"'I hate this war,' said Rilla bitterly, as she gazed out into the maple grove that was a chill glory of pink and gold in the winter sunset."
-L.M. Montgomery
Rilla of Ingleside
"Joy and regret struggled together in her heart."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea
"And she was richer in those dreams than in realities; for things seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island
"Anne blew a couple of airy kisses from her fingertips past the cherry blossoms and then, with her chin in her hands, drifted luxuriously out on a sea of daydreams."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables
| L.M. Montgomery's Publications | Date |
|---|---|
| Anne of Green Gables | 1908 |
| Anne of Avonlea | 1909 |
| Kilmeny of the Orchard | 1910 |
| The Story Girl | 1911 |
| Chronicles of Avonlea | 1912 |
| The Golden Road | 1913 |
| Anne of the Island | 1915 |
| The Watchman and Other Poems | 1916 |
| Anne's House of Dreams | 1917 |
| Rainbow Valley | 1919 |
| Further Chronicles of Avonlea | 1920 |
| Rilla of Ingleside | 1921 |
| Emily of New Moon | 1923 |
| Emily Climbs | 1925 |
| The Blue Castle | 1926 |
| Emily's Quest | 1927 |
| Magic for Marigold | 1929 |
| A Tangled Web | 1931 |
| Pat of Silver Bush | 1933 |
| Courageous Women (Essays written with Marian Keith and Mabel Burns McKinley) | 1934 |
| Mistress Pat | 1935 |
| Anne of Windy Poplars | 1936 |
| Jane of Lantern Hill | 1937 |
| Anne of Ingleside | 1939 |
In 1908, after Anne of Green Gables was published, the novel was reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. The book was harshly reviewed by an anonymous reviewer who said the character Anne Shirley, “greatly marred a story that had in it quaint and charming possibilities.”
Personally, one of the first words I think of in describing Anne Shirley is "charming." It's a bit sad that the reviewer missed out on Anne's charms, don't you think?
In 1924, bylines were required for the The New York Times Book Review, and reviewers had less freedom to be callous because they were no longer anonymous. Read more about the unsympathetic reviews written anonymously for The New York Times Book Review prior to 1924 in "When the Book Review Went Really Harsh" by Tina Jordan published in The New York Times on August 27, 2021.
"She was sitting there waiting for something or somebody and, since sitting and waiting was the only thing to do just then, she sat and waited with all her might and main."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables
It might surprise you that L.M. Montgomery did not write the eight novels of the Anne of Green Gables series in the order we generally read them today.
L.M. Montgomery introduced Anne Shirley to the world when she published Anne of Green Gables in 1908. Its sequel Anne of Avonlea followed shortly thereafter in 1909. After completing these first two novels about Anne Shirley, Montgomery focused on publishing other novels and short story collections before revisiting Anne.
Between 1915 and 1921, L.M. Montgomery wrote another four books about Anne Shirley and Anne's children. Anne of the Island (1915) tells the story of Anne's college years, Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) begins with Anne's wedding and describes the early years of Anne's marriage to Gilbert Blythe, Rainbow Valley (1919) tells the stories of Anne Blythe's young children, and Rilla of Ingleside (1921) focuses on Anne Blythe's youngest daughter Rilla Blythe.
Following a long gap of 15 years, L.M. Montgomery revisited a younger version of Anne Shirley and wrote about her years as a high school principal in Anne of Windy Poplars (1936). Today, this novel is considered Book 4 of the Anne of Green Gables series if we read the novels in the chronological order of Anne’s life. The storyline of Anne of Windy Poplars falls between Anne of the Island (1915) and Anne’s House of Dreams (1917).
Thirty-one years after publishing Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery wrote Anne of Ingleside in 1939. According to the timeline of Anne’s life, Anne of Ingleside is considered Book 6. Its storyline falls between Anne’s House of Dreams (1917) and Rainbow Valley (1919), both of which were written 20 years earlier.
In summary, here is the publication sequence of the Anne of Green Gables novels. The order we generally read the books in today is listed to the right.
| Publication Sequence | Chronology of Anne's Life |
|---|---|
| 1) Anne of Green Gables (1908) | Book 1 |
| 2) Anne of Avonlea (1909) | Book 2 |
| 3) Anne of the Island (1915) | Book 3 |
| 4) Anne's House of Dreams (1917) | Book 5 |
| 5) Rainbow Valley (1919) | Book 7 |
| 6) Rilla of Ingleside (1921) | Book 8 |
| 7) Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) | Book 4 |
| 8) Anne of Ingleside (1939) | Book 6 |
Have you ever read the books in order by their publication dates, or have you always read the novels in the chronological order of Anne Shirley’s life? What are your thoughts on reading the novels of the Anne of Green Gables series in different orders?
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series includes eight novels. These books follow Anne Shirley's life in the following chronological sequence:
1) Anne of Green Gables
2) Anne of Avonlea
3) Anne of the Island
4) Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows)
5) Anne’s House of Dreams
6) Anne of Ingleside
7) Rainbow Valley
8) Rilla of Ingleside
Anne Shirley is a character first introduced to the world in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery. When we first meet Anne, she is an eleven-year-old
girl with a vivid imagination, talkative disposition, and bewitching
personality.
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert are surprised by Anne's arrival in Avonlea, Prince
Edward Island. The Cuthbert siblings had planned to adopt a young boy
to help Matthew with the farm at Green Gables, but mistakenly they are
sent a girl. Fortunately, Anne wins both Matthew and Marilla over, and
the Cuthberts adopt Anne giving her a home at Green Gables.
