Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel
Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel book cover

Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel

Hardcover – October 23, 2018

by
Price
$25.83
Format
Hardcover
Pages
320
Publisher
William Morrow
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062697714
Dimensions
5.5 x 1.05 x 8.25 inches
Weight
12.8 ounces

Description

From School Library Journal For Anne of Green Gables fans who always wondered about Marilla Cuthbert's long-ago romance with a Cuthbert boy, this well-researched historical novel will satisfy their every longing. McCoy captures the dry wit, warm honesty, and strong sense of duty of the elderly woman from L.M. Montgomery's Canadian classic, while imbuing this tale with its own unforgettable characters and adventure. Marilla is barely a teen when her mother passes away from complications at childbirth and she has to take up the mantle of "lady of the house." McCoy explores the limitations on women at the time, the politics of a colony inching toward nationhood, and the abolition movement that Marilla eventually gets involved in with fascinating, nuanced detail. Fans of the source material will enjoy getting to meet familiar characters as young upstarts, especially Rachel Lynde and John Blythe. Echoes of the "Anne" books include references to old rivalries and friendships, but newcomers won't feel lost. The setting comes alive with every delicious meal, death-defying sickness, and richly described landscapes that would do Montgomery proud. There are some missteps as the author tries to present the Cuthberts as accepting of non-white people, but the enlightenment of the title character at the cost of fully realized secondary characters of color mars that aim. However, the interracial relationship featured in later chapters does feel authentic the plot development. VERDICT The bittersweet romance and family drama will engage fans of Green Gables and enchant historical fiction readers.-Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journalα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. BOOKBUB, Best Historical Fiction of Fall 2018 Library Journal Fall 2018 Editors' Pick "A must read for fans of Anne and historical fiction alike." ―POPSUGAR, Best New Books of Fall 2018 "Marilla of Green Gablesxa0is the addition to the Anne cannon you didn't even know you needed."xa0― Lindsayxa0Cristxa0Lawson, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, OH "Great for lovers of Anne who need more Avonlea in their lives. This book was very well done in the style of L.M. Montgomery that I had to remind myself that it wasn't actually written by her..."xa0― Alison Frenzel, Fabled Bookshop and Café, TX "Fans of the original series and those entering this landscape for the first time will be captivated..."― Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks, NC "Prepare to meet Marilla, a captivating heroine who will transport you back to the treasured world ofxa0Anne of Green Gables. Rich in historical detail, this charming novel vividly explores love, loss, friendship, and the coming-to-self of a girl on the cusp of womanhood."― Suexa0Monk Kidd, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and Oprah's Book Club 2.0 pick for The Invention of Wings "L.M. Montgomery's Marilla Cuthbert flares to life in Sarah McCoy's enchanting novel of Avonlea. But this Marilla feels very much earned by McCoy, and her story, one of wrenching family sacrifice and the enduring pleasures of home, as much a love letter to the world of Green Gables as it is a breath of fresh air. Hats off to McCoy for enlivening this classic with such heart and grace."― Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife and Love and Ruin "Fans of thexa0Anne of Green Gablesxa0series will rejoice at this warm and heartfelt addition to their world. McCoy's love for the characters is palpable, and with an insightful eye she illuminates the original Avonlea, while also offering glimpses into the turbulent history of the time."― Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Circe "Sarah McCoy has given readers a precious gift: the opportunity to step back into the world of Avonlea, and the chance to get to know Marilla Cuthbert as a leading lady in her own right. In McCoy's skillful and sensitive hands, Marilla emerges as a heroine of depth, complexity, and heart. I savored my time with this cast of old friends, enjoying the dilemma of whether to speed through these compelling pages or to pause and relish everything about the lovely world imagined within them."― Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Beauty in the Broken Places and Sisi "Another girl once came of age at Green Gables. Spunky, smart, buffeted by tides of duty and ambition, loss and love, young Marilla finds her voice in Sarah McCoy's beautiful rendering of a beloved place, a complex woman, and a long-ago time. Deftly and tenderly told,xa0Marilla of Green Gablesxa0is a must read for anyone who adored Avonlea and Anne and ever wondered, what came before?"― Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours "Axa0pitch perfect love letter to Lucy Maudxa0Montgomery's Green Gables. Even if you weren't an ardent fan, you'll still want to read this book.xa0Marillaxa0is a loving, captivating fictional portrait of a woman and a time that is well worth escaping to. A beautiful, heart rending story, a wonderful novel."xa0― M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Tiffany Blues " Anne aficionados will get a kick out of seeing Avonlea's eccentric cast in their youth... McCoy captures the magic of Prince Edward Island, describing the changing seasons in lovely prose... [fans] will appreciate the way she reexamines characters they thought they knew so well." ―Booklist "A rich, historically intense life for Marilla... McCoy weaves in fascinating historical details of Canada's religious and political tensions of the mid-19th century... fashioning Marilla as a flawed hero of her times is a lovely tribute." ―Kirkus Reviews Empty SARAH McCOY is the New York Times, USA Today , and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables (10/23/18); The Mapmaker's Children ; The Baker's Daughter ,xa0a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee; the novellaxa0"The Branch of Hazel," featured in the anthology Grand Central ;xa0and The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico. Sarah's work has been featured inxa0Real Simple,xa0The Millions,xa0Huffington Post, Writer Unboxed, Read It Forwardxa0and other publications. Shexa0has taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.The daughter of an Army officer, her family was stationed in Germany during her childhood. She now lives with her husband, an orthopedic sports surgeon, and their dog, Gilbert, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • A bold, heartfelt tale of life at Green Gables . . . before Anne: A marvelously entertaining and moving historical novel, set in rural Prince Edward Island in the nineteenth century, that imagines the young life of spinster Marilla Cuthbert, and the choices that will open her life to the possibility of heartbreak—and unimaginable greatness.
  • Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh.
  • In Avonlea—a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island—life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother’s sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy’s talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.
  • Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness—Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition—jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(898)
★★★★
25%
(374)
★★★
15%
(225)
★★
7%
(105)
★
-7%
(-105)

Most Helpful Reviews

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My Wife Probably Enjoyed It

My wife bought this. I have not read it, nor do I plan to. She probably told me what she thought of it, but I'm not going to lie and say I was listening. I'm giving it 4 stars because she typically likes things that mention gables in the title. At this time, I'm not willing to commit to 5 stars. 5 stars is Wrath of Khan level, and my suspicions are this book is more The Voyage Home. Not as good as Khan, but still, whales in space. Even if this book is Search for Spock level (a solid 3), then I didn't really overshoot it too badly by giving it a 4. Obviously, I'm not going by the Next Generation rating system because I'm sure you'll agree that would be inappropriate.
54 people found this helpful
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Avonlea, back in time.

I enjoy reading this book. I enjoyed learning the back story of Anne of Green Gables. I also enjoyed going back to Avonlea and visiting all of the characters in the town. Though Matthew seems true to character from this book to the Anne series, Marilla seems much more kinder and introspective than the character in Anne of Green Gables. Is she did have all of these experiences helping the orphanage and runaway slaves, would she have been so hard hearted when Anne showed up at her door? And would she been so rigid with Anne as she was raising her? But l did enjoy reading it and recommend it it for anyone who would like to go back in time to Avonlea.
6 people found this helpful
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Avonlea, back in time.

I enjoy reading this book. I enjoyed learning the back story of Anne of Green Gables. I also enjoyed going back to Avonlea and visiting all of the characters in the town. Though Matthew seems true to character from this book to the Anne series, Marilla seems much more kinder and introspective than the character in Anne of Green Gables. Is she did have all of these experiences helping the orphanage and runaway slaves, would she have been so hard hearted when Anne showed up at her door? And would she been so rigid with Anne as she was raising her? But l did enjoy reading it and recommend it it for anyone who would like to go back in time to Avonlea.
6 people found this helpful
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Revisit a classic

"Marilla of Green Gables," by Sarah McCoy, William Morrow, 320 pages, Oct. 23, 2018.

Many people know the story of Anne of Green Gables, from the book series by Lucy Maude Montgomery, the movies and now the Netflix series "Anne with an e."

Montgomery never gave much of a backstory about siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who took in orphaned Anne Shirley at their Prince Edward Island farm. This is a version of their story.

It is 1837 in the small town of Avonlea. Marilla is 13 when her aunt comes to help her mother, who is pregnant. Her mother and the baby die and Marilla promises to take care of her father and brother.

Marilla meets Rachel White, who becomes her best friend, and her suitor, John Blythe. In this version, Marilla and John break up over a political argument. Marilla becomes involved with the Underground Railroad.

While it is nice to imagine more of the characters of the beloved story, and it was great to be back at Green Gables, the actions of the characters are out of line with the original and the escaped slave story isn't needed. The book ends rather abruptly.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the Advanced Readers Copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
5 people found this helpful
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A beautifully and well thought out story of Marilla and her life in Avonlea

Thank you to William Morrow for my free copy. All opinions are my own.

When I decided to start Marilla of Green Gables the weather had finally started to cool off a bit and I had pulled out a few sweaters. My son was in his third week of school, things felt a little more settled and I was finally looking forward to fall in a way I hadn't been able to yet with so much change happening at the end of summer/beginning of the school year. Sometimes that happens right? This cosmic fated moment where a book finds you just when you need it. As it was, Marilla of Green Gables found me the third week of September and it was simply just what I needed.

There is that feeling of hesitation when reading a book that takes places in a beloved world and its not written by the original author. Would it measure up? Would it feel forced? Would Avonlea feel different under a different author's hand and imagination? I worried about these things a bit as I started but I felt like I had a few things working in my favor. One, I hadn't re read Anne of Green Gables for almost three years (and chose not to this fall, once I saw this book was releasing). Two, I read the author's note. I highly recommend reading Sarah McCoy's notes at the end of the book. Nothing there will ruin the story for you. Reading her note opened my eyes to the dedication and time that went into this story and how deeply respectful the author was of L.M. Montgomery's world. I love that she used one line from Anne of Green Gables to fuel her story, a line that had touched McCoy her whole life. This isn't a book written by just another "fan" of Anne, this is a truly well written and thoughtful story of a character I personally really enjoyed spending time with.

Marilla of Green Gables took me back to Avonlea, years before Anne journeyed there, when Marilla was just a young girl herself. I enjoyed meeting her this way, seeing Matthew grow up as a quiet young man, and see what may have happened between Marilla and John Blythe. This story took me no time to read, just a few days, and when I finished I really and truly was sad to say goodbye to Avonlea and Marilla. If anything, to me this is what makes a book worth reading. That feeling of leaving friends behind when you close the book at the end, feeling sad that there isn't more to read.

If you love Anne or even just enjoyed her story I highly recommend reading this glimpse into Marilla's life as a young girl.
4 people found this helpful
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Not horrible, but not great

I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrator. I am a devoted L.M. Montgomery fan so I was a little apprehensive about this novel.
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It wasn’t horrible. But it wasn’t great, either. The writing is completely different from L.M. Montgomery - I appreciated that Sarah McCoy didn’t try to mimic Montgomery’s voice. I had fun listening for the little bits that were callbacks (or callforwards since it’s a prequel?) to the Anne books. Marilla’s amethyst brooch with her mother’s hair, her distaste for fancy clothes, her friendship with Rachel, and, of course, currant wine.
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What went too far? Well, Marilla’s age for one thing. I believe she is portrayed as 13 or 14 at first, which even in those days was far too young for the romantic situations depicted in the novel. I didn’t enjoy reading about a young teenage girl being turned on by her shirtless crush.
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Trigger warning: infant loss
3 people found this helpful
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a heroine for all ages

Fans of Anne of Green Gables should run, not walk, to seize this beautifully written story. I was lucky enough to have an early read and I adored it. The plucky heroine in 19th century Prince Edward Island caught between life in her small town and wanting to make a difference in the larger world is truly a woman for all ages.
3 people found this helpful
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A Faithful and Welcomed Prequel

Ok y'all. So, being a huge Anne of Green Gables fan all of my life and having read the series multiple times, I knew I HAD to read this once I heard about it. Being such a big fan I had huge hopes too so I went in very cautious. For me, this book did not disappoint. Is it exactly like Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series? No. Can you tell the difference? Absolutely. However, I don't think these things took away from the novel at all. The book, from start to finish, definitely had the feel and mood and aura of the original series. McCoy was able to capture the settings, verbiage, and imagery created by Montgomery. I loved the fact that it slightly referenced the originals throughout in tiny ways. Marilla's eyesight being to fail as she grew older is a great example of this. We also get the back story for the famous amethyst brooch from the first novel! McCoy also invents and tells the history of Marilla and John Blythe solely from the mention of it in the original, as explained in the Author's Note at the end as the inspiration for the novel itself. I loved how the book begins just as Marilla and Matthew prepare to send for the orphan who ends up being Anne! This bit of nostalgia grabbed me from the beginning. We then jump back to Marilla's youth and her story is spun. The only part that seemed a bit much for me was toward the final 20% of the book when the politics of the time became a heavy focus. While I understand this as important to the overall plot, I found this part a little long. Possibly the best part for me was a look into who Marilla was, why she ended up the way she did, and just how similar she in fact was to Anne in her own youth. I adored this book and comment McCoy on a job well done of what surely was an overwhelming task.
1 people found this helpful
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A prequel to an iconic piece of Canadian fiction.

3.5 STARS - In Marilla of Green Gables, author Sarah McCoy pays homage to the original and beloved Canadian Anne of Green Gables series by L.M Montgomery with a prequel that gives readers the author's rendition of what Marilla's life was before she met Anne. As a young teen, I loved reading Anne of Green Gables and watching the TV mini series starring Megan Follows (who will always be the ultimate 'Anne with an E' for this reader). I appreciate and respect McCoy's bold choice to add to the iconic piece of Canadiana.

Taking on Marilla is no mean feat and overall, I enjoyed this prequel. But I can't help but wonder, if I didn't have the personalities of older Marilla and Matthew in the back of my mind, would this book have been as engaging? I don't think so. I found Marilla and Matthew's early history too slow for me. There was an emotional loss and we see Marilla's stubborn streak appear which inevitably shapes her future, but the book focuses on these two siblings who rarely express themselves to the outside world making it a struggle to become invested in their stories when we don't get a lot of emotional output from them.

McCoy also infuses smaller, subplots about the Underground Railroad, Canadian history and how the American Civil War impacted some aspects of Canadian life. These subplots helped situate Marilla's story within the political and social turmoil of the time, but I preferred getting back to small-town life in Avonlea. Readers will enjoy the story's small town, country feel as it meanders through McCoy's imaginings of Marilla's early life on PEI - her friendships, family life, loves and losses which shaped the woman we remember from the original series.

I give Sarah McCoy top marks for diving into a highly beloved, well-known series and giving a voice and a past to a curious and possibly misunderstood character. And while I wasn't quite as enamoured as I had hoped (big shoes to fill and all), this is a charming story that gives readers one possibility of how Marilla Cuthbert became the stoic, strong and stubborn woman we know and love from the beloved Anne of Green Gables series.
1 people found this helpful
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Loved Marilla’s story!

I absolutely adored Marilla Cuthbert's story that was brought to life by the brilliant and beautiful writing of Sarah McCoy. The characters in this book are lovable and unforgettable. I loved Aunt Izzy and the relationship that grew between her and Marilla. And the romance between Marilla and John Blythe was so charming and sweet. I felt Sarah McCoy did an excellent job researching and writing about life back in the late 1800's, the food, how people lived and worked, about politics, religion, and also Canada's role in the underground railroad. I feel L. M. Montgomery would be incredibly proud of this book. Now after reading Marilla's story, I must go and revisit Anne's. This is going on my 2018 Favorites list and is one I will be recommending to friends. It is truly a gem.

I was very fortunate and thrilled to have received an ARC of this book in a Facebook giveaway.
1 people found this helpful

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