Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert have decided, in their old age, to adopt a young orphan boy of about eleven years old to help take of the farm. When a miscommunication leaves them with little red-headed Anne Shirley, they must decide whether to keep this fiery-tempered and talkative girl, who is decidedly not what they had in mind. 
 POSITIVE: The writing style is superb and truly carried the narrative. Even when the plot dulled, the narrative voice kept me chained to my rocking chair, eagerly turning the page. The characters are often quite funny, especially Mrs. Lynde, and even Anne - who could get really annoying in her self-centredness - grew on me. 
 NEGATIVE: Some may feel that the plodding and episodic plot is a bit much, though I felt that this made for a very pleasant and unchallenging read. As I mentioned above, Anne could be infuriatingly self-absorbed, even near the end when she had supposedly outgrown her selfishness. This is a very minor point, though. 
 All in all, I found this to be a very relaxing and pleasant read. It is funny at times, sad at others, and always interesting. I would definitely be open to reading the next in the series. 
 Thank you, Pat, for this great gift. Does this mean I get to be a Canadian now?