Carrying on with my Anne readalong, I was a bit late to read the second part. That’s mostly due to the fact that at first it completely failed to draw me in. I felt like it’s just filler up to like a third of the book in! Where’s all the fun? Where did Anne’s spunkiness go?

But thankfully, the book picked up, and by the end I can say I enjoyed it almost as much as the first one. I’ll certainly be reading on!

Last time I gave you 5 reasons to read about Anne. I’ve decided to do the same this time too! So here we go.

The Shenanigans

The funny scrapes Anne gets into is part of the fun in stories about her. So at first, as I was reading it, I was so baffled by the fact that Anne grew up – a school mistress now, what fun is there even going to be?? At first it does go like that, but it picks up, and you’ve got Anne traipsing around Green Gables making a fool of herself as always. Hilarity ensues. (I won’t be kidding when I say I literally laughed out loud about the roof scene. Good lord.)

The Kids

There are a lot of children in this book, and if you’ve read Montgomery before, you’ll know that she is great at writing them. From the best to the worst – you’ll find kids with a heart, kids with a brain, and kids that basically crawled their way up from hell (I’m looking at you, Davy Keith.) Good or bad, they are truly entertaining to read about and something chug out some quite deep thoughts. (Although I was a little sad Dora was so disregarded because she was ‘too good and docile’)

The Romance

Oh, the romance. If you’re thinking anything finally happens between Anne and Gilbert – well, think again. But Montgomery has some other romance to offer, and it’s truly adorable in the way it can be only from this particular time – the turn of the century. So innocent, so beautiful and lovely, so plainly obviously orchestrated – in a way that makes you like it even more. Swoon!

The Feel

I will risk repeating myself, but I can’t take away from the book. Anne of Avonlea will let you enjoy another “episode” oh the calm and quiet that you loved when you were reading the first book. Most of us long for something like that… once we get old and overworked enough, I suppose. The promise of green, rolling fields, sunshine and flowers picked in the field………….

The Promise For More

As it’s the second book, you’re getting into a sort of pleasant sync with the story. And you don’t want it to end. The ending of Anne of Avonlea promises our heroine a nice, bright future just round the bend, and you’ll want to find out all about it. It reminds me the time I was going off to university myself, off to a new start, to a life I knew nothing about. So let’s hope that it will be as Anne would probably hope it would be:

So that’s why I think you should continue with this series! It might be slow to start, but it gets good afterwards. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you pick it up.

So have you read about Anne yet? Maybe you remember her stories from your childhood or teens?