Oh, Anne.
What can I say about this story? Anne as a young girl was sweet, fun loving, silly, and just a tad too imaginative for her own good. Always getting into scrapes. But always, always finding the good and the beauty in life. Anne as a young woman? Even better. I absolutely loved seeing Anne in her role as teacher of the Avonlea school. Her spirit is just so sweet and pure - there's literally nothing not to like about her.
I also really enjoyed the introduction of new characters like Mr. Harrison, Miss Lavender, and the twins. I also have such a soft spot for sweet, old, pessimistic Marilla

I was more enchanted by this book the first time I read it. More recently, I was put off by the description of the pair of twins Anne and Marilla adopt: Davy and Dora.

Davy is a handful, asking impossible questions, getting into trouble and so forth. Dora is quiet and well-behaved. Anne and Marilla love Davy more (by their own words). The idea is repeated three or four times. Good little Dora is respectable, obedient, predictable and boring; she just doesn't need as much attention and direction as Davy does, and thus is less lovable.

I found this idea actually repulsive. I kept thinking it would serve Anne and Marilla right if little Dora -predictable, obedient, second class Dora- shaved her head, pierced her nipple, got pregnant and ran off with a Hell's Angel, just because she figured out that the trouble maker rated higher in their affections. Aren't they familiar with the saying "still waters run deep?" Someone has to care enough about this quiet, obedient, seemingly unimaginative person to find out what her interests and passions are.

"I’d like to add some beauty to life. I don’t exactly want to make people know more… though I know that is the noblest ambition… but I’d love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me… to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn’t been born."

I think my timing with this book was just perfect. I read this around the Thanksgiving holiday, and I believe not only is it a comforting piece, but also a wonderful reminder to be thankful for the small joys in life that make the heart sing. A stroll through the woods, picking flowers, spending time with old, dear friends, making new friends with those eccentrics that might otherwise go unnoticed, teaching a small child an important lesson, cooking a special meal for a guest, and remembering and honoring those that have passed from our lives – these are all things that Anne makes part of her daily life with exuberant delight and much grace. I wish there were more Annes in the world!

Anne of Avonlea is the second book in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. You likely will assume that these are re-reads for me. They are not! Somehow I missed the pleasure of reading the Anne books as a child or teen and read my very first one this past June. Well, I’m late to the party, but hopefully at least fashionably late – I’m sure Anne would somehow agree. In this book, we see Anne at the age of sixteen and just beginning her career as a teacher in Avonlea. She has grown and matured, but still carries that zest for life that makes her the person everyone loves so much. "Those who knew Anne best, felt, without realizing that they felt it, that her greatest attraction was the aura of possibility surrounding her… the power of future development that was in her. She seemed to walk in an atmosphere of things about to happen."

Anne and her friends decide to take on a new project, that of the Village Improvement Society. They are not exactly sure what this will entail, but they hope to make Avonlea an even better place to live. As Anne and company get out and about in the community, we make the acquaintance of a number of interesting new characters right along with them. Anne may not have thought it quite funny, but some of their little predicaments while fundraising managed to bring a smile to my face. Not everyone is on board with their ideas! Always the pragmatist, Mrs. Rachel Lynde can’t help offering her two cents on the endeavor: "What’s this I hear about your going to start up a Village Improvement Society, Anne?... 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." I can’t say I disagree with Mrs. Lynde in this case! Some people are just not willing to make a change.

From the surly Mr. Harrison and his foul-mouthed parrot to the angelic Paul Irving to the quirky Miss Lavendar at Echo Lodge to the mischievous twin Davy, I delighted in sitting down with these folks for a short while and taking my mind off the holiday grind. If you haven’t read these before, I highly recommend them. They are not just for kids! I have the next three or four books in the series just waiting to be read. I will pull them out from time to time when I need to be reminded of the small pleasures in life, and savor them as they should be – much like my little stash of Dove dark chocolates. I don’t want to gobble them down all at once! 4.5 stars for Anne of Avonlea – naturally, I’m rounding up!

"After all, I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

I enjoyed this book but was not as enchanted by it as the first. Anne is 16-18 years old throughout and working as a teacher and enjoying life in Avonlea with her friends. She is now so more much grown up that she is not so full of antics and trouble.

This would have been a 4 star read for me except for the very problematic issue of the twins, Davy and Dora, who are adopted by Marilla. Davy is obviously brought in as a stand in for Anne's previous antics and trouble-making. He is very much the favorite of the twins for both Marilla and Anne, so much so that Dora rarely makes an appearance and when she does she is always spoken of in a rather pathetic and denigrating way because she is too good and is, therefore, boring. I cringed every time Dora was mentioned because I knew that the next words I would hear would be someone speaking of Dora in a negative way. With a brother like Davy who is steals the limelight and all the attention with his antics and is so obviously adored by Anne and Marilla (for which they profess some guilt) it's no wonder that Dora is quiet and good and keeps to herself. Unfortunately, the reasons for the differences between these twins never occurs to Anne nor Marilla (nor Montgomery, for that matter) so it never occurs to them that they might have been able to help bring Dora out of her shell. Ok, child psychology was not in it's heyday when this book was written, but I would think that Anne's work as a teacher and her general love and understanding of children and people would have given her the heart to do more than just ignore and explain away Dora. I don't understand why Montgomery included Dora in this book at all. Her "storyline" and the way she was treated feels so out of place in Avonlea.

about 3.5 stars

I’ve read this several times already, the first as a young teen. This sequel to Anne of Green Gables covers two years, which is Anne ages 16-18 while she is the local school teacher.

Montgomery does a good job at making everyday life interesting—I tend to avoid everyday life in books because I get enough of it in everyday life. Still, some of the longer descriptions about nature got dull.

As a classic, it’s nice to see 19th-century people acting like people of that time. (I still have to cringe a little at the attitudes of child-rearing: By telling children to be quiet and stop asking questions, they’re stifling scientific discovery and the development of faith. They won’t even answer children’s basic religious questions and expect them to have faith? That doesn’t work.)

The audiobook narrator does a fine job with the narration but tries too hard when doing dialogue. The characters come off rather cartoonish.

Yes, I remember liking L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Avonlea immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent rereads, I have still managed to enjoy most of the story (most of the featured episodes) almost as much as I did then, especially the anecdotes about the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS). But even more than the AVIS interludes, I have been rather pleasantly surprised at how much I have loved reading about both Paul Irving and Lavendar Lewis (two characters to whom I did not really feel all that drawn when I first read Anne of Avonlea
However, I did and do find myself having rather major problems universally liking the character of Davy Keith. And indeed, it is not Davy's rather mischievous nature that I find problematic, but the fact that he is so often deliberately cruel and nasty to his twin sister Dora. Not only that, but I have also and with flustered sadness noticed that Dora is more often than not ignored and denigrated by almost everyone, from Anne to even Mrs. Lynde, simply because she is a quiet, unobtrusive child (and "must" therefore by extension also be boring and monotonous). And when one recalls 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 and annoying that Anne now seemingly approaches Dora in a similar manner, often ignoring her because Davy's exploits are more interesting, or more to the point, are perceived as being more interesting.

Furthermore, I also tend to believe that there is actually a rather uncritical acceptance by L. M. Montgomery herself, as Anne's (and others') often rather negative assumptions of and towards Dora are never really actively criticised (yes, Anne realises that she might have a bit of an unfair and careless attitude towards Dora, but even though she is aware of this, she does not really ever strive to rein in her at times quite overt favouritism of Davy, and actually even attempts to justify it to herself and others). And as someone who also was rather quiet and unobtrusive as a child and teenager, this has quite bothered me during my recent rereads and continues to more than somewhat chafe (strangely enough though, when I was a teenager, when I first read Anne of Avonlea, this fact did not seem to bother me all that much, although at that time, I often did feel rather ignored and under-appreciated by both my family and the world).

Now I would still most strongly recommend this novel, as well as the entire Anne of Green Gables series. It is just that Anne of Avonlea, while certainly magical, does indeed and in my opinion have its potential issues (at least it did and does for me), with specifically the often overt favouritism of Davy Keith over his sister, over Dora, being majorly potentially problematic, a favouritism actually made considerably worse by the fact that it also so often seems universally accepted, even justified (and thus, from the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne of Avonlea while definitely enjoyable, does also not rank amongst my personal favourites).

Fajna, fajna, ale jednak 1 tom>>>> Ulubiona postać to Davy oczywiście

I love these beautifully written novels. Anne of Avonlea tells the story of Anne from the ages of sixteen through eighteen. She has put off attending college for the time being to help at Green Gables and takes a job teaching at the local school.

Marilla takes in a set of orphaned twins, Davy and Dora. The twins have complete opposite personalities. I wondered why the author made Dora’s character so overlooked by the other characters. Especially, as the children’s mother had just died. No one seemed to look past her quiet exterior and try to get her to come out of her shell, nor did imaginative Anne consider that quiet Dora might be an imaginative soul on the inside. It just seemed like she was in the background. It bothered me. Rambunctious Davy, on the other hand, gets loads of attention in a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. He showed a lack of understanding that other people had feelings or mattered at times. He was written over the top. The other characters talk about how he’s their favorite twin and that he needs them more. It just sounded misguided to me. It showed me the characters’ flaws for sure and also made me think about the expectations people had for the behavior of boys and girls.

Anne has some growing pains as a teacher. It was interesting to see her struggle through finding a balance between ideals and reality. Haven’t we all been there?

We also see she hasn’t lost her lovely imagination or the ability to see beauty and joy in nature and friendship. I love how she and Diana call all the outdoor landmarks names that sound straight out of a fairy tale just like when they first named them in Anne of Green Gables. It makes me want to name my pond.

Ahhhh!



This was exactly what I needed . . . a long soak in a hot tub, a breath of fresh air, a visit with Anne. Whenever the news, work, or life in general gets too much, it's always so refreshing to pick up this book and escape to a world where you can stumble upon a total stranger's house and be invited in for tea. (Man, they eat a lot of cake in this book. What a perfect world!)

This volume concentrates on Anne's two years spent teaching. There are good days and bad days as she attempts to mold the young minds of Avonlea.
Newly orphaned twins - the lifeless Dora and the way-too-lively Davy - come to live with lifelong spinster Marilla, prompting Mrs. Rachel Lynde to quip, n  "You're never safe from being surprised till you're dead."n A local kook successfully predicts a wicked storm, and the Village Improvement Society, a group spearheaded by Anne and Diana to spruce up Avonlea, is born.

Love and laughs abound, and yes, it's sappy as hell, but as I said, exactly what I needed.

It's an election year, and I have a feeling I'm going to be rereading the rest of this series before November rolls around. It's so nice to know that when I wake with a panic attack at 3 a.m. that Anne's simple, and simply beautiful, world will be waiting for me.

Originally read in the eighties, reread 7/2016, and 5/2024. Review revised May 2024.

I've read Anne of Green Gables over 7 years ago and it became a favorite, but I never continued the series. Picking the second book up so many years later, I was a little nervous I might not like it, but my fears turned out to be groundless.

Anne of Avonlea reads like a collection of anecdotes of a village life. It is fluffy and cute, innocent without being preachy and gives one a warm feeling inside. It was also funny - I laughed out loud many times throughout the book.

Avonlea is full of good people. They help each other. They do the best they can. They fail (mostly in a hilarious way), but still, they try. And this is your ticket to watch them do it. Anne is growing up and faces new questions about the world and herself. Though she is mostly in the background in this book, serving as an observer who integrates all the short stories about the side-characters.

The book was delightful and insubstantial, like a mousse dessert. It is definitely not plot-driven - it passes over you like a collection of clouds and you may make of it what you will. I think I'll continue reading the series, but probably translated to one of the languages I need improvement in.

OH Marilla!

Anne's back! She older and wiser and more beautiful than that gangly red-headed girl that first came to Avonlea. This book walks us through Anne as a older teenager, she's back as a schoolteacher at the local school with difficult pupils, she refuses to rule by corporal punishment, but simply to treat her students with kindness. Marilla ends up adopting two twins who are orphaned- Dora & Davy and little Davy just stole my heart in this story. My other favorite was Miss Lavender and her story. Another batch of Anne was just what I needed to break up some of the deeper, darker reading out there right now.

I must confess after reading Anne of Green Gables, I was enthralled. I then did watch Anne with an E on Netflix and became HOOKED! Cannot wait to now continue on with the series as all kindred spirits must.

Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books ever. But the story doesn’t stop there! I’ve never read the entire series, so I’m on a mission to do just that. This second installment I have read before, and I love it just as much as the preceding book. Here, Anne takes her first halting steps into adulthood, and the change is both charming and sad. Anne will always be a free spirit, but seeing her temper that spiritedness enough to become an effective teacher was fascinating to behold.

I’ve always loved schoolmarm stories. There’s something about one-room schoolhouses and having to teach to so many age groups simultaneously that blows my mind. I’m a teacher, but I can’t even fathom having to teach every subject to every age group every single day. I don’t know how teachers of the past did it. The thing is, I know that if I had lived in the same time period, I would have sought out to do exactly that. Though it was undoubtedly hard work, there’s a romance to being a schoolmarm that has always appealed to me. Because of this, I love reading about school teachers of the past. I have to say, Anne Shirley made a remarkable schoolmarm. She’s kind and thoughtful and is just barely out of childhood herself, so she remembers what it’s like to be on the other side of the blackboard, so to speak. All of those traits coupled with her renowned imagination means that Anne can relate to her students better than most, and that she finds new and unique methods of teaching them.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the introduction of two new little boys: Paul Irving and Davy. I don’t think you could possibly find two more radically different boys in real life or in fiction. Paul Irving is a sweet, smart, thoughtful boy with an imagination that rivals Anne’s, and he and Anne are undoubtedly kindred spirits. Davy is a spitfire, a rambunctious boy with the greatest propensity for questioning I’ve ever seen. And the questions that boy comes up with! There’s no way I could’ve kept a straight face while trying to answer some of those questions. Though both boys are as different as can be, they’re both incredibly dear to Anne.

In this book we also visit Echo Lodge for the first time and meet Miss Lavendar, another kindred spirit. Miss Lavendar is an old maid unlike any other. She refuses to go gently into spinsterhood, and has instead built a beautiful if lonely life for herself. Echo Lodge is beautiful and magical, almost like a fairy realm. And Miss Lavendar makes a stunning fairy queen; the only way you could guess her age is by her snow-white hair. She’s just as imaginative as Anne, and she gets a wonderful happy ending in this book.

The book ends with Anne and Gilbert both deciding to head off to college. Even though I love knowing where their story is heading (after all, theirs is often billed as one of the greatest romances in fiction), I’m loving every second of the journey. It’s so nice to have a romantic element that isn’t instantaneous, but instead builds over the course of multiple books. Romance when approached this way just feels both more realistic and more wholesome to me.

Can you tell I love this series? I wish I had discovered it when I was a child, but I’m enjoying it immensely now as an adult. If you love historical fiction with a bright and uplifting worldview, you owe it to yourself to read this series. It’s one of easiest classics to read that I’ve yet to come across.