Anne of Windy Willows

Anne of Green Gables #4

by L.M. Montgomery

The fourth book in the Anne Shirley series.

'Gilbert, I'm afraid I'm scandalously in love with you'

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe are at last engaged, but still they are apart: for three years Gilbert will be away at medical school, while Anne has a new job as principal of Summerside High School. Absence couldn't make their hearts any fonder, though, and they share all their love and news in letters.
At Summerside, Anne settles in happily, lodging at Windy Willows, home of two widows - Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty - and their irrepressible housekeeper, Rebecca Dew. With firm friends like these beside her, she can face anyone - even the Pringles, the 'Royal Family' of Summerside, who waste no time in snubbing Anne and letting her know that she wasn't their choice for principal. Can Anne ever hope to win them over?

This collection of the best in children's literature, curated by Virago, will be coveted by children and adults alike. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (The Dark Horse, An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving) E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess,The Secret Garden) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Romance, Historical

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 1936

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

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to be dramatic, but me not loving this book is the saddest worst thing that has ever happened to me or anyone, ever, in the history of the world.

Also the most surprising.

Yes, I may have an average rating of 2.95, and yes, I may be well used to being disappointed in life, and yes, maybe this is actually not a very sad or bad thing at all, let alone in the context of the history of human suffering.

But if I admitted that, I’d have to rewrite the opening of this review, and that, my dear, is never going to happen.

This really is a shock, though.

Anne of Windy Poplars is the fourth book in the Anne series, and I five starred the first three. ALL THREE! I have five starred about 25 books out of the hundreds I’ve read in the last three years, and three of them were Anne books.

And yet, I didn’t care for this much at all.

First off, the majority of it was epistolary, and made up of these heinously long boring dry letters that Anne wrote to her fiancé...whose name I am failing to think of. Garrett? Gilbert?

...Oh, no. I thought it couldn’t possibly be Gilbert due to the sheer awfulness of that name (sorry to any Gilberts out there, but the very sound of it is...bulbous), but it is.

Anyway, it’s mostly very boring letters. They don’t fit with Anne’s voice at ALL.

And to add insult to injury, instead of getting off to her usual misadventures and amusements, Anne spends the whole book running around and sticking her nose in people’s business and fixing their lives for them and all around being the kind of preachy unfun nightmare a past Anne would have abhorred and eventually charmed.

Horrible.

Also, I am sick of her meeting people and just bidding them adieu forever without feeling all that sad! She spent her whole childhood being best friends with Diana Barry, and now she hardly even speaks to her. She spends years living at Windy Poplars with the widows, and when she leaves she’s more happy than sad. Her college friends have disappeared. Her adopted younger siblings barely get a mention. I am SICK OF IT!!!

This had none of the whimsy, none of the love, none of the beautiful settings and none of the beautiful writing that I have come to expect.

Bottom line: Everything about this was simply a bummer.

------------
pre-review

life is full of disappointment.

review to come / 2 stars

------------
tbr review

thrilled to be reunited with my best friend (anne)

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Anne, you wonderfully bold and beautiful gal

"Life owes me something more than it has paid me and I’m going out to collect it…"

I just love seeing the woman Anne's grown into. She's finished college, runs her own little school and is in constant correspondence with her fiance, Gilbert.

“Gilbert, I'm afraid I'm scandalously in love with you.”

For the first time, we have a bit of switching perspectives - Anne in third person throughout the novel and in first person as we read her letters to Gilbert.

I can see why those letters are included - it's a way for the readers to remember that she's still very much in love with her fiance. Yet, I cannot say that I'm a fan of it. It's just so eye-rollingly over-the-top.

"Gilbert darling, don't let's ever be afraid of things. It's such dreadful slavery. Let's be daring and adventurous and expectant. Let's dance to meet life and all it can bring to us, even if it brings scads of trouble and typhoid and twins!"

We only see the one-sided gushing from her end and nothing from his perspective. Honestly, for half of the book, I thought that was supposed to be a sign that their relationship is in the slumps.

Holding with the pattern from the previous books:

--Anne meets and befriends a new grumpy person (who becomes a bosom friend).

--Anne interferes with someone else's love life (later realizing that things would've worked out without her influence).

--And Anne overcomes insurmountable challenges (with grace and poise).

"Wouldn't it be a rather drab world if everybody was wise and sensible . . . and good? What would we find to talk about."

Honestly Anne, it's a bit drab considering this book 4 and we get the same exact plot from book 1.

Okay, okay...as much as I complain, I still enjoy these books.

She's still the wonderful Anne that I've grown to know and love.

I just hope that things pick up a bit...especially considering the lines like this:

"Good night, belovedest. Your sleep will be sweet if there is any influences in the wishes of your own."

Gag.

Audiobook Comments
Narrated by Tara Ward - an excellent reader!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Nikola · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020: 5/5
2024: 4,5/5

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. this past summer, I've reread the first three books of the Anne of Green Gables series: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island. This book is the fourth in the series; and,
2. February 2024 is my "Classics" Month.

Praises:
1. now that Anne Shirley is employed as a high-school principal in Summerside, PEI, author L.M. Montgomery cleverly tells this particular story mostly through letters written by Anne to her fiancé, Gilbert. In them, Anne shares her introduction to a new cast of characters and a variety of entertaining situations she finds herself in;
2. speaking of which, this novel is quite the character-driven story. Coming from all walks of life, Anne encounters several local citizens, some who are quite nasty individuals! But true to fashion, Anne sees the good in these people and strives (successfully!) to win them over;
3. Montgomery skillfully has Anne act as a thoughtful listener, allowing these new characters to tell their own stories. At first, they may seem crochety, spiteful, even hateful, but like Anne, I couldn't help but grow to like them and even laugh over their foibles; and,
4. Montgomery 's descriptiveness of various settings through Anne's eyes sound like places I would love to visit!

Niggles:
I can't think of any!

Overall Thoughts:
Once again, Anne is truly a woman ahead of her time, both in relationship status and career aspirations.
I felt such hopefulness while reading this story! I highly recommend this book (and series) for fans of Anne Shirley and readers who appreciate wholesome stories.

[sAmAnE · Rating 5 out of 5]

در جایی خواندم که لوسی ماد مونتگمری وقتی کودک بوده مادرش را بخاطر بیماری سل از دست داده؛ پدرش او را به پدربزرگ و مادربزرگش سپرده و اون‌ها هم روابط خوبی با ماد نداشتند؛ بسیار سختگیر بودند و تمام کارهای ماد زیر ذره‌بین بود. او کودکیش را با خواندن کتاب و نوشتن و دنیای خیال‌انگیزش سپری کرده و همین‌ها باعث شده که با تقویت قوه‌ی تخیلش به یک داستان‌پرداز تبدیل بشه. او در دفتر خاطراتش نوشته که هرگز از اسم لوسی خوشش نمی‌آمده و دوست داشته او را ماد صدا کنند بدون تلفظ حرف e!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. I think at the beginning I was a little skeptical, especially since Montgomery kept omitting the parts where Anne "had the right pen" to write love letters to Gilbert. I wanted to READ Anne's love letters!

But for all that, I loved the characters in this book. Rebecca Dew cracked me up, as did Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty, with their buttermilk secrets; Dusty Miller the cat; Katherine Brooke; Nora Nelson and Jim Wilcox; little Elizabeth; Cyrus Taylor (oh, but that was a hilarious episode!)...and all those old ladies with bizarre quirks, like Aunt Ernestine, Miss Minerva Tomgallon (too much Dickens, quoth Anne), Mrs. Gibson...and of course all the Pringles! It reminded me of Rock Ridge, the town in Blazing Saddles where everyone is called Johnson. I loved the chapter with the drama club, where Sophy steps in for Jen Pringle and saves the day. Also, wasn't it great how Anne accidentally blackmailed the whole Pringle clan? Tee hee.

And now it's on to Anne's House of Dreams--and more Gilbert Blythe! I missed him; actually, I missed all of the old crowd. Marilla, Rachel Lynde, Davy, Dora, Diana, Phil, even the Sloane-ish Charlie! I can't wait for Anne's wedding; I feel like everyone she's met in the last four books will make an appearance.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Nobody is ever too old to dream. And dreams never grow old."

I see by the reviews that a lot of Anne-fans are disappointed in this one. On this, my fourth reading, I must admit that I was, too. I think it is the lack of the "old familiar." Anne is away, serving as principal of a school in Summerside. Gilbert is far, far away, studying medicine. Other than letters, there is no repartee between the two. Avonlea, and her beloved residents, is only visited during the holidays and summer breaks.

There are plenty of new characters, however . . . almost too many. For Anne, there are too many Pringles, the "Royal Family" of Summerside. Resenting the fact that a relative was passed over for the job that went to Anne, the Pringles seem to have organized a cabal against her. She is snubbed socially as rumors about her spread, and a virus of disobedience pervades her classroom. Luckily, Anne happens on a secret that causes the entire family to do an about face.

Most of this book concerns the irrepressible Anne solving everyone's problems. And though she manages most of them pretty hilariously, it wears a bit thin by the end of the novel. Anne and Gilbert will be reunited in the next book, so hopefully, the old magic will be back again.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly 3.5/5 but idk yet.
I still really enjoyed this book because Anne is my FAVE, but I think the back and forth between her letters to Gilbert and third person narrative was a little bit much. I didn't really love that switch and I missed Gilbert throughout this book, though I understand why he wasn't in it!
I still love Anne as a character DEARLY and I will honestly love her forever. She is so kind and compassionate and lovely and just EVERYTHING.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am pretty disappointed with this one. I mean, in comparison to the first three books in this series, this one was rather weak. Unfortunately, it just didn't keep me interested enough to thoroughly enjoy it, even if this series is reminiscent to my childhood.
The writing itself was lacking any kind of interesting description, the plot was confusing and pretty much all over the place and for me, telling the story through half written letters to Gilbert, really didn't work.
I do enjoy the Anne of green gables series, and I love Anne as a character, but this little book of stories, I see to being rather unnecessary and somewhat pointless. I mean, did I really need a book crammed with unlikeable asses?
I will finish this series despite my disappointment with this one.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word....disappointing. It was good enough to finish. but it took 2 or 3 weeks to get through. This is a good indication of my interest level, because really great books keep me up at night until I finish them. This one....not so much.

I didn't care for the style--half letters from Anne to Gilbert, and half third-person, with no good reason to switch back and forth between the two. There are a ton of new characters, but the sheer volume precludes any satisfying character development. Anne seems to be a miracle in the life of everyone she meets, which worked okay for a book or two, but now feels like a rehashing of the same old stories with different names attached. If it were a stand alone book, I would have liked it better, but as part of a series, it felt too redundant.

That is the worst of my criticism, though. There are some interesting stories, some very funny dialogue, and some endearing (if shallowly developed) characters.

[Rosemary Atwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Anne of Windy Willows’ (or ‘Windy Poplars,’ as it’s often styled) was published in 1936, twenty-eight years after ‘Green Gables ‘(1908) and feels quite out of step with its companions. Apparently it was written to please her publishers and fans after the success of the original series, therefore our beloved Avonlea characters play little part in this crowd-pleaser.

The novel’s uncanniness arises from a dreamlike quality in that it’s so completely removed from Avonlea in every way that it feels more of an exercise in filling in time. The principal character is - but isn’t - Anne, and the scenarios and individuals that she describes in her letters to a disembodied Gilbert often feel distractingly modern.

Nevertheless, there’s a very beguiling maturity to Montgomery’s writing and characterisation here, alongside the warmth and descriptive beauty that her work has always displayed. An intriguing addition to the Anne canon.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars (7/10 hearts). I never know just how to write a review of the Anne books, because they are so good and I love them so much. This one I go back and forth about how much I love it… sometime it’s something of a drag because I’ve read it so often, other times it’s delightful. Such is the reader’s life…

Here we have a sudden shift from the old familiar friends and dwells upon completely new folk. It’s very nice to see all these new people... little Elizabeth and the widows and Rebecca Dew and Katherine and Lewis and... just all of them! They’re all so real and humorous and beautiful and living.

There’s so much humanity and story in here! The other Anne books have more plot and arc, but this one is really a collection of stories of dozens of people, and I love that portrait of the world. It’s endlessly fascinating and it teaches so many good lessons. Just like all the books, I don’t agree with everything, but it’s beautiful and humorous and just so good. <33

Content: Some mild language; a mention that a girl will never be able to find a husband if it gets out that she was found with a man at 2 o’clock in the morning. There’s nothing at all inappropriate about how that happened; I can’t tell more because of spoilers! Recommended age: 14+

A Favourite Quote: “One can always find something lovely to look at or listen to,” said Anne.
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “...last night we had a silver thaw and today the sun shone. My maple grove was a place of unimaginable splendours. Even the commonplaces had been made lovely. Every bit of wire fencing was a wonder of crystal lace.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘The quality of mercy is not strained,’” giggled Sally[.]
“Don't quote the Bible flippantly,” rebuked Aunt Mouser. “You must excuse her, Miss Shirley. She just ain't used to getting married.”

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic middle grade, and this is the 4th book in the Anne of Green Gables series. Some of this book is written as letters. I love the letters parts. I did really like this book, but I have to say I loved Anne of Green Gables so much more then this book. Some of the characters in this book I do not think is very developed. (*)

[Ali Book World · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی که پر از نامه باشه ولی باز هم جذبه‌ی خاصی داشته باشه، گلی‌ست از گل‌های بهشت! 🌹👍💝

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4

Anne Shirley is once again away from Avonlea. Now that she's completed her B.A. at Redmond College, she lives at Windy Poplars and is the principal at Summerside High School. This story covers her three-year stay in Summerside away from Gilbert Blythe, who's a medical student at Redmond College.

A lot of the story is told in letters from Anne to Gilbert during this three-year period. That was an interesting change from the storytelling style in the first three books. I did, however, miss actual interactions between Anne and Gilbert. I wish at least a letter or two from Gilbert to Anne had been included in the book.

Since Anne moved to Summerside by herself, none of the main characters from the previous books (Marilla, Rachel Lynde, Diana) play much of a role in this story. I missed them, but enjoyed some of the new characters Anne met. With her wit and optimistic disposition, Anne overcame the obstacles she faced at Summerside and changed the lives of many there.

"One can always find something lovely to look at or listen to." said Anne

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reread for a reading vlog: https://youtu.be/Z-1p0hIp-Ng (watch for both a spoiler free and spoiler filled review of each of the eight books in the series - spoilers are all clearly marked and easily skipped!)


Written review to come ❤️


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[_minaeeeee · Rating 5 out of 5]

من جای نویسنده بودم
اسم این جلد رو میزاشتم گرین گیبلز درمانی : ))

هر کی میرفت متحول برمیگشت😁

میخام در خانه ی رویاها رو همین الان شروع کنم*-*
یکی از قشنگترین تابستون هامو با این مجموعه ساختم قطعا 💓🌸

[klaudia &#x1f428; · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kocham Anię, as you know. Jest to cudowna seria, w której z wielką chęcią się zatracam. Moje comfort place. Ania to moja przyjaciółka.

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now while Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Windy Poplars is considered the fourth of the Anne of Green Gables stories according to the timeline of Anne Shirley's life (and describes with both meticulously descriptive detail and often very much delightful, sometimes even wickedly hilarious humour her three years teaching at a girl's academy in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, whilst her fiancé Gilbert Blythe is studying to be a doctor), Anne of Windy Poplars is actually the second to last novel of the series if one looks at its publication date of 1936 (with only the sixth story of Anne's life, with only Anne of Ingleside coming later, being published in 1939). And whereas I as an older adult reader now do indeed very much consider Anne of Windy Poplars as one of my absolute and all-time personal favourite stories about Anne Shirley, I also have to admit that this appreciation and intensely passionate enjoyment has in fact come rather slowly and only after I learned to enjoy (to love) epistolary novels (for in fact, when I first read Anne of Windy Poplars as a teenager, I actually found the novel's letter-based style of textual presentation both annoying and distracting, something that I of course now no longer feel AT ALL, but something that definitely very much lessened my reading enjoyment and pleasure in 1983, when I first read or rather tried to read Anne of Windy Poplars).

As such, while I do very much and highly recommend Anne of Windy Poplars, I do feel that I must leave the necessary caveat that Anne of Windy Poplars is definitely and basically for much of the novel an account of a multitude of diversely episodic letters narrated by Anne Shirley about her various experiences teaching and living in Summerside, written by her to her fiancé, to Gilbert Blythe (who really never does make all that much of a physical appearance in Anne of Windy Poplars except briefly during the Christmas in Avonlea episode, but who is always and nevertheless at least in my opinion omnipresent in Anne of Windy Poplars as the hypothetical reader, as the recipient of Anne's letters, something that I now do absolutely love and find very if not even extremely attractive, but also something that I know many readers have in particular faulted and found majorly annoying with regard to Anne of Windy Poplars).

And indeed, even sixteen year old I (my age in 1983, during my first perusal of Anne of Windy Poplars) was at first rather a bit annoyed at Gilbert's physical absence from the the actual happenings, from most of the actual stories of Anne of Windy Poplars, although truth be told, when I reread Anne of Windy Poplars as a university student (and later) and after I had become majorly enamoured of letter-based and themed novels, Gilbert Blythe's very absence actually made Anne of Windy Poplars increasingly a personal favourite for me (since now I could in my own mind imagine Gilbert reading and enjoying Anne's letters to him without actually having to read all that much about him, for indeed and in fact, I have only really started enjoying how L.M. Montgomery narratively depicts and describes especially Gilbert Blythe as a literary character once Anne and he get married, during and after Anne's House of Dreams, and not actually having to read all that much if anything about him in Anne of Windy Poplars but being able to freely use my imagination to think and depict in my mind's eye Gilbert Blythe reading, laughing and perhaps at times even crying over Anne Shirley's descriptive and full of details and interesting tidbits letters to him, that really and truly has started to lastingly cement Anne of Windy Poplars as one of my treasured favourite Anne of Green Gables series offerings).

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourth in the Anne of Green Gables series and I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the others.

Anne is now in her early twenties, engaged and away from home and Gilbert. Anne is teaching for three years and this book is 80% letters to her family and Gilbert. Some parts of the letters are omitted for privacy reasons which is an interesting concept for fictional characters.

I am looking forward to the next book though when Anne is back where she belongs.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the 3rd book in the Anne of green gables series I said that I hoped to get to this soon. It took me almost a year but better late then never I guess. While this is either my least favorite in the series or I've been away from the series to long. I still loved the cozy and humble reading experience. I couldn't stand the Netflix series but in these books I absolutely adore Anne.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

There really is something about Anne Shirley -- even when the book had its predictable moments, when L.M. Montgomery returns to the various situations and character types that she perhaps overuses a bit, Anne shines through and makes the reading experience absolutely lovely. Although it's not just Anne -- the author does have a magical way with language. I know if I tried to replicate it I would just sound silly, a pale imitation, but her beautiful descriptions of houses, places, people and thoughts are captivating and soothing to read.

With the exception of Hazel Marr, and perhaps the nightmarish twins that Anne babysits, I found the annoying characters were mostly amusing and disappeared before they had time to irritate me too much. I loved the Aunts and Rebecca Dew --- and thankfully, since Anne was so devoted to her, I loved Elizabeth Grayson. I especially liked how, although her dreamy aspect felt similar to Anne as a young girl, she was her own interesting character. The conclusion of the book and Anne's time with Elizabeth is what raised the book for me and outweighed the less dazzling aspects.

I liked Anne's letters to Gilbert, but I must admit I preferred it when things returned to the third person. Anne's writing was lovely, but somehow didn't have the same flair, which might sound odd since they were of course written by the same person! But I felt more connected when things moved away from the letters. Rather disloyally I didn't miss Gilbert, but I think that is because I know in future times he will feature more often, so I enjoyed these last years with Anne Shirley before she becomes Anne Blythe.

This was a buddy read with Carolyn, Leeanne and Shirin -- I have thoroughly enjoyed our discussion so far and look forward to expanding on things more now that we have all finished the book!

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full (mini) review now posted!

I have a soft spot for epistolary novels. I love getting someone’s innermost thoughts in their own words. This book was a hybrid, half epistolary and half regular novel. But it’s all Anne Shirley in all of her glory, enjoying a new home and profession and conglomeration of interesting neighbors. If I had to choose one word to describe this novel, that would would be shenanigans. Seriously, Anne gets into so many uncomfortable, hilarious situations, and witnesses her neighbors getting into even more. While there were a couple of sadder scenes, for the most part this novel is light and fluffy and undoubtedly funny. While not always viewed as a legitimate installment of the Green Gables series (some Kindle collections provide only six installments instead of eight), I think this installment is worthy of its place in the series, and shouldn’t be missed.

[Angela R. Watts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it.


-- The writing was... lacking description quite a few times. It also was all over the place. I didn't see much need for the formatting of telling stories through the letters. I didn't like that too much.
-- It was rather pointless... I love the Anne books and will finish the series, of course, but this was like a little book of stories I really didn't care about. There were a ton of characters. 90% of them were totals jerks so I was speed-reading most of the time.
Overall, I didn't enjoy myself but at least it is over. I can't wait to see the next book.

[Tharindu Dissanayake · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Oh, it's good … good … good to be home again!"

Once again I was pleasantly surprised by L. M. Montgomery, who it seems never fails to make it interesting irrespective of the circumstances. The different approach of narration using letters from Anne to Gilbert was a nice bit of change.

Almost all the characters were new this time around, and with very little reference to happenings at Green Gables. But all new characters were fascinating. And, though emotional, glad to have found a happy ending to this chapter of Anne's life.

"I'm glad I don't live in Yesterday … that Tomorrow is still a friend."

"Life is good … good!"

[Lamaleluna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cada uno de estos libros es una caricia al alma. Las historias de Ana son lindas, inocentes y pasajeras. Y disfruto mucho ver cómo el personaje crece y sin embargo no pierde su carácter y carisma de siempre.

En este cuarto volumen Ana debe mudarse a la casita de álamos ventosos durante tres años para poder dar clases en el instituto Summerside. Mientras tanto se comunica con Gilbert mediante cartas, contándole las novedades y anécdotas de su día a día.

Lo disfruté muchísimo, muy lindo de leer, me sacó varias sonrisas y me encantó encontrarme nuevamente con Ana.
Súper recomedado! ✨💕

Yo leyendo Ana la de tejas verdes: 🥺🥰🥺😊🤭

[_och_man_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niestety przyłączam się do głosów oceniających ten tom najsłabiej (przynajmniej do tej pory). Niezbyt podobała mi się również jednostronna forma epistolarna - aż prosiło się o jakiś Gilbertowy znak życia.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 5 out of 5]

2026 Review
Ah, a delightful read as always. I have come to like how this novel slows down the series, which would move all too fast otherwise. The characters are just so ridiculous and endearing, though I find myself glad Anne doesn't have to live in Summerside forever.

(I am thinking of skipping Anne of Ingleside in this re-read, as guiltlessly as I skipped the chapters I don't like in this reading of Windy Poplars.)

2023 Review
I do love a sojourn at Windy Poplars. Montgomery is a master of the character study and there are just so many fun ones here! Unfortunately, in my audiobook journey, I had to depart from Barbara Caruso for just this one book. This narrator had clipped tones and the worst voices. (Characters like Rebecca Dew, Mrs. Gibson, and Katherine Brooke were given identical awkwardly deep voices, while Little Elizabeth, Pauline, and the Aunts sounded similarly identical, constantly being on the verge of tears.) Yet, I still love this story and its weirdness. Readers who take feminist umbrage at Anne not becoming an author would do well to remember this installment where Anne and her BA singlehandedly lead Summerside High.

I think, what could have made this book feel more in line with the rest of the series, was if letters from other characters appeared too, as they do in Anne of the Island. What if we could hear from Gilbert and Philippa and Diana? Alas. Though Aunt Josephine gets a mention, Anne seems to have lost touch with the Patty's Place set (though Philippa appears off-page in House of Dreams) and it is a sad loss.

House of Dreams has always been one of my favorite books in the series and I am starting it immediately! It seems I have read Windy Poplars every odd year for seven years now. For a long time I didn't read the whole series in order, just whichever books I wanted to re-read. But this is the second time I've read the series in order in two years. We'll see what holds in 2025...

2021 Review
Simply lovely to read again. While Windy Poplars often reads more like a collection of short stories than a novel, it has such delicious characters and winnings-over that I always love revisiting it. As the happy survivor of a long-distance relationship, Anne's letters to Gilbert make perfect sense to me now. I didn't like the letters as much when I was younger, but after falling in love while over 1,000 miles apart, I get it.

Had Montgomery wanted more of a solid, novel feel, she could have stretched the Pringle drama for the whole three years. After Anne earns their trust, they fade into the background. But each year has its own challenge. The second year is given to Katherine Brooke, the third to settling little Elizabeth. But Windy Poplars still holds up, in my opinion, because Anne and her insights reign supreme. The triple secret of buttermilk facials gets me every time! The delightful side characters were a treasure to rediscover, as always, though I must admit I skipped the chapters about Hazel and Terry. "Not like other girls" meets the reason why "Answer not a fool according to his folly" is in Proverbs.

This is the last truly lighthearted book in the series. Both Green Gables and Island have their sad deaths, but there's a darkness over House of Dreams and the final three books. House of Dreams was published in 1917, during the war, and its impact is felt even in Windy Poplars (1936). I couldn't help but wonder if Anne's comment about the war, a common pre-WWI sentiment, also reflected what Montgomery felt after WWI: "It seems so strange to read over the stories of those old wars . . . things that can never happen again. I don't suppose any of us will ever have more than an academic interest in 'battles long ago.' It's impossible to think of Canada ever being at war again. I am so thankful that phase of history is over." Or, perhaps, Montgomery wrote that knowing war would still plague the earth. Even if she didn't intend anything by it, it's a very Anne-ish sentiment. The fingers of war color Rainbow Valley and, most markedly, Rilla. Anne of Ingleside was published in the summer of 1939, weeks before WWII began. Considering Montgomery's severe depression, it makes sense that her writing would take a darker turn, but casting the shadow of war over her work concealed a bent that would have been just as tenebrous otherwise. I'm sad to see the end of the carefree Anne books, but there's a depth to the final four books that's just as thought-provoking, if not as mood-lifting, as the first four.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

~4.5 stars~

I wasn’t too sure about how I would like this book once I realized that most of it was just Anne’s letters to Gilbert—But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I did enjoy it! It could definitely be a little slow in some areas, and I don’t think it is in any way my favorite out of the series as a whole, but I am still glad I decided to continue on with this beautiful series that L.M. Montgomery has created ^_^ I am looking forward to reading the fifth book really soon because of Anne and Gilbert’s wedding coming up! :D (It is only kinda a spoiler since most people already know this anyways :P But just thought I would hide it just in case xD...)

Sorry, I know this wasn't that detailed of a review, but it is the best I can do at the moment :P

[Britany · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, this is my favorite Anne book in the series.

I fell head over heels listening to this book on audio. A cast of characters that exceeded any cast in the series so far (which is hard to believe-- I know). Anne goes to Summerside to be a principal while her betrothed Gilbert is in med school. The book is mostly comprised of letters to Gilbert about the goings-on in Summerside. Rebecca Dew might just be my absolute favorite character in the series so far. I just loved her and her snarky ways. Aunts Kathy and Chatty rounded out the list of favorites. Oh- and little Dusty Miller found a place in all our hearts as the cat that warmed up even the coldest of hearts. My absolute favorite part of this book was the twins that Anne babysits-- their names had me cracking up for days! Gerald and Geraldine!!! I'm still chuckling at the thought.

A perfect journey to PEI and one I was sad to see end- however grateful I was in Ms Dew's waving of the bathrobe to see me off to the next novel.