Anne of Green Gables: Chapter 29: An Epoch in Anne’s Life Summary & Analysis

One beautiful September evening, Anne leads the cows down the path at Green Gables, reciting her favorite lines from a Walter Scott poem, when Diana runs toward her with news. Aunt Josephine has written with an invitation for the two of them to visit her in Charlottetown for the Exhibition. Anne is delighted but afraid that Marilla won’t let her go “gadding about,” so Diana says she’ll get her mother to speak to Marilla about it. Anne hopes she can go so that she can wear her new coat to town—Marilla always lets her dress fashionably these days, so that Matthew won’t go behind her back about it.

Marilla agrees that Anne can go to Charlottetown. It’s 30 miles from Avonlea, so Mr. Barry drives Anne and Diana there early in the morning. Around noon they reach Aunt Josephine’s shady, rambling old mansion. Aunt Josephine greets them, telling Anne she’s much prettier than she used to be. The girls are awed by the splendid mansion filled with velvet and silk decorations, though Anne decides that such luxury leaves little room for the imagination.

The next day, the girls attend the Exhibition, where they enjoy the exhibits of horses, flowers, and needlework; a few Avonlea folks take prizes in different contests. They even attend the horse races (though Anne refuses to place a bet, wanting to be able to tell Mrs. Allan everything later) and have their fortunes told. Sleeping in the spare room isn’t quite the thrill Anne has always imagined it would be: “the worst of growing up,” Anne decides, is that childhood dreams don’t seem nearly so wonderful when they’re actually fulfilled. They finish off the visit by hearing a prima donna sing at the music academy and having late-night ice cream. Anne decides that city life isn’t really for her. She also dislikes the way Aunt Josephine laughs at even her most solemn statements. But she loves the old lady and boldly kisses her cheek before they leave. Aunt Josephine is a selfish old lady who mostly looks at other people as sources of amusement, but she realizes that if she had someone as sweet as Anne around, she’d be “a better and happier woman.”

Anne and Diana enjoy reliving the whole trip during the drive home, but the Green Gables homecoming is the biggest joy to Anne. Marilla has a nice supper waiting for Anne and admits she’s been lonely for the past four days. Anne tells Marilla and Matthew all about the trip and says it “marks an epoch in my life.” But coming home was the very best of it.