Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books and to be able to revisit this world is just beautiful. I really appreciated how the author stuck to the universe and was true to LM Montgomery's work. I fell in love all over again.

The characterisation of Marilla in Marilla Before Anne doesn't quite line up with the character in Anne of Green Gables, but the story was intriguing. Marilla has always been one of my favorite characters, and it was interesting to have a glimpse of her early life. This may not be for purists, but as a seperate story, I definitely recommend it.

I have loved the Anne of Green Gables series since I was a child and it was so wonderful to get a chance to read a new book that brings those old, familiar characters back to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the author for the pleasure of her ideas.
#NetGalley #NimbusPublishing #MarillaBeforeAnne #LouiseMichalos #AnneShirley #AnneofGreenGables
This book contains everything you want to know about the residents of Avonlea before Anne Shirley graces it with her presence. We learn all about Marilla and Matthew and Rachel and Thomas Lynde. We even learn more about Gilbert Blythe.
This book was a breath of fresh air. I love Anne’s books and movies as so many do. It was nice to see what happened to these characters and how they shaped them into the people they were when Anne came into their lives.
There were a few choices made here that were hard to swallow. I won’t mention what it was as to avoid spoilers, but a connection between Marilla and Anne was made that didn’t entirely make sense, even though it seems to wrap everything up nicely with a bow. I can see why the author made these choices but I don’t think they had the desired effect, at least not for me. Even still, I appreciated this return to Avonlea and its characters.
If you are a fan of Anne Shirley, then you will appreciate this novel whether or not you like all of the aspects of it. I highly recommend this book.

This is an adult fiction book with some scenes not suitable for children/young adults. This exquisite, heartbreaking work of historical fiction takes readers on a journey back in time, to the Green Gables where Marilla Cuthbert lived, loved, and learned, long before Anne. A fantastic read one which I enjoyed more than I expected! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, would of preferred a download copy for the kindle however.

🌸Marilla Before Anne🌸
Author: Louise Michalos
To be Published: May 24, 2021

I was gifted this copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do you love Anne Shirley of Green Gables? Then you probably have a soft spot for one Marilla Cuthbert. For me, she is a profound but subtle character that grew on me without me realizing it.
When I had the chance to read a book about Marilla as a girl, to find out the reasons she became who she was when they got Anne, I couldn't pass it up.
And what a book it was! Reading this book allowed me to experience Marilla beginning at 18 up until the time she first meets Anne. Her loves, passions, heartaches, growing pains, and regrets touched me deeply. Such a full-bodied book about loss and hope and family.
I was so sad when it ended that I think it might be time for me to return to Green Gables soon.

Also! This book releases soon! If you are an Anne enthusiast, just want to know more, or are a sucker for a back story, pick up a copy! You'll be glad you did.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I remember watching Anne of Green Gables many years ago. This book is about Marilla when she was eighteen. Marilla who gad endured many things when she became an adult. The decisions she made, led to many challenges. I enjoyed this book.

An interesting take on the history of Marilla, the matriarch of beloved Anne of Green Gables. It takes a hard history to make the hard woman that she grew into, and this book doesn't disappoint. In many ways, it falls right into line with the Anne series, but there were a few caveats I would point out to parents before giving this book to your child. First, there are some graphic scenes, and mention of a lesbian romance, that some parents may not approve. Secondly, (not really offensive, but for the true Anne fans) the end of the book doesn't totally jive / line up with the beginning of the Anne books. There are some discrepancies that left with me with more questions...

I received an advance copy of, Marilla Before Anne, by Louise Michalos. I really liked this story, it was great to be in Marilla and Matthew's world again. I love Avonlea and Anne of Green Gables.

MARILLA BEFORE ANNE by Louise Michalos

I knew I wanted to read this book, from just the title. I am an avid fan of Anne of Green Gables. I have books, movies, and address book, and a cookbook. But I knew just a few pages into it, what the author was going to try to do and how wrong it was, to the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Marilla's middle name was put down here, as Anne. Marilla had a baby girl out of wedlock, that the family that adopted her, named her Bertha Anne. Bertha later marries Walter Shirley. It's too convenient for Anne's story. If Anne was indeed Marilla's granddaughter by blood, then Anne would never have been farmed out to other families to work as an unloved servant, nor would she have been placed into an orphanage.

Matthew and Marilla asked for a boy from the orphanage to help with some of the farm chores, to help Matthew. They didn't specifically request Anne.

Being true to the original novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this book doesn't make any sense at all. Not to mention the blasphemy used in this book. The Anne of Green Gables books never used any blasphemy. As it should be. Why is it that authors feel that using blasphemy is a good thing in a book? Highly disappointed. This book could have been so much more. It should have been titled BERTHA SHIRLEY BEFORE ANNE, and leave out everything about Green Gables and Marilla and Matthew.

If you have never read Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this book is for you. If you have read the Anne books or watched the movies, this book will make no sense to you, there is no continuity to the original story.

Another Anne book called BEFORE GREEN GABLES by Budge Wilson has excellently told us of Anne's story before Green Gables.

I received a complimentary copy of #marillabeforeanne from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review.

Oh my stars! I was so happy to revisit Green Gables and see what life was like before Anne got there. All the characters from the story were introduced and their backgrounds revealed, including of course the most prominent, Marilla, because without her there would be no Anne. Rachel and Thomas and William and Matthew were all introduced and my favorite-Gilbert Blythe!
There was a lot of sadness in this story which would probably be a trigger for some people, but it really did a good job of building up the storylines that lead to the famous books. I especially liked that it helped to explain why Marilla was always so cold and unsupportive if you’re a fan of the books or the show, you’ll enjoy this. I’ll definitely be purchasing this to add to my collection.

Thanks to Nimbus Publishing and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.