Clif's Book World

Can a gifted and spirited young soul shine in spite of a terrible home environment? I was curious to learn how the author would describe Anne Shirley's birth and orphaned childhood and end up with the lovable and spunky girl we all know from Anne of Green Gables. I'd say that Budge Wilson has done a good job writing in the style of L.M. Montgomery. A few scattered items in the writing indicate a 21st Century author unlike L.M. Montgomery. However, I'm not complaining since I am a 21st Century reader.

The first characters we meet in the book are Anne's parents before she was born. They are portrayed as having the combination of personalities that were obviously inherited by their daughter-to-be. The reader learns what wonderful parents they would have been had they lived. Then the reader receives the devastating news that the little three month old orphaned Anne ends up in a dysfunctional foster family.

I know this story is fictional. But I want to believe that it is possible for at least some children to persevere and thrive in spite of disadvantaged environments. Perhaps this book will inspire a young person somewhere to be like Anne. Actually, her example can inspire adults as well. The description of her joy of attending school for the first time is a good reminder of the joy we should all seek from learning new things.

This books supports the rule that there is always a mentor or role model somewhere in the lives for those who transcend disadvantaged environments. This story can serve as a reminder of the influence that unrelated adults can sometimes have on the lives of children and young people by simply offering encouragement and being a role model.