Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, though published in 1908, remains a popular novel for young adults around the world to this day. The story has been adapted as screen and television movies as well as a television show and an animated series. In Canada, which claims the author as one of its own, Anne of Green Gables—The Musical has broken records as that country’s longest running staged musical. Montgomery’s novel proved so popular that the author decided to write sequels. Several more stories featuring the red-headed, female protagonist soon followed. Today there are numerous Web sites and even a Facebook page for fans of this novel’s captivating main character.

Anne of Green Gables is set in a very small town, Avonlea, located on Prince Edward Island off the eastern coast of Canada. As the story begins, it is early summer some time in the early part of the twentieth century. The town’s gossip, Mrs. Rachel Lynde, sees Matthew Cuthbert driving in his horse-drawn carriage past her home. This surprises Mrs. Lynde for two reasons. First, Matthew is neatly dressed in his best clothes, which signifies the importance of his journey. Second, Mrs. Lynde believes Matthew should be in his fields tending to his crops and not driving about in his carriage. The fact that he is not working suggests to Mrs. Lynde that something must be wrong. To discover what the problem might be, Mrs. Lynde makes her way to Marilla Cuthbert’s door. Marilla is Matthew’s sister. Neither Marilla nor Matthew ever married; they have lived together on their farm at Green Gables all of their adult lives.

Marilla is a little disturbed to see Mrs. Lynde standing at her door. Although the women are friends, their personalities are starkly different from one another’s. Whereas her brother, Matthew, is a man of very few words, Marilla enjoys a good conversation from time to time. But Marilla is wary of saying too much to Mrs. Lynde. Everyone in Avonlea knows that whatever Mrs. Lynde hears is quickly spread around the entire community. Marilla is a very private person and likes to keep her personal business to herself.

The first thing Mrs. Lynde wants to know is why Matthew is so carefully dressed and where he is going. Mrs. Lynde claims that she hurried to see her friend because she was afraid Matthew might be going out to get the doctor because Marilla was ailing. Reluctantly Marilla tells Mrs. Lynde that she is fine and Matthew is on his way to the train station to pick up an orphan boy whom they have decided to adopt. Marilla confesses that neither she nor her brother have seen the child. Rather, they have requested that the boy be chosen by a neighbor friend and then sent to them. They have decided to adopt a boy because Matthew is growing old and needs someone to help him on the farm.

This news shocks Mrs. Lynde, who proceeds to tell Marilla horror stories of other families who have adopted children who turned out to be criminals. Marilla admits some concern of her own; however, she soothes herself by thinking about how the boy will help ease her brother’s chores.