Fans of L.M. Montgomery’s ANNE OF GREEN GABLES will rejoice to hear Cassandra Campbell’s warm and spirited narration of the imagined life of Marilla Cuthbert. Like the original, this prequel sweetly evokes the magic of life on Prince Edward Island. A pitch-perfect tribute to the beloved series, the story details Marilla’s early years, when she struggled with grief, guilt, and the difficulty of staying true to her convictions. With a steady and unhurried delivery that encourages listeners to savor the details of life in small-town Avonlea, Campbell brings forth a Marilla who is strong and determined but also vulnerable. Campbell’s skill in communicating Marilla’s quiet melancholy and ever-growing confidence gives shape and depth to this remarkable woman with a rich and storied past. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sarah McCoyUnabridged — 9 hours, 14 minutes
Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell
Sarah McCoyUnabridged — 9 hours, 14 minutes
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Overview
A bold, heartfelt tale of life at Green Gables . . . before Anne: A marvelously entertaining and moving historical novel, set in rural Prince Edward Island in the nineteenth century, that imagines the young life of spinster Marilla Cuthbert, and the choices that will open her life to the possibility of heartbreak-and unimaginable greatness.
Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh.
In Avonlea-a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island-life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth ""Izzy"" Johnson, her mother's sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy's talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.
Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness-Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition-jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.
Editorial Reviews
Prepare to meet Marilla, a captivating heroine who will transport you back to the treasured world of Anne of Green Gables. Rich in historical detail, this charming novel vividly explores love, loss, friendship, and the coming-to-self of a girl on the cusp of womanhood.” — Sue Monk Kidd
“Sarah McCoy has given readers a precious gift: the opportunity to step back into the world of Avonlea, and the chance to get to know Marilla Cuthbert as a leading lady in her own right. In McCoy’s skillful and sensitive hands, Marilla emerges as a heroine of depth, complexity, and heart. I savored my time with this cast of old friends, enjoying the dilemma of whether to speed through these compelling pages or to pause and relish everything about the lovely world imagined within them.” — Allison Pataki, New York Times Bestselling Author
“Fans of the Anne of Green Gables series will rejoice at this warm and heartfelt addition to their world. McCoy’s love for the characters is palpable, and with an insightful eye she illuminates the original Avonlea, while also offering glimpses into the turbulent history of the time.” — Madeline Miller, Author of Circe
“A pitch perfect love letter to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Green Gables. Even if you weren’t an ardent fan, you’ll still want to read this book. Marilla is a loving, captivating fictional portrait of a woman and a time that is well worth escaping to. A beautiful, heart rending story, a wonderful novel.” — M.J. Rose, New York Times Bestseller
“Heartfelt and endearing, the tale of Green Gables will have you devouring this story in one sitting.” — Women.com
“Another girl once came of age at Green Gables. Spunky, smart, buffeted by tides of duty and ambition, loss and love, young Marilla finds her voice in Sarah McCoy’s beautiful rendering of a beloved place, a complex woman, and a long-ago time. Deftly and tenderly told, Marilla of Green Gables is a must read for anyone who adored Avonlea and Anne and ever wondered, what came before?” — Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
A pitch perfect love letter to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Green Gables. Even if you weren’t an ardent fan, you’ll still want to read this book. Marilla is a loving, captivating fictional portrait of a woman and a time that is well worth escaping to. A beautiful, heart rending story, a wonderful novel.
Fans of the Anne of Green Gables series will rejoice at this warm and heartfelt addition to their world. McCoy’s love for the characters is palpable, and with an insightful eye she illuminates the original Avonlea, while also offering glimpses into the turbulent history of the time.
Heartfelt and endearing, the tale of Green Gables will have you devouring this story in one sitting.
Another girl once came of age at Green Gables. Spunky, smart, buffeted by tides of duty and ambition, loss and love, young Marilla finds her voice in Sarah McCoy’s beautiful rendering of a beloved place, a complex woman, and a long-ago time. Deftly and tenderly told, Marilla of Green Gables is a must read for anyone who adored Avonlea and Anne and ever wondered, what came before?
Prepare to meet Marilla, a captivating heroine who will transport you back to the treasured world of Anne of Green Gables. Rich in historical detail, this charming novel vividly explores love, loss, friendship, and the coming-to-self of a girl on the cusp of womanhood.
Sarah McCoy has given readers a precious gift: the opportunity to step back into the world of Avonlea, and the chance to get to know Marilla Cuthbert as a leading lady in her own right. In McCoy’s skillful and sensitive hands, Marilla emerges as a heroine of depth, complexity, and heart. I savored my time with this cast of old friends, enjoying the dilemma of whether to speed through these compelling pages or to pause and relish everything about the lovely world imagined within them.
L.M. Montgomery’s Marilla Cuthbert flares to life in Sarah McCoy’s enchanting novel of Avonlea. Her story of wrenching family sacrifice and the enduring pleasures of home, is as much a love letter to the world of Green Gables as it is a breath of fresh air. Hats off to McCoy for enlivening this classic with such heart and grace.
Fans of L.M. Montgomery’s ANNE OF GREEN GABLES will rejoice to hear Cassandra Campbell’s warm and spirited narration of the imagined life of Marilla Cuthbert. Like the original, this prequel sweetly evokes the magic of life on Prince Edward Island. A pitch-perfect tribute to the beloved series, the story details Marilla’s early years, when she struggled with grief, guilt, and the difficulty of staying true to her convictions. With a steady and unhurried delivery that encourages listeners to savor the details of life in small-town Avonlea, Campbell brings forth a Marilla who is strong and determined but also vulnerable. Campbell’s skill in communicating Marilla’s quiet melancholy and ever-growing confidence gives shape and depth to this remarkable woman with a rich and storied past. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
2018-07-31
An imagined life of Marilla Cuthbert, of Green Gables fame.
There's a line from Anne of Green Gables that author McCoy says has always stayed with her: When Marilla points out their neighbor John Blythe (father of Anne's beloved Gilbert) and says "We used to be real good friends, he and I. People called him my beau," Anne cries, "Oh, Marilla—and what happened?" Fascinated by the question, McCoy answers it here with a rich, historically intense life for Marilla, beginning when she is 13; her mother is pregnant and her Aunt Izzy comes to help. The Cuthberts are quiet and retiring, so the arrival of Izzy—who fled Prince Edward Island to become a successful dressmaker in the city—gently pushes Marilla out of her isolation. Together they join a newly formed sewing circle in Avonlea, where Marilla meets her lifelong friend-to-be, Rachel, and through her meets John Blythe (though this is a bit of a stretch, because as a close longtime neighbor, wouldn't Marilla already know him?). Their attraction is immediate, but on the day John expresses his interest toward her, her mother and the baby die in childbirth, casting a shadow of guilt and pain over the experience. Courting is put on hold as the family regroups and Marilla feels obligated to take care of her father and older brother, Matthew, but a charitable visit to an orphanage in nearby Hopetown brings long-simmering national tensions home to Marilla, leading to a new direction in her life and an argument with John she can't seem to overcome. In fleshing out Marilla's story, McCoy weaves in fascinating historical details of Canada's religious and political tensions of the mid-19th century as well as the devastating legacy of slavery and an interesting contemplation of what might happen to survivors of the Underground Railroad once they hit Canada in the dangerous days before the American Civil War.
As is often the question when reframing beloved fictional characters: Does it feel true? Readers will have to decide for themselves, but fashioning Marilla as a flawed hero of her times is a lovely tribute.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173463463 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 10/23/2018 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 412,203 |
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