Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Many know the story of the feisty red-headed young Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery's series Anne of Green Gables. In Marilla of Green Gables, Sarah McCoy imagines the young life of Anne Shirley's adopted mother, Marilla Cuthbert. In Montgomery's Green Gables series, Marilla is the spinster woman who takes in Anne, along with her spinster brother, Matthew. Neither sibling ever married and in their senior years, they are struggling to keep their family farm going without some young hands to help with the work. They decide to adopt an orphan child. They expected a young boy but end up with Anne Shirley. Montgomery's series focuses primarily on Anne but we get to know and understand a bit about Marilla and Matthew. Marilla is set in her ways and expects Anne to act like a young, proper lady at all times, something Anne usually finds difficult at best.
Why is Marilla so stern? Why did she and Matthew never find mates and marry? McCoy weaves a wonderful backstory of the lives of Marilla and Matthew and gives the reader an idea of what Marilla's childhood might have been like. The story centers on Marilla but also explores Matthew's life. It answers the questions as to why neither marries and also delves into the relationships each sibling has with their neighbors and friends, particularly with John Blythe and Rachel Lynde, both characters that appear in the Green Gables series.
McCoy does a very good job of matching the vernacular and rhythm of the Montgomery series, making this book a prequel that seamlessly melds into the original storyline. I'd like to think that Montgomery would have enjoyed McCoy's book and imagined a similar story for Marilla and Matthew. Although the original series is geared for young readers, Marilla of Green Gables is more adult oriented but would be a good book for tweens and older that were fans of the original series.
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