I fully appreciate that I am not early to the content game with this review but as I am friendly with lots of other super busy mom's I thought they might appreciate a peers review.
When this was first announced (or more likely when I finally found out) I was ridicously excited about this series. Anne of Green Gables remains one of the most treasured books of my youth that helped shape who I was as a person. Someone who takes a really long time to tell a story that desperately wants you to appreciate and understand, someone a bit dramatic and someone who has a deep appreciation for bosom friends and books....and a bit of a smarty pants.
This is what you need to know going in friends:
If you remember the Megan Follows version from the 80's and it is your most beloved version of the story, go ahead and head over to your mom's and pop it into the VCR and watch it there. The same story is told in the Netflix version and I would even wager to say it attempts to follow the story as close as possible.
Anne with an E is a darker version of the story. We get a lot more backstory of what happened to Anne prior to her adoption with the Cuthbert's. Without revealing to much in case you haven't watch it, there is one scene in particular that as a parent is hard to watch, although brief. Perhaps the director meant to make us uncomfortable since it was a traumatic experience for Anne herself. I personally don't feel a need for every single backstory to be explained. I was however pleased to get more of the backstory on what possibly happened with Marilla and Matthew.
Anne self harms. Upon reaching Green Gables she has a sizeable bruise on her arm from how many times she pinched herself to makes sure she was really awake.
Anne gets her period in the series. This is not something touched upon in the novels or the other movies I have watched and I felt pretty indifferent about it. I did feel for her though with the panic of getting blood on the bedsheets. Prepare to be surprised by the non-reaction from Marilla when Anne comes in from school whilst on her period and yells at her. Period or no my mom would have give me a good run of kicking if I talked to her like that. Marilla never impressed me as the type to take that type of treatment...especially from Anne.
The alluding of possible gay relatives. A knowing look is passed between Diana and Anne as she explains to Anne about Aunt Josephine's companion of many years.
Conclusion: I am glad I watched it and would recommend others watch it as well. I think if you know going in that it is going to be different you might watch it with a little different perspective.
