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Anne of Green Gables. is the first book in the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. It chronicles the adventures of Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan with red hair, freckles, and a lively imagination, from age eleven to age sixteen.

Dedication[]

"To the Memory of
my Father and Mother."

Blurb[]

As soon as Anne Shirley arrives at the snug white farmhouse called Green Gables, she is sure she wants to stay forever... but will Marilla and Matthew send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not what they expected - a skinny girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. If only she can convince them to let her stay, she'll try very hard not to keep rushed headlong into scrapes and blurting out the first thing that comes to her mind. Anne is not like anybody else, the Cuthberts agree; she is special - a girl with an enormous imagination. This orphan girl dreams of the day when she can call herself Anne of Green Gables. (from the 1998 Bantam Books reissue)

Plot[]

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Chapter 1: Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Surprised[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 1: Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Surprised)
"Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."
—The first sentence, which contains 148 words[src]

It is early June, and Mrs. Rachel Lynde is sitting at her window knitting when she spies Matthew Cuthbert, "the shyest man alive", driving out of Avonlea while wearing his best suit and a white collar. Puzzled as to the reason why, Mrs. Lynde goes over to visit Matthew's sister, Marilla, at Green Gables.

Marilla tells Mrs. Lynde that she and Matthew have decided to adopt a boy from an orphan asylum in Nova Scotia to help Matthew on the farm, as he is sixty and has been having heart problems. They contacted Mrs. Spencer, who is getting a little girl, and asked her to pick out a boy for them too. Matthew has gone to pick up the boy from the Bright River train station. Mrs. Lynde disapproves thoroughly and tells Marilla story after story of this orphan or that orphan who poisoned the well or set the house on fire.

Chapter 2: Matthew Cuthbert is Surprised[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 2: Matthew Cuthbert is Surprised)

Matthew, meanwhile, is driving the sorrel mare eight miles to the Bright River train station on the way to pick up the expected boy. The station is empty, so he asks the stationmaster about the five-thirty train. The stationmaster, who is about to leave to go home, tells him that the train he's expecting came and left half an hour before.

"But there was a passenger dropped off for you--a little girl. She's sitting out there on the shingles. I asked her to go into the ladies' waiting room, but she informed me gravely that she preferred to stay outside. 'There was more scope for imagination,' she said. She's a case, I should say."
—The stationmaster to Matthew[src]

The stationmaster leaves, and Matthew approaches the girl. She is small, thin, redheaded and wearing a dress of ugly wincey. Unable to break the news of the mistake to her, he takes her home in the buggy. Along the way, she talks almost non-stop and gives places names of her own, such as the White Way of Delight for the apple-tree-lined Avenue, and the Lake of Shining Waters for Barry's pond.

Chapter 3: Marilla Cuthbert is Surprised[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 3: Marilla Cuthbert is Surprised)
Marilla: "Matthew Cuthbert, who's that? Where is the boy?"
Matthew: "There wasn't any boy. There was only her."
―Marilla and Matthew[src]

When Matthew arrives at Green Gables, however, Marilla is not so pleased. Taken aback, she decides to keep the girl, at least until she and Matthew can sort out the whole affair. It turns out that the girl's name is Anne Shirley (though she asks to be called Cordelia), and she has no idea where or how the mistake was made.

Anne: "I've always imagined that my name was Cordelia--at least, I always have of late years. When I was young I used to imagine it was Geraldine, but I like Cordelia better now. But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an E."
Marilla: "What difference does it make how it's spelled?"
Anne: "Oh, it makes such a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you'll only call me Anne spelled with an E I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia."
―Marilla and Anne during their first meeting[src]

Marilla, at a loss for what to do, ends up putting Anne to bed in the east gable room, instead of the couch in the kitchen chamber that she had originally prepared. She wants to send Anne back to the asylum, but Matthew unexpectedly suggests they keep her, saying, 'We might be some good to her.'

Chapter 4: Morning at Green Gables[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 4: Morning at Green Gables)

Chapter 5: Anne's History[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 5: Anne's History)

Chapter 6: Marilla Makes Up Her Mind[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 6: Marilla Makes Up Her Mind)

Chapter 7: Anne Says Her Prayers[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 7: Anne Says Her Prayers)

Chapter 8: Anne's Bringing-Up is Begun[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 8: Anne's Bringing-Up is Begun)

Chapter 9: Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Properly Horrified[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 9: Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Properly Horrified)

Chapter 10: Anne's Apology[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 10: Anne's Apology)

Chapter 11: Anne's Impressions of Sunday School[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 11: Anne's Impressions of Sunday School)

Chapter 12: A Solemn Vow and Promise[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 12: A Solemn Vow and Promise)

Chapter 13: The Delights of Anticipation[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 13: The Delights of Anticipation)

Chapter 14: Anne's Confession[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 14: Anne's Confession)

Chapter 15: A Tempest in the School Teapot[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 15: A Tempest in the School Teapot)

Chapter 16: Diana is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 16: Diana is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results)

Marilla told Anne she could invite Diana to tea and give her some raspberry cordial. Marilla left Green Gables before Diana arrived. Anne welcomed her in and gave her what she thought was the raspberry cordial. Diana drank three glassfulls and then they went out to pick apples before tea, but when they came in, Diana said she felt sick and dizzy. She said that she had to go home much to Anne's disapointment. One day, some time later, Anne was sent to Mrs. Lynde. She came back crying, and Marilla finnaly found out what had happened. Mrs. Barry said that Anne had sent Diana home drunk. Marilla found out that Anne had accidentally given Diana currant wine. Both Marilla and Anne went to Mrs. Barry, but she wouldn't relent, and Anne couldn't play with Diana ever again.

Chapter 17: A New Interest in Life[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 17: A New Interest in Life)

Chapter 18: Anne to the Rescue[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 18: Anne to the Rescue)

Chapter 19: A Concert, a Catastrophe, and a Confession[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 19: A Concert, a Catastrophe, and a Confession)

Chapter 20: A Good Imagination Gone Wrong[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 20: A Good Imagination Gone Wrong)

Chapter 21: A New Departure in Flavourings[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 21: A New Departure in Flavourings)

Chapter 22: Anne is Invited Out to Tea[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 22: Anne is Invited Out to Tea)

Chapter 23: Anne Comes to Grief in an Affair of Honour[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 23: Anne Comes to Grief in an Affair of Honour)

Chapter 24: Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 24: Miss Stacy and Her Pupils Get Up a Concert)

Chapter 25: Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 25: Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves)

Chapter 26: The Story Club is Formed[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 26: The Story Club is Formed)

Chapter 27: Vanity and Vexation of Spirit[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 27: Vanity and Vexation of Spirit)

Chapter 28: An Unfortunate Lily Maid[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 28: An Unfortunate Lily Maid)

Chapter 29: An Epoch in Anne's Life[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 29: An Epoch in Anne's Life)

Chapter 30: The Queen's Class is Organized[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 30: The Queen's Class is Organized)

Chapter 31: Where the Brook and River Meet[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 31: Where the Brook and River Meet)

Chapter 32: The Pass List is Out[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 32: The Pass List is Out)

Chapter 33: The Hotel Concert[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 33: The Hotel Concert)

Chapter 34: A Queen's Girl[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 34: A Queen's Girl)

Chapter 35: The Winter at Queen's[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 35: The Winter at Queen's)

Chapter 36: The Glory and the Dream[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 36: The Glory and the Dream)

Chapter 37: The Reaper Whose Name is Death[]

Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 37: The Reaper Whose Name is Death)

Chapter 38: The Bend in the Road[]

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Read: Anne of Green Gables (Chapter 38: The Bend in the Road)

Timeline[]

This setting of the book is in the second half of the 1870s. It starts in June 1876 and ends in July 1881.

Editions[]

Anne of Green Gables Wiki has 330 images of Anne of Green Gables (view gallery).

Adaptations[]

Films

Radio dramas

  • Anne of Green Gables (March 1938), a Polish radio drama produced and broadcast by Polish Radio in March 1938. It was dramatised by Jadwiga Apołlowa.
  • Anne of Green Gables (October 1938), a Polish radio drama produced and broadcast by Polish Radio in October 1938. It was dramatised by Jadwiga Miecznikowska and starred Jadwiga Andrzejewska as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1941), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by BBC Home Service Basic and adapted into four parts by Muriel Levy. Starring Cherry Cottrell as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1944), a recreation of the 1941 radio drama, produced and broadcast by BBC Home Service Basic.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1954), a Canadian radio drama produced and broadcast by CBC Radio, adapted into 13 parts by Andrew Allen and possibly starred Toby Tarnow as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1966), a Slovak radio drama produced and broadcast by Czechoslovak Radio, with Anna Bučinská as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1971), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by BBC Radio 4, adapted into 13 parts by Cristina Sellors and read by Ann Murray.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1977), a Polish radio drama, originally produced and broadcast on IIPR in 1977.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1979), a Polish radio drama, originally produced and broadcast in 1979. It was directed by Maria Wachowiak and starred Monika Bezak and Anna Romantowska as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (1997), a British radio drama produced and broadcast by BBC Radio 4, dramatized into five parts by Marcy Kahan and starred Barbara Barnes as Anne.

Television series

Television films and miniseries

Stage

  • Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, (since 1965) a musical that has been playing every year in Canada since 1965, making it the longest-running annual musical stage production of all time.
  • Anne of Green Gables (since 2006), a stage production that was first performed by Theatreworks USA, a children's drama company.
  • The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery (since 2008), a musical adapted from Montgomery's novel and her life. The musical depicts events from Montgomery’s life and features as characters heroines from all of her novels.
  • Bend in the Road (since 2012), an American musical based on Anne of Green Gables.

Books

Audio dramas

  • Anne of Green Gables (2007), an American audio drama produced by Family Radio Theatre and starred Mae Whitman as Anne.
  • Anne of Green Gables (2008), a German audio drama produced by Titania Medien, adapted into four parts and starred Marie Bierstedt as Anne.

Web

For more, see List of Anne of Green Gables series adaptations.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Anne of Green Gables is dedicated to memory of Hugh John Montgomery and Clara Woolner MacNeill, Montgomery's parents.
  • Montgomery started writing her book in spring 1904 and finished it in October 1906. Original manuscript was 716 pages long and contained additional 137 pages of notes. Diana's name was originally Laura, then she was renamed to Gertrude.

Gallery[]

Anne of Green Gables Wiki has 12 images from Anne of Green Gables (view category).

External links[]

See also[]

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