Lucy Maud Montgomery: An no seishun (Japanese language, 2005, Shūeisha)
472 pages
Japanese language
Published July 27, 2005 by Shūeisha.
In this sequel to "Anne of Green Gables," sixteen-year-old Anne works as a school teacher in a small village on Prince Edward Island.
In this sequel to "Anne of Green Gables," sixteen-year-old Anne works as a school teacher in a small village on Prince Edward Island.
There were definitely more moments in this novel where I was dismayed by unpleasant old attitudes. That distracted from what was an otherwise fun read. Anne continued to be a character it was rewarding to see grow up.
I'm really not sure why I liked this book so much. Anne should really come across as a mary-sue, she gets so close sometimes, but ultimately she dodges that particular bullet every time. I think it has to do with how many scrapes she gets into, and how many people think she's crazy. It also probably has to do with the fact that I listened to it as I went to bed, instead of reading through it; I am not sure if I could have stuck with such an optimistic character for so long if I had had to read it.
So I must say that this book manages to balance happy optimism and realism to an extent rarely seen. It reminded me a lot of Little Women, except with less of an agenda. I kind of wish that they still let sixteen-year-olds teach elementary school.
I'm really not sure why I liked this book so much. Anne should really come across as a mary-sue, she gets so close sometimes, but ultimately she dodges that particular bullet every time. I think it has to do with how many scrapes she gets into, and how many people think she's crazy. It also probably has to do with the fact that I listened to it as I went to bed, instead of reading through it; I am not sure if I could have stuck with such an optimistic character for so long if I had had to read it.
So I must say that this book manages to balance happy optimism and realism to an extent rarely seen. It reminded me a lot of Little Women, except with less of an agenda. I kind of wish that they still let sixteen-year-olds teach elementary school.
