Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel Paperback – October 8, 2019

Although all these characters are fictitious, we can't help how Anne of Green Gables story seemed so very real to us. When the Tv series portrayed the perfect actors besides for those personalities the story became one all young and old had to have in their libraries.I think having a beginning to the early days of Marilla's life and family was great because you never understood why she was unmarried, what the issue was with John Blyth and Matthews being an old bachelor too. The child of John and wife would be Gilbert and the crazy love Anne has of him in Anne of Green Gables. A quote from Rachel that ," the apple doesn't fall far from the tree " when Anne and Gilbert fuss and fight regularly, causing tears and miserable heartache...meaning similar that Rachel saw in John & Marilla.It was enjoyable to have some insight as to what life would possibly be like pre- AGG! I think she did an excellent job of it. And if Sullivan Co decided to pull it off to make into another connection of Green Gables it would be great! Thank you Sarah McCoy for your great efforts!!

I absolutes this book.How's great with the Anne of Green Gables series and movies. Wish it were a movie as well. Thank you so much for writing this. So my heart good.

Like most little girls I read the Little House on the Prairie series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I would guess I ready the Anne of Green Gables series every year when I was growing up. Sadly, it has been a few years since I have picked up Anne of Green Gables, I purchased the kindle versions of the books in anticipation of reading Sarah McCoy's, Marilla of Green Gables. McCoy's publishers have done an amazing job of marketing her newest book. I first saw advertisements over a year ago and pre-ordered the book the first chance I got.Marilla of Green Gables is McCoy's attempt at explaining why the character Marilla was the way Marilla was. Marilla, a person mysteriously hardened by life comes alive with the arrival of a young girl with a vast imagination managed to pull her out of her shell. Readers of the Montgomery's Anne series know that Marilla alludes to a love lost and regrets in conversations with Anne about Gilbert Blythe. Keeping in mind that this version of the story is not Lucy Maud Montgomery's telling, Sarah McCoy does Marilla's story justice. Early in the book I remembered that at some point in life Marilla loved, was loved, and lost love. Watching the relationship between John Blythe and Marilla develop it was hard not to feel a tightening in my chest with the knowledge that their love would end tragically. It was an interesting perspective, the loss of Marilla's mother, promises made on a death bed, and a loyalty to family, all of which made Marilla the woman she was when we first meet her in Anne of Green Gables.McCoy claims to have done extensive research on Montgomery, the Anne series, and Prince Edward Island in an effort to bring new life to old characters. I believe that Montgomery would feel honored by the story that was told.I am not ready yet to leave PEI and look forward to continuing my journey with Anne's arrival to Green Gables and a re-read of an old friend.Cover Design - 5.0The cover does a really great job of capturing Montgomery's Green Gables.Grammer - 5.0Beautifully edited. I am not familiar with Sarah McCoy as an author but this first introduction into her work brought me great pleasure.Plot - 4.0I did a Heather "no-no" and read some early reviews; prior to the book being released. People don't like change or things that are different. There were a lot of critics out there who feared that McCoy was treading on Montgomery's "turf". Now, I am all about originality and I feel that Hollywood continues to recycle old stories. I also believe that some mystery in a book's storyline allows the reader to use their own imagination. When reading the Anne of Green Gables series my heart always broke for Marilla and her love lost but I never really considered what could have caused her such heartache. Do I buy McCoy's versions of events? It's as much as a possibility as any and in this day in age when politics are causing so much division in our country it makes it a completely reasonable rationale that Marilla and John Blythe allowed heated beliefs to divide them. Marilla always was hard headed, Anne tames that, but she always spoke first and came to her senses later. It makes sense that speaking without thinking first plus her pride was Marilla's demise in love.Believability - NAI am not sure that this category applies to this book so I am going to leave it as NA.Ending - 5.0This book opens at the beginning of the Anne stories, before Anne arrives, and then with Marilla reminiscing about the past. Closure comes with the continuation of the series and Montgomery's telling of Anne's story.Price Value - 4.0I think the story was well written and well worth the price. I am all about the deal so doubt if you put this book on your wish list, in a couple of years the book with go on sale.Overall - 4.5I enjoyed this story. I don't usually get emotional over a book but for most of this story I had to try hard not to cry. Knowing the outcomes of the characters made it hard to root for the love story developing between Marilla and John. I think the additional story of the American Civil War and the Underground Railroad brings a depth to Marilla's character. Marilla could have easily sent Anne back to the orphanage. Anne certainly wasn't what they needed or what they wanted but if you believe that Marilla held a soft place in her heart for the rights of all people you can understand why she would not send a child back to such suffering.

Anne of Green Gables was a childhood favorite of mine, with the first four books of the series read more than once by the time I reached adulthood. (Though it took growing up to enable me to finally make it through House of Dreams and beyond,) So this book was one that I approached with equal parts eagerness and dread. I'm happy to see that the magic of Green Gables was still intact. Even with a tale that I knew the ending going into it, as it's no secret to any Anne fan how the central romance will play out, the author did a marvelous job of fleshing out Marilla’s and Matthew’s back stories in a way that made me want to keep reading. I enjoyed seeing a younger Rachel Lynde prominently featured, as well. The attention to details like the origin story of Marilla's prized amethyst brooch that causes Anne so much trouble was well done, and especially in the young Marilla, despite staying true to her more practical personality, I could see flashes of fancifulness that would ultimately make her one of Anne's "kindred spirits”. The social issues dealt with in the book are also handled well. Overall, I'll be happy to revisit this one as part of the world of Avonlea.

The first chapter occurs just before Matthew and Marilla receive a girl instead of a boy to help them. The rest of it is about Marilla’s formative years beginning when she is 13 and her mother Clara is pregnant. Clara’s twin sister comes to Green Gables to help. Unfortunately, Marilla’s mother dies during childbirth and young Marilla begins to hold her grief inside unable to cope by expressing it, slowly developing some of the characteristics seen later when Anne arrives. Because Marilla is needed at home, her education is delayed. John Blythe assists Marilla in keeping up with her subjects and although she likes being with him she feels conflicted. Rachel White (later Rachel Lynde) is an important friend to Marilla. Ultimately Marilla’s promise to her mother to help Matthew and her father conflicts with marrying John.The book reads as if written by LM Montgomery, with very similar style and language. Here is one example I liked: She’d (Marilla) not carried even one child and yet the years had been like a vinegar in her bones, pickling her day by day. This book was published 110 years after Anne of Green Gables and it is a very satisfying, lush story. I plan to read it multiple times to re-enjoy it!

This author did a fabulous job of providing a backstory, a well-known and much beloved character that was created by another author. She stayed true to the original author's intention in creating Marilla's personality and, in doing so, allowed readers to understand Marilla at a deeper level.