Candi's Reviews > Anne of Avonlea

"I’d like to add some beauty to life. I don’t exactly want to make people know more… though I know that is the noblest ambition… but I’d love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me… to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn’t been born."

I think my timing with this book was just perfect. I read this around the Thanksgiving holiday, and I believe not only is it a comforting piece, but also a wonderful reminder to be thankful for the small joys in life that make the heart sing. A stroll through the woods, picking flowers, spending time with old, dear friends, making new friends with those eccentrics that might otherwise go unnoticed, teaching a small child an important lesson, cooking a special meal for a guest, and remembering and honoring those that have passed from our lives – these are all things that Anne makes part of her daily life with exuberant delight and much grace. I wish there were more Annes in the world!

Anne of Avonlea is the second book in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. You likely will assume that these are re-reads for me. They are not! Somehow I missed the pleasure of reading the Anne books as a child or teen and read my very first one this past June. Well, I’m late to the party, but hopefully at least fashionably late – I’m sure Anne would somehow agree. In this book, we see Anne at the age of sixteen and just beginning her career as a teacher in Avonlea. She has grown and matured, but still carries that zest for life that makes her the person everyone loves so much. "Those who knew Anne best, felt, without realizing that they felt it, that her greatest attraction was the aura of possibility surrounding her… the power of future development that was in her. She seemed to walk in an atmosphere of things about to happen."

Anne and her friends decide to take on a new project, that of the Village Improvement Society. They are not exactly sure what this will entail, but they hope to make Avonlea an even better place to live. As Anne and company get out and about in the community, we make the acquaintance of a number of interesting new characters right along with them. Anne may not have thought it quite funny, but some of their little predicaments while fundraising managed to bring a smile to my face. Not everyone is on board with their ideas! Always the pragmatist, Mrs. Rachel Lynde can’t help offering her two cents on the endeavor: "What’s this I hear about your going to start up a Village Improvement Society, Anne?... you’ll get into no end of hot water if you do. Better leave it alone, Anne, that’s what. People don’t like being improved." I can’t say I disagree with Mrs. Lynde in this case! Some people are just not willing to make a change.

From the surly Mr. Harrison and his foul-mouthed parrot to the angelic Paul Irving to the quirky Miss Lavendar at Echo Lodge to the mischievous twin Davy, I delighted in sitting down with these folks for a short while and taking my mind off the holiday grind. If you haven’t read these before, I highly recommend them. They are not just for kids! I have the next three or four books in the series just waiting to be read. I will pull them out from time to time when I need to be reminded of the small pleasures in life, and savor them as they should be – much like my little stash of Dove dark chocolates. I don’t want to gobble them down all at once! 4.5 stars for Anne of Avonlea – naturally, I’m rounding up!

"After all, I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."