Before Green Gables

 A few years ago I read Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy and I quite enjoyed it. It gives the backstory of Marilla Cuthbert, with the author imagining her experiences growing up through her teen years and into early adulthood. My only major quibble was that Matthew was not quite right and had that one romance (when Anne of Green Gables makes it clear that he had never even considered courting). It was a good story and didn't mess with the character of Marilla too much.

This summer, I read Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson. It purports to be the prequel to Anne of Green Gables and fills in Anne's background. I liked it even more than Marilla; I thing the author stayed more true to the character of her heroine. There were bits that I remember Anne talking about later in life, about her parents, the Thomas family, and the Hammonds with their three sets of triplets. Anne seemed as real to me as she did in the books. My main problem was remembering that she was much younger in Before Green Gables; she was written as an advances, precocious child. Granted, she was very smart and was forced to grow up too quickly. As she says in the book, "Sometimes I hope I get the chance to be young before I get too old to enjoy it."

The book begins with Anne's parents as newlyweds and ends as Anne gets off the train on Prince Edward Island, right before Anne of Green Gables starts. Now I need to read Anne of Green Gables again!