Anne of Manhattan by Brina Statler

Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant

Genre: Fan Fiction/Romance

Suggested Age: Adults

What is this book about? Anne of Manhattan by Brina Statler is an adaptation of L. M. Montgomery’s classic children’s novel Anne of Green Gables. If you have read Montgomery’s story, then you will more than likely recognize the characters, and even some of the plot in Statler’s story. Though locations share similar names like Avonlea and Green Gables, Montgomery’s story takes place on Prince Edward Island in Canada and Statler’s story takes place on Long Island, New York. The stories also take place at different times. The original story was set in the late nineteenth century and the adaptation takes place during modern times. Statler opens her novel with excerpts from the main character’s childhood journal. These excerpts lay the foundation for the Anne of Manhattan’s story.

Anne Shirley is a feisty red-headed orphan girl who was adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, a brother and sister who own Green Gables Winery at Avonlea on Long Island, NY. Anne lives with her friends Diana and Phillipa in an apartment in New York City, and she is enrolled at Redmond College where she is studying for her Masters in Education. One night while at a bar she unexpectedly runs into her childhood nemesis, the handsome Gilbert Blythe. Gilbert had been going to school in CA, but his dad became ill with cancer so he came home and transferred to Redmond. To Anne’s frustration, he enrolled in the same Masters Program as her. Just like in Montgomery’s story, Anne and Gil are surly and competitive. But in Statler’s story, Anne and Gil are young adults who eventually discover that despite their contentious past, they are now wildly attracted to each another. Their relationship develops further when their professor asks them to work on their thesis together. By this point, Gil is in love. He can’t resist Anne’s wavy red hair, big grey eyes, and pail soft skin. Anne is falling in love too, but she is a little more hesitant than Gil. She is crushed near the end when she discovers that Gil may have betrayed her. They fight and break up and Anne returns home to Avonlea not knowing the fate of their relationship or the direction of her future.

My Review: I really enjoyed reading Statler’s adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. I imagine that other fans would enjoy it too. Statler’s portrayal of Anne and Gil are right on! However, they are much less innocent and more sexually mature in the adaptation than they are in the original story. Anne of Manhattan is not a book for young readers. Some characters abuse alcohol, there are steamy sex scenes, and the author uses very explicit language. Some readers may be offended by this, but I was not. I was able to overlook the characters’ loss of innocence in order to enjoy a clever, modern day retelling of a classic coming of age story. If you like to listen, Anne of Manhattan is available in audio format.

Rating: 4/5

Words that Describe this Book: Surprising, Romantic, Fun & Explicit

Give this try if you like: The Avonlea Series by L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden, Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy, or the Netflix TV show Anne with an E.

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Genre: Civil War, Historical Nonfiction

Suggested Age: Adult

What is the book about? During the Civil War, many women took action to further the interests of the side they favored. This is an account of four such women, two for the Confederates, and two for the Union. Belle Boyd gained notoriety by killing a Union soldier in her home as a teenager. She built upon her dangerous reputation to become a renowned Confederate spy. Emma Edmonds, originally from Canada, began living as a male a couple years before war broke out. She took a stand by joining the Union Army as soldier Frank Thompson. Rose O’Neale Greenhow was a widowed woman of means in Washington D.C. who worked to gather intelligence for Southern military leaders. And finally, Elizabeth Van Lew, from Richmond, Virginia, was a wealthy abolitionist who headed up a large network of pro-Union spies all while constantly being under suspicion by Confederate officials. No matter their political alignment, these women acted with conviction and tenacity.

 My Review: I listened to the audiobook on Axis360 and was hooked in the narrative very early on. Secret communiques, undercover missions in disguise, gritty battlefields, jail time, and even a meeting with Emperor Napoleon III are all detailed in this book that reads like a spy novel and not a dry recounting of history. The title, reminiscent of the of John LeCarré’s spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, does not seem accidental. This is an engaging story about danger, intrigue, lies, and secrets. These four women working on opposite sides of the Civil War were incredibly brave to defy cultural conventions and do what they felt was needed during a time of extreme political turmoil.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Absorbing, Detailed, Intriguing

Give This a Try if You Like… They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the Civil War by DeAnne Blanton & Lauren M. Cook, The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarré

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.