and nobody but that unreliable Martin to look after them. He has never come back yet and he promised that he would certainly be back last night if I'd give him the day off to go to his aunt's funeral. I don't know how many aunts he has got, I am sure. That's the fourth that's died since he hired here a year ago. I'll be more than thankful when the crop is in and Mr. Barry takes over the farm. We'll have to keep Dolly shut up in the pen till Martin comes, for she must be put in the back pasture and the fences there have to be fixed. I declare, it is a world of trouble, as Rachel says. Here's poor Mary Keith dying and what is to become of those two children of hers is more than I know. She has a brother in British Columbia and she has written to him about them, but she hasn't heard from him yet.

    What are the children like? How old are they?

    Six past. . .they're twins.

    Oh, I've always been especially interested in twins ever since Mrs. Hammond had so many, said Anne eagerly. Are they pretty?

    Goodness, you couldn't tell. . .they were too dirty. Davy had been out making mud pies and Dora went out to call him in. Davy pushed her headfirst into the biggest pie and then, because she cried, he got into it himself and wallowed in it to show her it was nothing to cry about. Mary said Dora was really a very good child but that Davy was full of mischief. He has never had any bringing up you might say. His father died when he was a baby and Mary has been sick almost ever since.

    I'm always sorry for children that have no bringing up, said Anne soberly. You know I hadn't any till you took me in hand. I hope their uncle will look after them. Just what relation is Mrs. Keith to you?

    Mary? None in the world. It was her husband. . .he was our third cousin. There's Mrs. Lynde coming through the yard. I thought she'd be up to hear about Mary

    Don't tell her about Mr. Harrison and the cow, implored Anne.

    Marilla promised; but the promise was quite unnecessary, for Mrs. Lynde was no sooner fairly seated than she said,

    I saw Mr. Harrison chasing your Jersey out of his oats today when I was coming home from Carmody. I thought he looked pretty mad. Did he make much of a rumpus?

    Anne and Marilla furtively exchanged amused smiles. Few things in Avonlea ever escaped Mrs. Lynde. It was only that morning Anne had said,

    If you went to your own room at midnight, locked the door, pulled down the blind, and sneezed, Mrs. Lynde would ask you the next day how your cold was!

    I believe he did, admitted Marilla. I was away. He gave Anne a piece of his mind.

    I think he is a very disagreeable man, said Anne, with a resentful toss of her ruddy head.

    You never said a truer word, said Mrs. Rachel solemnly. I knew there'd be trouble when Robert Bell sold his place to a New Brunswick man, that's what. I don't know what Avonlea is coming to, with so many strange people rushing into it. It'll soon not be safe to go to sleep in our beds.

    Why, what other strangers are coming in? asked Marilla.

    Haven't you heard? Well, there's a family of Donnells, for one thing. They've rented Peter Sloane's old house. Peter has hired the man to run his mill. They belong down east and nobody knows anything about them. Then that shiftless Timothy Cotton family are going to move up from White Sands and they'll simply be a burden on the public. He is in consumption. . .when he isn't stealing. . . and his wife is a slack-twisted creature that can't turn her hand to a thing. She washes her dishes sitting down. Mrs. George Pye has taken her husband's orphan nephew, Anthony Pye. He'll be going to school to you, Anne, so you many expect trouble, that's what. And you'll have another strange pupil, too. Paul Irving is coming from the States to live with his grandmother. You remember his father, Marilla. . .Stephen Irving, him that jilted Lavendar Lewis over at Grafton?

    I don't think he jilted her. There was a quarrel. . .I suppose there was blame on both sides.

    Well, anyway, he didn't marry her, and she's been as queer as possible ever since, they say. . .living all by herself in that little stone house she calls Echo Lodge. Stephen went off to the States and went into business with his uncle and married a Yankee. He's never been home since, though his mother has been up to see him once or twice. His wife died two years ago and he's sending the boy home to his mother for a spell. He's ten years old and I don't know if he'll be a very desirable pupil. You can never tell about those Yankees.

    Mrs Lynde looked upon all people who had the misfortune to be born or brought up elsewhere than in Prince Edward Island with a decided can-any-good-thing-come-out-of-Nazareth air. They might be good people, of course; but you were on the safe side in doubting it. She had a special prejudice against Yankees. Her husband had been cheated out of ten dollars by an employer for whom he had once worked in Boston and neither angels nor principalities nor powers could have convinced Mrs. Rachel that the whole United States was not responsible for it.

    Avonlea school won't be the worse for a little new blood, said Marilla drily, and if this boy is anything like his father he'll be all right. Steve Irving was the nicest boy that was ever raised in these parts, though some people did call him proud. I should think Mrs. Irving would be very glad to have the child. She has been very lonesome since her husband died.

    Oh, the boy may be well enough, but he'll be different from Avonlea children, said Mrs. Rachel, as if that clinched the matter. Mrs. Rachel's opinions concerning any person, place, or thing, were always warranted to wear. What's this I hear about your going to start up a Village Improvement Society, Anne?

    I was just talking it over with some of the girls and boys at the last Debating Club, said Anne, flushing. They thought it would be rather nice. . .and so do Mr. and Mrs. Allan. Lots of villages have them now.

    Well, you'll get into no end of hot water if you do. Better leave it alone, Anne, that's what. People don't like being improved.

    Oh, we are not going to try to improve the people. It is Avonlea itself. There are lots of things which might be done to make it prettier. For instance, if we could coax Mr. Levi Boulter to pull down that dreadful old house on his upper farm wouldn't that be an improvement?

    It certainly would, admitted Mrs. Rachel. That old ruin has been an eyesore to the settlement for years. But if you Improvers can coax Levi Boulter to do anything for the public that he isn't to be paid for doing, may I be there to see and hear the process, that's what. I don't want to discourage you, Anne, for there may be something in your idea, though I suppose you did get it out of some rubbishy Yankee magazine; but you'll have your hands full with your school and I advise you as a friend not to bother with your improvements, that's what. But there, I know you'll go ahead with it if you've set your mind on it. You were always one to carry a thing through somehow.

    Something about the firm outlines of Anne's lips told that Mrs. Rachel was not far astray in this estimate. Anne's heart was bent on forming the Improvement Society. Gilbert Blythe, who was to teach in White Sands but would always be home from Friday night to Monday morning, was enthusiastic about it; and most of the other folks were willing to go in for anything that meant occasional meetings and consequently some fun. As for what the improvements were to be, nobody had any very clear idea except Anne and Gilbert. They had talked them over and planned them out until an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere else.

    Mrs. Rachel had still another item of news.

    They've given the Carmody school to a Priscilla Grant. Didn't you go to Queen's with a girl of that name, Anne?

    Yes, indeed. Priscilla to teach at Carmody! How perfectly lovely! exclaimed Anne, her gray eyes lighting up until they looked like evening

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