Who is L.M. Montgomery?

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada on November 30, 1874. During her lifetime, L.M. Montgomery wrote 20 novels, over 500 short stories, one book of poetry, an autobiography, a life's worth of journals, approximately 500 poems, and a nonfiction book called Courageous Women. Of her work, L.M. Montgomery is best known for writing the novel Anne of Green Gables and giving the world the beloved literary character Anne Shirley, an imaginative, intelligent, loving, red-haired orphan in search of a home.

Image credit:
Photograph of L.M. Montgomery, 1930. Toronto Public Library from the Toronto Star Photograph Archive, Public Domain.

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Created February 10, 2002. Last updated March 24, 2021.
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Spring Song by L. M. Montgomery

Spring Song
by L.M. Montgomery

O gypsy winds that pipe and sing
In budding boughs of beech,
I know I hear the laugh of spring
In all your silver speech.

O little mists that hide and curl
In hollows wild and green,
I know you will come in gauze and pearl
To wait upon your queen.

O little seed of mellow earth
Where rain and sunshine kiss,
I know the quivering joy of birth
Throbs in your chrysalis.

O Hope, you blossom on my way
Like violet from the clod,
And Love makes rosy all the grey
When spring comes back from God.

Poem published in Verse and Reverse by Members of the Toronto Women's Press Club (1922).

Image Credit:
Illustration of Violets by Louis-Aimé Martin in Nouveau langage des fleurs, ou, Parterre de flore : contenant le symbole et le langage des fleurs, leur histoire et leur origine mythologique, ainsi que les plus jolis vers composés a ce sujet (1832). From Biodiversity Heritage Library. Public Domain.

Created February 19, 2002. Last updated October 8, 2022.
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Publication Sequence of the Anne of Green Gables Series

It might surprise you that L.M. Montgomery did not write the eight novels of the Anne of Green Gables series in the order we generally read them today.

Introducing Anne Shirley

L.M. Montgomery introduced Anne Shirley to the world when she published Anne of Green Gables in 1908. Its sequel Anne of Avonlea followed shortly thereafter in 1909. After completing these first two novels about Anne Shirley, Montgomery focused on publishing other novels and short story collections before revisiting Anne.

Anne Shirley Grows Up

Between 1915 and 1921, L.M. Montgomery wrote another four books about Anne Shirley and Anne's children. Anne of the Island (1915) tells the story of Anne's college years, Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) begins with Anne's wedding and describes the early years of Anne's marriage to Gilbert Blythe, Rainbow Valley (1919) tells the stories of Anne Blythe's young children, and Rilla of Ingleside (1921) focuses on Anne Blythe's youngest daughter Rilla Blythe.

Revisiting Anne Shirley

Following a long gap of 15 years, L.M. Montgomery revisited a younger version of Anne Shirley and wrote about her years as a high school principal in Anne of Windy Poplars (1936). Today, this novel is considered Book 4 of the Anne of Green Gables series if we read the novels in the chronological order of Anne’s life. The storyline of Anne of Windy Poplars falls between Anne of the Island (1915) and Anne’s House of Dreams (1917).

Returning to Anne

Thirty-one years after publishing Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery wrote Anne of Ingleside in 1939. According to the timeline of Anne’s life, Anne of Ingleside is considered Book 6. Its storyline falls between Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) and Rainbow Valley (1919), both of which were written 20 years earlier.

What order were the Anne of Green Gables books published in?

In summary, here is the publication sequence of the Anne of Green Gables novels. The order we generally read the books in today is listed to the right.

Publication Sequence	Chronology of Anne's Life
1) Anne of Green Gables (1908)	Book 1
2) Anne of Avonlea (1909)	Book 2
3) Anne of the Island (1915)	Book 3
4) Anne's House of Dreams (1917)	Book 5
5) Rainbow Valley (1919)	Book 7
6) Rilla of Ingleside (1921)	Book 8
7) Anne of Windy Poplars (1936)	Book 4
8) Anne of Ingleside (1939)	Book 6

Have you ever read the books in order by their publication dates, or have you always read the novels in the chronological order of Anne Shirley’s life? What are your thoughts on reading the novels of the Anne of Green Gables series in different orders?

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Created September 1, 1999. Last updated April 28, 2022.
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Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a province located in the Gulf of St Lawrence in Eastern Canada. The island's scenery is beautiful with a striking contrast between the red roads and cliffs, deep blue water, and rich green landscape. In 1874, L.M. Montgomery was born in Clifton, PEI, and she used the island as the geographical location for many of her stories. Today, PEI is recognized around the world as the setting of L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables (1908).

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Created March 13, 2021.
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Who is Anne Shirley?

Anne Shirley is a character first introduced to the world in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. When we first meet Anne, she is an eleven-year-old girl with a vivid imagination, talkative disposition, and bewitching personality.

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are surprised by Anne's arrival in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. The Cuthbert siblings had planned to adopt a young boy to help Matthew with the farm at Green Gables, but mistakenly they are sent a girl. Fortunately, Anne wins both Matthew and Marilla over, and the Cuthberts adopt Anne giving her a home at Green Gables.

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Created July 15, 1999. Last updated March 8, 2021.
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Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables

Manga Classics: Anne of Green Gables is an adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's classic novel by Crystal S. Chan with artwork by Kuma Chan. The 308-page book was first published in September 2020 as part of the Manga Classics series. This series adapts classic literary stories, including Romeo and Juliet, Dracula, Jane Eyre, The Jungle Book, and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Re-told in the traditional manga format, the story is read from right to left, and the panels have black and white line art. This adaptation is faithful to the novel's details, and the back matter includes illustrations and notes on Green Gables.

Here is the description of the book from Manga Classics:

Siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert were planning to adopt an orphaned boy to help out around their farm, Green Gables -- instead, they got Anne Shirley. A plucky redheaded girl with a vibrant imagination, Anne turns first Green Gables and then the rest of Prince Edward Island on its ear. Manga Classics® is proud to be the only authorized manga adaption of Anne of Green Gables by the Heirs of L.M. Montgomery. This trade paperback volume presents a faithful recreation of this classic kids novel, from the Lake of Shining Waters to the Dryad's Bubble!

Reviews

"The familiar story is enhanced by the exciting new format and lush illustrations."
— Kirkus Reviews

Image credit:
Book cover of Anne of Green Gables from the Manga Classics series.

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Created September 9, 2020. Last updated October 6, 2024.
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If I Couldn't Be Anne

If I Couldn't Be Anne is a children's book by Kallie George with creative illustrations by Geneviève Godbout that was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. It is a story about the wonders of the imagination and introduces young readers to Anne Shirley. The 40-page long picture book is written for children aged 3 to 7 and was published by Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House Canada in May 2020.

Here is the description of the book from Penguin Random House Canada:

A beautiful read-aloud picture book about the power of the imagination, inspired by the best-selling Anne of Green Gables.

In this whimsical and magical picture book, Anne’s boundless imagination takes flight! She imagines being all the things she loves so dearly. If I Couldn’t Be Anne, Anne with an e, what would I be . . . Anne wonders what it would be like to be the wind dancing round the treetops. A tightrope walker, breathless and brave. A princess in a palace made of apple blossoms. A magical frost fairy or a plain little wood elf. . . . But even as Anne’s imagination soars far and wide, she comes back down to earth, recognizing that some things – like friendship! – are even better than the imagination.

With adorable illustrations, and a heartfelt message, this picture book is a perfect read-aloud introduction to L.M. Montgomery’s beloved Anne and will delight her brand-new fans and lifelong readers alike.

ISBN-13: 9781770499287

Image credit:
Book cover of If I Couldn't Be Anne.

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Created June 20, 2020. Last updated October 29, 2024.
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Anne with an E (2017-2019)

Anne with an E (2017–2019) is a compelling Canadian television series that adapted L.M. Montgomery's classic story Anne of Green Gables for the screen. Starring Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley, the series was created by Moira Walley-Beckett, known for her Emmy-winning work on Breaking Bad. Walley-Beckett's adaptation brought a fresh and bold perspective to the classic tale. Anne with an E premiered in March 2017 on CBC in Canada, where it was initially titled Anne, before expanding its reach globally through Netflix.

The series is a coming-of-age story about a spirited young orphan named Anne Shirley, who dreams of finding love, acceptance, and her place in the world. Over the course of its three seasons and 27 episodes, Anne with an E captivated audiences with its exploration of socially relevant issues, such as racism, classism, and gender inequity—giving the period drama a modern twist. The production aimed for a documentary-like feel and sense of realism, adding depth to the storytelling.

The cast featured Geraldine James as the stern but loving Marilla Cuthbert, R.H. Thomson as the gentle Matthew Cuthbert, Dalila Bela as Anne's true friend Diana Barry, Lucas Jade Zumann as Gilbert Blythe, and Miranda McKeon as Josie Pye. The show's executive producers were Moira Walley-Beckett and Miranda de Pencier. Notably, de Pencier played Josie Pye in Sullivan Entertainment's Anne of Green Gables back in 1985. The series was mainly filmed in Southern Ontario with some filming on Prince Edward Island.

Anne with an E garnered critical acclaim, winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Dramatic Series in 2017 and 2018. Amybeth McNulty's portrayal of Anne Shirley earned her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance–Female that same year. Despite this acclaim and the show's passionate fanbase, the series was cancelled in 2019, sparking an outcry from its devoted fans who launched campaigns in hopes of saving the show.


Image credit:
Image of Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley from Anne with an E. © CBC and Netflix.

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Created January 15, 2020. Last updated October 24, 2024.
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