Before Green Gables

This book is a prequel to the Anne of Green Gables (currently 8, soon-to-be 9-book series). It was not, of course, written by L.M. Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne. Still, if you love Anne as much as I do, you really have to read this book for yourself. It's a fascinating look at what Anne's life might have been like before Matthew picked her up at the Bright River train station. I was determined not to hate the book - since it's Anne, but I determined to find fault as well. Surely no one could perfectly capture Montgomery's style and voice. But more importantly, I was sure no reader views Anne exactly the same way and that Budge Wilson wouldn't possibly write her to my satisfaction. I was very pleasantly surprised. The book starts at the very beginning while Bertha Shirley is barely pregnant. The language in this first part wasn't much like Montgomery's style - who, for instance, would never have mentioned a woman's "monthlies". As Anne grew older, the language became much more like Montgomery, particularly in her love for nature, and for beauty in the world and in people. Watching Anne's imagination develop was fascinating. I was a bit thrown by the people in Anne's life who were dear to her, kind to her, and gave her gifts. This didn't quite seem in keeping with the "skinny, love-starved waif" Marilla felt compelled to help. Wilson tries to explain that Anne closed the chapter on her old life before meeting Matthew and Marilla, but that felt a little contrived. I also read a review that complained about Anne's love for the sea in this book and apparent tiring of living among trees. I have to agree. Anne adored trees more than anything in nature, and didn't realize how much the sea meant to her until she lived very near it in Anne's House of Dreams. These were my only major complaints. Budge Wilson really did a beautiful, thorough job of exploring this season in Anne's life. Anne fans may find fault here and there - because, as I said, none of us see her exactly the same way. But if you love Anne, you should read this book and at least consider its pieces as possible contributions to the character and personality Anne had developed by the time we officially met her.

Budge Wilson has truly captured the heart of Anne Shirley and the thoughts of Lucy Montgomery. This novel fits in with the best of the Green Gables novels- the ones before Anne got married and completely changed character. This is an Anne learning to love and imagine, to seek out joy and look for the good. It is the part of Anne's life we didn't realize was missing until we read it. Unlike Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, Wilson is able to convincingly share the thoughts of a young child in elevated prose, without having to resort to childish sentence construction. While the book starts off slowly with the focus on Anne's parents before her birth, this background is revealed as necessary to understand the psychology of Anne. Afterward, we are gradually immersed in the magical world of Anne Shirley, coming to understand how such an exquisite child could come to be. It so seems like Lucy Montgomery is writing, that one is tempted to think this is true ghost authorship. If you loved the original series, you must read this prequel.

I ordered the book because I had read the set of 8 books of Anne of Green Gables and I fell in love with Anne Shirley - her wit and love of life. Maud Montgomery was a gifted writer and it is easy reading. I found that "Before Green Gables" was written as though it had been by Maud M. I too fell in love with P.E.I. when visiting there. It was hard to put the book down! I will read it again in the near future.

Since I am an octogenarian and male, every one wonders how in the world I ever got myself mixed up with this Anne business anyway. I got myself into this Anne business purely by accident. I have considered myself fairly well read in the male type authors such as Michael Crichen, Tom Clancy, Mark Twain, Jack London, etc.,etc., I just happened to see a movie of Anne of Green Gables. That set me off into an entirely different direction. After going through all of the eight books of the Anne series in just a few weeks (Including a couple of other L.M. Montgomery books,) I just happened on the preguel, 'Before Green Gables' by Budge Wilson. Since no one but the original author can ever write a book exactually how it's supposed to be written, I think that Budge Wilson did a most outstanding and wonderful job with all of the research that she had done to write the book that comes very close on how Montgomery might just have written it. Of course, she put in great detail on how Anne's parents died when she was just months old. Then taken in by the neighbors to be first raised and then be used as a virtual slave by the mother of the very disfunctional family where no love just discord is shown - all of her trials and tribulations - a lost childhood in a very disfunctional family where Anne was treated with no love - where she had to creat her own little world using all of her imagination in order to just keep herself sane. Then she is transfered over to another family almost as bad. Finally her trip to the orphanage where Mrs. Spencer finally finds her and her whole world finally opens up to love and being a little girl again.

When I first heard about the upcoming prequel to Anne of Green Gables I was nervous about it. It wasn't too far off the mark for me to worry that the new book would not compare to Anne of Green Gables - which is a very beloved novel of mine. However, I was mightily surprised when I read Before Green Gables as it was miraculously able to capture a lot (not all mind you) of Anne's essence that I was originally certain would be missing from this tale. For the die-hards this may still fall a little flat for them as it is missing a lot of LMM's descriptions and humor but it is still a lovely read. I think most fans of the series will enjoy having a new story to take them back to a simpler time with Anne - even if for Anne it was some of her hardest years. I really liked having some answers to where Anne came from, how she was brought up and what her parents were really like.