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Katherine Brooke was the vice-principal of Summerside High School during Anne Shirley's principalship and later Anne's good friend.


Biography[]

Early life[]

Katherine was born to Mr. and Mrs. Brooke in 1859 somewhere on Prince Edward Island. She had an unhappy childhood. Her parents hated her and each other.

"But not what it is like to know that your father and mother don't want you. Mine didn't. They hated me from the moment I was born... and before... and they hated each other."
—Katherine Brooke about her parents to Anne Shirley.

In 1866, when she was seven, her parents died. Katherine went to live with her uncle Henry's family, but they didn't want her either. She had to wear her cousins' castoff clothes.

Studies at Queen's[]

Uncle Henry agreed to put her through Queen's Academy if she would pay him back when she got a school. He paid Katherine's board in a miserable third-rate boarding-house where she had a room over the kitchen that was ice cold in winter and boiling hot in summer. She got a license and the second room in Summerside High.

Teaching at Summerside High School[]

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Katherine was not much liked at Summerside High School. She and Anne had many cold-shoulders between them, and she often sent Pringles up to Anne for principaling. Anne was certain this was on purpose. Her order was generally extremely good during class time - due to fear from her pupils. Anne Shirley often stated that she would rather rule her pupils by love not fear... Katherine opposed this extremely.

Later life[]

In 1889 Katherine and her dog came to Green Gables for the rest of the summer. She had resigned from the staff of the Summerside High School and meant to go to Kingsport in the fall to take a secretarial course at Redmond College.

One year later, in June 1890, she got a position as private secretary to a globe-trotting Member of Parliament.

"A person who would say, 'Let's go to Egypt,' as one might say, 'Let's go to Charlottetown'... and go! That life will just suit Katherine."
Anne Shirley about Katherine's later life in letter to Gilbert Blythe.

Physical appearance[]

"She isn't pretty but she might make more of herself. She is dark and swarthy, with magnificent black hair always dragged back from her high forehead and coiled in a clumsy knot at the base of her neck. Her eyes don't match her hair, being a clear, light amber under her black brows. She has ears she needn't be ashamed to show and the most beautiful hands I've ever seen. Also, she has a well-cut mouth."
Anne Shirley describing Katherine in her letter to Gilbert Blythe.[src]

Personality[]

Relationships[]

Anne Shirley[]

Etymology[]

Katherine is a female given name of Greek origin and means pure.

Behind the scenes[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Anne of Green Gables Wiki has 5 images of Katherine Brooke (view category).

Appearances[]

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