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Anne of Greenville
This is the story of how I became Anne of Greenville. It’s also the story of how I found my true true, and how I needed to maybe come to Greenville, of all places, to make that happen.
In this modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, Anne is an ABBA-loving singer/actor/writer of disco-operas, queer, Japanese-American who longs to be understood for her artistic genius. Recently relocated to middle-of-nowhere Greenville and starting at a new school, Anne has a tendency to A) fall in love quickly, deeply, and effervescently and B) fly off the handle in the face of jerks. Both personality quirks quickly come into play when the soccer team boos the premiere of her disco performance, which—in a roundabout way—introduces her to her new BFF, Berry, and she soon after meets the girl of her dreams, Gilly.
Falling quickly into that age-old trap of ignoring the best friend for the new crush, Anne soon becomes embroiled in a series of dramatic and unfortunate events, and quickly finds herself wrapped up in a love triangle she never expected. Is she MTB with Gilly? Or is Berry her true soul mate? Only time (or 304 pages) will tell.
In this coming-of-age novel by fan-favorite author Mariko Tamaki, see the classic tale in a whole new light. Refreshingly bold and unapologetically unique, Anne of Greenville will make you want to stand up and sing!
In this modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, Anne is an ABBA-loving singer/actor/writer of disco-operas, queer, Japanese-American who longs to be understood for her artistic genius. Recently relocated to middle-of-nowhere Greenville and starting at a new school, Anne has a tendency to A) fall in love quickly, deeply, and effervescently and B) fly off the handle in the face of jerks. Both personality quirks quickly come into play when the soccer team boos the premiere of her disco performance, which—in a roundabout way—introduces her to her new BFF, Berry, and she soon after meets the girl of her dreams, Gilly.
Falling quickly into that age-old trap of ignoring the best friend for the new crush, Anne soon becomes embroiled in a series of dramatic and unfortunate events, and quickly finds herself wrapped up in a love triangle she never expected. Is she MTB with Gilly? Or is Berry her true soul mate? Only time (or 304 pages) will tell.
In this coming-of-age novel by fan-favorite author Mariko Tamaki, see the classic tale in a whole new light. Refreshingly bold and unapologetically unique, Anne of Greenville will make you want to stand up and sing!
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2022
40 people are currently reading
2977 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
377 books2,233 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
March 11, 2022
I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan so I was really happy to grab this! Unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
This book is a modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne is a modern girl in modern-day with a strange love for disco and rollerblading. Her adopted parents have moved once again and now they're stuck in hicktown Greenville full of small-minded townsfolk that doesn't understand Anne and her family. Oh yeah, Anne's parents are both women and unfortunately, Greenville doesn't take too kindly to LGBTQ+ elements. How will Anne and her family deal with the constant hatred directed toward them?
I think my main issue with the book is it feels like...there's a lot of original ideas, which is fine, but it feels like it detracts from the Anne books so much that it doesn't really feel like Anne anymore. There's no Marilla & Matthew, Rachel Lynde is extremely hostile toward Anne, not to mention half the characters in the book were not in the original book. Which is really weird because Tamaki nails Anne's chaotic thought process and energy--so where are the other characters that help Anne flourish?
At least she has Diana Barry--who is named "Berry" in this, weirdly enough. Berry feels more like an emo angsty teen rather than the naive yet optimistic and loving Diana from the books. Gilly (Gilbert) is a really shy person who just hangs out with a really homophobic crowd. Gilbert Blythe, SHY? Sounds fake, but okay. I do love that Gilbert became Gilly--the problem was just felt like Gilly wasn't Gilbert at all but a completely different character, much like Anne's parents and Rachel Lynde, etc.
Just to be clear, I am NOT being homophobic/sexist/etc by rating this book low, it's not because Anne has two moms or dates Gilly then Berry, it's because the author is doing *so* much and changing a lot that it's so unrecognizable. What's the point of changing everything about the original series and only keeping the names? May as well write your own book at that point!
If I wasn't a fan of the Anne books I probably thought this would've been fine. Maybe. The moms were really flat and oddly absent despite them being the reason Anne was stuck in the homophobic town in the first place. They'd react to the homophobia yes, but not do anything else except get takeout. Like damn y'all, sit with your daughter and talk about this? Oh right, they did briefly talk with her in the last chapter of the book. Y'all, you had all month to say something to her about it....
Anne was the only one who felt alive--everyone else felt like they were going through the motions of a generic background character. I found the appeal of the books to be mainly the whole town rather than just Anne herself, but that's just me.
Again, not hating the LGBTQ+ elements, I applaud more representation, but god DAMN the homophobia was INTENSE in this book it's not even funny. Literally, multiple slurs each chapter, I have no idea how Anne and her family still stayed in town despite the constant insults and vandalism of their house. It felt almost comical how everyone in town except for 5 people was homophobic. I'd just get out of that mess after a month, honestly. I know homophobia is alive and well today, but I feel like it was excessive here and detracted from the Anne message of being who you are, it also just feels like it was a way to make Greenville look like a complete shithole as often as possible. How am I supposed to forgive any of these people? I couldn't even forgive Gilly for being an accessory to multiple crimes.
(Also, sorry if I assumed wrong in stating that Gilly was Gilbert, there is a character named Ruby Gillis that could be Gilly? Maybe? Not sure. No one is who they are from the OG books so it's hard to tell)
Very disappointing book despite the colorful and accurate Anne Shirley.
This book is a modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne is a modern girl in modern-day with a strange love for disco and rollerblading. Her adopted parents have moved once again and now they're stuck in hicktown Greenville full of small-minded townsfolk that doesn't understand Anne and her family. Oh yeah, Anne's parents are both women and unfortunately, Greenville doesn't take too kindly to LGBTQ+ elements. How will Anne and her family deal with the constant hatred directed toward them?
I think my main issue with the book is it feels like...there's a lot of original ideas, which is fine, but it feels like it detracts from the Anne books so much that it doesn't really feel like Anne anymore. There's no Marilla & Matthew, Rachel Lynde is extremely hostile toward Anne, not to mention half the characters in the book were not in the original book. Which is really weird because Tamaki nails Anne's chaotic thought process and energy--so where are the other characters that help Anne flourish?
At least she has Diana Barry--who is named "Berry" in this, weirdly enough. Berry feels more like an emo angsty teen rather than the naive yet optimistic and loving Diana from the books. Gilly (Gilbert) is a really shy person who just hangs out with a really homophobic crowd. Gilbert Blythe, SHY? Sounds fake, but okay. I do love that Gilbert became Gilly--the problem was just felt like Gilly wasn't Gilbert at all but a completely different character, much like Anne's parents and Rachel Lynde, etc.
Just to be clear, I am NOT being homophobic/sexist/etc by rating this book low, it's not because Anne has two moms or dates Gilly then Berry, it's because the author is doing *so* much and changing a lot that it's so unrecognizable. What's the point of changing everything about the original series and only keeping the names? May as well write your own book at that point!
If I wasn't a fan of the Anne books I probably thought this would've been fine. Maybe. The moms were really flat and oddly absent despite them being the reason Anne was stuck in the homophobic town in the first place. They'd react to the homophobia yes, but not do anything else except get takeout. Like damn y'all, sit with your daughter and talk about this? Oh right, they did briefly talk with her in the last chapter of the book. Y'all, you had all month to say something to her about it....
Anne was the only one who felt alive--everyone else felt like they were going through the motions of a generic background character. I found the appeal of the books to be mainly the whole town rather than just Anne herself, but that's just me.
Again, not hating the LGBTQ+ elements, I applaud more representation, but god DAMN the homophobia was INTENSE in this book it's not even funny. Literally, multiple slurs each chapter, I have no idea how Anne and her family still stayed in town despite the constant insults and vandalism of their house. It felt almost comical how everyone in town except for 5 people was homophobic. I'd just get out of that mess after a month, honestly. I know homophobia is alive and well today, but I feel like it was excessive here and detracted from the Anne message of being who you are, it also just feels like it was a way to make Greenville look like a complete shithole as often as possible. How am I supposed to forgive any of these people? I couldn't even forgive Gilly for being an accessory to multiple crimes.
(Also, sorry if I assumed wrong in stating that Gilly was Gilbert, there is a character named Ruby Gillis that could be Gilly? Maybe? Not sure. No one is who they are from the OG books so it's hard to tell)
Very disappointing book despite the colorful and accurate Anne Shirley.
November 7, 2022
ANIA Z ZIELONEGO WZGÓRZA WE WSPÓŁCZESNEJ QUEER WERSJI? I TO JESZCZE JAKO FANKA DISCO, 70s I ABBY? I’M IN!🪩✨🌈🌞
ku własnemu zdziwieniu długo zastanawiałam się nad oceną tej historii, bo szczerze nie przywiązałam się do niej jakoś bardzo emocjonalnie ALE to zabrało jej tylko jedną gwiazdkę, dlatego że jej cudowność bije jakiekolwiek minusy
w tej stosunkowo niewielkiej książce odnalazłam tak dużo przepięknych i ważnych motywów, że głowa mała! można by uznać ją za dosyć stereotypową - a mimo wszystko miała w sobie coś, co całościową wybiło ją w mojej głowie ponad inne stereotypowe młodzieżówki
autorka płynnie przechodzi od tematu wyprowadzenia się do nowej społeczności, do nowej mieściny, która atakuje konserwatyzmem i przywiązaniem do dawnych obyczajów po tematy związane z przyjaźnią, zawiązywaniem nowych relacji i okrutnością/manipulacją ludzką, aż po queerowość, miłość do ABBY, jazdy na wrotkach i wątku miłosnego💛
choć sama niezbyt ogarniam uniwersum Ani, to zauważyłam mnóstwo ciekawych nawiązań i zamienników głównych bohaterów - np. Gilbert staję się tutaj skrytą Gilly, a Diana otrzymuje nowe imie i image Berry✨
a sama postać Anne - co ja mam mówić, to po prostu moja kopia (no może poza faktem umiejętności jazdy na wrotkach!), z którą bardzo się utożsamiłam🌈
ku własnemu zdziwieniu długo zastanawiałam się nad oceną tej historii, bo szczerze nie przywiązałam się do niej jakoś bardzo emocjonalnie ALE to zabrało jej tylko jedną gwiazdkę, dlatego że jej cudowność bije jakiekolwiek minusy
w tej stosunkowo niewielkiej książce odnalazłam tak dużo przepięknych i ważnych motywów, że głowa mała! można by uznać ją za dosyć stereotypową - a mimo wszystko miała w sobie coś, co całościową wybiło ją w mojej głowie ponad inne stereotypowe młodzieżówki
autorka płynnie przechodzi od tematu wyprowadzenia się do nowej społeczności, do nowej mieściny, która atakuje konserwatyzmem i przywiązaniem do dawnych obyczajów po tematy związane z przyjaźnią, zawiązywaniem nowych relacji i okrutnością/manipulacją ludzką, aż po queerowość, miłość do ABBY, jazdy na wrotkach i wątku miłosnego💛
choć sama niezbyt ogarniam uniwersum Ani, to zauważyłam mnóstwo ciekawych nawiązań i zamienników głównych bohaterów - np. Gilbert staję się tutaj skrytą Gilly, a Diana otrzymuje nowe imie i image Berry✨
a sama postać Anne - co ja mam mówić, to po prostu moja kopia (no może poza faktem umiejętności jazdy na wrotkach!), z którą bardzo się utożsamiłam🌈
November 8, 2022
This was a cute story. I liked it. If this weren't an Anne of Green Gables modernization/retelling, I might have rated it higher, but it was missing some of the elements that I think make Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Green Gables. These are just my own personal feelings about the book. It was definitely cute and fun, Anne is quirky and entertaining, and if I hadn't gotten stuck in my own head comparing it to the original, which is one of my all time favorite books, I might have enjoyed it more. And even with the elements I found lacking in this, it was still a much better Anne of Green Gables retelling than some other ones I've read.
This is definitely spoilery, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
For me, one of the key elements of the Anne books is the friendship between Anne and Diana. In Anne of Greenville, the author merges the Diana Barry character from the original with pieces of the Gilbert Blythe character into the single character of Berry Blythe, so she is both best friend and, in the end, love interest to Anne. Although I love a good "friends to lovers" story, for me, making Berry both the best friend and the girlfriend took away the Anne/Diana platonic soul mates dynamic.
The author also made the choice to kind of split the Gilbert Blythe character of the original story between two different characters in this book, Berry and Gilly. Gilly had all of the bad characteristics of Gilbert without the relationship development or redemption arc. In the original, Gilbert starts out as a total jerk to Anne, and she hates him, kind of deservedly so. But over time, they get to know each other, and he makes amends. They become friends and that grows into more. By splitting the bad parts of Gilbert into a different character than the good parts, I missed that redemption and growing from enemies into friends into romantic relationship dynamic. As soon as it was obvious that Berry "liked" Anne in a romantic way, not just a friend way, I knew there was no chance for Gilly to be with Anne, and that character was sort of left by the wayside.
Lastly, Anne in this book has a temper, for sure, just like original Anne, but in this book her anger seemed a lot more justified, which means Anne herself has a lot less growing and maturing to do than original Anne. Original Anne gets mad because of vanity reasons or melodramatic reasons, etc. She gets herself into trouble because gets caught up in herself, not the best quality and one she eventually matures out of. New Anne gets mad because of homophobia and racism. She has to learn more productive ways of dealing with these issues, but I don't think she overreacts to minor things (that feel huge to her) the way original Anne does. New Anne reacts to big things in ways that maybe aren't the most productive, but are totally understandable, so there's room for growth but not in the same way.
Basically, if this book had no connection to Anne of Green Gables, I wouldn't have spent the whole book comparing it to the original and wishing it had more of the things that I love so much about the original.
That being said, for a young person who may not be familiar with the original, or someone who had completely different ideas about the original (maybe someone who read the Anne/Diana relationship as romantic), they might like this more.
I missed my Anne/Gilbert romance. Berry was too much Diana-personality and not enough Gilbert-personality for me.
Note: I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley
This is definitely spoilery, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.
For me, one of the key elements of the Anne books is the friendship between Anne and Diana. In Anne of Greenville, the author merges the Diana Barry character from the original with pieces of the Gilbert Blythe character into the single character of Berry Blythe, so she is both best friend and, in the end, love interest to Anne. Although I love a good "friends to lovers" story, for me, making Berry both the best friend and the girlfriend took away the Anne/Diana platonic soul mates dynamic.
The author also made the choice to kind of split the Gilbert Blythe character of the original story between two different characters in this book, Berry and Gilly. Gilly had all of the bad characteristics of Gilbert without the relationship development or redemption arc. In the original, Gilbert starts out as a total jerk to Anne, and she hates him, kind of deservedly so. But over time, they get to know each other, and he makes amends. They become friends and that grows into more. By splitting the bad parts of Gilbert into a different character than the good parts, I missed that redemption and growing from enemies into friends into romantic relationship dynamic. As soon as it was obvious that Berry "liked" Anne in a romantic way, not just a friend way, I knew there was no chance for Gilly to be with Anne, and that character was sort of left by the wayside.
Lastly, Anne in this book has a temper, for sure, just like original Anne, but in this book her anger seemed a lot more justified, which means Anne herself has a lot less growing and maturing to do than original Anne. Original Anne gets mad because of vanity reasons or melodramatic reasons, etc. She gets herself into trouble because gets caught up in herself, not the best quality and one she eventually matures out of. New Anne gets mad because of homophobia and racism. She has to learn more productive ways of dealing with these issues, but I don't think she overreacts to minor things (that feel huge to her) the way original Anne does. New Anne reacts to big things in ways that maybe aren't the most productive, but are totally understandable, so there's room for growth but not in the same way.
Basically, if this book had no connection to Anne of Green Gables, I wouldn't have spent the whole book comparing it to the original and wishing it had more of the things that I love so much about the original.
That being said, for a young person who may not be familiar with the original, or someone who had completely different ideas about the original (maybe someone who read the Anne/Diana relationship as romantic), they might like this more.
I missed my Anne/Gilbert romance. Berry was too much Diana-personality and not enough Gilbert-personality for me.
Note: I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2023
In Mariko Tamaki's 2022 young adult novel Anne of Greenville, 21st century teenager Anne Shirley (with said name of course taken directly from Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables) moves with her two (adoptive) mothers Lucy and Millie to the small and very conservative town of Greenville when Lucy gets a job as assistant principal at Greenville High School. And although Anne (who loves ABBA and other 1970s disco type music, retro outfits, has brightly died red hair, is of European and Japanese background and is like Millie and Lucy openly queer, is also gay) quickly finds a friend and possible love interest in Berry Blythe (this bien sûr being a combination of Diana Barry's and Gilbert Blythe's surnames from Anne of Green Gables, and there is also a Gilly present in Anne of Greenville, a kind of female Gilbert, whom Anne develops a crush on but who is also one of her main tormentors and at first horribly nasty), many residents of Greenville both young and old are not at all welcoming, with Anne, Millie and Lucy experiencing both homophobic and Anne herself also racially charged bigotry, but with the most hate-filled and virulent harassment Anne Shirley experiences in Anne of Greenville emanating from a small but powerful group of bigoted "classmates" whose families have resided in Greenville for generations (and are hence known as Forevers), who not only openly call Anne Shirley names like dyke, slut etc. and spray paint hateful messages on her front lawn but even physically assault and accost her. So yes indeed, Anne Shirley fighting back against her bullies, her losing her temper once or twice in Anne of Greenville, this is certainly (and happily) textually shown by Mariko Tamaki as being totally understandable, acceptable and thus not in any manner a faux pas or in any way blameworthy behaviour, even though I personally do rather think that how Anne is depicted in Anne of Greenville as far too often handling all this drama and hatred thrown at and shown towards her gracefully is perhaps also demonstrating just a bit too much of that noblesse, considering that some of the bullying would and should certainly be considered as being a hate crime. But frankly, and as someone who was pretty much relentlessly bullied at school due to my German background and social awkwardness, I do in fact generally find it emotionally speaking a trifle annoying as well as hugely draining and exhausting to read young adult and middle grade stories about bullying (for whatever reason) where the bullied are like Anne Shirley is in Anne of Greenville depicted and described as reacting mostly with humour, dignity and charm and not with explosivity and anger, and that therefore, I do kind of want Anne Shirley to be losing her temper quite a lot more in Anne of Greenville and show considerably less and maybe even no gracefulness and understanding whatsoever towards her bullies and tormentors (although I also understand and appreciate why Mariko Tamaki has Anne Shirley often taking the so-called high road in Anne of Greenville, even though my inner and bullied teenager certainly wants to rebel at this more than a little bit).
Now quite a number of online reviews I have read seem rather keen to claim that Anne of Greenville is a reimagining and perhaps even a retelling of Anne of Green Gables. But no, for me and in my opinion, this is absolutely not at all the case, since Mariko Tamaki does not actually retell Lucy Maud Montgomery's featured 1908 text for modern audiences and with an LGBTQ+ Anne Shirley, but that Tamaki instead makes Anne of Greenville into an original story (and dealing with important contemporary issues, including racism and homophobia) and is therefore using Anne Shirley's, Berry Blythe's and Gilly's names as well as the occasional flashbacks and textual nods to Anne of Green Gables generally and mostly as an homage to L.M. Montgomery and not to tell Montgomery's Anne story with a modern and queer twist, and which quite frankly I totally appreciate and very much textually prefer. Because yes, while I do not generally enjoy L.M. Montgomery's Anne Shirley being made queer, Mariko Tamaki's Anne Shirley is in my opinion and also wonderfully so not L.M. Montgomery's Anne Shirley, but both characters are indeed delightful, engaging, and yes, even with me wanting in Anne of Greenville more angry outbursts by Mariko Tamaki's Anne Shirley regarding the bullying and bigotry she and her mothers are facing (and that I am also kind of finding the villains of Anne of Greenville, the bullies, a bit too stereotypically horrid at times and almost like fairy tale witches), I have definitely majorly enjoyed Anne of Greenville as an original story in and of itself and almost as much as I have (since my childhood) repeatedly enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, a solid four star rating and a delightful homage to L.M. Montgomery that does not become a reimagining of L.M. Montgomery and thus stays Mariko Tamaki's own wonderful tale (and with me of course also now hoping that the LGBTQ+ and racial tension content will not make Anne of Greenville get censored and banned, but that sadly, the content and the featured trigger warnings regarding the same could certainly make Anne of Greenville end up on so-called book banning hit lists in states like Florida, Texas, Alabama and the like).
Now quite a number of online reviews I have read seem rather keen to claim that Anne of Greenville is a reimagining and perhaps even a retelling of Anne of Green Gables. But no, for me and in my opinion, this is absolutely not at all the case, since Mariko Tamaki does not actually retell Lucy Maud Montgomery's featured 1908 text for modern audiences and with an LGBTQ+ Anne Shirley, but that Tamaki instead makes Anne of Greenville into an original story (and dealing with important contemporary issues, including racism and homophobia) and is therefore using Anne Shirley's, Berry Blythe's and Gilly's names as well as the occasional flashbacks and textual nods to Anne of Green Gables generally and mostly as an homage to L.M. Montgomery and not to tell Montgomery's Anne story with a modern and queer twist, and which quite frankly I totally appreciate and very much textually prefer. Because yes, while I do not generally enjoy L.M. Montgomery's Anne Shirley being made queer, Mariko Tamaki's Anne Shirley is in my opinion and also wonderfully so not L.M. Montgomery's Anne Shirley, but both characters are indeed delightful, engaging, and yes, even with me wanting in Anne of Greenville more angry outbursts by Mariko Tamaki's Anne Shirley regarding the bullying and bigotry she and her mothers are facing (and that I am also kind of finding the villains of Anne of Greenville, the bullies, a bit too stereotypically horrid at times and almost like fairy tale witches), I have definitely majorly enjoyed Anne of Greenville as an original story in and of itself and almost as much as I have (since my childhood) repeatedly enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, a solid four star rating and a delightful homage to L.M. Montgomery that does not become a reimagining of L.M. Montgomery and thus stays Mariko Tamaki's own wonderful tale (and with me of course also now hoping that the LGBTQ+ and racial tension content will not make Anne of Greenville get censored and banned, but that sadly, the content and the featured trigger warnings regarding the same could certainly make Anne of Greenville end up on so-called book banning hit lists in states like Florida, Texas, Alabama and the like).
June 15, 2025
Adopted half Japanese teenager Anne moves to the small town Greenville together with her two moms, her preference for flamboyant clothes, roller skating and disco music and immediately rubs people the wrong way, just by being herself. She tries to fit in more in order to prevent the town dwellers from being hostile to her, but to no avail. Anne doesn’t let the bastards grind her down, though, sticking to her guns (or rather, her roller skates), and little by little, things are looking up. For example, she finds out that there are in fact several people who like her …
Although the book deals with serious issues like racism, sexism, homophobia and generally being treated like an outcast, the story still literally bubbles with joy, hope and lots of glitter. It’s just a beautiful (just take a look at the colorful cover!), cheerful, very queer coming-of-age novel, and even though it’s actually kind of a fairy tale, it feels authentic and heartfelt at all times. As usual, the author shows a lot of empathy and love for her characters and, last but not least, humor.
I have to say I’m seriously starting to be an ardent Mariko Tamaki admirer. Five stars!
Although the book deals with serious issues like racism, sexism, homophobia and generally being treated like an outcast, the story still literally bubbles with joy, hope and lots of glitter. It’s just a beautiful (just take a look at the colorful cover!), cheerful, very queer coming-of-age novel, and even though it’s actually kind of a fairy tale, it feels authentic and heartfelt at all times. As usual, the author shows a lot of empathy and love for her characters and, last but not least, humor.
I have to say I’m seriously starting to be an ardent Mariko Tamaki admirer. Five stars!
September 20, 2022
HMM this was tough tbh, because I have been a fan of Mariko Tamaki's stuff and I'm a big Anne Shirley enthusiast but this just didn't hit for me. I think if it hadn't been billed as having anything to do with Anne of Green Gables this would have been fine but to me it just wasn't getting the core dreaminess of Anne's character? (And like, as my love of the Remixed Classics series--which this is not part of--demonstrates, I'm not some stickler for canon who can't tolerate change. I just can't tolerate THIS change.)
May 31, 2023
I enjoyed this one! I will caution die hard Anne of Green Gables fans to go in with an open mind though. This is a retelling, and there are a few differences and liberties taken with some of the characters (Anne for one, I felt was very different from the original), so if that's going to seriously bother you, I maybe wouldn't recommend it. But if you're like me and enjoy seeing new takes on stories, then I think you'll enjoy it! I especially liked the audio
July 1, 2022
I really wanted to like this modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables. It's got elements I really like including a small town setting and roller skating. Unfortunately, this just didn't turn out to be the retelling for me.
I think Anne's plucky spirit and eclectic stream-of-consciousness vibes work well in the original Anne of Green Gables because it's told in third person, so you're not bombarded with all of Anne's thoughts all the time. While I think Tamaki did an excellent job of brining Anne's spirit to this book, being in the head of Tamaki's Anne is just overwhelming and the way the first few chapters bounced around in a way that doesn't occur later in the novel was really disorienting. While I ultimately got used to the point of view by the end of the book, It almost caused me to just put the book down after a few chapters because the writing, as a whole, just felt like it was overdone.
As someone who cares a lot about representations of small towns and rural areas in children's and young adult literature, I was also frustrated by Greenville. This book felt like just 75% homophobia, and while there can be a lot of homophobia in small towns, it just felt like it dominated the book in a way that made the ending not entirely believable. Sure, I believe that Anne's mindset changed but with the way that Tamaki characterized 98% of Greenville I just couldn't buy it. I would have liked more nuance of the town right off the bat rather than waiting until the end.
I'm not a purist in terms of retellings, so I didn't mind the way that Tamaki played with the Anne storyline and the nice little reveal at the end was fun.
Overall, the combo of dissonance between Greenville in most of the book and Greenville at the end of the book plus the chaotic point of view prevented this book from standing out.
I think Anne's plucky spirit and eclectic stream-of-consciousness vibes work well in the original Anne of Green Gables because it's told in third person, so you're not bombarded with all of Anne's thoughts all the time. While I think Tamaki did an excellent job of brining Anne's spirit to this book, being in the head of Tamaki's Anne is just overwhelming and the way the first few chapters bounced around in a way that doesn't occur later in the novel was really disorienting. While I ultimately got used to the point of view by the end of the book, It almost caused me to just put the book down after a few chapters because the writing, as a whole, just felt like it was overdone.
As someone who cares a lot about representations of small towns and rural areas in children's and young adult literature, I was also frustrated by Greenville. This book felt like just 75% homophobia, and while there can be a lot of homophobia in small towns, it just felt like it dominated the book in a way that made the ending not entirely believable. Sure, I believe that Anne's mindset changed but with the way that Tamaki characterized 98% of Greenville I just couldn't buy it. I would have liked more nuance of the town right off the bat rather than waiting until the end.
I'm not a purist in terms of retellings, so I didn't mind the way that Tamaki played with the Anne storyline and the nice little reveal at the end was fun.
Overall, the combo of dissonance between Greenville in most of the book and Greenville at the end of the book plus the chaotic point of view prevented this book from standing out.
October 3, 2022
This was a really fun queer YA retelling of Anne of Green Gables. I enjoyed how diverse the cast of characters were in this story. Anne is a queer, Japanese-American teen girl who was adopted by two lesbian mothers. She's got her own quirky disco loving style that is totally her and is trying to figure out who to be true to herself and still fit in at her school. Great on audio too narrated by Alice Wen. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
dropped
June 18, 2025i do not like this writing style at all i am so sorry 😭 i might try to revisit this in the future but it’s not clicking for me right now
November 13, 2022
cute story about Anne who moves to Greenville. She experiences a lot of bullying.
Overall this story probably means a lot to a lot of people but it missed the mark for me. It was a fine book! Overall 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wyatt
Overall this story probably means a lot to a lot of people but it missed the mark for me. It was a fine book! Overall 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wyatt
August 2, 2025
A very loose retelling of Anne of Green Gables has a gay Japanese-American Anne Shirley fighting back against the homophobia, racism, and narrow-mindedness of a small town with her creativity, optimism, and love of disco.
As often happens in these retellings -- of which I have read several this year -- Anne has been relocated from Canada to the United States. And this time it's by a Canadian writer! Are treason charges imminent?
There's some heavy stuff in the story, but I still came out of it thinking it was a fun time that felt true to the spirit of the source material even as it wandered far afield.
As often happens in these retellings -- of which I have read several this year -- Anne has been relocated from Canada to the United States. And this time it's by a Canadian writer! Are treason charges imminent?
There's some heavy stuff in the story, but I still came out of it thinking it was a fun time that felt true to the spirit of the source material even as it wandered far afield.
October 13, 2022
Check out my full video review: https://youtu.be/7ry-SBPAwqE
Personally I thought this book would be a cutesy retelling of Anne of Green Gables, that is what I get from the synopsis and cover but not at all (for me) what the story gave! I think it carried some very serious topics and plotpoints surronding racism and homophobia, these are of course very important topics to write but I felt like they overshadowed a lot of the story. It might just be the story the author wanted to tell, which is fine. It just wasn't balanced enough for me. We had these super serious things happening and then the writing tried to be light about it and it just didn't work for me. There was also a lack of consequenses and reflections upon the events that happened. The book just didn't hit me where I think it wanted, but I still enjoyed parts of it. I could see a good story in there, but how it was executed was not it for me. More elaborate thoughts in my video! 3/5 stars.
Personally I thought this book would be a cutesy retelling of Anne of Green Gables, that is what I get from the synopsis and cover but not at all (for me) what the story gave! I think it carried some very serious topics and plotpoints surronding racism and homophobia, these are of course very important topics to write but I felt like they overshadowed a lot of the story. It might just be the story the author wanted to tell, which is fine. It just wasn't balanced enough for me. We had these super serious things happening and then the writing tried to be light about it and it just didn't work for me. There was also a lack of consequenses and reflections upon the events that happened. The book just didn't hit me where I think it wanted, but I still enjoyed parts of it. I could see a good story in there, but how it was executed was not it for me. More elaborate thoughts in my video! 3/5 stars.
February 7, 2023
I love any modern interpretation of a classic story! So a queer Anne of Green Gables on roller skates?! Sign me up! Admittedly, it took me a moment to get into the rhythm with the narrator’s voice, but once I did, I fell in love with her zany personality and awesome style. I want to have dinner with her whole family and scratch Monty behind the ears. I’d go skating with this Anne Shirley any time!
January 3, 2024
When Anne Shirley, a teenage disco queen and half-Japanese, queer girl arrives in her new hometown of Greenville, she wants her first introduction to the town to be a good one, so she prepares a full roller disco number complete with tricks and vintage clothing to showcase her passion. Unfortunately, the event does not go as planned. The residents of Greenville seem to disapprove of Anne, roller disco, Anne's mom Lucy who is the new high school vice principal and anyone else who hasn't been there "forever." The only person who approves of Anne's style and flair is Berry Blythe, an offbeat coverall-wearing girl. Anne's welcome to Greenville is not friendly and she sort of knew to expect that but what she doesn't expect is the level of hatred her new classmates have for her without even bothering to get to know her. The only one, besides Blythe, who seems like she is remotely friendly is Gilly, but she hangs with the mean crowd. When English teacher Mr. Davis announces an upcoming school play, Anne thinks this is her moment to shine but once again, certain people seem dead set against Anne's very existence. When Anne's temper threatens to get the better of her, it may spell disastrous consequences and destroy her family and everything they've worked for. Will she ever find a home in Greenville?
I really didn't like this novel. It's not much of an adaptation of Anne of Green Gables but a tribute to the joy reading the novel brought the author and so many other girls. While the original Anne marches to the beat of her own drummer and is a little over-the-top, she's just a young girl who longs for a place to call home and parents to love her unconditionally. The townspeople of Avonlea are nothing like the residents of Greenville. In Avonlea they're living in the Victorian era so right off the bat that comes with a host of rules, AND they're Presbyterian which makes them dour. Never, though, do they turn on Anne with such hatred. Marilla defends Anne even to her closest friend. The residents of Greenville are a nasty, close-minded bunch and there's no excuse for that in this day and age, especially from the teens. All the characters are pretty two-dimensional and while the romance was kind of sweet, Anne's crush on Gilly felt forced and didn't ring true to me.
Anne is way, way over the top. I appreciated that she was always true to herself and when she wasn't, it was out of a desire to help her mom. This Anne is not sensitive about her hair, which she actually dyes orange (wouldn't the original Anne Shirley be surprised!) but about being biracial. Her biological dad was of Japanese descent and her biological mom, who was a cousin of her mom Millie, was white. Anne is also fiercely protective of her moms and when people cast slurs on her moms, she loses her cool. Sometimes they use homophobic slurs to describe her and while she is secure in being queer, she doesn't appreciate being called names. Anne is a devoted daughter who tries to protect her moms from the hurt she feels and the gossip surrounding their family. Anne loves deeply and fiercely but she is still searching for that romantic love with someone who gets her and loves her for herself in her all 70s vintage style, roller disco-loving glory.
Berry is also creative and unique. While she's not into disco, she does seem to enjoy some vintage fashions, raiding her dad's closet. Her preferred style is green hair and a coverall, sometimes topped with a sweater, plus her trusty skateboard. I kept picturing Berry like Tai in Clueless and not as pretty as the illustration on the back cover. Berry is more worldly and complicated than Tai though. Berry has lived in Greenville her whole life and is still considered a newcomer. She's unconventional but her dad seems normal, like a goofy dad. She's embarrassed by her goofy dad as all teens are. Berry keeps her feelings to herself and when she's upset, she paints. Painting is her creative outlet and it doesn't take much guessing from the reader to know what Berry is feeling.
Gilly seems like she could be sweet but she isn't very brave. She hangs with the "forevers", the mean crowd of kids whose parents live for "traditional" small town values and high school soccer. They do not appreciate creativity and unconventionality. Gilly's dad seems nice and relatively normal but she can't stand up for herself let alone for what's right. The "forevers", led by Tanner and Sarah, are atrocious teens and very two-dimensional. Tanner is especially nasty towards Anne, uttering slurs I haven't heard since I was a kid. I get the forever thing. I lived it. I moved to a neighborhood where kids grew up together and didn't quite warm up to unconventional newcomers from a neighboring state. However, I don't get the level of vitriol these people feel towards anyone who hasn't lived there since the town was founded. The kids are just really, really nasty and I find that hard to believe. They all have phones and they're online but they don't seem to be connected to the outside world, only to each other. They don't ever seem to have been exposed to or admire anyone with different ideas or lifestyles. I understand if their parents have never exposed them to the outside world but they drive, they're in high school. Surely Anne isn't the first biracial girl ever to appear in town or the first queer girl? They tolerate Mr. Davis and he's pretty unique. He says he's lived there his whole life and he's still an outsider but no one is calling him nasty names. We get a hint that the parents are awful, especially Tanner's dad who cares about soccer and appearances. Sarah is a spoiled brat who pitches a fit when she doesn't get her own way. She enjoys being queen bee and when she sees Gilly being drawn to Anne's kindness and compassion, Sarah freaks out and retaliates against Anne. I don't understand why Sarah thinks Peter Pan is a gay play. Hasn't she ever seen it? Yes Peter is often played by a woman because women are smaller and easier to make fly through the air. Hello, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby? Gymnasts? Mr. Davis wasn't even making radical casting choices. The play skews young though and I think the story has potential to be too toxic masculine culture and racist. Mr. Davis should really rock the boat next time! I've read about MUCH more objectionable plays.
Mr. Davis is the coolest teacher. He's the only one who stands up to the bullies. He's quietly working behind the scenes to help Anne and make the school a better place. Principal Lynde, in contrast, is iconoclastic and judgmental. She doesn't appreciate Anne's creativity or kindness and certainly doesn't appreciate Lucy, Anne's mom, the vice principal. Mrs. Lynde forgave Anne and even dared go against Marilla's wishes to help Matthew gift Anne a puffed sleeve dress. I think she would tut-tut at this namesake. Principal Lynde's aunt, on the other hand, is a cool Lynde. She's like a grown-up Anne. I thought she was Miss Lavender at first from the idyllic hamlet Avonlee where she lives but she's more of an Aunt Jo (Mrs. Barry), an old woman who doesn't care what people think of her, her opinions or her lifestyle. She isn't afraid to express herself and hand out her money when and where she pleases. Anne's moms are a little more fleshed out than the other adults but not much. Millie is an artist and photographer who sometimes photographs nudes. She's a sloppy dresser, unconventional and a feminist lesbian. Millie seems to be living in a bubble in the house. She doesn't experience the xenophobia her wife and daughter do. Poor Lucy, as the vice principal, is trying hard to outwardly conform. She wears a power suit to work every day even though it's not her style. She's still tarred with the label "militant" whatever that means. "Marxist lesbian" probably. The townspeople fear her because they think she will bring too many big changes to their community. In reality, she's trying hard to fit in while still making the school a better place. I feel sorry for her. She's in a really tough spot. Anne recognizes this and tries to shield her mom from the hate until it all blows up. Anne was not wrong, I was thinking the same thing. WHY? Why would you take a job in Greenville without visiting or learning what the culture was like? Rose colored glasses maybe? All the characters are so two-dimensional we don't really learn what motived Lucy except a desire to further her career.
This book should not have been an adaptation of Anne. It's missing the heart of the original novel. It's missing the relationship between Anne, Matthew and Marilla. What's so beautiful about original Anne's story is how Marilla comes to love and accept Anne as her daughter. What's also special is that Anne is driven academically and that fuels her rivalry with Gilbert. He only teases her ONCE and no one is really mean. Josie Pye is mean girlish but no one really likes the Pyes. Anne is lonely and longing for acceptance. This Anne already has the love of her moms who taught her to be herself and accept herself as she is. This would have worked better as an original story.
Even though I did not love this novel, I will recommend it to my oldest niece. She'll LOVE it and I think other teens will too.
Content/Trigger warnings:
A LOT of language (f-bombs, homophobic slurs, racist language)
racism
sexism
homophobic content
xenophobia
mild violence
I really didn't like this novel. It's not much of an adaptation of Anne of Green Gables but a tribute to the joy reading the novel brought the author and so many other girls. While the original Anne marches to the beat of her own drummer and is a little over-the-top, she's just a young girl who longs for a place to call home and parents to love her unconditionally. The townspeople of Avonlea are nothing like the residents of Greenville. In Avonlea they're living in the Victorian era so right off the bat that comes with a host of rules, AND they're Presbyterian which makes them dour. Never, though, do they turn on Anne with such hatred. Marilla defends Anne even to her closest friend. The residents of Greenville are a nasty, close-minded bunch and there's no excuse for that in this day and age, especially from the teens. All the characters are pretty two-dimensional and while the romance was kind of sweet, Anne's crush on Gilly felt forced and didn't ring true to me.
Anne is way, way over the top. I appreciated that she was always true to herself and when she wasn't, it was out of a desire to help her mom. This Anne is not sensitive about her hair, which she actually dyes orange (wouldn't the original Anne Shirley be surprised!) but about being biracial. Her biological dad was of Japanese descent and her biological mom, who was a cousin of her mom Millie, was white. Anne is also fiercely protective of her moms and when people cast slurs on her moms, she loses her cool. Sometimes they use homophobic slurs to describe her and while she is secure in being queer, she doesn't appreciate being called names. Anne is a devoted daughter who tries to protect her moms from the hurt she feels and the gossip surrounding their family. Anne loves deeply and fiercely but she is still searching for that romantic love with someone who gets her and loves her for herself in her all 70s vintage style, roller disco-loving glory.
Berry is also creative and unique. While she's not into disco, she does seem to enjoy some vintage fashions, raiding her dad's closet. Her preferred style is green hair and a coverall, sometimes topped with a sweater, plus her trusty skateboard. I kept picturing Berry like Tai in Clueless and not as pretty as the illustration on the back cover. Berry is more worldly and complicated than Tai though. Berry has lived in Greenville her whole life and is still considered a newcomer. She's unconventional but her dad seems normal, like a goofy dad. She's embarrassed by her goofy dad as all teens are. Berry keeps her feelings to herself and when she's upset, she paints. Painting is her creative outlet and it doesn't take much guessing from the reader to know what Berry is feeling.
Gilly seems like she could be sweet but she isn't very brave. She hangs with the "forevers", the mean crowd of kids whose parents live for "traditional" small town values and high school soccer. They do not appreciate creativity and unconventionality. Gilly's dad seems nice and relatively normal but she can't stand up for herself let alone for what's right. The "forevers", led by Tanner and Sarah, are atrocious teens and very two-dimensional. Tanner is especially nasty towards Anne, uttering slurs I haven't heard since I was a kid. I get the forever thing. I lived it. I moved to a neighborhood where kids grew up together and didn't quite warm up to unconventional newcomers from a neighboring state. However, I don't get the level of vitriol these people feel towards anyone who hasn't lived there since the town was founded. The kids are just really, really nasty and I find that hard to believe. They all have phones and they're online but they don't seem to be connected to the outside world, only to each other. They don't ever seem to have been exposed to or admire anyone with different ideas or lifestyles. I understand if their parents have never exposed them to the outside world but they drive, they're in high school. Surely Anne isn't the first biracial girl ever to appear in town or the first queer girl? They tolerate Mr. Davis and he's pretty unique. He says he's lived there his whole life and he's still an outsider but no one is calling him nasty names. We get a hint that the parents are awful, especially Tanner's dad who cares about soccer and appearances. Sarah is a spoiled brat who pitches a fit when she doesn't get her own way. She enjoys being queen bee and when she sees Gilly being drawn to Anne's kindness and compassion, Sarah freaks out and retaliates against Anne. I don't understand why Sarah thinks Peter Pan is a gay play. Hasn't she ever seen it? Yes Peter is often played by a woman because women are smaller and easier to make fly through the air. Hello, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby? Gymnasts? Mr. Davis wasn't even making radical casting choices. The play skews young though and I think the story has potential to be too toxic masculine culture and racist. Mr. Davis should really rock the boat next time! I've read about MUCH more objectionable plays.
Mr. Davis is the coolest teacher. He's the only one who stands up to the bullies. He's quietly working behind the scenes to help Anne and make the school a better place. Principal Lynde, in contrast, is iconoclastic and judgmental. She doesn't appreciate Anne's creativity or kindness and certainly doesn't appreciate Lucy, Anne's mom, the vice principal. Mrs. Lynde forgave Anne and even dared go against Marilla's wishes to help Matthew gift Anne a puffed sleeve dress. I think she would tut-tut at this namesake. Principal Lynde's aunt, on the other hand, is a cool Lynde. She's like a grown-up Anne. I thought she was Miss Lavender at first from the idyllic hamlet Avonlee where she lives but she's more of an Aunt Jo (Mrs. Barry), an old woman who doesn't care what people think of her, her opinions or her lifestyle. She isn't afraid to express herself and hand out her money when and where she pleases. Anne's moms are a little more fleshed out than the other adults but not much. Millie is an artist and photographer who sometimes photographs nudes. She's a sloppy dresser, unconventional and a feminist lesbian. Millie seems to be living in a bubble in the house. She doesn't experience the xenophobia her wife and daughter do. Poor Lucy, as the vice principal, is trying hard to outwardly conform. She wears a power suit to work every day even though it's not her style. She's still tarred with the label "militant" whatever that means. "Marxist lesbian" probably. The townspeople fear her because they think she will bring too many big changes to their community. In reality, she's trying hard to fit in while still making the school a better place. I feel sorry for her. She's in a really tough spot. Anne recognizes this and tries to shield her mom from the hate until it all blows up. Anne was not wrong, I was thinking the same thing. WHY? Why would you take a job in Greenville without visiting or learning what the culture was like? Rose colored glasses maybe? All the characters are so two-dimensional we don't really learn what motived Lucy except a desire to further her career.
This book should not have been an adaptation of Anne. It's missing the heart of the original novel. It's missing the relationship between Anne, Matthew and Marilla. What's so beautiful about original Anne's story is how Marilla comes to love and accept Anne as her daughter. What's also special is that Anne is driven academically and that fuels her rivalry with Gilbert. He only teases her ONCE and no one is really mean. Josie Pye is mean girlish but no one really likes the Pyes. Anne is lonely and longing for acceptance. This Anne already has the love of her moms who taught her to be herself and accept herself as she is. This would have worked better as an original story.
Even though I did not love this novel, I will recommend it to my oldest niece. She'll LOVE it and I think other teens will too.
Content/Trigger warnings:
A LOT of language (f-bombs, homophobic slurs, racist language)
racism
sexism
homophobic content
xenophobia
mild violence
September 12, 2022
I will forever be indebted to Mariko Tamaki for giving me the contemporary Anne of Green Gables retelling I didn't know I needed. I grew up deeply lost in Anne and so emotionally misunderstood, just like her, in middle school. Reading Anne, smack dab in a small town with her beautifully queer moms, who just can't seem to stay away from trouble? My heart could not have been ready. I didn't even see the ending coming, it was so true to Anne I reread it gobs of times just to stay in the Anne-ness of it all.
Although this book is full of nods to the original, you don't have to have read any of the Anne of Green Gables series to enjoy this story. Anne is a biracial girl at a new town seemingly set on snuffing out her light. Any reader will get swept into her hope and disappointment. Super cozy read with just the right amount of conflict (racism, fatphobia, anti-queer conflict mostly) to make the ending so rewarding.
Thanks to NetGalley and Melissa de la Cruz Studio for an early read in exchange for an honest review.
Although this book is full of nods to the original, you don't have to have read any of the Anne of Green Gables series to enjoy this story. Anne is a biracial girl at a new town seemingly set on snuffing out her light. Any reader will get swept into her hope and disappointment. Super cozy read with just the right amount of conflict (racism, fatphobia, anti-queer conflict mostly) to make the ending so rewarding.
Thanks to NetGalley and Melissa de la Cruz Studio for an early read in exchange for an honest review.
dnf
October 1, 2022Just don't think this one is going to be for me. And I've got too many other ARCs to get through to waste time on one I'm not enjoying.
January 3, 2023
DNF- poorly written. the author was trying too hard to be culturally relevant. the “anne” she was writing about isn’t then “anne” we all know. very disappointed.
October 26, 2023
There was sadly nothing I liked about this at all.
March 6, 2023
I don't quite know how to rate this book, which is why it has taken me so long after finishing to write a review.
I'll start by saying that I liked the character of Anne and thought she was a really well done modern interpretation of Anne Shirley. I particularly liked this very Anne-ish line early in the book: "A shard of light pierced my dark mood."
There were other nods to the original book, some subtle, some more overt, that I liked it. It wasn't a direct retelling of the story of Anne of Green Gables and so didn't include all the "big moments" (the middle grade graphic novel retelling I read earlier in the year, Anne of West Philly, did more of that). I would have liked this novel to include a few more of those nods to the original story, but I don't think it lessened it too much overall, because it is its own book.
One thing I will note for other fans of the original book is that there is a lot of homophobia and racism present in this retelling. It is an important part of Anne of Greenville's story (and just generally an important issue to explore) and a good modern take on how Anne was initial treated with suspicion in Avonlea for being an unknown orphan. However, if like me, you turn to Anne as a nostalgic comfort read, just be aware that it is very present and that, for me, this novel therefore doesn't fall as much into the comfort read camp.
Overall, I would have given the first 3/4 or 4/5 of this book 3.5 or 4 out of 5. However, I am leaving it unrated because I felt that the end of the book really pulled it down overall. I felt the ending was very rushed and that the resolution came suddenly and without a clear explanation (as far as I could see) why the townspeople had suddenly changed their attitude (there was sort of an explanation, but I felt it lacked emotional resonance).
I also did not like how the romance plot line ramped up very quickly and then, just as quickly, did a complete and unexpected u-turn. Both love interests for Anne were women, so I don't feel I am depriving the world of sapphic representation by complaining that I wish they could have just stayed friends, rather than turning it into romance. I think there was something about how it was set up and how rushed the ending was that turned me off it, because I quietly squealed when Anne of West Philly had a similar twist at the end.
Overall, I think Anne of West Philly is a better modern Anne of Green Gables retelling, whereas I think Anne of Greenville is more of a story about a modern Anne Shirley, if that difference makes sense. I'm just really disappointed that the ending lets down what was otherwise a good book.
I'll start by saying that I liked the character of Anne and thought she was a really well done modern interpretation of Anne Shirley. I particularly liked this very Anne-ish line early in the book: "A shard of light pierced my dark mood."
There were other nods to the original book, some subtle, some more overt, that I liked it. It wasn't a direct retelling of the story of Anne of Green Gables and so didn't include all the "big moments" (the middle grade graphic novel retelling I read earlier in the year, Anne of West Philly, did more of that). I would have liked this novel to include a few more of those nods to the original story, but I don't think it lessened it too much overall, because it is its own book.
One thing I will note for other fans of the original book is that there is a lot of homophobia and racism present in this retelling. It is an important part of Anne of Greenville's story (and just generally an important issue to explore) and a good modern take on how Anne was initial treated with suspicion in Avonlea for being an unknown orphan. However, if like me, you turn to Anne as a nostalgic comfort read, just be aware that it is very present and that, for me, this novel therefore doesn't fall as much into the comfort read camp.
Overall, I would have given the first 3/4 or 4/5 of this book 3.5 or 4 out of 5. However, I am leaving it unrated because I felt that the end of the book really pulled it down overall. I felt the ending was very rushed and that the resolution came suddenly and without a clear explanation (as far as I could see) why the townspeople had suddenly changed their attitude (there was sort of an explanation, but I felt it lacked emotional resonance).
I also did not like how the romance plot line ramped up very quickly and then, just as quickly, did a complete and unexpected u-turn. Both love interests for Anne were women, so I don't feel I am depriving the world of sapphic representation by complaining that I wish they could have just stayed friends, rather than turning it into romance. I think there was something about how it was set up and how rushed the ending was that turned me off it, because I quietly squealed when Anne of West Philly had a similar twist at the end.
Overall, I think Anne of West Philly is a better modern Anne of Green Gables retelling, whereas I think Anne of Greenville is more of a story about a modern Anne Shirley, if that difference makes sense. I'm just really disappointed that the ending lets down what was otherwise a good book.
Read
November 19, 2022Anne of Greenville (Hyperion, 2022) is Mariko Tamaki’s tribute to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved Anne of Green Gables. Because I have only the vaguest passing familiarity with the classic story, I came to this modern version without much context, so I may have missed some allusions, but I still found Tamaki’s version appealing.
Anne is newly arrived in Greenville, a small town rooted in tradition and suspicious of outsiders, especially those who don’t conform to local norms. Anne is the half-Asian adopted daughter of two moms. One of Anne’s moms is the new vice-principal of Greenville’s high school, and her other mom is an artistic photographer. Anne likes disco, flamboyant outfits, and roller skating. Her personality is optimistic and friendly but fiery in the face of unfairness. Anne identifies as bisexual, so itdoesn’t take long for Anne and her family to experience Greenville’s xenophobia and homopobia from narrow-minded students who are used to their entitlements and the parents who raised them that way.
Many young-adult books these days are written in an awkward first-person-present point of view, but this Anne is unabashedly and refreshingly told in past tense through Anne’s bubbly personality and witty narration that hooks readers from the first sentences. Anne of Greenville skews more toward the younger end of the young adult audience than many of the edgier books marketed for this age group. There is plenty of swearing and verbal conflict but no gratuitous sex or violence. By the end of the book, some characters undergo semi-miraculous personality transformations, but maybe those were nods to Anne of Green Gables that I didn’t fully understand.
Anne is newly arrived in Greenville, a small town rooted in tradition and suspicious of outsiders, especially those who don’t conform to local norms. Anne is the half-Asian adopted daughter of two moms. One of Anne’s moms is the new vice-principal of Greenville’s high school, and her other mom is an artistic photographer. Anne likes disco, flamboyant outfits, and roller skating. Her personality is optimistic and friendly but fiery in the face of unfairness. Anne identifies as bisexual, so itdoesn’t take long for Anne and her family to experience Greenville’s xenophobia and homopobia from narrow-minded students who are used to their entitlements and the parents who raised them that way.
Many young-adult books these days are written in an awkward first-person-present point of view, but this Anne is unabashedly and refreshingly told in past tense through Anne’s bubbly personality and witty narration that hooks readers from the first sentences. Anne of Greenville skews more toward the younger end of the young adult audience than many of the edgier books marketed for this age group. There is plenty of swearing and verbal conflict but no gratuitous sex or violence. By the end of the book, some characters undergo semi-miraculous personality transformations, but maybe those were nods to Anne of Green Gables that I didn’t fully understand.
June 12, 2023
For the first third of the book, I felt kind of annoyed about Tamaki's portrayal of a contemporary Anne - the townspeople of Greenville felt TOO bigoted/conservative and Anne felt like just TOO MUCH, too over the top - I was thinking this was a more cartoony version of the classic. But then I realized chasm between the mindsets of most of the townspeople of Avonlea and Anne was probably that much of a gulf - as a modern reader we just think of Anne as a kind of relatable not-too-out there somewhat overdramatic kid but back then she really must have been seen like a total alien. So in the end I think Tamaki's version captured that dynamic well.
I felt the end was really rushed with some unearned semi-redemptions. I also was a little sad, as other reviewers have also said that
I felt the end was really rushed with some unearned semi-redemptions. I also was a little sad, as other reviewers have also said that
June 11, 2024
This cover does not match the vibe of this book. The cover is so fun and cutesy and I love it so much and then you get into the book and it is heavy. There are so many homophobic and lesbophobic slurs as well as just a general hatred of anyone who is not cishet, white, thin, able-bodied. There is a lot of fat phobia even though the main character is not fat from what I can tell. There is a lot of racism and an absurd amount of homophobia. I get when we're trying to depict these terrible small towns but I don't know it was a lot.
That being said I actually did like this book even though it was difficult to read at points. I really liked Anne and Berry . I have not read the original Anne of Green gables and so I have no idea how this compares to that or how well it does as a reimagining. I'm sure people will be pissy because it's queer but whatever.
That being said I actually did like this book even though it was difficult to read at points. I really liked Anne and Berry . I have not read the original Anne of Green gables and so I have no idea how this compares to that or how well it does as a reimagining. I'm sure people will be pissy because it's queer but whatever.
April 3, 2023
the best adaptation of my one of my comfort classics ever!
May 4, 2023
3/5 stars
Meh. It wasn't bad. It was even cute at times. But there wasn't anything super special or memorable about it.
That's it. That's the review.
Meh. It wasn't bad. It was even cute at times. But there wasn't anything super special or memorable about it.
That's it. That's the review.
November 29, 2022
To be honest, this doesn't have a strong "Anne of Green Gables" vibe to me. I felt like I was straining to find the connections. I probably wouldn't have read the book otherwise, but that part fell flat for me. The ending didn't do it for me - completely unbelievable considering how relentless the bullies (and their parents) were for the entire book. Still, I really liked Anne and Berry, and I'm glad I read it.
October 28, 2022
A charming, funny, super queer, modern-day retelling of Anne of Green Gables. Wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly, but I found the representations of homophobia/queerphobia and racism to be realistic and handled well. This doesn't stick too closely to the plot of the original, which I was okay with (perhaps it should say "inspired by" instead of billing itself as a retelling) but Anne does get herself into a lot of "scrapes" so that holds true.
October 18, 2022
I like the idea of LGBTQ+ & BIPOC representation in the Green Gables world. I really wanted to love this. It just... annoyed me.
This is billed as a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, set in modern small-town America. It isn't a retelling. The narrative arc is entirely different, and key characters have been either eliminated or changed to an unrecognizable degree. There's no Marilla, no Matthew, no Mrs. Allen. Instead of being a traumatized orphan whose imagination, compassion and resilience carry the day, Anne is a cocky free-spirit who's lived a stable, if peripatetic life. I love the idea of a gender-swapped Gilbert Blythe, but Gilly is not Gilbert, and Berry is not Diana Berry. Gilbert is mischievous, gregarious and brainy. Diana is warm, outgoing, popular and a little unimaginative. Gilly is a shy, spineless who shows up mostly as the mean girl's side-kick. Berry is an artsy, mildly sardonic, loner. This Rachel Lynde never really redeems herself. The original characters of the mothers seemed promising at first, but they're never really fleshed out. Despite Anne's assurances that her moms are "really cool," they behave like the typical useless, out-of-touch YA fiction parents. Greenville's homophobic bullying both uglier and more persistent than the teasing in the Avonlea schoolhouse, and it sucks a lot of fun out of the narrative.
The town of Avonlea is almost a character in L.M. Montgomery's books. Avonlea is somewhat provincial and prejudiced, but also warm, inviting, and rich in the myriad of ways the community supports each other. Not everyone is a kindred spirit, but Anne's neighbors look out for one another. Greenville is a racist, homophobic backwater that has a few cool people. Admittedly, these few appealing characters are shunned as weirdoes by the rest of Greenville. But their existence is enough to redeem the town?
L.M. Montgomery's books hinged on character development and coming-of-age, with little hint of romance until book 2. I could accept this as a totally different book on its own merits, but... it just doesn't satisfy me in original plot or characterization, either. This follows a rather tired YA romance arc, and Anne does not seem to have appreciably grown at the book's end.
This is billed as a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, set in modern small-town America. It isn't a retelling. The narrative arc is entirely different, and key characters have been either eliminated or changed to an unrecognizable degree. There's no Marilla, no Matthew, no Mrs. Allen. Instead of being a traumatized orphan whose imagination, compassion and resilience carry the day, Anne is a cocky free-spirit who's lived a stable, if peripatetic life. I love the idea of a gender-swapped Gilbert Blythe, but Gilly is not Gilbert, and Berry is not Diana Berry. Gilbert is mischievous, gregarious and brainy. Diana is warm, outgoing, popular and a little unimaginative. Gilly is a shy, spineless who shows up mostly as the mean girl's side-kick. Berry is an artsy, mildly sardonic, loner. This Rachel Lynde never really redeems herself. The original characters of the mothers seemed promising at first, but they're never really fleshed out. Despite Anne's assurances that her moms are "really cool," they behave like the typical useless, out-of-touch YA fiction parents. Greenville's homophobic bullying both uglier and more persistent than the teasing in the Avonlea schoolhouse, and it sucks a lot of fun out of the narrative.
The town of Avonlea is almost a character in L.M. Montgomery's books. Avonlea is somewhat provincial and prejudiced, but also warm, inviting, and rich in the myriad of ways the community supports each other. Not everyone is a kindred spirit, but Anne's neighbors look out for one another. Greenville is a racist, homophobic backwater that has a few cool people. Admittedly, these few appealing characters are shunned as weirdoes by the rest of Greenville. But their existence is enough to redeem the town?
L.M. Montgomery's books hinged on character development and coming-of-age, with little hint of romance until book 2. I could accept this as a totally different book on its own merits, but... it just doesn't satisfy me in original plot or characterization, either. This follows a rather tired YA romance arc, and Anne does not seem to have appreciably grown at the book's end.
September 14, 2022
Retellings/reimaginings of classic stories are really tricky to do. On one hand, you want to be original and bring something new to a beloved and well known story, but you also want to stay true to the characters and world that’s already been built. For this book specifically, I think it’s best to erase all comparisons to Anne of Green Gables from your mind because it’s not doing the story any favors. The story of a young queer, biracial girl moving to an intolerant small town is interesting enough on its own that it really didn’t need the Green Gables connection other than to maybe draw readers in? Which, I get, but still, it didn’t land well with me. Comparisons aside, I wasn’t completely sold on this one. Anne’s inner dialogue was CHAOTIC. Tangents on tangents on tangents to the point where I would completely forget what was originally happening. I kept forgetting she was supposed to be in high school because the maturity level was just not there. Also, bullying is a central part of this story and that’s fine, but it was so excessive. It felt like almost every other page had racial or homophobic slurs. The dialogue was a little choppy for my taste, a lot of short sentences and pieces of dialogue that could have been put together more cohesively. And the ending was so abrupt and didn’t tie up things very well for me. I don’t know, maybe I’m just not the right audience for this one? I wish I liked it more, I was very excited about it.
TW: racism, homophobia, sexism, bullying, body shaming
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
TW: racism, homophobia, sexism, bullying, body shaming
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 26, 2022
This was a fun, modern reimagining of Anne of Green Gables, set in a very white small town. Anne (who has one Japanese biological parent) moves with her two adopted mothers and faces a mix of prejudice based on her heritage, her and her mothers' sexual orientation, her quirky style, and just the fact that she is new in a town run by people who have been there forever. Anne's love of life shines through from the original. Diana (now Berry) and Gilbert (now Gilly) are very different than in the original Anne of Green Gables. I found the end very satisfying. You don't have to be familiar with the original to appreciate this. Anyone who has ever been the new outsider will be able to relate. It also should come with a Spotify playlist. Recommended for grades 7 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
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