ArtFolds: Joy: Anne of Green Gables (3)

by L.M. Montgomery, Lucy Maud Montgomery

This version of Anne of Green Gables is more than just a book! Inside are simple instructions that show readers how to fold pages to transform this book into a beautiful, personal, and long-lasting work of art as the pages evolve into an amazing sculpture displaying the word JOY.

An ArtFolds book is a hardcover book that is transformed into a unique paper sculpture merely by folding pages, based on our exclusive, patent-pending instructions. The process is fun and easy and takes surprisingly little time, making it as appropriate for children as it is for adults. Each Classic Edition, with its embossed cover and color-edged pages, is based on a much-loved classic work of fiction. In JOY, readers will find the original version of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author whose novels, stories, essays and poems made her one of the most widely read writers in Canadian literary history. Publishing under the name L. M. Montgomery, she achieved international recognition with the novel Anne of Green Gables, released in 1908, which quickly became a bestseller and introduced readers to the imaginative orphan Anne Shirley. The success of the book transformed Montgomery from a schoolteacher and magazine contributor into a celebrated literary figure whose work reached audiences far beyond Canada. Raised on Prince Edward Island, she drew deeply on its landscapes, rural communities, and storytelling traditions, turning the island into the setting for many of her novels. The popularity of Anne of Green Gables led to numerous sequels, including Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, establishing a beloved series that followed Anne from childhood to adulthood. Montgomery continued to write steadily throughout her life, producing twenty novels and more than a thousand short stories poems and essays. Her fiction often centered on young women, personal growth, and the emotional ties between people and place, combining gentle humor with reflections on memory, imagination, and belonging. Although she enjoyed enormous popularity, Montgomery also faced personal difficulties, including long periods of depression and the strain of caring for her husband, a Presbyterian minister who struggled with mental illness. Writing became both a profession and a refuge, allowing her to transform memories of childhood and observation of everyday life into vivid storytelling. In addition to the Anne series, she created other notable works, including the Emily novels and several stand alone stories that explored identity, creativity, and attachment to home. Her books were translated widely and attracted devoted readers around the world, helping shape the international image of Prince Edward Island as a place of pastoral beauty and warm community life. Scholars later studied her extensive journals letters and manuscripts, which revealed the complex inner life behind the cheerful tone of many of her books. By the time of her death in 1942, Montgomery had become one of the most successful and influential authors in Canadian literature. Her stories about imagination, resilience, and the search for belonging continue to inspire readers of all ages, and Anne Shirley remains one of the most recognizable characters in children's fiction. Through generations of readers, Montgomery's work has encouraged appreciation for storytelling, nature, and the emotional richness of ordinary life. Her legacy also includes a vast body of diaries and correspondence that document the challenges faced by a professional woman writer in the early twentieth century. Institutions such as the L. M. Montgomery Institute have continued to examine her influence on literature culture and tourism, particularly on Prince Edward Island, where sites associated with her fiction attract visitors from many countries. Adaptations of Anne of Green Gables for film, television, and theatre have introduced new audiences to her stories, ensuring that her characters remain part of global popular culture. Though critical opinion once dismissed her as merely a writer for children, later scholarship recognized the depth of her themes and the enduring craft of her storytelling. Today she is remembered as a central figure in Canadian literature whose imaginative vision gave voice to the beauty of rural life while celebrating the hopes of young dreamers who search for belonging.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

During a summer of revisiting classics, I found Anne of Green Gables to be one of the best. It was definitely very old-fashioned, in plot and writing style. However, the writing was good writing. The descriptions were from another time, which from my perspective was much of the charm. I revisited the world of the early 1900s through the eyes of Anne and of Maud Montgomery. It took me back to a time when life was simpler.

This copy of Anne of Green Gables was another Artfolds book. I definitely enjoyed the reading. This winter I’ll fold it and perhaps pass it on as a gift. I got a real gift from the past and from Maud Montgomery as I read it. Anne of Green Gables definitely a true classic.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this five stars solely out of nostalgia.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne and Gil are my OTP. I would have rated this a 5 after pure nostalgia and feelings, but I'm not sure if the book alone warranted it.

[Layla Bohm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The low stars are because it was missing chapter 15. Otherwise, I'd give it five stars because it was fun to fold and I love the story.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this sweet story. Not sure I'm up to the task of the folding!