Anne (with an e), one of my very favourite kindred spirits, has been reimagined by ten authors. Having known Anne Shirley Cuthbert for over three decades, she’s become part of my story and I was keen to see what she’s been up to in other people’s imaginations.
There are some stories where Anne is clearly the passionate, feisty girl who took up residence in my heart. At times, though, she’s not as easily recognisable. Anne is a boy. Anne is trafficked. Anne comes with a serial number.
My favourite stories were:
Anne and the Bloody Book by Susie Moloney
Anne discovers that appetite for reading can be life changing.
“What a mysterious book…”
In Search of Kindred Spirits by Hope Dalvay
Anne and Gilbert are assigned to work on an art project together.
“A kindred spirit is someone with similar interests to yours. No, it’s more than that. It’s someone you have a deep connection with. That’s why I read so many books. I’m looking for kindred spirits in the pages. Some of my best friends are book characters.”
4624463 by Natasha Deen
Anne lives in a world where you’re punished for having emotions and books are dangerous.
“Something bad is going to happen.”
Anne of the Silver Trail by Shari Green
Anne is absolutely certain she’s about to be un-adopted in this story in verse.
If we’re lucky in life, we come across
someone who challenges
the lies we tell ourselves, someone
who who sits us down and tell us
a different story.
While there wasn’t a bad story in the bunch, I found I enjoyed them more when they included at least one of my other favourite characters, like Diana, Matthew and Marilla.
What I found even more important than the cast of characters, though, was Anne herself. No matter what setting she was placed in, I wanted to be able to connect with her spirit. I needed to be able to identify parts of her personality that made me love her in the first place.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Acorn Press for the opportunity to read this anthology.
Once Upon a Blurb
Who is YOUR Anne?
Join ten of Canada’s top young adult fiction writers as they set Canada’s favourite red-haired orphan, Anne Shirley, on brand new adventures. With its futuristic settings, cybernetic beings, ghosts, mysterious books and boxes, and racial and sexual diversity in its cast of characters, The ANNEthology offers serious “scope for the imagination” for all readers.
2024 marks the 150th anniversary of L.M. Montgomery’s birth and the 30th anniversary of Acorn Press, Prince Edward Island’s longest-running traditional publishing house. What better way to celebrate these milestones than publishing a collection of stories inspired by the Island’s (and one of Canada’s) most beloved authors?
Sure to include something for everyone, this is a must-have collection for Anne of Green Gables fans.
Schizanthus Nerd 