Melki's Reviews > Anne of Avonlea

Ahhhh!



This was exactly what I needed . . . a long soak in a hot tub, a breath of fresh air, a visit with Anne. Whenever the news, work, or life in general gets too much, it's always so refreshing to pick up this book and escape to a world where you can stumble upon a total stranger's house and be invited in for tea. (Man, they eat a lot of cake in this book. What a perfect world!)

This volume concentrates on Anne's two years spent teaching. There are good days and bad days as she attempts to mold the young minds of Avonlea.
Newly orphaned twins - the lifeless Dora and the way-too-lively Davy - come to live with lifelong spinster Marilla, prompting Mrs. Rachel Lynde to quip, "You're never safe from being surprised till you're dead." A local kook successfully predicts a wicked storm, and the Village Improvement Society, a group spearheaded by Anne and Diana to spruce up Avonlea, is born.

Love and laughs abound, and yes, it's sappy as hell, but as I said, exactly what I needed.

It's an election year, and I have a feeling I'm going to be rereading the rest of this series before November rolls around. It's so nice to know that when I wake with a panic attack at 3 a.m. that Anne's simple, and simply beautiful, world will be waiting for me.

Originally read in the eighties, reread 7/2016, and 5/2024. Review revised May 2024.