Anne of Green Gables
L.M. Montgomery
number of voters: 5
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
highest rating: 9.5
lowest rating: 7.5
average rating: 8.25
percentage of readers who used the word “delightful” in their description of this book: 40
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It would be most efficient to simply say that we at the First Monday Reading Group loved this book. But then, where is the poetry in that? For in describing a thing we can merely list its attributes or we can describe the beauty and emotion that the thing inspires.
And so, we could say that Anne of Green Gables is a nice story about an orphan girl who finds a home. It is well-written and will appeal to those at any age in any part of the world. We could say that it is timeless and universal, or that it is a fine piece of literature.
Any of this would do.
And yet, to capture the essence of this book, we should be more inclined to say that it is a divine tale, charming, a breath of fresh literary air. The characters are simple yet well-drawn, simultaneously ideal and flawed. The author’s descriptions are like bursts of color on a gray pallet, shimmering reflections of a day long gone, brimming with purity and romance.
Yes, this is what we should say. After all, if it is efficiency for which you long, Anne of Green Gables may not be the book for you.
