So a brief mention of goings-on in Avonlea in yesterday's post made me start thinking about all the dresses in the Anne books (one of which I posted about the VERY FIRST month I blogged) and that led me to this, Anne's wedding dress.
I think this is from the widely panned
It would be well-nigh impossible for me to tally up all the hours I spent reading about Anne and Gilbert [heavy sigh]. Who's with me in still not-so-secretly thinking that Gilbert Blythe is one of the best too-good-to-be-true romantic heroes of girlhood literature? (And he's not even a vampire! Take that, Twihards!)
(I now feel a compulsion to watch that movie, despite the fact that it's not based a) on the books or b) set in Canada or c) in even remotely the same time period. Given all that, is it worth it?)
A Dress A Day 
do.not.watch.it. You will never be able to get its awfulness out of your head! Gilbert IS the perfect romantic girl hero. But yes, we definitely grow into longing for Barney Snaith!! Love that book!
LikeLike
Loved Anne. Trying to get my daughter (age 12) to read the Avonlea books and leave Twilight behind!Rena
LikeLike
I think this may be my favorite DaD comments section ever! Im such a fan of The Blue Castle, I am always evangelizing about it to other fans of books (and squee with delight on discovering other people who know of it.) Much like, actually, the way I am always telling people to read Dress a Day!
LikeLike
Im going home to …s place,
LikeLike
i love anne and are still able to make connections to the books in my day to day life. (like when im blue im always in the depths of despair.) and i would almost always watch the movies (with megan follows) while i worked on my sewing projects back in high school. in fact, the tapes became stretched out from being watched so much! (ive been meaning to get the dvds…)i read the 1st 3 twilight books and while found them to be entertaining (in a guilt pleasure, romance novel kind of way) they pale in comparison to the anne books. (hahaaha, get it – pale? vampire?)have you ever read the emily books? those are wonderful too.
LikeLike
Just pretend the movie isnt about THE Anne and Gilbert, and about some other Anne and Gilbert instead. Its good in an indulgent let-your-mind-wander kind of way. Sort-of like you were day dreaming about what would happen if things had been set in a different time period… The visuals are quite lovely.Oh, wouldnt it be nice to find a real-life Gilbert? ;)Youre making me want to revisit my childhood Avonlea/Anne obsession!
LikeLike
Is this where I admit I went to PEI on my honeymoon? Yes, my husband loves me.
LikeLike
I think I saw parts of the third movie, and all I could figure out was that they took some of the Rilla story (the last story in the series, about Annes daughter) and used some bits of it. (By the way, Rilla of Ingleside and Burton Stevensons Girl from Alsace AKA Little Comrade are my two favorite novels set in World War I. I must admit, though, that I have read very few books set in WWI.) I think Rilla takes place entirely in Canada, but she does take in a baby — and wasnt Anne looking after a baby in the movie? I LOVE the Blue Castle as well, and also Jane of Lantern Hill. I havent read the Emily books in years, but dont remember being so fond of them.And, yes, my family did talk about taking me to PEI in my youth because of my love for the books, but the trip never happened.
LikeLike
I have a son named Matthew and a daughter named Marilla (after Rilla Blythe, of course.) yeah, count me amoung the fans.Dont bother with the movie. If Mr. Sullivan had actually told the Blythe story from WWI he would have created his masterpiece. The travesty he vomited out has only the names in common with Ms. Montgommorys story. Thats the greatest tragedy about it. It could have been a classic and instead we have Lifetimes 2pm movie of the day. They might as well have hired Merrideth Baxter Burney.
LikeLike
Better late than never: The Blue Castle is available online.http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200951h.html
LikeLike
Blue castle is definitely one of her best. That and A Tangled Web are very different from the others but just as good, I think.
LikeLike