Anne with an E: Netflix Review

Anne of Green Gables was a book I avoided reading for years on end. I feel like I've always had this mass market paperback in my closet. I finally got rid of the book or so I think because I can't find it now....

And then.... I watched the YouTube series. It wasn't perfect but I ended up loving the story. More than anything I fell in love with Gilbert.

Fast forward this past year; I read Anne of Green Gables. It has a lot of differences from what I can remember from the TV series to the book. It does continue to have Anne as a talker and a dreamer as well as Gilbert continually being amazing.

If you don't know Anne might be strange when you first meet her. She's a dreamer, a reader, a talker, and very, VERY dramatic. She feels a lot more just like your average reader or someone who has dealt with the heartache in her past.

Anne's parents died when she was a baby so she was sent to a foster care home for girls. The girls there ended up bullying her. She's seen as a plain thing, skinny, and with that awful red hair (I don't know why anybody had a problem with her red hair). She was sent to a home where she was adopted and took care of her "new parents" babies. She wasn't seen as a child, but a babysitter. It also seemed that she was hit a lot in her old home because she wouldn't behave. The way she was treated and the knowledge of things too young for a child gets her in trouble in her new home. A home where she wasn't expected. A home where they wanted a boy.

Anne's relationships in this story can be complex because either she makes them be or others do. Marilla Cuthbert and Matthew Cuthbert (siblings) end up keeping her. Her relationship with Marilla is complicated. She doesn't want Anne initially. She has a hardened heart and Anne slowly softens it while she stays at her home. Matthew is a quiet man, he takes to Anne right away. He has struggles that I don't remember him having in the book. It's one of the things that creates a darker edge to Anne's story.

This was a surprisingly darker story but Anne continues to try to do what's right even though the whole town only recognizes her as the orphan. There are people who start coming around to Anne's charm which I can't help but smile thinking about it. She proves everyone wrong except of course the very few kind people that like her right away.

Anne's best friend, Diana, is as kind as I remember. She stands up for Anne and tries to help her out with her other friends who don't like her because she's an orphan. There are very few kind people like her.

Jerry, is a helper on the Cuthbert's farm. He doesn't have any dreams of the future. He doesn't even go to school. I don't remember this boy but I love how his relationship grows with Anne and I hope to see him around more.

Gilbert. If you can think about one of the best characters out in the book world his name should come to mind. Anne isn't so friendly with him even when he acts kind. There is a reason for it. Anne is hotheaded and stubborn but it's kind of like Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice. She's acting wrongly against Gilbert and won't change until she realizes how amazing he is.

I could have never picked out a better Gilbert myself. The writing in this show is so perfect. He has the best line when his "friends" in school ask why he's talking with the orphan. He says, "Besides, I don't care where she comes from. A cute girl is a cute girl." Get ready to melt when you meet him.

I absolutely loved the first season of Anne with an E. Great cast, story line with new, dark twists, wonderful relationships and character growth. I'm anxious to know what is going to happen in the future because of certain situations. Let's just say I am worried for Anne. The next season might be darker than the last.

Have you watched Anne with an E? 

Have you read Anne of Green Gables?

What did you think?