“Matthew went to Bright River. We’re getting a little boy from an orphan asylum in Nova Scotia and he’s coming on the train to-night.”
If Marilla had said that Matthew had gone to Bright River to meet a kangaroo from Australia Mrs. Rachel could not have been more astonished. She was actually stricken dumb for five seconds.
—Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
I’m not sure how I managed to grow up in this country without reading Anne of Green Gables. It is undoubtedly our best-loved children’s classic (though Wikipedia says it was written for a general audience). Of course I’ve seen the wonderful CBC production with Megan Follows, but I hadn’t ever read the book. I bought a copy last year in honour of Anne’s centenary but didn’t get around to opening it. Finally now I am listening to the audiobook, and, not surprisingly, it is a complete delight. I’m still laughing about that kangaroo comment. Things like that don’t translate to the screen, so even though I know exactly what happens in the story I expect to enjoy this book thoroughly. And since there are a total of 8 Anne books, I have plenty more to look forward to.
