Avonlea before Anne with an "E"

Before the little redheaded chatterbox came to stay at Green Gables, there was Marilla. Not Marilla the staunch mother-figure to Anne, but Marilla the person, Marilla the little girl, full of wonder and words and curiosity herself.

That is the story contained within the pages of Marilla of Green Gables, by Sarah McCoy.

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The story starts when Marilla and Matthew are just children, Matthew helping in the fields and Mariilla lending a hand to her mother, who is expecting another baby. Soon, their world is turned upside when when tragedy strikes: her mother dies in childbirth, and Marilla is thrust into roles and responsibility she hadn't expected to bear at such a young age. Together with her brother, Matthew, and their father, Hugh, the Marilla must keep everything together after their world has fallen apart.

But Marilla has bigger dreams than the walls of Green Gables can contain. Bolstered by her worldly Aunt Izzy, her mother's twin sister, she dares to venture outside the insulated world of Avonlea to find new opportunities. She finds friendship, a cause or two to throw her efforts behind, and even a little romance as she simultaneously spreads her wings and finds her footing in the world.

Can Marilla strike a balance between wanting to make a difference in the world outside Green Gables' gates and staying true to her roots?

Fans of the beloved Canadian stories by L.M. Montgomery will fall in love with this book, too. If you are like me and have always wondered what lies being Marilla's steely stare and no-nonsense attitude, this book will shed some light on that, giving never-before-seen insight into one of the major players in the Anne of Green Gables stories, movies, and TV series. No Green Gables book collection is complete without this one. Don't miss it!

Marilla of Green Gables will be available on October 23.

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