Anne of Green Gables was among the first books I’ve read in English, and I’ve been meaning to continue with the series for literal decades. Except somehow, every time I tried to do that, I started with rereading the first book and then promptly got distracted. So now I’ve made the impromptu decision to skip the reread and go straight for book 2, and finally, I’m one step farther! 😅

In many ways, I found the second book just as charming as the first. I think L.M. Montgomery’s writing truly shines when it comes to creating a sense of place, both in terms of describing the setting and populating it with quirky, colorful personalities. I enjoyed meeting familiar faces again, like Mrs. Rachel Lynde, and getting to know new awesome fictional people, like Mr. Harrison and Miss Lavender. The book is honestly so cozy, with most things working out for the better, and bad things always being survivable, and people finding understanding again and again, even when they’re off to a rocky start. Exactly the vibe I was after.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel like there wasn’t enough school. There was this big build-up to Anne starting off as a teacher in the school she used to attend, at just sixteen, and pretty much an entire chapter early on focused on her working up her courage to get through her first day in this new role, and then she could barely process that day immediately afterward. It all felt like this job was going to be a really big focus on the book. But while the storyline was surely present throughout, I feel it took a backseat to many others and Anne overall spent more time just hanging out with her friends and other locals, plus helping take care of the twins Marilla takes in.

Speaking of the twins, I wasn’t a fan of how both Anne and Marilla openly favored Davy, the problem kid, over the quiet, obedient Dora. I get how the kid prone to acting out needs more attention, but it shouldn’t come at the expanse of the other sibling. It felt like Dora was getting punished for being too good, and the only time a scene truly focused on her was when she was crying and uncharacteristically refusing to go to sleep. Overall, she just got so little development compared to her brother who was present so often, he was kind of getting obnoxious. Way to make me feel bad for a character both in terms of how she was treated by others within the narrative and how the author treated her!

Outside of that, though, I actually really, really loved seeing the daily life in Green Gables, the interactions between Anne and Marilla, the relationship they’ve developed. Their interactions were so enjoyable and sincere, and they’ve come such a long way from those early days! Matthew’s absence is definitely felt throughout the book, but it’s less of a gaping, unfillable hole I feared it would be. I also really loved the small interactions Marilla had with Diane, and that time all three of them joined forces in the kitchen (I still giggle remembering that scene).

Anne herself was somehow more… mellow? mild? then I expected her to be: still eternally optimistic and focused on seeing the beauty on the world, but without those sharper edges that kept getting her in trouble. I feel like she’s matured a lot faster than I’d expect her to, but then again, she lives in a time and place where it’s normal to become a teacher at sixteen, so it’s more than possible I’m imposing my modern sensibilities on her. She was still very much recognizable, very much Anne, and very much made me smile even when I was having shitty days. So thanks for that.