Description

Anne Shirley, the heroine of L.M. Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, is a girl like no other. Growing up in an orphanage, Anne quickly learns the value of a powerful imagination. It comes in handy when the hardships and loneliness of being alone in the world—not to mention the freckles and red hair that earn a proud young girl the unfortunate label of "homely"—become too much to bear. Anne feels some of her most cherished dreams may be coming true on the day she is to meet her adoptive family. Everyone involved is in for a shock, however, when dreamy, spirited Anne meets stern, old-fashioned Marilla Cuthbert and her quiet but kind brother Matthew. Not only were Matthew and Marilla expecting a boy to help at their farm, but the talkative and strong-willed Anne appears to be too much of a handful for the unsuspecting Cuthberts. Will Anne finally find the home and kindred spirits she so desperately longs for with Matthew and Marilla in Avonlea? A favorite for generations, Montgomery's beautiful story of a unique heroine and her quest for a place to call home will delight and inspire readers from eight to eighty.

About the Author

Much like her famous heroine Anne, Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was forced to adjust early in life to a new and unfamiliar home. After her mother's death and her father's abandonment, Montgomery was sent to live with her grandparents. Her childhood home was stern and gloomy, driving the young Montgomery to develop a strong imagination to bring her comfort and escape. A good student, Montgomery became a teacher after college, and went on to write for Canadian newspapers. She made the leap to writing novels with the publication of her first book, Anne of Green Gables, in 1908. As she became a wife and mother, Montgomery continued to write, eventually publishing dozens of novels and short stories. Imagination and the bonds of friendship and family are prominent features of Montgomery's fiction—her moving portrayals of human experience and the joys and sorrows of growing up have inspired generations of readers to travel through her enchanting fictional world of Avonlea time and time again.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course ...