Anne of the Island is Cozy Perfection

I often quote Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson's "I am not solitary while I read" because I find it to be extremely true, and this book is a shining example. For there is no greater companion than Anne Shirley.

My literary kindred spirit embarks in her collegiate and romantic adventures in this book and it is every bit as wonderful as it sounds. Throughout her adventures she continues to evolve and learn from the people around her, both the dear characters of the past installments as well as new friends. From Phil Gordon's frivolous but true heart and Aunt Jamesina's motherly and amusing company, to even the short encounter with Mrs. Skinner, there is no shortage of lovable people wherever Anne goes.

Anne is as wonderful as ever, with her philosophical reflections and witty remarks. Gilbert possibly became more wonderful as he vies for Anne's heart, and finally succeeds. After two books, we finally get the development of Anne and Gilbert's love story, and it is quite the slowburn! But it resulted on that sad but beautiful bit where Anne finds out he is dying and realizes she loves him.

The book is worth it for that final chapter alone, but thankfully it is entertaining throughout. Davy's letters and the "I want to know"'s that follow each of his questions are adorably charming and Marilla and Mrs. Lynde's gossiping make me look forward to old age.

Oh, to write like L. M. Montgomery! It is my greatest wish. The language in classics is so different from today's contemporary fiction that I have a lot of trouble with certain books. Montgomery might be my exception. I marvel at each of her sentences and cannot look away. Authors of that era wrote as if they were talking directly to the audience, yet rarely used "you." Today it seems like authors are more describing the events when writing in thrid person, which can be fantastic too, but I absolutely love the way it feels as if I am having a nice chat with Ms. Lucy Maude Montgomery and she is personally telling me the story of Anne with such vivid language that it feels as if Rusty and the Sarah-cat were lying on my lap and we were on the couches of Patty's Place. Yet the lush descriptions are never too dense or tedious, quick enough to keep the story moving. The book flies by quickly too, and left me with such a feeling of wanting more that I picked up Anne of Windy Poplars from my shelf as I made my way to the computer to write this very review.

Aside from the gorgeous language and the romantic developments, I think what feels most special in this book to me is Anne's time at Redmond College. I loved reading Anne's adventures in this world of young adulthood, newfound independence, blossoming friendships, and passionate study. I felt a sort of nostalgia for the past year of college and a thrilling excitement for the years ahead. What a joy to read through my experiences reflected on the pages of this delightful book and also see so much to look forward to.

I like to say that the past year of school taught me how to think. That is to think effectively, creatively, openly, and for myself. I took a life-changing English class my fall semester, all about love in literature, but also how it is simply a translation of the love that is all around us in everyday life. I am not one to leave a mark on a book, but I simply had to do something about the beautiful passage Priscilla quotes from their professor: "There is so much in the world for us all if we only have the eyes to see it, and the heart to love it, and the hand to gather it to ourselves- so much in men and women, so much in art and literature, so much everywhere in which to delight, and for which to be thankful" (217). This was very much what I learned in my dear class and I carry with me wherever I go.

This quote also just verbalizes exactly what Anne's spirit exudes and how all of her books make me feel. I kept having to backspace while writing this from reflexively writing wonderful every time I needed an adjective to describe an aspect of this book. But at the end of the day, that is all Anne of the Island is: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.