I wish I had read this book as a teenager. Anne's "scope for imagination", her penchant for using big words, accepting people who hurt her after seeing their good side, and wanting to never repeat her mistakes would have encouraged and uplifted me a great deal. Anne is an interesting character and even though she gets on my nerves sometimes (lol), she was incredibly well written. But it's Marilla who will remain the star of this story for me. Her constant inner conflict between feeling strong emotions and not being able to express them due to her own set rules and values is beautiful to read.

Some scenes were surreal and I wish to re-read them while I had to skim through others, especially the chapters after Anne leaves for Queens Academy. It's the ending that turned this from a 3-star to a 4-star book. L. M. Montgomery writes death and the loss of a loved one so realistically, it left me in tears.