Bustle Raves over Marilla of Green Gables

‘Marilla Of Green Gables’ Answers Questions About L.M. Montgomery’s Most Elusive Character

If you happened to be a book lover during the last century, or so, you know Anne of Green Gables. You’ve walked the great White Way of Delight with her, rowed across the Lake of Shining Waters, traipsed the Haunted Wood, considered the name ‘Cordelia’ for yourself. You’ve fallen in love with Matthew Cuthbert, found Mrs. Rachel Lynde a challenging personality, and developed a particular disdain for the Pye girls. And, if you’re anything like author Sarah McCoy, you’ve wondered about the mysteries of Marilla Cuthbert’s life as well — mysteries that McCoy’s brand new novel, Marilla Of Green Gables, seeks to answer.

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Winston-Salem Journal features Sarah McCoy and Marilla of Green Gables

Well-traveled, bestselling author planting roots in N.C. soil

Just a week and a half ago, Sarah McCoy was looking out the window of her new, farmhouse-style home in Winston-Salem as the winds of Tropical Storm Michael blew horizontal sheets of rain.

She could see a blue-green river running through her yard. “It shouldn’t be there, but it’s beautiful,” she said. The tops of landscaping tractors looked like lifeguard chairs in the downpour.

McCoy, 38, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Mapmaker’s Children,” was indoors and dry, and doing last-minute social media postings and interviews in advance of her next book tour, which kicked off last week in Canada…

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Marilla of Green Gables is a November Indie Next List Pick

Marilla of Green Gables tops the list for independent booksellers across the nation. IndieBound names Marilla of Green Gables a 🌟November Indie Next List Pick.

Click here to see which books alongside Marilla of Green Gables are Indie Next Great Reads for November and the holiday season.

Readers can purchase Marilla of Green Gables from their local independent bookstore or from Sarah’s. Bookmarks offers personalized copies of all of Sarah’s books.

Quill & Quire Features Marilla of Green Gables

“Something magical happens when L.M. Montgomery–obsessed readers get together. We cannot help ourselves. Our secret handshake does not involve intricate gestures, but instead a deeply embedded linguistic code that differentiates a true devotee from someone who is just dabbling in Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables world. U.S. writer Sarah McCoy is a true devotee. Her new historical novel, Marilla of Green Gables (HarperCollins, Oct.) is a beautiful read and is true to the character of Marilla Cuthbert…”

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Marilla of Green Gables is a Library Journal Fall Editors’ Pick

Library Journal editors pick Marilla of Green Gables as a notable book of fall 2018:

While there’s nothing quite like curling up
with L.M. Montgomery’s original series, I can
hardly complain about the many Anne of Green
Gables adaptations, on page and screen, that
have become especially prevalent in the last
handful of years. The latest comes from Sarah
McCoy, who imagines the farm long before
Anne shows up in Marilla of Green Gables
(Morrow, Oct.).

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Resounding ‘Bravo!’ for Marilla of Green Gables

Across the nation, booksellers and trade reviewers are raving about Marilla of Green Gables in advance of its October 23 release. 

“Sarah McCoy doesn’t disappoint fans of “Anne with an E” in this Green Gables prequel. She’s spot on with the language, setting and sensibilities of her characters. Bravo!”
—Trish Brown, One More Page Books, Arlington VA

Marilla of Green Gables is the addition to the Anne cannon you didn’t even know you needed. This beautiful book explores a much-beloved character’s backstory in an effortless and moving way. It’s packed full of nuggets that Anne Fans will recognize and love and is an ode to women everywhere who live unconventional lives.”
—Lindsay Crist Lawson, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati OH

“I love a well-executed great idea! Sarah McCoy has written a wonderful back story for the formidable but loving caretaker of Green Gables – Marilla Cuthbert. The novel covers the developing then faltering relationship between her and young John Blythe (Gilbert’s father), her friendship with Rachel Lynde, Matthew’s reticence around women, Marilla’s political points-of-view and her social awakening. Here we get to know and love the Marilla and Matthew who eventually welcome Anne Shirley into their lives. Anne of Green Gables fans will find much to enjoy.”
—Shirley Freeman, Bookbug, Kalamazoo MI

“Great for lovers of Anne who need more Avonlea in their lives. This book was very well done in the style of L.M. Montgomery that I had to remind myself that it wasn’t actually written by her and wasn’t *actually* Marilla’s backstory. Felt like there was one part of the story that was inconsistent with who Marilla is as an adult, however. But I enjoyed it because I love Anne of Green Gables.”
—Alison Frenzel, Fabled Bookshop and Café, Waco TX

“In Marilla of Green Gables, Sarah McCoy brings literary history to life with exquisite detail that immediately transports readers to Prince Edward Island and the Green Gables of their childhood. Watching Marilla navigate life after the sudden loss of her mother is anything but ordinary as she eschews tradition and braves life beyond Green Gables to find her own destiny in an ever-changing world. Fans of the original series and those entering this landscape for the first time will be captivated by the complicated family dynamics, timeless friendships, budding romance, and pivotal moments in history that shaped this iconic character.”
—Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem NC

“A rich, historically intense life for Marilla… McCoy weaves in fascinating historical details of Canada’s religious and political tensions of the mid-19th century… fashioning Marilla as a flawed hero of her times is a lovely tribute.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Anne aficionados will get a kick out of seeing Avonlea’s eccentric cast in their youth… McCoy captures the magic of Prince Edward Island, describing the changing seasons in lovely prose… [fans] will appreciate the way she reexamines characters they thought they knew so well.”
—Booklist