Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables, a children's book by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, was first published in 1908. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book in a newspaper article about a couple who were mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy, yet decided to keep her. Montgomery also drew upon her own childhood experiences in rural Prince Edward Island, Canada. Montgomery used a photograph of Evelyn Nesbitt, clipped from an American magazine and pasted to the wall near her writing desk, as the model for Anne.

Plot summary

Anne Shirley is a red-haired, freckled orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly bachelor, Matthew Cuthbert, and his prim, spinster sister, Marilla, in the fictional town of Avonlea. Her wild imagination, incessant talking, and fiery temper ensure that she is the centre of a series of entertaining adventures. As she matures, nurtured by the love and discipline of Marilla and Matthew, she develops into an intelligent and independent young woman who harnesses her imagination constructively. Other important characters include her best friend, Diana Barry, classmate rival and eventually love interest, Gilbert Blythe, and town gossip, Rachel Lynde.

Related Topics:
Anne Shirley - Red-haired - Orphan - Bachelor - Matthew Cuthbert - Spinster - Marilla - Avonlea

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Anne was 11 at the beginning of the novel and 16 at the end.

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Montgomery continued the story of Anne Shirley in a series of sequels: (listed in order of Anne's age in the novel)

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• Anne of Avonlea (1909): ages 16 - 18
• Anne of the Island (1915): ages 18 - 21
• Anne of Windy Poplars (Willows) (1936): ages 22 - 24
• Anne's House of Dreams (1917): ages 25 - 27
• Anne of Ingleside (1939): ages 34 - 40
• Rainbow Valley (1923): age 40
• Rilla of Ingleside (1920): ages 49-53