After the resounding success of the first novel, Montgomery went on to write several sequels, following young Anne through her precarious teen years as she blossoms into a young woman trying to reconcile her passionate curiosity with a world oftentimes unconducive to it. Anne has many adventures throughout the series, but perhaps her greatest quest is that for her sense of personal identity and belonging in the face of circumstances that appear incompatible with the individuality and idealism that Anne holds steadfastly onto.
Anne of Green Gables has been translated into over thirty-six languages and has sold more than 50 million copies. There have been numerous adaptations in various mediums, such as TV series, films, plays, and musical productions. It seems something in Anne’s story of becoming resonated with Canadians. Her story is relatable because we have all been an outsider at some point in our lives, and in our will to overcome these circumstances, we like to look to those small acts of bravery, which Anne performed with such honesty and zest, to gather the strength to stand up for what we believe in. Anne is unruly, wild, and certainly no stranger to failure. Her character is flawed, and yet, always evoking our deepest sympathies. There is a certain inkling in her remarkable and rebellious spirit that reminds us to be fierce, and in her capacity for growth and understanding, she encourages us to be kind.
A dreamer through and through, Anne’s stories inspire us to hold on to the youthful idealism we all too often abandon at the gates of adulthood. Our adorable Anne – with an “e” – grew up in front of our eyes it seems, and we will be forever indebted to her ability to transform the mundane into the miraculous through the sheer power of imagination, a lesson we all could benefit from revisiting. We decided to commemorate our love for all things Anne by carrying this ornament, a minimal depiction of one of Canada’s favourite literary heroines. Stop by Envy to honour the Anne fan in your life!
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