Anne of the Island

📘 About This Book

Anne Of The Island is the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series, written by Lucy Maud Montgomery about Anne Shirley.Anne of the Island was published in 1915, seven years after the bestselling Anne of Green Gables. In the continuing story of Anne Shirley, Anne attends Redmond College in Kingsport, where she is studying for her BA.Plot summaryAnne leaves Green Gables and her work as a teacher in Avonlea to pursue her original dream (which she gave up in Anne of Green Gables) of taking further education at Redmond College in Nova Scotia. Gilbert Blythe and Charlie Sloane enroll as well, as does Anne's friend from Queen's Academy, Priscilla Grant. During her first week of school, Anne befriends Philippa Gordon, a beautiful girl whose frivolous ways charm her. Philippa (Phil for short) also happens to be from Anne's birthplace in Bolingbroke, Nova Scotia.The girls spend their first year in boardinghouses and decide to set up house thereafter in a lovely cottage called Patty's Place, near campus. The girls enter their second year at Redmond happily ensconced at Patty's Place, along with Queen's classmate Stella Maynard and her "Aunt Jimsie" (their chaperone), while life continues in Avonlea. Diana Barry becomes engaged to Fred Wright and Davy and Dora continue to keep Marilla busy.Midway through their college years, Gilbert Blythe, who has always loved Anne, proposes to her but Anne rejects him; although she and Gilbert are very close, she holds sentimental fantasies about true love (all featuring a tall, dark, handsome, inscrutable hero) and does not recognize her true feelings for Gilbert. Gilbert leaves, his heart broken, and the two drift apart.Anne's childhood friend Ruby Gillis dies of consumption very soon after finding her own true love. Anne later welcomes the courtship of Roy Gardner, a darkly handsome Redmond student who showers her with attention and poetic gestures. However, when he proposes after two years, Anne abruptly realizes that Roy does not really belong in her life, and that she had only been in love with the idea of him as the embodiment of her childhood ideal.Anne is so ashamed in how she treated Roy that she feels her entire Redmond experience may have been spoiled. She returns to Green Gables, a "full-fledged B.A.", but finds herself a bit lonely. Diana gives birth to her first child, and Jane Andrews, an old school friend, marries a Winnipeg millionaire. Having received an offer to be the principal of the Summerside school in the fall, Anne is keeping herself occupied over the summer when she learns that Gilbert is gravely ill with typhoid fever. With shock, Anne finally realizes how deep her true feelings for Gilbert are, and endures a white night of fear that he will leave this world without knowing that she does care. In the morning, Anne gratefully learns that Gilbert will survive. Gilbert recovers over the summer, bolstered by a letter from Phil assuring him that there is really nothing between Anne and Roy. After several visits to Green Gables, Gilbert and Anne take a late summer walk in Hester Gray's garden, and finally become engaged.....Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (November 30, 1874 - April 24, 1942) published as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. The book was an immediate success. The central character, Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following.....

📖 Summary

Anne of the Island, the third novel in L. M. Montgomery’s beloved series, follows Anne Shirley as she leaves Prince Edward Island behind to attend Redmond College in Nova Scotia. Eager to expand her horizons and pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree, Anne embarks on a new chapter of young adulthood alongside familiar friends like Priscilla Grant and Stella Maynard, as well as new acquaintances, including the fiercely independent Philippa Gordon. Together, the girls rent a charming old cottage called Patty's Place, creating a cozy sanctuary that serves as the backdrop for lively conversations, domestic mishaps, and growing ambitions. Throughout her college years, Anne navigates the complexities of romantic attention, turning down well-meaning suitors like Roy Gardner while struggling to recognize her true feelings for her lifelong friend, Gilbert Blythe. When Gilbert falls seriously ill, Anne is forced to confront the depth of her affection for him, realizing that true love has been quietly growing beside her all along. The novel also touches on themes of loss and change, particularly through the poignant illness and passing of her dear friend Ruby Gillis, reminding Anne of the fragile and fleeting nature of youth. By the end of her college journey, Anne returns to Prince Edward Island, matured and ready to embrace the next phase of her life, having successfully balanced intellectual pursuits with matters of the heart. Montgomery's narrative beautifully captures the bittersweet transition from the innocence of childhood to the responsibilities and emotional depth of maturity, maintaining the pastoral charm and witty observations that define the series.

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