Green Gables, Revisited

 Hey everyone.  Hitting the ground running here in the 3rd trimester.  Well, not really running, walking, but this one's back with a vengeance.  Taking care of 2 under 3 right now is really tough as well, especially since we have only one bathroom, and it's upstairs.

IN OUR NEW HOUSE!

We finally made the jump and became homeowners!  We've got a great place that has good bones and needs a ton of love, but after 5 years in apartments (2 of which were with small children), this place is absolutely gigantic!  I'm so grateful to be in a house of our own, especially amidst all of this covid craziness and societal unrest.  Using my own washer and dryer WHENEVER I WANT feels absolutely resplendent.

Because of all of that and severe pregnancy brain and a bit of exhaustion, I've been trying to keep my reading light.  I've completely abandoned by goodreads goal of 40 this year, and I'm settling for 20.  And no, they're not the twenty tiny titles, either.  Sad day.  Right now, I'm settling for cozy and nostaligic.  So when I found out about these two works, I grabbed them immediately from the library- which is within walking distance of our house!  Huzzah!  I do kind of enjoy back stories, but I don't want them ruining the warm-fuzzies of my childhood.  That being said, I didn't even read the whole series of Anne books until a few years ago- and they were wonderful.  My childhood is attached to the two (yes, the third doesn't exist, much like the 4th Indiana Jones) movies from the 1980s.  

To warn you, dear reader, I'm going to throw format out the window, and there may or may not be spoilers, but we all know how they'll end because of L.M. Montgomery's works, right?  I didn't really do a very close reading of either book because I frequently forget to brain, and these books were just great for escapism.  Anyways, here we go.

Before Green Gables
Budge Wilson
387 pages.  Reading time: 5 days

Back cover reads:  Before Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley's early life, and the journey that led her to Prince Edward Island- a heartwarming tale of a precocious child whose lively imagination and relentless spirit help her overcome difficult circumstances; and of a young girl's ability to love, learn, and above all, dream.  When readers first meet Anne, she is eleven, and has just been sent from an orphanage to meet her new family.  Readers never learned the events of Anne's life before she arrived at Green Gables.  Until now.  After baby Anne's parents die in an epidemic, she is sent from one foster family to another, always searching for the love and comfort of a real home.  A clever child, she learns to talk early, and even in her darkest times she finds joy in the power of her imagination and, eventually, by escaping into the world of books.  Through her adventures at school and in foster homes and orphanages, Anne's vibrant personality- her imagination, her hot temper, her impetuousness, her dramatic flair- shines through.  For the millions of readers who devoured the Green Gables series, Before Green Gables is an irresistible treat: the story of how one of literature's most beloved heroines became the girl who captivated the world.

Overall Reaction:  Ok, so I just read the back cover for the first time, and I would definitely say that this book is not an irresistible treat for any of us who devoured the Green Gables series (and the movies).  It is a sad story for the most part, but one of hope.  The issue that I have the most with this work, however, isn't so much in the shock value of Anne's back story (the weight which carries most of the work), but it was often the word choice and writing style of the author.  I thought that Wilson did a relatively good job of being at least historically accurate, but there were several points in the book where she used modern-day language or terms (don't ask me to point them out because pregnancy brain) that just confused me.  At one point, I found myself questioning just what time frame she was attempting to depict in the novel.  It just didn't sit well with me.  

Before is absolutely not on par with Montgomery's style.  It tries to be, but it fails miserably.  I'm not saying that the author should have provided a story as similar to Montgomery's writing as humanly possible, but she could have done much better.  It just reeks of poorly-written high school age fan-fiction.  Also, having an almost 3-year-old and knowing his capabilities, it was just an enormous effort for me to suspend my disbelief regarding what Anne's responsibilities (chores and other things) at the age of 4.  I dunno.  Maybe they expected much, much more of children back then, but a 4 year old taking care of babies?  Nope.  Not gonna believe that.  I felt like a lot of the story was all about shock value.  Perhaps that's something that I shouldn't be reading right now whilst 6 months pregnant, but I didn't enjoy it.  There was also a smattering of feminist garbage in there that I thought was completely out of place.  Ugh

One thing that I think was well done Wilson's way of forming Anne's forgiving and understanding nature.  

After reading this, I think I'll leave Anne's past to my own devices, meaning I'd just rather not think about it.  I want to meet her where I first did, in the forest as she reads Tennyson on the way back to the Hammond's (in the movie), or through the curious gossip Rachel Lynde (the book).  It's really Rachel who sets the tone of the first book, and she is somewhat of a heroine in it as well (she makes Anne's puffed sleeve dress).  Anyways.  This book wasn't really all that disappointing, but it wasn't great, either.  So therefore:

Marilla of Green Gables

Sarah McCoy

291 pages.  Reading time: 1 week

Back cover reads: Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down, leaving her to bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew, and father, Hugh.  In Avonlea, life holds few options for farm girls.  Marilla's one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother's sister, who fled Avonlea for the bustling city of St. Catharines.  An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy is a talented seamstress, which has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.  Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables.  With her friend Rachel, she joins the local Ladies' Aid Society in helping an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia--a home for abandoned children that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America.  Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness-- but Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another.  Instead she is caught up in the dangerous work of politics and abolition-- jeopardizing all she cherishes.  Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.  

First off, whoever wrote those liner notes must not have read the book.  UGH.  It really is a shallow portrayal of the novel.  Shock value to get the reader to read it.  Luckily, I usually don't read those things before diving in.  

Overall reaction:  After drinking the bitter water that was Before Green Gables, this novel was a joy to read.  On par with Montgomery's style, a sweet and cozy read that I think flows well with the rest of the Anne series.  The story is an easy and quick read.  I thought the characters were believable.  I found myself rooting so much for John and Marilla, even though I knew they were doomed.  It was nice to get into Marilla's head a little bit, as well as Rachel's. I think I liked Matthew's backstory the most.  Far be it from me to push a fellow introvert anywhere, but I thought it was admirable how he bucked up and took a risk to start courting a girl.  The men in this novel were wonderfully written.  They are good, faithful, hardworking men who honor the women in their lives.  

There are only a few gripes that I have with it.  Rachel Lynde's mother, Mrs. White, attempts to make a half-hearted attempt at the Sign of the Cross just because a nun does it.  (Which Marilla found strange.  It was not Presbyterian.  94)  I think this was completely out of place and historically inaccurate, and I'm sure any non-Catholic during this time period would find the patronizing action a little offensive and rude, especially if they knew Mrs. White wasn't Catholic.  I'm glad we hear Marilla's thoughts on it in order to get to know Mrs.  White's character more.

 I wasn't too amused by how silly and girlish Rachel's character is in this book.  It's a stark contrast to her "that's what" attitude in Montgomery's books, but Rachel's mother is quite similar to the adult Rachel Lynde, so it's easy to make the jump.

I do not like all this feminist agenda BS!  The gorgeous thing about L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and other similar writers of yore, is that they didn't preach feminism.  They just wrote strong female characters who could challenge the status quo and still live a happy, normal life without tearing down the family.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be married.  There is nothing wrong with NOT wanting to be married.  But spare me all the bra burning, woe-is-me, marriage is a cage for my free spirit BS. GAH.

The prologue.  This work began with a frame narrative.  I wanted it to end that way.  It didn't.  I wanted it to end closer to the time that we meet Anne.

I also enjoyed reading the Author's Note at the end.  It gave me warm fuzzies.  McCoy not only read all the books, did her research, etc. etc., but she loves the Kevin Sullivan movies.  

Marilla of Green Gables was just what my pregnant brain needed this last week.  I can't wait to get a copy of my own.  It's definitely

Not sure if I'll update with another review any time soon.  I'm trying to keep reading light.  I might work on my 7th tour of Miss Prim if it all gets to be too much.  I hope you and yours are well during this tumultuous time.