Anne of Green Gables, Three Volumes in One

by L.M. Montgomery

Mark Twain prolaimed Anne Shirley "the most moving and delightful" and "dearest" heroine since the immortal Alice." Millions of readers young and old, in countries all over the world, have agreed; particularly those hovering on the brink of their teens have followed her dauntless leadership into those years of excitement, pain, and discovery, finding her a source of endless fascination, humor, inspiration, and reassurance.
Anne's romantic soul, her idealism, and her adventurous spirit often lead her into mishaps, but she always survives, learning from her experience, and the read does too, while enjoying her marvelous adventures. Fiercely independent and outspoken, Anne is not afraid of conflicts with her elders - this, in an age (the early 1900's) when childeren were "seen and not heard." But Anne's bright intelligence, honesty, and resourcefulness are impossible to defeat, and she carries the day. Her story spoke to the readers of the time, as it does still, to the young, and the young at heart, today.
Anne of Green Gables, the first novel, introduces our lively heroine at age eleven, fresh from an orphanage, when she must win the right to stay at Green Gables with the taciturn Matthew Cuthbert and his reserved sister, Marilla, and takes her into her teens. In Anne of Avonlea, she is the village schoolteacher and the story takes her up to her preparations to enter college. Finally, Anne's House of Dreams, the most romantic, and, many believe, the best of the Anne books, finds Anne, now a lovely young woman, on the verge of her marriage to a young doctor whom she has known and loved for years, and describes the fulfillment of her dreams of romance and career, in a village peopled with memorable characters.
This volume is uniquely illustrated with period drawings that evoke the era in which Anne was created and were taken from books and magazines of the day. One can do no better than to quote an editorial from one of those magazines, The Housewife, in describing Anne: "Droll one minute, pathetic the next; staid and wise as a grandmother one minute, bubbling over with impish mischief the next," but always "lovable." Contemporary readers will find her just as engaging, as they follow her from lonely waif to fulfilled young woman.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Literature, Womens

634 pages, Hardcover

Published December 28, 1985

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.

Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

Reviews

[Eh?Eh! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisting childhood favorites hasn't been a good exercise for me, tarnishing my hazy & happy memories of, among other things, Thundercats, state fairs, that flannel nightgown I loved, and the smell of curry powder.

I'm so glad that Anne is still a girl I would like to be friends with, Prince Edward Island still sounds like a wonderful place to live, and I still want to wrap the stories and people of Avonlea around me like an nubby, comfy blanket.

I pulled this down off the shelf because of booze - a friend couldn't remember if it was strawberry cordial & elderberry wine in Anne & Diana's disastrous party. It's raspberry cordial and currant wine, btw. After the fact-checking, I kept reading. And reading, and reading. I reacquainted myself with all the schoolchildren and nosy neighbors. Anne's feud with Gilbert was so silly. I floated romantically with Anne*, hah. Her insecurities, I felt them. Her indomitable optimism, I wished I had that. Her indomitable chattering, I do have that. I felt heartache over Marilla's unspoken love of Anne and heartbreak as Matthew died once again. God. I love these stories.

I couldn't quite float away on nostalgia fumes. The story is an idealization, as if a mountain is drawn with two straight lines or love is represented by a red rose. It takes the spherical world and flattens it into a disc, disappearing all the truly horrible realities. It seems so innocent and pure, where most children knew lying was wrong and most people cared for each other. So...immune to cynicism and sarcasm. Sigh. As I read, I kept noticing the lack of diversity in Avonlea. George&Rue's tragedy was probably only a couple decades away, a few hundred miles to the west. So many twss opportunities went unnoticed in Avonlea! Could anyone really transplant themself to this Eden and live there? When I read this, I wanted to (although I'm not white enough or, or, true enough).

I'm glad to know I can come back to this without the Thundercats effect.


*I'm embarrassed to talk any music, not having a strong sense of what I like. Most of what I nod to ends up being near-universally acknowledged as overrated and dumb. But the next day after I re-read this, I heard this song on the radio - a tenacious earworm now lodged in my earhole. It winds together with Anne and Avonlea in my mind, a stray lock of hair tossing in the wind and tickling my nape. I'm not bothered by having it stuck on repeat.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, reading this with one of my daughters has been a gift. Love the feeling and thoughts it provoked!
Still one of my favorite stories… brought me back to my childhood which is always fun as well ❤️

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I should have read these books when I was 11 or 12—and why I did not, I’ve no idea; to make matters worse, I’ve been carrying this omnibus around since the 1980s—I did my best to read them with the eyes for which they were intended. Most of the time, I was successful; these books were fun and sweet, and fill a need for kindness and simplicity.

According to Ellen Shapiro, who wrote the introduction to this volume (which was, sadly, badly in need of basic proofreading) containing three books—Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne’s House of Dreams—the last of these was considered to be the best book in the series, which contained several installments. While I found Anne’s House of Dreams wonderful—although I did sense a bit of a departure in tone; it seemed as if Lucy Maud Montgomery may have been writing for an audience that was growing up along with the stories and so made this one more adult-like—for me nothing matches meeting Anne for the first time in Anne of Green Gables, which was every bit as delightful as I had expected it to be. Anne is a wonderful friend whom many girls have found to be a “kindred spirit” over the years; she’s smart and funny, but—owing to her many disasters—is also far from perfect. I now understand the devotion of Anne’s many fans.

The writing, of course, is elaborately and grandly old-fashioned, but much of it is decidedly poetic, including this line from the last book describing a visit from a neighbor to Anne’s House of Dreams—a neighbor who remembered it from the beginning of its life: “For Captain Jim, the little house was tenanted with shapes entreating remembrance.” I adore this sentence.

So, shame on me for not having read this years ago—but hurray for Lucy Maud Montgomery who so long ago created an incredibly memorable character who can even charm older readers—well, this one at least.

[Sylvia Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This particular edition is a three book set of Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne’s House of Dreams. In terms of chronology, there are a couple of volumes (I think maybe 2?) between Avonlea and House of Dreams. While I love all three of these books, it is Anne’s House of Dreams that resonates so closely to me as an adult. I love the experience of Anne growing up as I read through these books.

If you’ve never read these, I cannot encourage you enough to read them. It really isn’t doing justice to Anne and the world Lucy Maud Montgomery creates to only have the really awful Netflix series, the slightly better PBS movie, or even the far superior (first two) movies done by The CBC to base your knowledge of Anne upon.

[Connie Ciampanelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not come to read Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic, Anne of Green Gables until adulthood. It was worth the wait; this is the third time I read it, this time to fulfill part of a reading challenge, "a book that makes you smile."

I'm sure little girls who read of Anne's (with an "e") exploits relate well to her but do not yet have the capacity to understand how laugh-out-loud funny it is and how wry are Mirilla's thoughts. That is left for an older reader to appreciate.

Very old fashioned but still heartwarming, one to own and read over and over.

[Amanda Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So my grandma gave me this book back when I was a kid and ungrateful sod that I was, I never bothered to read it until now because it didn't align with my reading interests at the time. As an adult I have much broader tastes and I'm not so quick to reject a book just because it's not like my favourites. This book contains three books about Anne and her life, so I'm going to give my thoughts on each separately.

Anne of Green Gables
I liked Anne a lot more than I thought I would, with her imagination and big speeches. I also became very fond of Mathew Cuthbert, the quiet gentle man with a soft heart. I did sort of feel like the middle of the book became a bit episodic without an overarching plot, but that would probably make it quite good for reading kids a chapter each night before bed. I saw Anne's big decision coming at the conclusion and wasn't very happy at the idea she might have to give up her education, but I think it was handled well.

Anne of Avonlea
Anne's continuing adventures as she becomes a school mistress in her home town, and she and Marilla acquire a couple of new orphans - twins. I sort of feel like Dora was a wasted character - why bother having twins if one of them has basically no character and doesn't matter to the story in the slightest? I know she is a foil for Davy but it would have been nice if an episode had focused on her, maybe getting in some sort of trouble by being too prim and proper. I liked the romance and the wedding as well as Anne's maturation and character development.

Anne's House of Dreams
Anne is newly married and moves to a new town with her husband Gilbert. This book is a bit darker and seems to be more Leslie's story than Anne's. The idea of a disabled person being a curse and terrible burden would not hold up well today I think, although nowadays I don't think anyone would judge Leslie if she chose to divorce "Dick" and move on with a new partner. I was dreading the possibility that they might resolve the situation by killing off the disabled guy, but thankfully that's not the direction the author chose to go. Phew.

Overall
One of the best examples of character development I've seen with Anne becoming more mature and sensible throughout the books, but not losing her vivacity or imagination. Beautiful depictions of the settings as the seasons change, like a love letter to the place and time of the story.

Thanks, grandma.

[Thomas R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three novels were very enjoyable. The classic is of course the first novel, Anne of Green Gables. The authors' love of Prince Edwards Island shines through the entire text and the book is a joy to read just for that. The zany adventures of Anne keep me chuckling all through the book. The human story of friendship and love for the orphaned Anne is also precious. The second novel, Anne of Avonlea, is only offset by the fact that it is the 2nd book in the series but it is also rich in atmosphere and characterization. The rub of this volume comes with the next book, Anne's House of Dreams, which is number five in the series. Hence before one can finish this omnibus, one has to off and read Books number three and four - which I did - before returning to finish this 3-in-1 omnibus. Anyway all the books are eminently enjoyable and worth reading again and again.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not have the pleasure of reading "Anne of Green Gables" as a young girl. It was recommended to me by my good friend and partner-in-reading, Hannah Johnson.

Going into it, I was afraid that Anne would be a sickeningly sweet Pollyanna-type character, and she was. However, I got used to the ramblings and she grew on me. I found "Anne of Green Gables" to be a special story. I admired Anne's imaginings and all the trouble she got into. The story was also boosted by Marilla and Matthew.

The second story in the series, "Anne of Avonlea" disappointed me. The Anne in "Green Gables" was lost, and not just because the character grew up. The plot was a little boring, and Anne seemed more like a spectator than the character who made the story.

Finally, there was the fifth book of the series: "Anne's House of Dreams." I liked this story just as much as "Green Gables," since Anne came back into the spotlight. I laughed when she laughed, and cried when she cried. It wasn't until she lost her first child that I realized how attached I was to her. It really did seem like a House of Dreams.

Shout out to Cornelia, who constantly kept me laughing!

[Kclark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could have read all the books-- didn't get to know Gilbert as well as I would have liked. Anne hated him, then she was married to him--not much about him after except he was a very busy doctor. I'll have to find the books on their romance.

I love classics--so much better written, even when there is not a lot going on. This is a book about characters, for the most part. My favorite character was Matthew-- I loved this shy good hearted man and hated that we lost him in the first book.

[Allecia Boden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book after High School. From the first page to the last I was in love with Anne Shirley. Definitely my favorite book of all times. I felt so connected by her passion for life. There are so many memorable moments and quotes that you'll long remember. I'm gifting my hardback copy to my grand niece Lily. She's 10 years old, a very sensitive soul, and has found her "Diana" ...Her best friends name is Julia. I hope they have some wonderful adventures like Anne Shirley.

[Emme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came about this story through the series, love it so much so that I decided to read the book. Even though it's as flourished as the series I must admit I was disappointed. One of the reasons I've admired the storyline so much is for the way in which it touched on certain topics, way ahead of it times. Turned out the book did no such a thing, it was all made up for the series. All in all it's a nice colorful read.

[Elsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed rereading these classics. Montgomery's descriptions of nature scenes are beautiful. Reminded me to add a visit to Prince Edward Island to my bucket list.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can be better than the Anne books to read? They're classics for a reason!

[Cyndie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun.

[imdeccy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe i only kept reading because i had watched the series but i hope that the other books are better.

[Hermione granger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book and very different from the series Anne with an e the last plot twist got me extremely unexpectedly you need to read it it’s amazing in everyway

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the first two books the best and the print on this book is decent size. This was a second reading of these stories.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sitting at the round table at church with some young people over a Sunday noon meal at church. A young lady made a reference to Anne Shirley, and I said, “Anne who?” Her jaw dropped. You’ve never read Anne of Green Gables?!” I confessed I hadn’t. It was on my bookshelf at home, though, and I put it on my mental “To Read list. I finally got around to it, and I’m glad I did. Anne Shirley is an orphan who is brought to the Cuthbert home by mistake. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, elderly brother and sister, are looking for a young boy to help around the farm, but the orphanage sends Anne instead. She is almost sent back, but is so crestfallen at the prospect that they pity and keep her. Most of the book is taken up with Anne’s antics and escapades, from which she learns to grow up, and Marilla learns to parent. The parenting is the more important, it seems. The moral seems to be that for girls growing up there are certain things they must and will learn, and for adults there are some things to learn about parenting that they must, but don’t necessarily learn. The lessons are quite good, though. “Folks that has brought up children know that there’s no hard and fast method in the world that’ll suit every child. But them as never have think it’s all as plain and easy as Rule of Three – just set your three terms down so fashion, and the sum’ll work out correct. But flesh and blood don’t come under the head of arithmetic…” Add in some small town busybodies and romance, and it’s a cute little story. Some of the writing is a bit formulaic. Each chapter starts with a paragraph of rhetorical flourish describing nature, moves on to some action or event, and closes reflecting on that event. But all in all a good read for an 8 year old girl like mine.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this 6 stars if I could. I love it, I was sorry when it was over and I just want to start reading it again! Anne Shirley is the most animated, honest and passionate character ever.The rest of the characters are all so well drawn out i.e. the stern Marilla, the shy Mathew, your usual cast of friendly and gossiping neighbors. This book got me from the moment Anne was picked up in the train station and started her journey to Green Gables where there is (in her words) so much more scope for imagination. Anne's many misadventures and triumphs while growing up will get you laughing, sighing, remembering, dreaming and rediscovering the joys of your own childhood. Recommended to all adults. Everyone MUST read it at least once. :)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this collection, I thought it was just going to be a sweet, wholesome story about a little girl -- which it was. However, I didn't realize how attached I would become to Anne as I watched her grow up throughout the pages. Montgomery creates such excellent characters who you can't help but fall in love with. These three volumes were all poignant and beautiful. After closing the book, I feel that I have grown as a person due to these stories, and that is what books are all about. I feel very sad to part with Anne, and I may end up reading the other five books in the series.

[steffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this is actually 3 books in one volume, and I read several other books at the same time, I am not shocked it took me a month to read this beast. Sometimes it is lovely to go back to a book you read as a young girl and especially more lovely to go back and read a classic book, one full of innocence and romantic ideas and positivity. That is what Anne of Green Gables is. It is lighthearted, lovely, and well written. There is nothing scholarly or historical to be read here, just a lovely read that you can slip on sometimes.

[Sue Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had three volumes in one, Anne of Green Gables which I loved, Anne of Avonlea which I was a bit disappointed with. Anne's house of dreams I had to wait to read as I wanted to read Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars first. I loved them all but the first volume and House of Dreams are far and away my favourites, I couldn't put the latter down. I'm not finished yet though, there are three more to go yet.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I just loved reading these books and sometimes I was so frustrated with the writing. Sometimes the author went into TOO much details about small things and not enough depth about characters or their relationships with each other. However, I did like most of the story plots and I still think Anne is a remarkable character.

[Kirsten Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful series for the dreamers, the thinkers, the kindred spirits. Anne is a quirky, fanciful girl who becomes more lovable and endearing with each passing year's account. Engaging story lines, excellent character development, and lovely settings immediately draw you into Anne's world, and a beautiful one it is.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites! Got it from Grandma when I was 11 and have loved it ever since. Just finished it again... SO different from the BBC (?) movie production. If you like the movie, you'll. LOVE the book.

[Hae-In · Rating 5 out of 5]

perennial favorite, I re-read this book every few years.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The

[Savanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think i have alot in commen with anne. i loved her caricter but not the book as much.

[mishti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh and lovely. I like the books when Anne is a young girl much better than when she's all grown up and mature.

[Kristin Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite stories of all time. Although I have it pretty much memorized, it is still so fun to read over and over. I love the movie adaptation as well!