Anne Shirley is one of the most beloved book characters of all time. There have been several film adaptations of Anne of Green Gables, the first book in the Anne series. The best known is a mini-series starring Megan Follows that does a great job of staying true to the book. The sequel to that series, Anne of Avonlea, draws from several of the Anne books and adds some original content as well. While it is enjoyable, I like the story line in the books much better.
In 2000, the same company made a third installment to this series called Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. This movie does not stay true to the books at all. As a result, if you only watch the movies, you will miss out on some truly amazing characters. I’ve decided to share my favorites with you in the order they appear in the book series.
1 & 2. Davy and Dora Keith
In the book, Anne of Avonlea, Marilla and Anne take in a set of twins who are distantly related to Marilla. Their names are Davy and Dora Keith. Davy is a lovable scamp who gets into all kinds of mischief and constantly asks Anne random questions because he “wants to know.” Dora is a model child who Anne finds a bit boring, but her good behavior helps Davy’s antics stand out all the more. The twins are very entertaining, and they add to Anne’s theory that twins are an inescapable part of her fate.
3-5. Philippa Gordon, Priscilla Grant, and Stella Maynard
In Anne of the Island, Anne attends Redmond College along with Priscilla Grant, a loyal friend from Queen’s Academy who has a good imagination. Anne and Priscilla become friends with the beautiful and bubbly Philippa Gordon and are drawn into her social circle.
In their second year at Redmond, Stella Maynard, another of Anne’s friends from Queen’s, comes to join them. According to Anne, Stella has “a heartful of wistful dreams and fancies” just like her. The four girls move into a cottage called Patty’s Place with Stella’s Aunt Jamesina as a chaperone. They have a wonderful time, and Anne keeps in touch with her three college friends for the rest of her life. For me, the series just isn’t complete without them.
6. Miss Cornelia Bryant
At the beginning of Anne’s House of Dreams, Anne and Gilbert Blythe get married, then move into a small house in Four Winds near the village of Glen St. Mary. They meet a lot of interesting people in this new area, including Miss Cornelia Bryant. This straightforward spinster quickly decides that the Blythes are “of the race that knows Joseph,” her term for kindred spirits.
Funny and spirited, Miss Cornelia believes that most of the world’s problems can be laid at the feet of either men or Methodists. At the end of the book, she shocks everyone by marrying and becoming Mrs. Marshall Elliott. She later takes in an orphan named Mary Vance who becomes a playmate of the Blythe’s children.
7. Leslie Moore
Anne and Gilbert’s neighbor while they live in their “house of dreams” is Leslie Moore, a young woman who is caring for her formerly cruel, and now brain-damaged, husband. Anne and Leslie become friends, but Leslie sometimes hates Anne because of how happy and carefree she seems. When Anne’s first child dies shortly after birth, Leslie and Anne grow closer because Leslie believes Anne now has a better understanding of pain and suffering.
At Gilbert’s suggestion, Leslie’s husband has surgery and comes back to himself. It turns out that he is not actually Leslie’s husband, Dick. He is his cousin, George, who bears a striking resemblance to Dick. George informs Leslie that her husband is dead. Free of responsibility, Leslie soon falls in love with and marries Owen Ford. Their son, Kenneth, ends up marrying Anne’s youngest daughter. Leslie is a complex and intriguing character who adds a lot to the series.
8. Captain Jim Boyd
The keeper of the Four Winds Lighthouse is a former sailor that everyone calls Captain Jim. He is a goodhearted man who loves Leslie Moore like a daughter and tells amazing stories about his days at sea. Captain Jim takes a liking to the Blythes and they to him. Anne and Gilbert’s first son is named in his honor.
9. Susan Baker
Shortly before Anne and Gilbert leave their House of Dreams, Anne and Gilbert hire a housekeeper to come and live with them named Susan Baker. When they move to their new house in Glen St. Mary, Susan comes with them and practically becomes a member of the family. Never without an opinion, Susan has a heart of gold. She stalwartly supports all of the Blythes, and “that you may tie to.”
10-15. Anne’s Children
Anne and Gilbert have six children who survive to adulthood. They are some of my favorite characters in the entire series and each deserve a place in this list.
- James “Jem” Blythe is their oldest son. He is born with red hair, much to Anne’s dismay and Gilbert’s pleasure. He is a brave and capable boy who loves dogs and tends to be a leader among his siblings and playmates. At the start of World War I, Jem enlists immediately.
- Walter Blythe is Anne and Gilbert’s second son and is described as the most handsome due to his dark eyes and hair. Walter is more reserved than his brother, Jem, and usually prefers writing poetry to anything more rough-and-tumble. Though he is sometimes accused of being a sissy, Walter can be very brave when the situation calls for it. Despite being horrified by the ugliness of war, he, too, eventually enlists and fights in World War I, where he receives a medal for bravery and writes a poem from the trenches that becomes famous around the world.
- Nan and Di Blythe, whose full names are Anne and Diana, are twins born to Gilbert and Anne who look nothing alike. Nan’s coloring is much like her father’s, while Di resembles her mother. Nan has an active imagination, like Anne, and Di is very friendly and down-to-earth. During World War I, both twins work with the Red Cross to support their troops from the home front.
- Shirley Blythe is Anne and Gilbert’s youngest son. Anne becomes very ill after Shirley’s birth, so Susan takes on much of the responsibility of raising him. As a result, Susan views him as hers, more than any of the other children. She calls him her “little brown boy” because his eyes, hair, and skin are all brown. He is a quiet, sensible boy. When he is old enough, he enlists in the flying-corps and fights in World War I.
- Rilla Blythe is Anne and Gilbert’s youngest child. Her name is actually Marilla, but everyone calls her by her nickname. With her dark, auburn hair and fair complexion, Rilla is considered the prettiest of the Blythe girls. She is quite vain and unambitious when she is young, but she grows into a level-headed and responsible young woman over the course of World War I. When the war is over, she marries Kenneth Ford.
16-19. The Meredith Children
The seventh book of the series, Rainbow Valley, introduces the Meredith family. John Meredith moves to Glen St. Mary to become the new Presbyterian minister and brings his four children with him. With their mother deceased and their father being loving but absentminded, the four children get into a lot of “scrapes.” They are all “of the race that knows Joseph” and quickly become friends with the Blythe’s children. I enjoy reading about all four of the Merediths immensely.
- Jerry Meredith is the oldest and the leader of the group. Headstrong and brave, he and Jem Blythe become close friends. The two of them enlist to fight in World War I together. After he returns from the war, Jerry marries Nan Blythe.
- Faith Meredith is a friendly girl with a warm nature and a hot temper. She is bold and never afraid to defend herself. During World War I, Faith goes overseas to work with the Red Cross and be near her sweetheart, Jem Blythe. The two of them get married after they return home.
- Una Meredith is shy and sweet. She is always willing to help others, even if it costs her a great deal. During World War I, she helps Rilla Blythe with the Junior Red Cross.
- Carl Meredith, the youngest of the family, is fascinated by insects and all things that crawl. He prefers the company of the creatures he finds to that of most people. Since they are both the youngest, Carl and Rilla Blythe become good friends. When he is old enough, Carl enlists to fight in World War I as well.
20. Norman Douglas
While not as major of a character as some of the others I mentioned, Norman Douglas is quite entertaining. Susan calls him a pagan, and though that might be taking it a bit far, Norman definitely feels no need to follow the religious conventions of his day. He constantly asks the minister questions to try stump him and once, rather memorably, shakes a man like a rag doll and runs him out of church for saying a rude, unpatriotic prayer.
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I think those are the best twenty characters you will miss out on if you stick to the Anne movies, rather than reading the books, but there are many others. This post would be entirely too long if I tried to talk about Paul Irving, Rebecca Dew, Mary Vance, Miss Lavendar…The list goes on and on. The only way for you to meet them all is to read the books yourself. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
Do you have a favorite Anne of Green Gables character that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog to receive weekly updates by email.
