Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

I’ve been on an Anne of Green Gables kick this year and I really enjoyed reading the new novel, Marilla of Green Gables. I have loved the Anne of Green Gable series since I started reading it when I was twelve.  I’ve read and also own every book written by L.M. Montgomery including all of her short story collections.  I am a fan and had great expectations for this book.  Happily they were met. The book was written so that it seemed like it was another addition to the Anne series.   Marilla is a spirited young woman with dreams, but her dreams come to a standstill at the tragic death of her mother.  Will Marilla be able to find happiness and purpose in her life?

Marilla meets a new friend Rachel White at the start of the story and the two have great adventures together.  Rachel is from a wealthy family.  SPOILER ALERT:  I was shocked when Rachel ended up being Rachel Lynde.  Although it was the same first name, I didn’t realize it would be her! SPOILER END.

Neither Marilla nor Matthew had a happy love story in this novel.  It is better to have loved and lost then to never to have loved at all, or so it seems for both.  I loved the chemistry between Marilla and John Blythe and I was heartbroken when their love story did not work out – although I knew it would end up that way from the Anne stories.

I like how the book ended with Marilla longing for a child to love.  It was the perfect set up for the beginning of Anne of Green Gables.

The only outlier to the story for me involved escaped slaves.  While that part of the story had me on the edge of my seat, L.M.  Montgomery would not have written about this story, especially as it involved the love between an escaped slave and a white woman.  Otherwise the novel seemed just like a L.M. Montgomery novel to me.  It was an interesting twist to the story and I love how Marilla was “woke”’ on a trip into town with Rachel where she was confronted with the realities of slavery.  This seemed like a twist for the modern reader.

The author’s note was interesting.  The acknowledgements contained MANY of my favorite authors.  This got me thinking – do all my favorite authors hang out together? 

Overall, I loved Marilla of Green Gables and I highly recommend it to all my fellow Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery fans out there.

This book will be published on October 23rd!

Book Source: Review Copy from William Morrow.  Thank-you!