Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript

"Well, I've written my book. The dream dreamed years ago has come true at last after years of toil and struggle. And the realization is sweet-almost as sweet as the dream!"
​- L.M. Montgomery

For all of my bosom friends and kindred spirts, who love the Anne of Green Gables series as much as I do, this book review is for you!

Reading L.M. Montgomery's classic tale of Anne Shirley and all of her adventures and kerfuffles for the first time, was one of my fondest childhood memories.  When my mom introduced me to the 1985 Canadian Television Film, Anne of Green Gables directed by Kevin Sullivan, starring Megan Follows as Anne, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla Cuthbert, Richard Farnsworth as Matthew Cuthbert, Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe, and Schulyer Grant as Diana Berry, it was as if my world was opened up to something new.  I was completely immersed into the story, and saw a great deal of myself in L.M. Montgomery's main, beloved character.  She was absolutely masterful at drawing readers into her imaginative world, and creating and developing characters who, in the end were truly kindred spirits underneath their unwily ways. 

L.M. Montgomery was a smart writer. She wrote colorfully, and the words seemed to dance off of the page, directly into the imagination and heart of the reader.   In this book, Anne of Green Gables: The Original Manuscript,  the editor, Carolyn Strom Collins,  an L.M. Montgomery scholar, compiles the author's original notes, revisions, and history of the book's transformation before going to print in June of 1908. For enthusiasts of this series, this is the perfect addition to have in your book collection, because in a very informative, exciting and clever way, readers receive a rare, behind the scenes look at the creative process of the author.   This is the book, that I always dreamed should be written! It's one where you are really able to get into the mind of the author, see what she was thinking, how the characters came to be, why she chose to keep some things and edit out others, and who and what inspired this most beloved story.  There is so much to learn and glean from the content in this book for aspiring writers as well.  This book was an absolute joy to read and I am so happy to have it in my library!