Anne Again - Rated 
When I had finished Anne of the Island, I immediately went on to read Anne of Windy Willows. At first when I had read the first two or so chapters I didn't like it as much as the other Annes because none of the normal characters were in it. I was left on my bookshelf until I had read the whole of the series and wanteed just another titbit of Anne. So, reluctantly I picked up Anne of Windy Willows and finished it in a few days.
I found after I had got into it that it was a brilliant book and it didn't matter about the other characters. It was one of those books that you could keep rereading and rereading. I highly recommend it to any fan of Anne.
Still Anne but not as magical! - Rated 
Having loved the first three books I had high hopes for this and initially was not dissapointed but about half way through the magic seemed to end. The initial story was great but I felt the second part was quite contrived and didn't have the same magic or believabilty as the other books and too many unnecessary characters were introduced although only briefly. I am still looking forward to the next book as Anne is one of fictions most lovable characters.
Finally... Anne's romance with Gilbert Blythe blossoms! And yet, there's a lack of sparkle in this book in the "Anne" series.. - Rated 
I love, or should I say LOVE, the "Anne" series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but this one is my least favourite. For me, it just lacks the sparkle of all the others.
Anne of Windy Willows (or Windy Poplars, as it was originally published) is the fourth book in the series, the sequel to Anne of the Island, but it was actually written long after book three (1915) in 1936. By this point Lucy Maud had already written Anne's House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), and Rilla of Ingleside(1921) - books 5, 7 & 8 - and she went back and slotted in this one, and later Anne of Ingleside, to fill in a couple of gaps.
The book does fill a useful gap in Anne's story, but lacks just a little bit of the flow and dreaminess of the other novels, possibly because much of the novel is written in the form of letters to Gilbert. That said, it's lovely to see romance blossoming with Anne & Gilbert. She was never supposed to fall in love with that dapper Roy Gardner, and was engaged to Gilbert at the very end of the previous book. However, Gilbert must be away for his doctor's training for the next three years... so the couple are in for a long engagement...
Anne secures the position of principal at Summerside High School, and in true Anne-style this is not without its difficulties. She finds a lovely place to board and we meet the charismatic "Aunts Kate & Chatty", and hilarious Rebecca Dew. And then there is Anne's relationship with the forlorn little girl, Little Elizabeth, living next door... not to mention Anne's mission to reform and befriend the miserable school teacher Katherine!
It's still a lovely book to read, but as I re-read the Anne series this is the one I'm always least eager to pick up. The Anne books are wonderful stories for all ages from 8+. If you haven't read any before, start with number 1 which is Anne of Green Gables. I can't recommend them enough.
The 4th edition - Rated 
Anne becomes the head teacher Summerside High School but is challenged by the very difficult and defiant Pringle family. It takes Anne's patient tact to prove that Anne owns the Pringles who thinks that it is them that rule the place. Anne is also engaged to Gilbert Blythe. A must buy for all those Anne of Green Gables fans. I enjoyed the book.
Anne is engaged and a teacher in Windy Willows . - Rated 
Anne and Gilbert are engaged at long last, but the wedding cannot take place for three years yet, as Gilbert is still attending medical school. Anne spends this time teaching in a place called Windy Willows and chronicles the happenings in regular letters to Gilbert; letters which form the basis of this book. For the first time we get to see life through Anne's eyes and see a new town and new friends just the way she sees them. In this small way, by putting you 'inside her head', this book lets you out a fantasy most of us have had at one time or another -- the wish to be Anne. Together with her, we discover wonderful new people who quickly make a place for themselves in our hearts. There is the amazing 'hired help', Rebecca Dew and the magical little girl next door, Elizabeth who longs to enter the land of Tomorrow. Though the community is hostile to an outsider initially, specially the Pringle clan, who is almost royalty, Anne's warm heart and beautiful spirit win them all over in the end. When she finally leaves for Green Gables to get married, though we are overjoyed that she and Gilbert are to be together at last, we cannot help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the people and places she leaves behind. Places on which she has left her mark .... places which will be always to her, and to us, home.
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