luvtoread

Warning! As this is the sequel to Anne of Green Gables, there may be spoilers for that book!

Synopsis: Anne Shirley has suspended her college attendance to help Marilla with Green Gables and to teach at the Avonlea school. Marilla and Anne end up caring for two young twins, Davy and Dora, and the book is full of their adventures.

Review: Another wonderful addition to the Anne series! While this book is different, as we have an older Anne, she still gets into humorous scrapes and adventures.

I was hesitant to read Anne of Avonlea once I realized that Davy and Dora make their appearance in this book. I’ve been a huge fan of the Avonlea  (or Road to Avonlea as it was called outside of the States) television series for a long time, and I’ve watched all of the episodes numerous times! But, my least favorite characters are Davy and Dora. They just really irritate me on the show! But I’m pleased to report that they were not irritating at all in this book, they were cute and exasperating, especially mischievous Davy. Dora doesn’t really have any personality, a fact that is remarked on by characters in the novel, which is kind of funny. Davy, on the other hand, is that little boy who is constantly getting into trouble and causing problems, but then he’ll do or say something so adorable that you can’t help but laugh.

I think it is interesting that so many of the characters and side-plots of this particular book have been introduced into the Avonlea series, in which Anne is not a part of (her character is mentioned, but she never appears). I’ll be interested to see if any other characters/plots turn up in future books!

There is one side character/plot that is not in the show however, and it is the plot of Miss Lavendar, who lives alone in a stone cottage covered in moss in the woods (how perfect!!). And of course she has an old love and a broken heart. Oh, it’s just too romantic. And so picturesque! This character and plot was one of my favorites of the book and was just beautiful to read and picture.

There are also some random things thrown in this book, a talking parrot (seriously was not expecting that one!) and a strange storm that made me check the cover to see if I was reading the book I thought I was reading. (This is definitely a problem with reading more than one book at a time!) The parrot was hilarious, but odd, and the storm just seemed out of place and thrown in for a climax.

There is also a plotline involving corporal punishment in schools, and that was interesting to read about, as this book was published in 1909, and this topic felt very ahead of its time, and I was a bit surprised to see it mentioned.

The writing is as beautiful and atmospheric as Anne of Green Gables, and I truly enjoyed this book immensely. So despite the oddness in certain places, I could still feel that Avonlea magic and was transported away.

Bottom Line: A beautiful story full of romance.

My Favorite Quotes:

• “Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.”

• “When I think something nice is going to happen I seem to fly right up on the wings of anticipation; and then the first thing I realize I drop down to earth with a thud. But really, Marilla, the flying part is glorious as long as it lasts … it’s like soaring through a sunset. I think it almost pays for the thud.”

• “Marilla, what if I fail!”      “You’ll hardly fail completely in one day and there’s plenty more days coming.”

If you’d like to read my review of Anne of Green Gables you can find that here.  What is your favorite Anne book?

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