Marilla of Green Gables

Author: Sarah McCoy
Genre: Historical Fiction, Canadian
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Source: Local public library
Publisher: William Morrow (Harper Collins Canada)
First Published: Oct 23, 2018
Opening Lines: "It'd been a rain-chilled May that felt more winter than spring."

Book Description from GoodReads: 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 has 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.

My Rating: 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.


Similar books for Anne of Green Gables fans
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (one of my very first book reviews)