L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series is a masterclass in good-natured humor. Montgomery has a farsically poetic way of displaying the ridiculousness of humanity without actually berating humanity—a quality that feels like a lost art in our time.

These books aren't preachy or condescending. They're warm, witty, and deeply observant of human nature. Anne herself is a character who embodies optimism without naivety, kindness without weakness, and imagination without escapism. She sees the beauty in the world around her, even when life is hard, and she chooses joy as an act of will.

The series tracks Anne's growth from an orphaned girl who arrives at Green Gables full of dreams and mischief, through her years as a young woman navigating friendships, education, romance, and eventually marriage and motherhood. The final books in the series take on a more sobering tone, with World War I serving as the backdrop to the stories surrounding her family.

It's this arc—from the lighthearted charm of Anne's childhood to the sobering realities of adulthood and war—that gives the series its depth. Montgomery doesn't shy away from pain or loss, but she also never loses sight of goodness. Her characters face hardship, disappointment, and tragedy, yet they continue to choose kindness, resilience, and love.

As a series, these books are a reminder that life is something to be enjoyed and appreciated, and we do that best when we are good to other people. In a world that often celebrates cynicism and irony, the Anne series offers something rare: the celebration of earnest goodness without sentimentality.

If you're looking for stories that restore your faith in humanity while making you laugh, cry, and think, the Anne of Green Gables series is a treasure worth discovering—or rediscovering.