ETA 9/16: Hello everyone! As you might have noticed, we here at Doll Mag have had a busy, packed, and overwhelming few weeks. To put it simply, we haven’t had a chance to give Doll Mag another thought! Thank you so much for your patience, understanding, and sweet comments; we’ll have the new issue and a slew of posts up when life gets less crazy :)
Hi!
We hope you all had a fabulous Monday! We’re kicking off this week with another (sort of late!) edition of our Doll Mag Book Club. If you’re just joining us, we’re discussing L. M. Montgomery’s classic story, Anne of Green Gables, all throughout July, August, and September. Our book club questions are moderated by two of our fellow book lovers, DM models Nicki and Louisa. Anyone can be part of the club – comment your answers to the questions below, tell us your thoughts, or even just mention your favorite quote or scene from this set of chapters! Today we will be talking about chapters 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, so let’s get started and take a trip to Avonlea…
Remember – spoilers ahead!
“‘I don’t see how I’m going to have breakfast,’ said Anne rapturously. “Breakfast seems so commonplace at such an exciting moment. I’d rather feast my eyes on that dress. I’m so glad puffed sleeves are still fashionable. It did seem to me that I’d never get over it if they went out of style before I had a dress with them.'”
“‘I felt as if a million eyes were looking at me and through me, and for one moment I was sure I couldn’t begin at all. Then I thought of my lovely puffed sleeves and took courage. I knew that I must live up to those sleeves, Diana.'”
1. Ever since she came to Avonlea, Anne has been yearning for puffed sleeves of her own. What did you think about Matthew giving her a fancy dress with them for the holidays?
Louisa: Matthew is so sweet! He doesn’t really like to talk with strangers much (his interactions with the store clerk had me laughing and feeling so bad for him at the same time), so going out of his way to buy Anne the dress really show how much he loves her. I do wonder what they’ll do with all that brown sugar though…
Nicki: I’ve always held a sweet spot for Matthew; he has everyone’s best intentions at heart, and he is incredibly kind to Anne and other characters. His thoughtful gift – puffed sleeves were in trend! – further proves this characterization, as does, as Louisa mentioned above, his endearing mistake in ordering too much brown sugar. They just don’t know the wonders of a good chocolate chip cookie yet! :)
“‘Miss Josephine Barry wrote back that she had never read anything so amusing in her life. That kind of puzzled us because the stories were all very pathetic and everyone died.'”
2. Anne’s imagination is a staple throughout the entire book, as shown in the story club chapter. What are your thoughts on her and Diana’s latest hobby?
Louisa: Have I mentioned before how much I love Anne’s imagination?! Her stories range from romances to suspenseful tragedies (and everything in-between), so there’s always something interesting to read about. I also enjoyed hearing what others thought of her tales, from Diana and Matthew’s enjoyment to Marilla’s disapproval.
Nicki: I finished this chapter with one thought in mind: I want to join Anne and Diana’s story club! Readers have seen time and time again the active imagination of Anne, but the scenes never bore or feel repetitive, for each story Anne shares is more interesting than the last. Marilla’s blatant disapproval only made me like the idea – and even her – more.
“‘I’m in the depths if despair and I don’t care who gets head in class or writes the best composition or sings in Sunday school choir anymore. Little things like that are of no importance now because I don’t suppose I’ll ever be able to go anywhere again.'”
3. In this section of chapters, Anne finally decides to change her red hair. What did you think of the unexpected results?
Louisa: Oh my! This might just have to the funniest and most cringe-worthy scrape Anne’s gotten herself into yet, especially when you add in Anne’s dramatic monologue. While I don’t think it was a very good idea for her to dye her hair in the first place, I do feel terrible for her. As Kermit the Frog says, “it’s not easy being green.”
Nicki: Oh my goodness, indeed. As with most of Anne’s incidents, this scene had me laughing, cringing, and feeling pity all at once, and Anne’s elaborate comments made it all the more entertaining. I can’t imagine it’s fun for her to go to school with dull green hair! I suppose if there’s one lesson to be learned here, it’s that dyeing hair is best saved for the professionals.
“‘We were playing Elaine,’ explained Anne frigidly, without even looking at her rescuer, ‘and I had to drift down to Camelot in the barge – I mean the flat. The flat began to leak and I climbed out on the pile. The girls went for help. Will you be kind enough to row me to the landing?'”
4. Anne and Gilbert Blythe meet again when Anne and her friends decide to reenact Elaine. What are your thoughts on Anne’s boat ride and Gilbert’s apology?
Louisa: Well, on second though, this might have to be the funniest and most cringe-worthy scrape so far. Anne did give her friends quite a scare didn’t she? (Although it was pretty funny!). I really do wish that Anne accepted Gilbert’s apology though. He definitely seemed sincere, and I bet the two of them could be great friends if they managed to get along.
Nicki: Finally, Anne has a tendency for sticky situations, like the Elaine reenactment gone wrong. Nevertheless, she always seems to make me laugh, no matter how bad of an incident it is {I think it’s her dramatic flair}. The coincidence of Gilbert being there is too good to be true! I’m rooting for their friendship.
We can’t wait to hear what YOU have to say in today’s discussion. Feel free to share your favorite quote too, as we have done above!
The next book club discussion will take place in ONE week (the 21st) and we will be talking about the following chapters: 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, or from the chapter Where the Brook and the River Meet to The Bend in the Road. We hope you will join in on the fun!
P.S. Thanks so much for your patience on our fall issue! We’ll have it up this Wednesday. Life gets kind of crazy, and we have to shift our priorities a bit, but we think a new edition is better late than never :)
Happy Sunday! Are you enjoying the long weekend? Going out with friends? Catching up on your favorite television show? Or, perhaps, reading a good book? We’re right there with you – Lulu and I love to read, and we frequently take the time before bed or on free afternoons to dive into our library books.
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