Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery           Audio Book:  9 hours, 20 minutes       Mass Market Paperback Book: 276 pages              

Anne of Avonlea is the second book in the series.    Anne is now 16, a schoolteacher and growing up and dealing with loads of new circumstances.    She is kind of like Lucille Ball’s character from her t.v. shows at times, always getting into a bit of trouble, but friends and family, along with her own fierce positivity manage to get her through no matter what the circumstance.    She is a dreamer with a massive imagination, and if she were any more positive and upbeat she would be Pollyanna.    Of course, she does do some really disastrous things, selling someone else’s property, breaking things she promised to take good care of, etc.  But she is not malicious in any way,  just human trying to get by as best she can in the circumstances she finds herself.    She believes in the intrinsic good of everyone and takes people for what they are as she charms even the stodgiest of curmudgeons to become her friend.    Anne’s tales of her teaching in the one room school house, the antics of her students and oh my gosh the twins she and Mirissa take in to raise are at times more than one could tolerate though they are so endearing that she and Marissa could hardly give them up – ever!   A good book.   I read Anne of Green Gables so long ago, I was surprised how easy it was to pick up and continue the story.   It is a timeless story, though, and one to be enjoyed.   You can’t keep a good Anne Shirley down!   I would definetly recommend the series to young and old readers.    Maybe the story is a little girly but the things the twins and the students in Anne’s classes get up to ought to definetly make male or female laugh out loud.     It earns its place as a classic.