The Charm of Green Gables

There are some books on my shelves I have read so much I need to replace them. Sometimes just walking by the library I grab a favorite book that catches my eye and set on my nightstand for later that evening. We all have those books that never lose their charm which is why they are so beloved and battered. And even as I write a new hardcover anthology of the “Anne of Green Gables” series has just arrived to replace my well-worn paperbacks. It seems almost criminal that I did not discover the charm of Green Gables until I was a young mother. However, when I did, I voraciously read all of them plus anything else by LM Montgomery I could get my hands on to make up for lost time.

The Charm of Green Gables

If ever a woman had a gift for bringing to life the beauty around her it was Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her world was a tiny, obscure place in Canada called Prince Edward Island. From this backdrop she brings to life the world of Anne of Green Gables with her beautifully descriptive books. Anne’s Green Gables home is a place of blossoms and Mayflowers, friendly trees, nooks and crannies, village antics, and a lot of love. Spring and summers are colorful and golden while winter is pillowy white and quiet. Many women have made pilgrimages to see the place birthed this gentle pastoral haven. There is great talent in an author who can successfully draw generations of people into an imaginary world which is exactly what these books do. The lovable and expressive Anne bewitched us all and we loved her every bit.

You can’t help but love her characters as well. There is a liberal sprinkling of quirky characters throughout all of Montgomery’s books. We see Cyrus with his sulky fits that last for days. And then there is Miss Cornelia, a man-hating woman, with no good thing to say about any man and then she gets married. But these quirky characters are exactly why I love these books. Flawed human beings that may drive us nuts, but still finding the good and loving them in spite of it. This is a lesson that is always worth remembering.

There are also characters with sad stories like Leslie Moore, but who find happiness after all. Miss Lavender, a middle-aged darling, enchants us all with her tiny storybook home and broken heart. Will her prince come? Irrepressible, Anne is behind the scenes lovingly scheming to play matchmaker and heal broken hearts. All the lives she touches come and go in the books, but we remember them the same because they all make the stories what they are. These stories give us hope for our own happy endings when all seems down.

And it continues….

Lately, the charm of Green Gables has engrossed me once again. The books are like a balm to my soul, and I soak it in. They help me to remember the beauty in the world and to forgivingly embrace the imperfections of myself and others and press on. I say this at 48 with no shame: I still love these books as much as I did 25 years ago. They may be young adults’ books, but there is still plenty to value for us grownups. The world of Anne is one that will live in memory only and it must be kept alive especially in these times to remind us of good things.