what fresh FuN!
when i discovered Renee Ann's
when i discovered Renee Ann's
i am not a fiction reader,
but Renee Ann
offered an open book choice
with review to be published from Feb 25th to 28th
and my fancy was captured!
probably due to the large amount of work scheduled
and recognizing i needed some distraction ~
'lite'!
'lite'!
so here's my contribution to be added to the review mix ~
Lucy Maud Montgomery's
"Anne of Avonlea"
published first in 1909
published first in 1909
reading this was like visiting an old friend!
the warmth and delight of discovering
impetuous red-haired Anne
as a child in "Anne of Green Gables"
impetuous red-haired Anne
as a child in "Anne of Green Gables"
now developed charmingly
through two years of her teen life
as her adventures are enlarged to include
the rural Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea...
" an August afternoon with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard was fitter for dreams than dead languages."
postponing her 17th birthday from the
vagaries of March in favour of a spring picnic with her friends,
the walk through vales and lanes spanning bridges and brooks
provides picturesque settings for their talk
that soon takes a 'heavenly' turn ~
"Minnie May asked me the other day if we would wear our best dresses
every day in heaven," laughed Diana.
"And didn't you tell her we would?" asked Anne.
"Mercy, no! I told her we wouldn't be thinkng of dresses at all there."
"oh, I think we will ... a little," said Anne earnestly.
"There'll be plenty of time in all eternity for it without neglecting more important things. I believe we'll all wear beautiful dresses...or I suppose raiment would be a more suitable way of speaking.
I shall want to wear pink for a few centuries at first...
it would take me that long to get tired of it,
I feel sure.
I do love pink so and I can never wear it in this world."
Anne's role as local school teacher providing
the rural Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea...
" an August afternoon with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard was fitter for dreams than dead languages."
postponing her 17th birthday from the
vagaries of March in favour of a spring picnic with her friends,
the walk through vales and lanes spanning bridges and brooks
provides picturesque settings for their talk
that soon takes a 'heavenly' turn ~
"Minnie May asked me the other day if we would wear our best dresses
every day in heaven," laughed Diana.
"And didn't you tell her we would?" asked Anne.
"Mercy, no! I told her we wouldn't be thinkng of dresses at all there."
"oh, I think we will ... a little," said Anne earnestly.
"There'll be plenty of time in all eternity for it without neglecting more important things. I believe we'll all wear beautiful dresses...or I suppose raiment would be a more suitable way of speaking.
I shall want to wear pink for a few centuries at first...
it would take me that long to get tired of it,
I feel sure.
I do love pink so and I can never wear it in this world."
vivid depictions of student and parent personalities,
scrapes of all kinds and disciplinary reactions
had me rolling with laughter!
the unexpected arrival of 6 year old twins
into her life when their mother dies
introduces comedic routine on a daily basis.
"If I'm as good as good can be all day tomorrow
will you let me be just as bad as I like all the next day?" asked Davy.
"If I'm as good as good can be all day tomorrow
will you let me be just as bad as I like all the next day?" asked Davy.
little Davy's propensity for trouble
is matched only by Anne's own.
her wit and creativity
her wit and creativity
in responding to their predicaments
is unmatched!
beautifully descriptive
of rural life of another century
Anne books
offer great reading satisfaction~
especially in light of having lived in Anne's land
of Prince Edward Island
and experiencing first hand
L.M. Montgomery's
accurate depictions of islanders 'thought'
regarding outsiders!
lovely opportunities for numerous
mouthwatering tea and garden parties,
proponents of conflicting theologies
within the same households,
well developed characters
and plentiful humour,
kept me enjoyably occupied
to the final page.
the variety of love stories
included
would satisfy the
most romantically inclined reader amongst us!
"Gilbert wisely said nothing more;
but in his silence he read the history of the next four years
in the light of Anne's remembered blush..."
tissues at hand,
definitely recommended!
a delightful break in my routine,
i sincerely thank you Renee Ann
for offering up this book challenge!
i do hope a reader of this review
will take "Anne of Avonlea" as a selection of their own.
would you let us know your response if you do?
*THANK YOU to you who already have!!*
many thanks for sharing my enjoyment!
Miss Spenser has tea for us today
in the tradition Anne would approve!
feel free to stop in ~
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
: C.S. Lewis
more reading challenges
is unmatched!
beautifully descriptive
of rural life of another century
Anne books
offer great reading satisfaction~
especially in light of having lived in Anne's land
of Prince Edward Island
and experiencing first hand
L.M. Montgomery's
accurate depictions of islanders 'thought'
regarding outsiders!
lovely opportunities for numerous
mouthwatering tea and garden parties,
within the same households,
well developed characters
and plentiful humour,
kept me enjoyably occupied
to the final page.
the variety of love stories
included
would satisfy the
most romantically inclined reader amongst us!
"Gilbert wisely said nothing more;
but in his silence he read the history of the next four years
in the light of Anne's remembered blush..."
tissues at hand,
definitely recommended!
a delightful break in my routine,
i sincerely thank you Renee Ann
for offering up this book challenge!
and many thanks also to Sharon of
who created the GorGeous velvet bookmark
for her One World One Heart GiveAway ~
i can hardly wait to begin using it for my upcoming reading!
will take "Anne of Avonlea" as a selection of their own.
would you let us know your response if you do?
*THANK YOU to you who already have!!*
many thanks for sharing my enjoyment!
Miss Spenser has tea for us today
in the tradition Anne would approve!
feel free to stop in ~
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
: C.S. Lewis
16 comments:
What a fun read with my coffee this morning. I think you did a great job.
Oh, how I LOVE the Anne series and the other books by L.M. Montgomery!! I am always on the lookout for "kindred spirits"! Loved the post! PAM N.
I agree - a fun post! I never get tired of Anne, Mirella, Mathew and Diana Barry. Not to mention Gilbert!
What a beautiful post! You lived on Prince Edward Island? Excellent! I've always loved Anne, and your review brought back some lovely reminders. Plus, I love the pictures you chose. And I do think that heaven will hold so many wonders--maybe pink dresses will be part of the thrill:) Thanks so much for linking up. Blessings!
Couldn't agree more with you, Anne is such a good friend!! Love her books! This year, one of my goals is to read the whole series, I'm in book 4 "Anne of Windy Poplars". Whenever I read them i leave with a warm, happy heart! :) P.S. i like your C.S. Lewis quote about dreams!
Such a lovely post about a favorite author.
Happy Pink Saturday,
Karen
Well, you definitely have a “kindred spirit” in me. I have read and reread the books, watched the TV series over and over again, and viewed the movies multiple times. I definitely spell ANNE with an “E”!!! HPS.
I have the whole Anne series! Lovely books for young girls!!
Pamela ox
here's what another fave of mine had to say on books for children ~
"No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."
"I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once."
THANK YOU! to CS Lewis
for sharing your wisdom with us !!
you are still making your mark ...
Love those CS Lewis quotes! He's so right:) I think his Narnia stories meant more to me when I reread them in recent years than they ever could have when I was a child.
My neighbor once visited Prince Edward Island and told me that it was like taking a step back in time... I just adore the Anne series. I love the simple lives {but challenging just the same} ~ the imagery and beautiful language usage of those books "of old."
The bookmarks are special indeed ~ enjoy ~
happy weekend to you
~Maria
I LOVED "Anne of Green Gables." Not sure why I didn't continue with the series after that. Montgomery paints such lovely pictures with her words. :) Thanks for sharing your review!
Beautifully said. Happy Pink Saturday, Char
I am new here and you have a lovely place! I found you on Pink Saturday...a few days late...I also love your review...I have never read about Anne...I think now I may...I too am a Pink lady and you newest follower. Pinkim! fromTrulySimplyPink
You have an absolutely gorgeous blog that I am now following! So glad that you found my blog and that you shared this post last week on Fresh Clean and Pure Friday. I hope you stop by again with more inspiration for others! Roz at la bella vita
"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."
-- Not sure how I feel about this quote. At first I was nodding my head, thinking of the books my kids and I enjoy reading together. But then I think of all those kids movies with in-jokes for the adults, and while I admit to enjoying some of them, I'm finding the formula growing stale. Perhaps merely attempting to reach an all-inclusive demographic doesn't guarantee quality either.
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