Anne of Green Gables

By

Lucy Maud Montgomery

"I'm crying," said Anne in a tone of bewilderment. "I can't think why. I'm glad as glad can be. Oh, glad doesn't seem the right word at all. I was glad about the White Way and the cherry blossoms--but this! Oh, it's something more than glad. I'm so happy. I'll try to be so good. It will be uphill work, I expect, for Mrs. Thomas often told me I was desperately wicked. However, I'll do my very best. But can you tell me why I'm crying?"

While Laura Ingalls Wilder may be the treasure of America's little girls, Lucy Maud Montgomery surely is Canada's. Her beautiful stories of a little girl growing up on Prince Edward Island is a classic worldwide; flowing language and description beyond the norm fill Montgomery's books. She is able to take ordinary life and make it something special through the eyes of her protaganist, who is experiencing for the first time what others took for granted. Through Anne and her other books, Montgomery was able to paint a picture of early 20th century life that was not only vivid but memorable.

Anne in school

The Story: Anne Shirley, a talkative orphan, comes to live with somber and stern Marilla and quiet, meek Matthew Cuthbert, siblings who wanted help on their farm. But they had requested a boy, and were ready to send Anne back. She convinced them to let them keep her, and so begins the many adventurous tales of Anne learning to grow up. She makes friends with the proper girl down the road, mistakes linament for cordial, and gets taunted by Gilbert Blythe in school. But as Marilla is driven to more grey hairs as she tries to teach Anne to be a good young lady, Anne teaches her much about life as well.

Lucy, 1904

The Author: Born on Prince Edward Island, in 1874, Lucy Maud Montgomery grew up to be a prolific writer and the pride of Canada. Her mother died when she was just an infant, and like Anne, she was raised by a stern aunt and uncle (who were brother and sister). She taught school, attended college, and began her writing career. She married the Rev. Ewen MacDonald in 1911 when she was 37 years old, and they moved to Leaksdale, Ontario, to raise their three children. During this time she wrote close to ten books; by the end of her lifetime, she had written 500 short stories and poems and 20 novels. She died in 1942, leaving behind quite a literary legacy. Today, her books are treasured around the world, museums are dedicated to her, and t.v. shows and movies are based on the little girl she brought into everyone's hearts. She is buried in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Books by Lucy Maud Montgomery: This is only a partial list. For all of her books, see this wonderful page.

Anne of Green Gables 1908
Anne of Avonlea 1909
Kilmeny of the Orchard 1910
The Story Girl 1911
Chronicals of Avonlea 1912
The Golden Road 1913
Anne of the Island 1915
The Watchman & Other Poems 1916
Anne's House of Dreams 1917
Rainbow Valley 1919
Further Chronicles of Avonlea 1920
Rilla of Ingleside 1921
Emily of New Moon 1923
Emily Climbs 1925
The Blue Castle 1926
Emily's Quest 1927
Magic for Marigold 1929
A Tangled Web 1931
Pat of Silver Bush 1933
Courageous Women (with others) 1934
Mistress Pat 1935
Anne of Windy Poplars 1936
Jane of Lantern Hill 1937
Anne of Ingleside 1939
The Road to Yesterday 1974

Links: For the complete text of Anne of Green Gables, see this page. For a great fan page with links to other Anne pages, see this one. Another great Anne page is Nancy's, which includes links as well. The L.M. Montgomery Institute is dedicated to the work and life of this wonderful woman. For a look into where the stories take place, check out the official website of the Government of Prince Edward Island, and read about the Virtual World of Anne attraction. For a pictoral tour of the Green Gable site, visit Kelsey's Green Gables page. Sullivan Entertainment of Canada made two successful films based on the Anne series; a third is in the works, and you can read about it here. For a page on Lucy Maud Montgomery, see this site. Finally, to see some photos of Montgomery herself, check out this page.