Anne Gets Nickeled

This last week I listened to both Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery and Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. I really enjoyed both of these books while I worked away baking, watching soccer games (between my mad cheering), vacuuming, etc. etc. I had seen both of these movies prior to reading these books. As a child I would constantly watch the Anne movies and The Sound of Music - thus, I am a massive Gilbert fan. I want a Gilbert :D It is probably because the movie, Anne of Avonlea, came out the year I was born. I only recently watched Nicholas Nickleby with my sister. The movie is REALLY good, despite the presence of dead babies in one scene...just chilling out on the corner of a building - a coffin full of dead looking babies! It disturbed me to say the least.


Anne was listened to while doing laundry, painting, cooking, and a soccer game. I loved this book and I liked finding the things that were different between the movie and the book. It was kind of amazing to see all the differences. The story of Anne as I knew it turned out to be quite different from the movie. Anne stays at Green Gables, teaches, helps raise adopted twins with Marilla, Mr. Harris is just a friend, and there is not the key rejection that had always shaped my notion of Anne and Gilbert's relationship! This book definitely has its comedic points - I would laugh out loud at the silly things that would happen, like: Mr. Harris's parrot calling Anne a "red headed snip it" at regular intervals, the community hall being painted a brilliant but bawdy blue, the run away cow (still a favorite of mine), and Davy's mischief. I really love this story, it really is just a great and interesting read about the turn of the century. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the Anne series.


Nicholas Nickelby was listened to while driving and doing some various housework while the house was invaded by workmen to replace windows. It took several hours for the windows to be replaced and even a few more hours for warmth to return to my toes - for a windy day in early April is not the most ideal time for having four large holes in your apartment. I think window replacements should be I also enjoyed hearing the differences between the movie version and the book. I was a little confused, I am not sure if I actually got to the end of the book or not, for the book seemed to end rather suddenly. I loved hearing about these characters that I had absolutely come to love while watching them on screen. I like that Dickens novels all end in the perfect story book ending; every one is happy, evil has got its comeuppance and love and virtue have conquered all.