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Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition
Yes, it’s that Anne of Green Gables, most recently reimagined as a Gothic nightmare on Netflix as “Anne with an E.” The Montgomery book was one of my favorites in childhood. Then I reread it in my children’s lit class in library school and loved it even more. Gothic nightmare is so not for me, but this book, this original, most certainly is.
The original (and subsequent sequels) are ostensibly children’s books but adults will certainly find much to enjoy as well. I was super excited to see this beautiful new edition from Penguin. It’s a lovely paperback with high quality paper and a cover with flaps – yes, these are things that excite me, I admit it. There is a new forward and included are some additional writings from the author.
Anne Shirley is one of the most beloved characters in literature – and it’s not just me. I recently caught the 1934 movie based on the book and was totally confused when I saw that the main character, Anne Shirley, was portrayed by an actress named…Anne Shirley. So I Googled it, and according to Wikipedia,
The actress Dawn O’Day who played Shirley in the 1934 film adaption of Anne of Green Gables liked the character so much she legally changed her name to Anne Shirley.
If you haven’t read it, this synopsis is from the publisher:
The beloved coming-of-age tale of a spunky heroine named Anne “with an E”, for the first time as a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, with a foreword by bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan.
L. M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan mistakenly sent to a pair of siblings who intended to adopt a boy to help work on their farm in Prince Edward Island. Yet Anne’s quirky personality and good-natured spirit causes the siblings to grow to love her anyway, and soon the entire town falls for the precocious little girl with bright red hair.
Cherished by both children and adults, Anne of Green Gables is a celebration of fierce individualism, and the families we create, rather than the ones we are born into. This Deluxe edition is enhanced with a foreword by bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan, and an introduction and suggestions for further reading by Benjamin Lefebvre, as well as a selection of early writing by L. M. Montgomery about the process of writing Anne.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
If you want to buy a wonderful book for a child or an adult who might need a beautiful, escapist read, I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much to Penguin Classics for sending me a copy, I will treasure it!
12/17 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M. Montgomery. Penguin Classics; Deluxe edition (November 14, 2017). ISBN 978-0143131854. 368p.
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