Anne of Green Gables Read Along Part 3

Our read along of Anne of Green Gables has come to an end! How does that happen so fast! I loved revisiting this oh so familiar book. It's been awesome. Thanks to everyone who's been able to participate with us!

The final discussion is happening over at Jenni Elyse's blog. Here are my answers to her questions:

1. Is this your first time reading Anne of Green Gables or a reread? Either way, what did you think about it?

This is a re-read, I can't remember what number. Four maybe? Anyway, I wondered how it would hold up, but thankfully it did. It was just as endearing as ever. I truly love this book.

2.If this is your first time reading Anne of Green Gables, do you plan to read the rest of the series? If you’ve read Anne of Green Gables before, have you read the rest of the series? What do you think about it?

I think I've only read the first three. I never did manage to do the whole bunch. But I totally loved those first three and I'm tempted to continue right now to experience everything over again.

3. Who is your favorite character and why?

Well, this is hard. Besides Anne? Is Anne a given? Because of course I love Anne... she is what makes the book what it is. And then I do love Gilbert, but since we didn't really get to know him in this book, we won't count him either. Um, Matthew is very very hard not to love because he's so quiet and shy and yet, AND YET, he is the one that makes sure what he wants happens. I love that he is strong that way... quiet strength. And I love that he loved Anne the minute she opened her mouth. And wasn't at all turned off by her talking. He's the best.

4. Who is your least favorite character and why?

But, I don't really have one. I mean I know that Anne didn't like Josie Pye, but I didn't find her to be that awful. The teacher was annoying during the hair incident, but he seemed to come around too. Mrs. Lynde was even a little endearing to me. Diana's mom was quite prickly. So I guess I'l say her! 

5 .What was your favorite scene and why?

I love the scene in the pond/river where the boat started sinking and Gilbert rescues her. It's the best thing ever. Also, the very end of the book where she ends up talking to Gilbert by the gate and realizes that time flies by without her knowing it. I'm bugged we weren't part of that conversation!

6. What did you think about the last third of the book and why?

We did seem to fly through the years pretty fast. But I loved the last bit just as much as the first. I enjoy seeing Anne change and grow up a bit. I love how she is ready to pay back what's been given her, and stay to help Marilla. I love how she realizes that Gilbert is someone to be considered. It's all great!

I really do want to see how things go with Anne and Gilbert in the next book. But there are a ton of other things I need/want to read right now, so we'll see.

Thanks for a fun read along!

Anne of Green Gables RAL Part 2: Chapters 14 to 26

How's the reading going everyone? Are you keeping up with us? Please be sure to visit Kami's Library Thoughts today for the discussion of part 2.. the middle! Later tonight be sure to come hangout on Twitter at 7 pm MDT for more discussion. #GreenGablesRAL


I am continuing to love this re-read. Dying for more Gilbert though (see my answer below.) I find it interesting that the loveliness of this book maintains its loveliness and doesn't seem to seep into the realm of sappiness. Know what I mean? Well, I guess for some it could, but for me, it doesn't. I was worried that it might for me this re-read, but thankfully, I'm not there yet.

Okay, without further ramblings, here are my answers to Kami's questions:

1. Anne has a gift for loving nature in all its forms, she even gives them delightful names. Do you find yourself appreciating nature more as you read this?

I don't know that I appreciate it more since I do appreciate it quite a bit, but the picture she and the author paints of nature is quite a beautiful one. Everything is so perfect! Is it really like that there? 

2. We have finally met Gilbert! What do you think of him? Do you think Anne is justified in hating him so much?

Ah! I LOVE HIM! He is the best. But man, I want more... MORE MORE GILBERT PLEASE! I keep waiting for the next incident to happen and I'm getting worried maybe it's in the second book? I know he is much much more in the second book and now I might need to keep up on the re-read into that book just for him.

I see why she is so mad, but... it hurts more because she likes him. Right? One thing I had forgotten was how fast he apologizes after the "carrots" comment. He really is a nice boy at heart and man, I'm sure he so regrets this first impression he made on her! As a reader, I for one am ready for her to be done with being mad... but... sigh. It's going to take awhile. Poor Gilbert. 

3. Anne's imagination finally got the better of her in the Haunted Wood. Do you think she learned anything from that experience? Do you think she'll tone down the imagination a bit?

This little moment was very funny. I doubt she will tone anything down though. It's just not going to happen! She can't really control her imagination. It's awesome.

4. What do you think of Diana and the other school girls? Do you think Anne chose wisely for her bosom friend?

Diana is a great bosom friend. I feel that Anne can easily control her though, which maybe is why it works out so well? All the rest of the girls seem nice enough. I keep imagining a Nelly Olsen type girl from Little House on the Prairie to emerge, but so far, all seems well!

5. I've always dreamed of visiting Prince Edward Island some day. Do you want to visit there also? What other real life literature places do you want to visit?

Yes. I've always always wanted to. I need to see if it's as beautiful as this book makes it out to be!  It really would be so fun to see all these places in real life. (According to the other book I have on hand, everything is inspired by real life places most/all of which one can go visit, I think.)

Other literature places? I've been lucky enough to see a bunch already!  I got to see the Charles Bridge in Prague just last year, as featured in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I drove through the moors as talked about in Wuthering Heights. (It was just as spooky as described!) In England we saw lots of literature places (Bath at that Crescent street where Anne runs to find Capt. Wentworth!) but one place we skipped was driving over to Cornwall. Ah... NEXT TIME! That area is featured in tons of books and I need to see it!  In Paris we saw so many places referred to in A Tale of Two Cities and Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's a bit surreal actually, to be there and imagine these stories (and the real life events they are based on ) happening!


See you tonight at the chat!!! 

Anne of Green Gables Read Along Part 1 Discussion: Chapters 1 - 13

Well, so far I'm loving my re-re-re-read of this book! Just as fun and sweet and all happy making as ever. If this is your first time with it, what are you thinking so far? (We'll talk more about that our Twitter chat on Monday... 6:00 pm MDT. Dang... Daylight time again. Sigh.)

In the meantime, here are some other questions to be thinking about and if you want to post your thoughts and answers on your blog that would be awesome. I'll add a link at the bottom so we can quickly find your posts!!

Questions:

(all these nabbed from various websites because I was too lazy to think up my own.)

1. In chapter 2, when Matthew is driving Anne back to Green Gables, she asks him: “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive.” Given her tragic childhood, how do you think Anne is able to maintain such a positive attitude?

2. Anne is insistent on renaming places and inanimate things.  Why do you think she does this?

3. Marilla gives several reasons for finally deciding to keep Anne. What reason do you think most changed her mind?

4. If Anne grew up today, would she have been happier with how she looked? What would she have pined for, looks- and fashion-wise? What is our society's equivalent of plumpness, dark hair, and puffed sleeves?

5. How would Anne have turned out if Marilla had let Mrs. Blewett take her? Would that life have crushed Anne's imaginative spirit, or would she have changed in a different way?

My Answers:

1. I just think Anne was born this way. It's her nature and in her soul and it's something we should all embrace. It's my favorite thing about this book. Positive attitude! It's hard but it's awesome. 

2. I think she likes to name things because of her crazy imagination that she can't contain no matter how hard she tries. And boring names are... boring... so she is compelled to make things better and prettier. At least in her mind. 

3. I think it may have been because of Matthew. She wanted to make him happy. But then again, I think deep down, she really wanted to brighten up her own life. Also, despite what she may have thought, she fell in love with Anne from the get go too. 

4. I think Anne would have embraced her red hair much much more today than she did then. I don't think red heads get made fun of or looked at weird near as much as they used to. Do they? Also being skinny is sought after, so I think she for sure would have been happier. But she would have probably still not be satisfied, as none of us really are. So for today's standards... not plumpness for sure! Healthiness and fitness. As for hair, I have no idea. Is there a hair color people like more than others? Colors and streaked/highlighted?  Then for fashion... just whatever is in, right? What's in today? Skinny jeans? Leggings?  LOL, I don't even know. 

5. I think Anne had a spirit that would have been really really hard to crush, despite her circumstances. She'd proved that already with how resilient she been so far in her not so happy life. But it's sad to think about her being in that situation even so. I'm happy we don't have to find out!

Okay everyone! Join us on Twitter tomorrow (Monday March 12) at 6:00 PM MDT. We'll talk more about these questions and other random Anne stuff. We'll be using the #GreenGablesRAL. See you there!

And here's the linky if you would like to write a post with the above questions. Share with us!