Anne’s House of Dreams, the fifth book in the Anne series, packs quite a punch. My favorite novel of the series, Anne’s House of Dreams begins with Anne’s lovely wedding to Gilbert in the orchard of Green Gables. The story continues as they move to their first home on the other side of Prince Edward Island, as Gilbert begins his medical practice, and as Gilbert and Anne start their family and their married life together.
This is the strongest installment in the Anne series. It is truly a literary novel to love. Readers will find themselves immersed in the sights and sounds of the island’s seaside. Anne and Gilbert’s first year of marriage mirrors the setting, as storms rage and gentle tides roll in. Both the new characters introduced in the novel, and the storylines that follow, are more serious and compelling than those of the earlier books. Captain Jim, Miss Cornelia, and Leslie Moore and her husband Dick are all among the most memorable characters of the series. The tragedies of Leslie’s life, and the loss of a much-wanted daughter for Anne, add weight to the lighter, comic stories throughout. The novel concludes with Anne and Gilbert’s move to Ingleside, a larger home in town. But the memories of this novel, and the “house o’ dreams” will stay in your mind, long after you close the book.