Publisher Description
When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables send for a boy orphan to help them out at their farm, they mistakenly get Anne Shirley, a feisty, independent, but warm-hearted eleven-year-old girl. Fortunately, her sunny nature and quirky imagination win the hearts of her reluctant foster parents and everyone in the community. But not a day goes by without some memorable adventure or prank in the tragicomedy of her life. Early on, for example, she accidentally dyes her "cursed" red hair green. Later, in an effort to impress a neighbor she bakes a cake, but with liniment instead of vanilla. Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote that Anne is an extension of herself and represents the independent, "new" woman of the emerging twentieth century. Individualistic, resourceful, and of a great humanitarian heart, she remains a great role model for girls and women today.
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"I've only read the first book of this collection so far, Anne of Green Gables, and that's what the rating is based on. This is an old-fashioned book, but it comes across as charming rather than dated. The turn of the 20th century was a period of innocence and optimism, at least as compared to now, and I those qualities shine through in this book. The characters are all vividly depicted and the older generation has a down-to-earth common sense that I found refreshing. It didn't make them boring - just solidly grounded and comforting. They reminded me distinctly of my grandparents. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of Prince Edward Island's seasons. The setting was so present it was almost another character. I'm not sure when, or if, I'll read the remaining 2 books. Despite my enjoyment, a little of this goes a long way."
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Blaire (5 out of 5 stars)
About the Authors
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on November 30th, 1874, in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Although she lived during a time when few women received a higher education, Lucy attended Prince Wales College in Charlottestown, PEI, and then Dalhousie University in Halifax. At seventeen she went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to write for a newspaper, the Halifax Chronicle, and for its evening edition, the Echo. But Lucy returned to live with her grandmother in Cavendish, PEI, where she taught and contributed stories to magazines. It was this experience, along with the lives of her farmer and fisherfolk neighbors, that came alive when she wrote her Anne books, beginning with Anne of Green Gables (1908). Anne of Green Gables brought her overnight success and international recognition. It was followed by eight other books about Anne and Avonlea, as well as a number of other delightful novels, including her Emily series, which began in 1923 with Emily of New Moon. But it is her delightful heroine Anne Shirley, praised by Mark Twain as “the most moving and delightful child of fiction since the immortal Alice,” who remains a popular favorite throughout the world. She and her husband, the Rev. Ewen MacDonald, eventually moved to Ontario. Lucy Montgomery died in Toronto in 1942.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) was one of the most famous Canadian writers of the twentieth century. In her lifetime, Lucy published twenty novels and some five hundred short stories and poems. Her writing, rich in imagination and full of lessons in optimism, brought her international fame and remains popular today.
About Shelly Frasier
Shelly Frasier has appeared in many independent film and theater projects in Arizona and Southern California and has done voice-over work for commercials and animation projects. She trained at the Groundlings Improv School in Hollywood and South Coast Repertory’s Professional Conservatory in Costa Mesa, California. She has performed at theaters throughout North Hollywood and Orange County.