sun-lit-roses

[sun-lit-roses]

This is honest to god the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life

[sun-lit-roses]

Apparently today is National Internet Friends Day! So happy there's a day to acknowledge the love and gratitude you have for the friends in your phone and across the world 💜💞

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne of the Island Chapter 11: The Round of Life

I read this one late today, so I don't have much to add to the mix! This chapter feels like a bit of Anne of Avonlea slipped in. It's nice to revisit the familiar faces - and see what has changed - but I keep wanting to know what's going on back in Redmond! The gang all moving into Patty's Place, maybe hearing about some classes or social events? Which I suppose is very true to the college experience, going home over a break only to find yourself now belonging to two places and missing the other one.

[sun-lit-roses]

I always end up wanting books on other characters in Montgomery's works! Which I guess speaks to her ability to create interesting characters. Right now I want a Phil prequel, Gilbert's version of the Redmond years, and a book that makes sense of all the contradictory bits of Diana. 😂

What I’m supposed to be reading:

What I’m actually reading:

[sun-lit-roses]

I think you've hit the nail on the head with Nettie - when we met Mrs. Blewitt in Green Gables, she was a tight-fisted, snappish sort of woman who was trying to take Anne on as unpaid labor. I imagine her daughter might have grown up to be somewhat like her!

And now I want the tale of Jane making her way out West! An exciting rail journey, a new town, people taking an interest in a stranger and learning to appreciate her quiet ways and the sense of order that she brings - kind of like Jane of Lantern Hill only heading west instead of east!

Anne of the Island Chapter 11

Whew, LMM really threw everything into this chapter, the good the bad and the ugly. (This got long.)

So we're back in Avonlea and it's summer and Anne is reunited with her bestie Diana. RIP residents of Avonlea I never heard of or cared about much. I wonder if Uncle Abe foresaw his own death?

Congrats to Billy Andrews and Nettie Blewett. I also want to know (quoting Davy's favourite phrase here lol) whether he proposed to her himself or sent Jane again. Methinks he did it himself, if only bc I like to think that Jane refused to be his proxy again. We don't know anything about Nettie (at least I don't remember her from previous books) but I imagine her to be the bossy type, a formidable woman, you know, I think that would go well with his personality. Though why the hell am I investing this much time into a storyline that gets fewer sentences that I'm writing here, I cannot answer.

Now, Jane. I made a post on Jane in AOTI in 2023, not linking it here now bc it contains spoilers for later chapters. So, Jane resigned from Avonlea school and is going West. For illustration, this is what "West" means in Canada (PEI is so tiny!):

“Can’t get a beau in Avonlea, that’s what,” said Mrs. Rachel Lynde scornfully. “Says she thinks she’ll have better health out West. I never heard her health was poor before.”

Well, Jane did mention headaches in her letter to Anne but if it's true that her reason for going West is to find a man (and I think it likely is, though I also suspect that Jane wishes to get away from her mother, who is not a nice person) then--so fucking what? In this culture, there seems to be no worse fate for a woman than that of remaining a spinster. I get the impression that even an abusive husband is better than none. Then why blame a girl who is actively working on avoiding this fate? "What else would take her out West to some forsaken place whose only recommendation is that men are plenty and women scarce?" That's kinda the point, Rachel. Jane probably realised she's not getting attention at home, so she decided to go somewhere where she will get it, if only bc there aren't many women. Mrs Lynde is being unfair and judgemental here. Jane is going West to teach, not to have fun. Half a fucking continent away, where she doesn't know a soul, to a completely different environment, and different customs too, I imagine their ways will be very different from the ways of PEI. And she's going on her own. Jane is one truly brave young woman. In this instalment, LMM has gone out of her way to describe Jane as plain and boring. I think this is why she did it, bc there was to be a twist. And I like that Anne defends her friend. It also just occurred to me now that the proposal by proxy might have been a catalyst for Jane. Someone like her brother, who can't even talk to the girl he wants to marry, still manages to bag himself a wife, while she can't even get a man to look twice at her. That's gotta hurt. So she took her life into her own hands, instead of crying into her pillow at night. Good for you, Jane!

Next, Ruby. You know I've always thought that LMM chose to kill her off bc she was so wild about boys. Maybe she wanted to depict someone dying from tuberculosis, bc that's what used to happen in her times, and it had to be someone close to Anne. It couldn't be Diana, of course, so it had to be either Jane or Ruby. Ruby was probably the better choice for that. I mean, idk, I don't care for her much. She's crazy about boys and gets hysterical, that's all there is to her, but also she was an opportunity for LMM to write someone so vivid fighting against inevitable death.

Next, Aunt Atossa. One of the book's pointless plots. There already was a similar character in AOA and it wasn't as out of place. LMM should have written a separate short story for her. (There are actually 2 spinoff short stories for AOTI.) The only good thing is that Diana on their way there admired the sunset. We don't see her do that a lot.

Last, Anne wants to write a short story. Fantastic, tell me more!

[sun-lit-roses]

Spin the wheel. That's who's trying to kill you.

Spin the wheel again. That's who's trying to protect you.

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne of the Island Chapter 10: Patty's Place

Patty's Place at last! I coveted this house so much from these descriptions growing up and was heartily disappointed that none of my college digs ever measured up.

Miss Patty and Miss Maria are a delight - and Priscilla's description of them knitting across Europe is the image I have of them permanently 😂 Not to mention this is the introduction of Gog and Magog. Truly a red-letter day!

And they are to be a foursome now! Or fivesome, I suppose with Aunt Jimsie. What a merry crew! Now, if Montgomery will only give us a little more time and space in her chapter allotment to experience their sophomore year...

[sun-lit-roses]

uh oh! one of your organs has mysteriously vanished! Spin this wheel to find out which one!

[sun-lit-roses]

I recently got an on-campus job. During the interview process, I requested that I not be scheduled on Friday nights or Saturdays as I am a Jewish student.

My boss immeadiately brightened and rushed to explain - "Of course ! Of course! We want to accomodate you! We have another worker who takes off for Ramadan. Do you need to take off for Ramadan?"

I shook my head, incredibly confused. "Uh. That's. Not my jurisdiction. I'm good." Boss nodded but was sure to add "Let me know if that ever changes. We can help you with Ramadan."

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne of the Island Chapter 9: An Unwelcome Lover and a Welcome Friend

What a chapter title!

I didn't remember Billy and Charlie's proposals coming one after another, but LMM just went ahead and got them out of the way at once, didn't she? 😂

We just sped right through Anne's freshman year in a blink as well, with only one chapter for the whole second term - not sure why there's such a hurry, we never saw any of her classes or even heard what subjects she was taking! Those 3 new suitors of Anne's are also a mystery. No names, no meetings, just a passing presence to give Gilbert heart palpitations. I don't really feel as yet that Kingsport is a real place the way that Avonlea was built up - the cemetery is the only place we've gotten a thorough description of. The boarding house is a little fleshed out, but none of the campus. No professors or classmates.

But I'm happy for the reappearance of Stella! Her letter is delightful. And I love Montgomery's descriptions of spring, those 'darling days of breeze and blue.' With Patty's Place upon the horizon!

[sun-lit-roses]

1. change all the e’s in your url to “3” 2. change all the o’s in your url to “0” 3. change all the i’s in your url to “1” 4. add some dashes everywhere 5. put “Xx_” and “_xX” at the beginning and end 6. your new emo chat forum url

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne of the Island Chapter 8: Anne's First Proposal

I do feel bad for Anne, and a bit for Jane, but this chapter is so funny. Poor Anne, ready to go to sleep, having to deal with an offer of marriage flung over her like a bucket of cold water. This bit always gets me:

Anne had been sitting up in bed, the better to wrestle with the problem of her exact opinion of Billy Andrews. Now she fell flatly back on her pillows, the very breath gone out of her.

Anne over here doing calisthenics to cope with this series of questions, while Jane is just lying there at ease 😂

Also, can we talk about how terrible a name 'Anne Andrews' would be? She had to turn him down for that if nothing else.

[sun-lit-roses]

whoever bought the domain spidersge.org and had it go to a simple html page with nothing except the text of the famous spiders georg post:

Thank you. You are doing good work. Hope you have a wonderful day

[sun-lit-roses]

Actually full disclosure until like a couple months ago I thought that Severance and Succession were the same thing. They're both three-syllable titles that start with S and from the scattered posts I saw on my dash appeared to involve mostly people looking very distraught in business-y environments. Eventually I started to pick up on the sci-fi stuff but for a while I was just like "Man, this family is even more fucked up than I thought!"

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne of the Island Chapter 7: Home Again

First term over already?! I must say, we didn't get a whole lot of the classroom, or any new friends besides Phil. Not that Phil isn't an unending delight all on her own. Her experience on the street car is one I always think of when I'm fishing for a fare.

Speaking of, I wonder what her home life was growing up? She speaks easily of her parents, but Anne's descriptions of a loving home seemed very moving to her. Or perhaps she's been secure enough to take home for granted!

I do love Marilla - she experienced one (1) positive emotion and betrayed a hint of sentimentality by getting out the good dishes, so now she has to cover it up with sarcasm.

[sun-lit-roses]

how I picture Charlie at this point:

[sun-lit-roses]

Anne and Priscilla waking up in sweat in the middle of the night from a nightmare, in which they are stuck in a room full of cushions.