Anne of Green Gables

I would have LOVED this had I read it when I was a child. I did like it significantly better once I ditched the audio; the way the narrator voiced both Anne and Matthew drove me bananas, but I didn't mind Anne's long-winded monologuing so much when I could read at my own pace instead of in someone else's frantic-little-girl voice.

This book was definitely a product of its time in some respects, such as the way it treated adoption, but in other ways I can absolutely see why it's a beloved classic. Imagination is a beautiful thing; well-drawn characters in Marilla and Anne and their loving and maternal relationship; and growing up and life continually changing being universal themes. However, I did feel like it was a bit overly long, and I'm shocked that there are so many books in this series, because this one was only supposed to cover five years, but it sounded like Marilla and Matthew's lives wore much longer in those short years.

I wish I had loved it as much as many others do, but I'm glad I've read it.