Part of me will always wish that I was Anne Shirley. She lives life so fully, with such enthusiasm, I can almost feel her as a true presence in my own life. She reminds me of the glory (and the occasional folly) of anticipation and imagination. She inspires me to dream with all my heart, to aim high and yet to be delighted in the simple beauties all around. And yet she’s familiar and comforting as a cup of tea or a beam of sunshine in winter. When I’m down and dull it’s an Anne book I turn to for cheer and hope, more often than not.

If I start listing favorite scenes I think I may end up siting the entire book, so I will restrict myself to three: the lily maid reenactment, Matthew and the puffed sleeves, and Anne’s recitation at the White Sands hotel. Beyond that, it was the Island itself that really made me love these books, I think. Through Anne’s eyes (and presumably L. M. Montgomery’s) it was as magical as any fairytale land.

Aside from Anne of Green Gables, I’m especially partial to Anne of the Island (as it is a school book, and I love school books in general). I’ve also grown much more fond of Rilla of Ingleside in recent years, though I couldn’t get into it as a kid.

As a side note, I will comment on some other Montgomery novels. I’ve read the Emily books, which I know some folks favor. Personally, while I enjoyed them, I didn’t love them — there was too much of an edge to them, I think, for them to be comfortable reading for me. But I adore The Blue Castle, and will regularly page through it to read random passages just for the pleasure of the descriptions.