I was first introduced to Anne Shirley in 9th grade. We became fast friends. I talked like her, thought like her, dreamed like her, wanted to be an author like her, ended up being a teacher…probably because of her. Anne has probably influenced me more than any fictional character I’ve ever met. I loved the movies that came out on PBS and watched them countless times with my friends on sleepovers. I read all eight of the books, and the battered paperbacks still hold a proud place on my shelf. I took Anne to Italy and back and introduced her to my daughter! My husband watched the original movies with us, and after they were over he looked at me and said “Oh, I understand you so much better now.”
I. Am. Anne. Always talking. Always imagining. Always scribbling an idea that may or may not become a story later. (She may even be the reason why I only ever dye my hair red.)
So when I heard that a new show was coming out on Netflix, I groaned. I was predisposed to dislike the reconstruction because I was so enamored with the original. But that’s not entirely fair thinking, I argued back. So I decided to give it a go. I’ll watch (almost) anything for one episode. So while our son was away visiting Aunt Nella, my husband and I sat down with our daughter to watch the first episode of “Anne…With an E.”
It was delightful.
The first episode was full of many of the events I remembered from the original, and from the novel. In case you’re misfortunate enough to have never heard the story, here’s a summary:
Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert (siblings) have decided to adopt a boy to help them on their small farm on Prince Edward Island (in Canada). When Matthew goes to collect the boy, a chatterbox girl named Anne is there instead. Matthew and Marilla have to decide whether or not to keep her. Their next door neighbor, Rachel Lynde, comes over to visit Anne (who is 13 and has been in several homes over the course of her short life “earning her keep”). Rachel insults Anne, who loses her temper spectacularly. Matthew (who has a softer heart than Marilla) convinces Anne to apologize, and she does—again, spectacularly. Anne then meets a girl her own age, Diana, who will end up being her best friend. (It’s a lot to pack into one episode, but it was an hour and a half long.)
So what did I think?
Well, I loved what I have seen. Anne is delightful, fantastic, inspiring, hilarious, wonderful. Her story can’t help but be the same…as long as they stay close to the source material. The books are fantastic and tell a wonderful story about a stong-headed girl who just wants to be accepted as the wild and wonderful girl she is.
Downsides: Just a few. Anne has some bad memories where she is beaten and threatened. Very small kids might be frightened. Also, Anne has a few moments where she declares she’s “just as good as a boy” and she confronts the boy who has come to work on the Cuthbert’s farm. In these moments she is angrier than I remember in the books/old movie.
On the whole, I’m looking forward to the rest of the episodes. I’ll let you know if my feelings change.
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