Kindred Spirits

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I spent yesterday on my back porch rereading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. My Uncle Harry gave me my copy ages ago, and tucked between the pages was a note regarding my sister Laura visiting the school nurse in 1980, so I can assume I loaned her my copy then. I appreciate this evidence that I was a generous sister, and it’s nice to have a book with some history to it.  

To be quite honest, I never thought the girl in the photo looked like the Anne I imagine. Her dress was all wrong, for one thing, and that’s before we even touch on the issue of puffed sleeves. 

Returning to class at 10:08.

It made me happy, returning to an old favorite. Many of my friends grew up loving this story, and it makes for a special bond when I meet a new friend now and discover she also enjoyed it. In the spirit of Anne and Diana, “kindred spirits” becomes a code term for us readers who instantly and deeply relate to each other.

With her moods and imagination and earnest striving, Anne made perfect sense to me when I was twelve. She still does.