I had a vague idea it was a story about a girl named Anne, and at some point there was raspberry cordial. Both of these things turned out to be correct, if not always equally key to the plot.
The titular Anne (Amybeth McNulty) is a 13-year-old orphan, and Green Gables is the farm on Prince Edward Island where she comes to live at the beginning of the series. In a time when women and girls are expected to control their emotions and present a blandly pleasant face to the world, Anne feels all things to the full extent of her emotional capacity, and has the language to express them. A white wedding gown with puff sleeves isn't simply something she dreams of, it is her ``highest ideal of earthly bliss''. The scenery surrounding her new home isn't just pretty; Anne is, at the top of her voice, ``enraptured by this glorious landscape''.
Unfortunately, Anne's imagination and verbosity do not immediately endear her to everyone. To begin with, she is immensely confusing to her new guardians, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson and Geraldine James). As if being sent a girl when they had asked for a boy weren't perplexing enough, Anne's penchant for chatter and drama is quite at odds with their own temperaments. Marilla is a no-nonsense person, with no time for such frivolities as daydreams or feelings. Matthew is a man of few words, to say the least (which he does). But, in classic plucky orphan fashion, Anne gradually wins their hearts.
However, Anne's difficulties fitting into her new life extend beyond the Cuthberts. Her vocabulary and general oddness make her something of an outcast among the other children at her new school, while her troubled background causes problems with their parents.
Anne's life before her placement with the Cuthberts is revealed incrementally in flashbacks. Brief scenes of cruel and often violent abuse at the orphanage and with her previous adoptive family provide a jarring contrast to the wholesome shenanigans that make up the greater part of the story, and they add some depth to Anne's character, making her general cheerfulness all the more remarkable.
Like many of its characters, I was initially unsure what to make of Anne with an ``E'', but I found it gradually grew on me. Its touching story and subtle humour make it a charming watch, and Anne is a character not easily forgotten. As Matthew Cuthbert puts it, ``she's a real interesting kinda person''.
