Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Green Gables)

"Anne of Windy Willows" is the English title of "Anne of Windy Poplars," because apparently the concept of a Canadian tree was too much for their English brethren (remember, these are the same people who changed Harry Potter's philosopher's stone into a sorcerer's stone). This is definitely the most atypical book in the Anne of Green Gables Series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Although it is sold as the fourth book in the series it was actually one of the last one written, originally being published in 1936. Anne Shirley, B.A., has taken a job away from Green Gables and as Principal of Summerside High School for three years while she waits for Gilbert Blythe to finish medical school so they can get married. So Gilbert is only present when Anne writes to him as Redmond College in Kingsport (although Montgomery tactfully omits the romantic part of her letters). However, despite these oddities, "Anne of Windy Willows" has sort of become the second most significant novel in the series since it provides the foundation for both sequels to the "Anne of Green Gables" movies, both the 1940's "Anne of Windy Poplars" (with Anne Shirley playing Anne Shirley) and the 1987 "Anne of Avonlea." The latter purports to cover the second through fourth volumes in the Green Gables series, but clearly it is this one that readers will most recognize when they watch.Anne's adventures as a teacher in a town where the haughty Pringle family aligns against her is but one of the three major plotlines in the novel. There are also Anne's experiences at Windy Poplars on Spook's Lane, where the figure of Rebecca Drew figures largely in Anne's correspondence, along with Aunt Chatty and Aunt Kate. Then there is the mystery of little Elizabeth Grayson, who has been looking forward to Tomorrow as long as she can remember. You see, her mother died when she was born and her heartbroken father has gone off in search of Yesterday. Of course, Anne Shirley is no more likely to put up with something so wrong any more than she would Jen Pringle's fake illness or Katharine Brooke's sourness. There are also visits home each summer to visit Marilla and Mrs. Rachel back at Green Gables. Consequently, "Anne of Windy Willows" is not just an afterthought from Montgomery, who manages to make it fit into the grand scheme of Anne Shirley's life. But let's face the truth here: Anne Shirley as a mother is not the "real" Anne, so going back and reading about her continued misadventures before she married Gilbert is just fine

I've read Anne books 1-5 and still have three to go (I've also read "Chronicles of Avonlea," "Further Chronicles of Avonlea," "The Road to Yesterday," "The Story Girl" and "The Golden Road"), and "Anne of Windy Poplars" is my absolute favourite next to "Anne of Green Gables." "Windy Poplars" captures Anne's vivid prose, wit and imagination perfectly, and the numerous side plots ensure that the novel never becomes dull. Much of the story is written as letters from Anne to Gilbert in which she describes her new life in Summerside, her room at Windy Poplars, the household intrigues between Aunts Chatty and Kathy and the tomatolike housekeeper Rebecca Dew, and the schemes of the spiteful Pringle clan in attempting to bring Anne down. At first the chapters upon chapters of letters seemed daunting, but I gradually grew to love Anne's narrations ("In passing, isn't "dusk" a lovely word?" Anne writes to Gilbert. "It sounds so velvety and shadowy and...and...dusky. In daylight I belong to the world....in the night to sleep and eternity. But in the dark I'm free from both and belong only to myself..and to you." Although some are love letters, Montgomery tastefully omits the romantic portions.Although I found some of the other Anne novels to be a bit taxing (among them "Anne's House of Dreams"), "Windy Poplars" is an absolute delight from start to finish and features an extremely memorable cast of characters, Minerva Tomgallon, Jen Pringle, Rebecca Dew, Nora Nelson, Katherine Brooke, Pauline Gibson, Little Elizabeth, Cousin Ernestine, Gerald and Geraldine among them. Some of the adventures are too conveniently arranged, but overall the book feels natural and reads well. Anne's constant adventures, musings and near-disasters are sure to entertain kindred spirits around the globe. Somehow "Anne of Windy Poplars" seemed to paint a portrait of the real Anne: in the prime of her youth, radiant, mischievous, in love, kindred spirit and poet, eager to savour all the experiences placed before her. Anne is older and wiser, but still a carefree girl at heart. In the later novels I could never reconcile Anne as married with children and abandoning her writings. This is the real Anne.

Anne, even though supposedly a grown up, still manages to get herself into mishaps and adventures - the snobbish Pringle family and an unsympathetic vice principa this time - and still manages to get out of it by her natural charm.Anne, as a graduate of Princeton is now a principal of a small school. She has to deal with a snobbish local family, and an uncooperative and unfriendly vice principal. In both cases, she manages to unravel a sad story in the past and uses it to get things going her way.This also applies to the little girl who lives next door to Anne - Elizabeth, or Lizzie, or many other variations on the name, depending on the little girl's mood. This story has a happy ending, too, thanks to Anne - of course!The characters of the two widows - Anne's landlors - and their house keeper, Rebbeca Dew - are very amusing, and are very similar to other "funny" characters in earlier or latter books in the series - Susan and Rebbeca are a lot alike...

"What would you think of a man..." Can anyone who has read "Anne of Windy Poplars" possibly forget the dinner scene at Trix's house? L.M. Montgomery peppers this novel with dozens of characters and situations like that one. Fifth in the "Anne" series, this book is packed with entertaining personalities like Aunts Chatty and Kate, Hazel, Trix, Katherine Brooke (spelled with a K!), Miss Valentine, Jen Pringle (and all her clan), and let's not forget Rebecca Dew. This book will lift your spirits high and banish even the deepest blues. The perfect cure for a depressing day.