AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - LM Montgomery author ~ Colleen Winton narrator

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by Lucy Maude Montgomery Narrated by Colleen Winton

Anne, a young orphan from the fictional community of Bolingbroke, Nova Scotia (based upon the real community of New London), is sent to Prince Edward Island after a childhood spent in strangers' homes and orphanages. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, siblings in their fifties and sixties, had decided to adopt a boy from the orphanage to help Matthew run their farm. They live at Green Gables, their Avonlea farmhouse on Prince Edward Island. Through a misunderstanding, the orphanage sends Anne Shirley.

Anne is described as bright and quick, eager to please, talkative, and extremely imaginative. She has a pale face with freckles and usually braids her red hair. When asked her name, Anne tells Marilla to call her Cordelia, which Marilla refuses; Anne then insists that if she is to be called Anne, it must be spelled with an e, as that spelling is "so much more distinguished." Marilla at first says the girl must return to the orphanage, but after a few days she decides to let her stay. Marilla feels that she could be a good influence on the girl and had also overheard that another disagreeable woman in town might take Anne in instead.-publisher

Series: Anne of Green Gables #1
Audiobook Edition
Published: May 30.13
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press
Length: Unabridged 10 hrs 6 min

My Thoughts?

There's nothing like Anne to inspire laughter and Lucy M Montgomery for atmospheric descriptions of beauty!

Elderly unmarried siblings, Matthew, and sister, Marilla, have sent word to a neighbouring villager, Mrs Spencer, to bring them a boy to help as a farmhand when she visits a Nova Scotia orphanage in the spring. The message gets twisted enroute, delivering them the unexpected 11 year old Anne! 

The joys and tribulations of Anne's addition to their tranquil Prince Edward Island lives are delicious to experience. A girl of dreams and dialogue beyond her years, unlimited ideas and imagination to share with anyone lacking, Anne is quickly endeared to the reader by Lucy Maud's characterizations and descriptions. 

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” 

The humour of Anne's escapades is effectively and dramatically juxtaposed against the societal expectations of the Victorian era and island culture. 

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly
that you will.” 

It’s easy to immerse oneself into the life of Anne as we cheer her on in pursuit of kindred spirits!  

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. 

It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” 

An especially satisfying read expressing much appreciation of beauty, a turn of the century girl's journey from childhood to young womanhood, and a realistic cast of characters populating this introductory story of Anne...

This time round I've had the pleasure of Anne on audio via the Post Hypnotic Press audiobook presentation. Narrated by Colleen Winton, the characters of the story were differentiated and personalized with varying voice expression, inflections and range of tone. Ms WInton captured their personalities well. My personal preference would have been the choice of a younger voice to represent Anne, especially as the main character of the story, an essential consideration. Ms Winton was capable and steady in her narration.

Post Hypnotic's recording was clear and uninterrupted by background interference. Dubbing or retakes were seamless, allowing for a pleasurable listening experience. 

A lovely way to enjoy our beloved Anne of Green Gables.

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Author Bio:

Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success. The central character, Anne, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following. The first novel was followed by a series of sequels with Anne as the central character. Montgomery went on to publish 20 novels as well as 500 short stories and poems. Many of the novels were set on Prince Edward Island, Canada and places in the Canadian province became literary landmarks. She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1935.

LM Montgomery, was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, in 1911 after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911 in Prince Edward Island. Her three children were born at Leaskdale, and she wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the Macdonald family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. 

Maud died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia...more

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Narrator:

Colleen is a Vancouver actor, singer, dancer, director and choreographer...and now a narrator. Her career has taken her all over the country and  includes the Stratford, Shaw and Charlottetown Festivals, the original Canadian companies of CATS and Show Boat, extensive film/TV credits, and numerous directing/choreographing credits. Her stage work has been honoured with numerous nominations and a Jessie and Ovation award and she received a cultural award given by her local Chamber of Commerce. She recently played Marilla Cuthbert in a production of the musical Anne of Green Gables at Theatre Calgary (Spring 2013).

* Post Hypnotic Press audio of the Anne series is available  for your listening enjoyment online HERE.  * * Appreciation to Post Hypnotic Press and Audiojukebox for providing an mp3 for listening and reviewing without cost or compensation. * Tweet *

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