Anne of Green Gables

An Apple Books Classic edition.

Mark Twain called the protagonist of this 1908 book the “most lovable child in fiction.” Anne Shirley, a hopeful 11-year-old, is an orphan. The beloved novel begins as Anne is (wrongly) assigned to the care of aging brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had asked for a boy to help work on Green Gables, their family farm in Canada’s Prince Edward Island province.

Initially disappointed, Matthew and Marilla are quickly won by Anne’s spirited personality - as are we. Anne wants nothing more than a home, yet try as she might to fit in, her manners are lacking. She shouts in the face of injustice. She talks constantly, often about imaginary friends and made-up events. She accidentally serves wine to her first real friend, sending her home drunk. Will Anne’s irrepressible spunk keep her from finding a permanent place at Green Gables?

For over 100 years, readers have fallen in love with Canadian author L.M. Montgomery’s coming-of-age story and its freckly, redheaded heroine. Listen to the first book in the series and find out why she continues to fascinate and inspire.