Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of)

Anne is a reimagined Anne of Green Gables moved to a modern urban setting in a city that is not named but feels like Toronto. The Avon-Lea is an apartment building, and Anne is brought there to be fostered by siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Instead of the mistake being Anne’s gender, it’s her age. The Cuthberts wanted a younger foster child and accidentally ended up with 12-year-old Anne. The story is filled with familiar characters from the novel, including Diana, Rachel Lynde, and Gilbert.

With Anne, Kathleen Gros does a wonderful job of mixing familiar story beats with modern twists. As in the original, Anne is impulsive and passionate, but she is treated with more compassion and understanding in this (sort of) adaptation. When she begins school, she is unsure of herself and nervous about joining clubs, but her friends urge her to join the zine club. Creating zines is the perfect outlet for her storytelling skills and artistic talent, and, with the support of the club, she flourishes. As Anne settles into her new life at the Avon-Lea, she begins to develop a crush on Diana and agonizes over whether Diana reciprocates. The queer romance between Anne and Diana is perfect; the relationship is so obviously right that it seems that L. M. Montgomery’s novel should have ended that way too.

The art is bright and expressive. The narrative is interwoven with Anne's illustrated diary entries so the reader both sees events happen to Anne and gets her interpretation of them. I enjoyed the excerpted illustrations from Anne's diary given at the beginning of each chapter that provides hints as to what the chapter contains.

The book is joyful and pleasantly contains very little conflict. Anne worries about being sent away from the Cuthberts and having to start again with a new family and a new school, but there is never any real indication that this would happen. It's clear that the Cuthberts love her and that she has found a place in the Avon-Lea and at her school. Anne is a charming story about love and acceptance, and Anne finding her place in a family and community and her strength as an artist and storyteller.

Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of) is a wonderful read that will delight fans of graphic novels whether they are familiar with the source material or not.