Discussion Post: Anne's House of Dreams

[myr_soleil]

Hi everyone! Welcome to our discussion post for one of my favorite books, Anne's House of Dreams. I hope you liked it as much as I did, and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Comments

[imaginary_lines]

1. Did you like the book? Do you like the setting of Anne married, or did you miss having her in school?
I think my problem with this book is that I read all these when I was fairly young so this one was always the super depressing one I never wanted to re-read haha so I have a bit of a personal bias against it for that reason, but upon the re-read I just fell in love!! it's still not one of my favorites but I definitely appreciate it much more.

I do like her being married and seeing her set up the eponymous house, but I do miss teacher and student anne.

2. How about those new characters? Leslie, Captain Jim, Cornelia, Susan, Jem, Owen - did you like their addition?
YES. I do think they were a great whole new group. Leslie and Cornelia in particular stuck with me.

3. What do you think of Gilbert in this book? Is there finally enough Gilbert for you? Do you like seeing what happens after the main couple gets married?
Never enough Gilbert!!!!

4. Which love story did you prefer - Captain Jim and lost Margaret? Leslie and Owen? Cornelia and Marshall Elliott? Anne and Gilbert?
Well to me Leslie and Owen is a bit more exciting, -because once Anne and Gilbert are married I mean it's still nice and romantic and they were my first otp but I like the sensation of dating and finding out you love a person etc etc - and I like tragedy haha so I like it for that reason too.

5. Is Cornelia a feminist ("Now you know, Anne, I always take the ground that us women ought to stand by each other.") or just sexist ("We've got enough to endure at the hands of the men, the Lord knows")?
a bit of column a, a bit of column b.

6. "Some people might think that a Redmond B.A., whom editors were beginning to honor, was 'wasted' as the wife of a struggling country doctor in the rural community of Four Winds." Do you think Anne is wasted as a housewife?
I definitely struggled with this, because while I do think she settled down almost TOO quickly, it was a very different time and she made her own choice (which is important) and she is happy, which is even more important so I'm ok with it 'cause she's ok with it.

7. Imagine you don't know how "Dick's" operation turns out. Do you think Gilbert should have told Leslie about the operation?
YES

8. "But there was something in the smile that had never been in Anne's smile before and would never be absent from it again." How terrible is that? How much did you cry at Joyce's story? Be honest.
well I'll be honest and say that I've had a miscarriage so upon my re-read...a lot. I cried a lot. It was handled really well and really makes the switch between young anne and adult anne obvious.

[myr_soleil]

Interesting that you didn't like it at first because it was too depressing! I always ~loved the drama, haha, especially since everything ends well. (I guess as a kid I figured that having Jem "made up" for Joy - I think I know better now. I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, dear ♥ )

[kindness_says]

I figured that having Jem "made up" for Joy

I think I might've felt that way, too, as a child.

[kindness_says]

Hello, it is I, your silly first-time-reading friend, come to respond late to everyone's threads (and I made my own at the bottom, of course!)!

1. I read all these when I was fairly young so this one was always the super depressing one I never wanted to re-read That's so interesting! XD I guess I can see that, when you're a kid. When I was younger, idk if you know the Little House books, but I never liked the later stuff where she goes a-courting and stuff NEARLY as much as I liked it once I was in maybe my teens? and then I started liking marriage stuff more, too, and kidshaving stuff, and so on. And in The First Four Years, I believe her husband gets sick and her son dies or something like that? and I remember liking it but thinking it was SUPER SUPER SAD after the one where she falls in love and gets married? and I never reread it, partly because it was hard to find but also because I don't think I enjoyed it that much because it was so sad. I wonder if I'd have felt that way about this book, too, as a kid?

4. Well to me Leslie and Owen is a bit more exciting, -because once Anne and Gilbert are married I mean it's still nice and romantic and they were my first otp but I like the sensation of dating and finding out you love a person etc etc - and I like tragedy haha so I like it for that reason too. ...This is an interesting contrast to your answer to #1. XD I actually think, though A/G were HILARIOUS and DELIGHTFUL pre-marriage, I like even better their quiet togetherness. BUT AGAIN I might've felt different as a kid! and those feelings stick with you.

8. really makes the switch between young anne and adult anne obvious. Yes. And I'm sorry.

[imaginary_lines]

better late than never!

I do know the little house books! I used to love them. Haven't read them in ageeees. I did feel like this one was the "growing up book" when I was younger so I wasn't interested in that as much as I was in the 1st and 2nd books.

Hahaha i guess it is a contrast!! but I don't mind the quiet togetherness but to me it was like ok...now what...you're just together forever and have kids?? haha now that I'm an adult I can appreciate that but as like, a 10 year old I was way more interested in Leslie and her tragedy.

thank you! and I think without losing Joy, I wouldn't have been able to "buy" anne's growing up so much, if that makes sense. she was just "playing house" to me.