Blonde 'Anne of Green Gables'? A new cover displeases loyal readers
It鈥檚 doubtful whether many other literary characters are as famous for their physical appearance as is Anne Shirley of 鈥淎nne of Green Gables.鈥�
Anne (with an 鈥渆,鈥� thank you), the orphan girl who is adopted by stern Marilla and warmhearted Matthew of Green Gables on Prince Edward Island, often bemoans her red hair and freckles. 鈥淣ow you see why I can鈥檛 be perfectly happy,鈥� she says tragically soon after meeting her new guardian, Matthew. 鈥淣obody could who had red hair. I don鈥檛 mind the other things so much 鈥� the freckles and the green eyes and my skinniness.鈥� (She, in fact, informs him she wishes she had hair of 鈥渁 glorious black, black as the raven鈥檚 wing.鈥�)
Her appearance is later the subject of one of the novel鈥檚 most famous incidents, when schoolmate and future husband Gilbert Blythe calls her 鈥渃arrots,鈥� prompting her to break her slate over his head.聽
So how did Anne end up blonde and unfreckled on the front of a book cover?
Fans are none too pleased with the new edition of the classic novel released by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform in which a blonde teenage girl lounges in a plaid button-down shirt. According to Amazon鈥檚 website, the book was released on Nov. 27.
鈥淢ontgomery's iconic Anne is a high-spirited redhead with freckles and a pointed chin, whereas this new Anne is a languid blond with dark roots, a round face and a come-hither look,鈥� Irene Gammel, a Montgomery expert, told the .
Users on have made their displeasure known.
聽鈥淭his cover art is insulting, and I am actively discouraging friends from buying it,鈥� a commenter named Beth Ann L. Stone from Pennsylvania wrote on the website. 鈥淧ublisher, I advise you to quickly fire whomever it is that came up with such a cover design.鈥�
A user named Teresa De Grosbois from Vancouver agreed.
鈥淣ote to publisher 鈥� this is a children's about a red-head girl who's 10!鈥� De Grosbois wrote. 鈥淣ot a teen romance.鈥�
"Anne" was first published in 1908 and was followed by six other books which chronicled the further adventures of Anne and, eventually, her children. The first few books were adapted into a popular miniseries in 1985 starring Megan Follows as Anne, who would go on to portray her in other adaptations, including "Anne of Avonlea," another miniseries which followed the events of the books, and "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story," which was an original work.
