Anne of Green Gables (Green Gables #1) by L.M. Montgomery (Read 8/11-8/24)

Another BOTM selection, and one of my all time favorites,  In fact this was my favorite book before I discovered The Hobbit.
I still have my original book I got from my Mom, which she got when she was 9.  My version was published in 1944,  and according to the front there were only 4 books in the series at that time, now there are 8, the last published in1939.  It is considered the "deluxe" version because it has a cloth cover and 8 illustrations by Elizabeth R. Withington.   It is still one of my most cherished and loved books, it holds a place of honor on my bookshelf.
Anne Shirley is an 11 year old orphan that is adopted by Marilla and Matt Cuthbert (elderly brother and sister), and from the start there are mistakes and hi jinx.  Marilla really has no idea what to do with a  child, and shy Mathew just wants to spend time with the girl.  Anne meets her bosom best friend, Diana, and her arch rival Gilbert.  The book is set in the early 1900's on Prince Edward Island in Canada, in a small made up town of Avonlea. (Fun fact: the house Montgomery based Green Gables on was her neighbors, and it is located in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island)  It was published in 1908, so I can only assume that the setting is about that time  Being set in a simpler time, the story is simple at heart.  A girl and how she grows into a woman and brings love and light to all of those around her.  There is no technology, no cyber bullying, no television or radio even to be a distraction and a hindrance.  Anne's entertainment is her books, and of course her imagination.
Anne is such a fun and great character, a true kindred spirit to myself.  I have always felt a connection with her character, so full of imagination and hope and a general goodwill towards here fellow human beings.  She really makes Green Gables a lively home, rather than a lovely house.  In fact while reading this book, I realized that I had bought my own version of Green Gables, my new house is cream with green trim and cherry trees in the backyard.  I'm afraid to go to much into the plot, because I will give away all the fun things that are to discover in this book.  The way Montgomery writes is so straightforward and enthralling, that you can't help to love the characters, even the Pryes. All I can say, is read this book if you want to escape to a simpler world, where the golden rule still applied and honesty was the highest valued trait of them all.