My thoughts on 'Anne With An E' (I realise I’m 5 years late to this)

[Classica]

I’m a massive Anne fan and had avoided this series so far as I thought I might not love it. My inner 8 year old is very loyal to Megan Follows' portrayal of Anne.*

Decided to give it a go yesterday.

Er…

Anne certainly looks very Anne-ish, skinny and pale and a bit unloved looking.

But why is she such a whiny bitch? Anne Shirley is not a whiny bitch. I realise Anne’s early childhood would have been traumatic, and it’s interesting they explore that a bit more, but they’ve changed her character too much. Bullying the hired hand (whose name they've changed from Jerry Buote)? That is not Anne!

And they’ve changed her surname to Cuthbert. Marilla would have never entertained such a sentimental gesture, certainly not in the early days. I think Geraldine James is a great actress and she makes a good Marilla, but for God’s sake she’s just joined some progressive mothers' circle. Marilla was in the Ladies’ Aid. They gossiped, and discussed preserves and pies, and made quilts!

And as for Matthew (he's no Richard Farnsworth) charging across the island on horseback to rescue Anne from child molesters and a life earning a living by reciting poems to people in a train station. That was unexpected.

Diana Barry’s parents doing some kind of panto turn as bitchy landed gentry, the other Avonlea residents bullying her at the Sunday school picnic, Anne discussing what’s involved in stroking a man’s mouse. I’m discombobulated.

I haven’t seen Gilbert yet, he’s probably a teenage beatnik. No doubt this version of 1880s PEI was an early adopter of the beatnik movement.

Do you think the producer thought the book is too ‘quiet’ to engage modern audiences, so they’ve had to beef it up a bit with more trauma and conflict?

Does this show get any better or am I likely to facepalm myself into a frenzy?

*tho I’m still shook from the final installment in the Kevin Sullivan series where a Anne dressed up as a nun and hared across to France to rescue Gilbert from a WWI pow camp.

Just here to share the love for Emily of New Moon

Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes.

I loved it, hadn't read the books, but even I was thinking "I bet a lot of people who loved the books can't stand this".

This thread sent off to find the books. Not read them for around 45 years. Kindle version with 8 books is only 99p.

Im going to read the books, but will treat them as an entirely different work that just happens to share a few points in common.

@Classica, I wish my copy of HoD had that picture on the cover. That's lovely.

Read these as a child - my dm has all the original hardbacks with orange covers. I won't recommend this recent series to her.

Dm found the motivation to learn how to use an Amazon fire stick when Megan's version was on a few yrs ago. I may ask to re-read them. How lovely to find so many kindred spirits

I loved it. But before I watched it I read that it is only loosely based on A of GG and even that is mostly the characters so I wasn't expecting it to be what it isn't. It's a beautiful series, great acting and good writing. It's not A of GG but I was fine with that.

I love the books. I can't manage Kevin Sullivan's third or fourth film, and I couldn't manage more than ten minutes of this.

I’m afraid I loved it, and love the books. I describe it as “Tracey Beakered,” but I think it was well done.

I loved it. I'm amazed that so many of you can remember the minute details in the books. Have you read them recently?

I must have read them about 50 years ago, so I only remember the basic premise that she was an orphan and went to live with the Cuthberts. I really enjoyed watching this.

I'm half way through the 3rd series of AWAE- it gets more ridiculous with each episode, and frankly more depressing.

It uses every 21st century woke trope (my phone autocorrected this to tripe) possible which makes the series so out of time from the original. I feel beaten around the head with it all.

Anne's character is all over the place - shouting and rude one minute then full of empathy and compassion the next. In the book she matures in a natural, believable way. Nothing is natural or believable in this series - I'm so disappointed!

@covilha

Likewise, so glad to have found this forum of kindred spirits but -Emily of New Moon books are the BEST!!! 😃😁

I love the Emily books — but there’s no denying that Emily herself is a purple-eyed bitch.

DD and I loved it too. But maybe weren't as invested in the books

@skeam I loved Emily so much that I named my daughter after her.
I enjoyed the first couple of episodes of AWAE but it got too ridiculously away from the original story for me. It disturbs me that some people's first introduction to Anne will be this show (which was actually beautifully filmed and well - cast)!
@ISaySteadyOn I have read A Tangled Web, a while ago now. I wasn't a big fan but I'd be willing to give it another go if you can give me a reason!

@SusieSusieSoo yes it's rare to find so many kindred spirits

@StartupRepair

The Anne with an E gets wilder and wilder. The writers at points give up on any pretence at 19th century language. DD and I nearly fell off the couch laughing when Gilbert says 'that's so messed up'.

Having read that I don't think I could even bother with any of the Netflix!

I enjoyed it as a standalone series because I couldn't remember what happened in the books.

Did anyone watch the TV production of it in the 1970s?

Totally agree. I couldn’t watch it. It’s all completely WRONG! They changed bits of the plot needlessly, I hated the flashbacks and Anne is not at all how she is in the books.

@RampantIvy - I read them many times as a child a d still re read occasionally if tired and emotional!

They're my go to books when I feel sad or off kilter.

@SquirrelFan, I loved it when I was a teenager. I was just wondering if anyone else had read it. How about Jane of Lantern Hill?

I read them every so often - they're my comfort books. There's a lot of gentle humour that I missed as a child...

@Classica - that's the one! Mine are quite battered now so I also have a Kindle version but still I prefer my lovely old paperbacks.

Ah well, I quite enjoyed the Netflix version

@ISaySteadyOn Yes, isn't that the one with the nits!? I liked that one more - read it years ago now. Maybe I'll give them both another go!

I can’t bring myself to watch it. For me it feels like destroying my entire childhood memories (and I realise how ridiculous that sounds). I spent every waking moment reading and rereading Anne and all the subsequent books. The images I had in my head were Megan Fellows and Jonathan Crombie and I don’t want to lose them.