There's a beautiful article by Julie Z. Weil, entitled "How the Anne of Green Gables books guided me through grief," in today's publication of The Washington Post. Weil reflects on many moments in her life where she turned to L.M. Montgomery's novels for comfort and guidance. Weil writes, "I first read the Canadian author’s books when I was 8, and for years they had served as a guide for me. Starting at 12, I wrote letters to my future self on my birthday once a decade, inspired by Montgomery’s 'Emily of New Moon.'" At age 23, Weil writes about her realization that she wasn't in love with someone who said they loved her, and she turned to Anne of the Island.
Later, Weil married a man whose proposal included memorized paragraphs from Montgomery’s The Blue Castle. When she and her husband lose their first baby, she writes, "my parents asked what they could bring to the hospital for me. I told them to bring my childhood boxed set of the Anne of Green Gables books." Remembering that Anne's first baby died, Weil turned to Anne's House of Dreams for comfort and to find her way forward. After many rounds of fertility treatments, she gives birth to her daughter, who she calls "My Anne."
Weil reflects, "Over a lifetime of reading, books teach us how a whole wide catalogue of heartbreaks unfold before we live any of them." She goes on to say, "We have no promise that the stories of our lives will unfold with the structure imposed on novels." She's right, books teach us and give us a window to a wide array of emotional experiences, and they can provide us with ideas and guidance on ways we can move forward. Montgomery's stories of Anne, Emily, and Valancy provide comfort in challenging times.
Image credit:
Screencapture from The Washington Post.
Reference:
Weil, Julie Z. (2026, January 18). How the Anne of Green Gables books guided me through grief. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/01/18/anne-green-gables-grief-stillborn/
Created January 18, 2026.
© worldofanneshirley.com
