I plowed through book 3 in the Anne of Green Gables series this weekend, for the L.M. Montgomery reading challenge at Reading to Know.
After, the sunny Anne of Avonlea, I wasn't prepared for the sadness of Anne of the Island. It's a restless, segue of a book, filled with too many under developed characters, too many new places, too little of Anne's studies, or interests, and far too many marriage proposals, all jammed into a fewer number of pages, than the previous two books in the series.At first, I found this frustrating. But, then I started to think, that it was about right for Anne's university years. As she leaves behind family and friends, to form new, temporary relationships, struggles to cope with the first sad loss of a peer, experiences both the sweetness, and the bitter frustration of choosing a spouse, and the sense of loneliness, tinged joy at the wedding of her best friend, all the while earning her B.A., but with no definite idea as to the role it will play in her future.
In short, after a little reflection, I was quite amazed at how L.M. Montgomery, could have so perfectly captured my own university experiences, minus a proposal or two, when she had died nearly thirty years before I was born. Apparently, not everything in the world has changed, as much as we tend to think it has.
It's great to be a homeschooler.
It's been fun to read your assessments of the "Anne" series thus far. They have been since my pre-teen years. I was introduced them by my grandmother, who's name is Shirley Ann. :)
ReplyDeleteGood review. I haven't read that book in many years but it still brings fond memories.
ReplyDeleteHmm... I just wrote my review of Anne of the Island and felt the same way - underdeveloped everything. Though I didn't see it as a statement of the period of her life. Glad I read your review! Makes me feel a little better about the book. :)
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