Anne of Green Gables Summary

One June day in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, Mrs. Rachel Lynde notices her reclusive neighbor, Matthew Cuthbert, driving off in his buggy. Curious, she goes to visit her friend, Matthew’s sister Marilla, who lives with him on Green Gables farm. To Rachel’s shock, Marilla tells her that she and Matthew are adopting an orphan boy from Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, at the train station, Matthew doesn’t find the expected boy, but an 11-year-old girl with red hair instead. Matthew is thrown off guard by the sweet, talkative, big-eyed girl and can’t bear to disappoint her, so he brings her back to Green Gables, where he and Marilla learn that her name is Anne. Anne is heartbroken that the Cuthberts might not keep her, but after hearing about Anne’s lonely, orphaned childhood, Marilla comes around to Matthew’s opinion—Anne might not be the “useful” boy they’d wanted to work on the farm, but she needs the Cuthberts’ compassion. Anne is overjoyed to be allowed to stay.

Anne begins to get acquainted with the beauties of Green Gables, the household duties she’ll have to fulfill, and the Christian beliefs she’s expected to hold. There are frequent mishaps, like Anne’s rage at Mrs. Lynde for criticizing her red hair, about which Anne is quite sensitive. However, even though Marilla often rebukes Anne for daydreaming and neglecting her chores, both she and Matthew find Anne’s imaginative talk interesting and enlivening, and soon they can’t imagine Green Gables without her.

Anne has always longed for a “bosom friend,” which she soon finds in Diana Barry, a girl who lives on a neighboring farm, and they play together all summer. In the fall, Anne starts off well at Avonlea school, but then she’s teased by Gilbert Blythe, a handsome boy in her grade, for her carrot-colored hair. In retaliation, Anne cracks her slate over Gilbert’s head and gets in big trouble. Another day, her teacher, Mr. Phillips, scapegoats Anne when a crowd of students arrives late, and she’s forced to sit next to Gilbert as punishment. Anne develops a fierce grudge against both Gilbert and the teacher, and Marilla humors her refusal to attend school for a while.

In a fateful episode, Anne invites Diana over for tea and, instead of serving her the raspberry cordial Marilla had set aside, she unintentionally gets Diana drunk on currant wine. Mrs. Barry then decides Anne is a wicked girl and forbids their friendship, prompting Anne to return to school in her desperation to see Diana. Though Diana can no longer play with her, Anne takes a renewed interest in her studies and a growing academic rivalry with Gilbert. One winter night, while most of the adults are attending a political rally, Anne saves the life of Minnie May, Diana’s baby sister, because she knows the remedy for croup. In gratitude, Mrs. Barry allows Anne and Diana to be friends again. The two get into various adventures together, like accidentally terrifying Diana’s visiting elderly Aunt Josephine, and convincing themselves that the nearby woods are haunted.

When a new minister comes to Avonlea, Anne quickly finds a “kindred spirit” and model in his warm-hearted wife, Mrs. Allan. The new schoolteacher, Miss Stacy, also becomes Anne’s mentor and encourager, and Anne flourishes even more in school with poetry recitations and written compositions. Matthew, who indulges Anne more than Marilla does, gets Anne her long-coveted dress with fashionable puffed sleeves, and Anne forms a story club to help her friends cultivate their imaginations. Though Anne believes she’s outgrowing her most glaring weaknesses, she still struggles with vanity over her red hair, leading to a disastrous dye job. Now 13, Anne even finds herself beginning to soften toward Gilbert Blythe—especially after he rescues her from drowning in Barrys’ pond—though her stubborn pride keeps her from accepting his offer of friendship.

At the beginning of Anne’s third school year in Avonlea, Miss Stacy organizes a class of her most promising students, including Anne, to study for the Entrance exam to Queen’s Academy. Anne works hard and continues to thrive, and at the end of the school year, she and Gilbert tie for the highest exam scores in all of Prince Edward Island, broadening Anne’s ambitions for the future. The following September, Matthew and Marilla, both tearful over Anne’s growing up, say goodbye as Anne settles into Queen’s for the year, along with a handful of Avonlea friends. Anne excels in an accelerated teacher licensing course, and though she’s bested by Gilbert for the highest academic honor, she wins a prestigious scholarship to study English at Redmond College. She returns to Green Gables anticipating a glorious summer.

On Anne’s second morning at home, however, Matthew abruptly dies of a heart attack, devasting both Anne and Marilla. Soon thereafter, Marilla sees a specialist and learns that unless she takes measures to preserve her eyesight, she’ll be blind within six months. After wrestling with her dreams and her sense of duty, Anne decides to decline the Redmond scholarship in order to work as a schoolteacher and help Marilla at home. She expects to get a job in a neighboring village, but she soon learns that Gilbert has given up the position at Avonlea school so that Anne can teach closer to home. Walking home from Matthew’s grave one day, Anne comes upon Gilbert and shyly thanks him for this sacrifice. The two finally reconcile and agree to be good friends, talking easily and warmly together for the first time. Anne happily goes home to Marilla at Green Gables, full of contentment and hope for the future.