I spent about a month rereading Anne of Avonlea for our "Kindred Spirits" May 2010 group read, and I am debating wether to re-rate the novel and give it a 3 star rating instead of a 4 star rating. I think that I will (at least for the time being) keep the 4 star rating, as the story is still very much a personal favourite, although if it were possible to give it a 3.5 star rating, I would do so (but I doubt GR will ever relent and allow half stars).I remember liking this story immensely when I first read it as a young teenager, and during my recent reread, I enjoyed most of the story as much as I did then, especially the anecdotes about the Avonlea Village Improvement Society (AVIS). But even more than the AVIS anecdotes, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading about both Paul Irving and Lavendar Lewis (two characters to whom I did not really feel drawn when I originally read the novel).However, I did find myself having major problems universally liking the character of Davy Keith. And it is not Davy's mischievous nature that I find problematic, but the fact that he is so often deliberately cruel to his twin sister. Not only that, but I have also noticed that Dora is more often than not ignored and denigrated by almost everyone, from Anne to even Mrs. Lynde, simply because she is a quiet, unobtrusive child (and must therefore also be monotonous). When one remembers what Anne's own childhood was like, and how she was both emotionally and spiritually neglected before she came to Green Gables, it is supremely ironic that Anne now seemingly neglects Dora in a similar manner, ignoring her because Davy's exploits are more interesting or perceived as being more interesting. I also tend to believe that there is actually a rather uncritical acceptance by L. M. Montgomery herself as Anne's (and others') neglect and critical assumptions of and towards Dora are never really actively criticised (yes, Anne realises that she might have a bit of an unfair and neglectful attitude towards Dora, but even though she is aware of this, she does not really ever strive to rein in her at times quite overt favouritism of Davy, and actually even attempts to justify it to herself). As someone who was rather quiet and unobtrusive as a child, this quite bothered me during my recent reread (strangely enough though, when I was a teenager, this part did not seem to bother me all that much, although at that time, I often did feel ignored and under-appreciated by both my family and the world).I would still strongly recommend this book, and the entire Anne of Green Gables series, it is just that Anne of Avonlea, while indeed magical, does have issues (at least it did for me) regarding the overt favouritism of Davy Keith over his sister Dora, a favouritism made worse by the fact that it also often seems universally accepted, even justified.
Fiuh... baru kali ini baca buku kayak ngejer setoran. Udah sekian lama seri Anne of Green Gables ini menghiasi rak, tapi sekali pun nggak minat buat menyentuhnya. Ntar aja ah, ntar aja ah. Sampe akhirnya bulan kemaren baca bareng gerombolan dan ku akui, ku jatuh cinta.. huu huu.Buku kedua ini mengangkat kisah hidup Anne dari umur 16 tahun hingga 18 tahun. Anne yang lincah dan ceria kini agak kalem dan lebih bisa mengendalikan emosi. Awalnya sih sedih ya, secara Anne yang di buku pertama tuh nge-gemesin banget! Tapi seiring dengan perjalanan waktu, memang itu yang terjadi pada tiap manusia, bukan? We grew up..Seperti yang diceritakan di buku pertama, Anne memutuskan untuk tidak mengambil beasiswanya dan menjadi guru di sekolah Avonlea. Sekolah yang tadinya akan diajar oleh Gilbert, tapi dia memilih mundur dan memberikannya pada Anne.Mulai lah cerita tentang murid-murid Anne, tentang kelucuan mereka dan tentang salah satu murid kesayangan Anne yang bernama Paul Irving. Paul ini anak 'blasteran' lah istilahnya. Ibunya orang Yankee yang dinikahi ayahnya waktu ke US. Paul anak yang suka berimajinasi, dan siapa lagi yang bisa mengerti dia kalo bukan... yep, Anne Shirley, the schoolma'am.Trus kesibukan Anne yang juga aktif berkegiatan bersama teman-temannya. Mereka membentuk sebuah organisasi yang bertujuan membangun dan mempercantik desa Avonlea. Ditambah lagi Marilla ngadopsi anak kembar: Dora dan Davy. Untungnya Dora anak yang manis, jadi masih bisa lah menghandle Davy yang super aktif. Ada sih sedikit cerita-cerita romance nya, kek ayahnya Paul Irving yang balik lagi sama cinta lamanya *uhuy, C.L.B.K.* trus Diana yang juga jatuh cinta. Trus Gilbert yang diam-diam mengagumi Anne, tapi masih menyimpannya dalam hati. Mungkin berharap di kampus nanti cinta akan bersemi *duh, jd 'tergetar' nih hati gw baca yang romantis-romantis* Tapi secara Anne belum menunjukkan tanda-tanda akan jatuh cinta, mungkin di buku ketiga akan diceritakan? Secara mereka kan bakal ke Redmond College bareng-bareng gt loh. Seperti kata pepatah: Witing tresno jalaran opo?Hyuuuk... lanjut ke buku ke-3: Anne of the Island.
What do You think about Anne Of Avonlea (1997)?
This isn't as good as the first, in my opinion. I was hoping for more interaction with Anne and Gilbert. Though they are both members of the Avonlea Village Improvement Society, the two of them actually do not have many scenes together since he teaches at a school that is further away and is only home on weekends (I think?) and during summer break.The addition of the troublemaking orphan Davy to the story nearly ruined this book for me. He has a twin sister named Dora who is a total angel, but Anne plainly states (and Marilla feels the same way) that she loves Davy more. I didn't find him charming, adorable, funny, precious, etc. I wish I could erase his existence in these pages. I hated how Anne was around him: she would feel guilty for punishing his bad behavior and she would give in whenever he turned on the charm around her. Everything I loved about Anne would disappear when she's around this boy. You can't even argue that Anne prefers him because he was a troublemaker like she was when she was a child, because while Anne did get into crazy predicaments, she always had good intentions behind her actions. Davy does not. He makes mischief because he can, because he's bored. I hated how poor Dora would be ignored, but I guess that's really the author's fault since she didn't think of her as much of a character. I still plan on reading at least the third book in the series, but I really, really hope Davy is nowhere to be found in it.
—Marie
I just don't know... There's so many good things about these books, but then there's shit like this:But Charlotta the Fourth thought them very beautiful, and after she had rustled into a white dress, so stiffly starched that it could stand alone, she surveyed herself in her glass with great satisfaction... a satisfaction which lasted until she went out in the hall and caught a glimpse through the spare room door of a tall girl in some softly clinging gown, pinning white, star-like flowers on the smooth ripples of her ruddy hair."Oh, I'll NEVER be able to look like Miss Shirley," thought poor Charlotta despairingly. "You just have to be born so, I guess... don't seem's if any amount of practice could give you that AIR." This happens all the time in these books. If it were supposed to be a commentary on distorted self-image, or a depiction of the way envy can breed discontent, that'd be one thing, but nope: Anne's the best and you ought to envy her because if you weren't born perfect you have no hope. I adored the Anne novels when I was young; I'd finish Rilla of Ingleside and immediately pick up Anne of Green Gables again, but then the portrayal of Anne's perfectness started to grate, and eventually it rubbed me so raw I gave away my copies of the books.Anne's like a straw-man misfit. She doesn't fit in because she's different, but she's only different because, in the author's view, she's so much better than everyone else. Montgomery wants me to like Diana, but if I happened to like Diana more than Anne I suspect L. M. would think I was crazy - or that I am not intelligent or "fine" enough to appreciate Anne's obvious superiority. As if it's impossible for people's tastes to differ.I tried to read Anne of the Island again to see if maybe my distaste for the series was something I'd outgrown with my teenage years, but I found the portrayal of Anne as off-putting as ever. It's a shame.
—Idril Celebrindal
More wonderful Anne. This book was full of quotes I liked (and just as an aside, it is SO easy to highlight lines I like on the kindle...ok, commercial for kindle over):"A fellow has to fight something all through life...didn't somebody once define man as a fighting animal?""It does people good to have to do things they don't like.....in moderation.""You're never safe from being surprised till you're dead.""no child should be cooped up in the four walls of a school until it was seven years old" "Lowell says, 'Not failure but low aim is crime'.""It is always a very puzzling question...what can somebody see in somebody else? But how fortunate after all that it is so, for if everybody saw alike...well in that case, as the old Indian said, 'Everybody would want my squaw.'""What I want to get out of my college course is some knowledge of the best way of living life and doing the most and best with it. I want to learn to understand and help other people and myself.""Courting's all right in its place, Miss Shirley, ma'am, but if you try to mix it up with cooking and scouring everything's spoiled.""She slept the sleep of the just and weary""..drove away from the old life of dreams and make-believe to a fuller life of realitites in the busy world beyond"
—Allison
