i’ve said this and i’ll say it again: i’d marry anne. we'd both have matching bridal dresses and "someone like you" by van morrison would definitely be playing. but would i also murder & impersonate her in a heartbeat? 100%. elizabeth, i’m coming for your life too, by the way. 8am tomorrow? would that work for you? its the polite kidnapping that really works.
so, if you didn't already read this, first of all, what was your childhood like? dark, i suppose. mine had elegance because of this book. i was the most poised seven year old you've ever seen. i drank tea and occasionally spit-balled gems like this one; "maman, will i get my milk from the goats at 3? oh, and do take me to strawberry island soon. i've just drawn a course to get there and gilberta the maid will be rowing the boat. farewell!". i'm dead serious. my mother has a video.
“windy poplars” follows anne's life after college and chronicles her adventures with her students. when anne decides to board with aunt kate, aunt chatty, and housekeeper; rebecca dew. they all live in a beautiful house called windy poplars. i'd like to take the time to mention anne's beautiful tower room. ugh, may have been the only reason i even read this book in the first place. anyways, anne boards with the aunts and teaches at summerside school.
i heavily enjoyed the subplots. many authors make them bland, or at least less interesting than the real story. but let me tell you, some of her students were more interesting than the main characters. of course not my darling 'lil anne, but still. and yes, anne and i are close like that. close enough that i gave her a rapper name. did you give her a rapper name? probably not. something to dwell on, i guess. moving on, i really wish novellas were more common at the time montgomery wrote this, i just would've adored to read about katherine brooke's life after “windy poplars”.
my favorites, aka daughters:
- katherine. her childhood and connection to anne after she started to warm up; she felt like an uncared for anne shirley who never had a marilla in her life to help steer her to shore.
- nora nelson. never have i wanted to hug a character more. the constant comparisons of her and her beautiful soon-to-be-wed sister made me want to sob & thank god my parents weren't fiends who valued looks over integrity.
- dovie. yes, i'm a sucker for romance and the strong women that come along with it, thank you very much. dovie is girly, she's strong, and she's timid. it's so refreshing to read about a girl who's so truly proud of being who she is. what i didn't like was that they constantly referred to her as plump yet beautiful. no thanks, but i decided to look over it for the moment because the book itself is already very forward, and there were certain stupid stereotypes at the time when it was written.
- and...elizabeth. who couldn't love elizabeth? a smart, mini-cinderella, perfectly beautiful little 8-year old? an undernourished anne shirley if you ask me. (i compare everyone to anne because she is my definition of god)
elizabeth is lonely and never cared for by her stone cold aunt, until anne comes along and goes down, instead of rebecca dew, to give her her daily glass of milk.
little beth dreams of 'tomorrow', a land where her father spends time with her. cries. naturally, anne helps elizabeth design 'tomorrow', and then...stuff happens. i think this is a spoiler free review. ok, something good happens and you have to read the book to find out.
side note: i loved how elizabeth had different names for herself based on her mood, it was so adorable. i totally want to do this with my name, but except for dir-dir, an unfortunate nickname i adopted, i can't think of anything else.
“windy poplars” is the perfect pick-me-up and unrealistic yet simply beautiful read for any occasion. read it or you will miss out on the true meaning of a book. or if you're that kind of person, i dare you to.