Anne of Green Gables (1985)

My lastest dip into the dailylit.com universe was the eternally fantastic Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I think the only book that little Kristy read more than this one was Charlotte's Web. And the 1985 TV movie! Oh! Seriously one of my favorite things on earth. I even played Marilla in a high school theater production of Anne of Green Gables (I got to spray my hair with gray dye and act all elderly and stern, it was pretty fun).

I hadn't read this book for almost 20 years, but it hasn't aged a bit. And since it was written one-hundred and one years ago, that is a testament both to Montgomery's writing and the universal experience of being a young girl. Anne is the ultimate outsider -- an orphan girl, too old for most people to want to adopt, who is accidentally sent to brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert when they request a boy orphan to help them on their farm. She has red hair, which she hates. She is smarter and more dramatic and more romantic than anyone on Prince Edward Island. She is overly sensitive, extremely confident, and can hold a serious grudge. And even though I'm not really anything like Anne Shirley, I always felt like we were kindred spirits.

I just love Anne. And I have a box set with the next three books in the series at my parent's house that I can't believe I forgot to bring home with me after Christmas. Hopefully she will wait to keep growing up until I can revisit the rest of the series...