Books
Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery is a story of a child Anne Shirley who uses her talkative nature, expansive imagination and stubbornness to win the hearts of those in Green Gables. An orphan, who due to a misunderstanding becomes adopted by an inflexible Marilla Cuthbert and her brother soft-spoken Matthew Cuthbert, becomes slowly but surely integrated into a small Nova Scotia town. Though she has a fiery temper that is often difficult to rein in, she learns over the years and the growing pains of getting older, to channel that into passion, eventually going to school and becoming a teacher. She eventually comes to have a close 'bosom friend', Diana, and a rival-turned-love-interest, Gilbert Blythe. The way L. M. Montgomery paints a picture is truly beautiful, "It was November--the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines." What stands out to me about this novel is the vivid descriptions of how she sees beyond the typically mundane and her will to persist despite anything coming her way; which is only briefly mentioned in the novel and expanded on in the Netflix Live Action series.
Pride and Prejudice (circa 1813), by Jane Austen combines the sharp wit of one Elizabeth Bennet and the moody and reluctant romance of one wealthy Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy (often referred to as just Mr. Darcy or Darcy) in Regency era England. The novel opens with the famous line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." This immediately sets the bar that this is a story about money, marriage, and the path it takes to get to the latter. At first Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy cross paths at a party because his friend Mr. Bingley is interested in pursuing her sister, Jane. Through several encounters, especially one hand-flex scene that has wooed the hearts of many romantics, their chemistry is undeniable. My favorite part of it all is Darcy's second, albeit indirect proposal to Elizabeth. In his first, he basically says, "Hey you don't have any money or status and I would totally be doing you a favor by giving you this lifeline of money and status, so are you going to take it?" She says no, of course. Time passes. But he comes back, humbled and after much reflection says something more along the lines of, "My feelings for you haven't changed and if you feel any differently please let me know." They both learn their lessons of making snap judgments and overcoming pride in being wrong (typically due to misunderstandings).
A Series of Unfortunate Events (1999-2006) by Lemony Snicket [real name: Daniel Handler] is an adventure as a kid to read and a delightful re-read as an adult of the grim series of unfortunate events that follow the Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. Handler narrates as a character Lemony Snicket who is investigating what has happened to these three children whose parents perished in a fire that destroyed their home. It eventually becomes known that their parents were part of a secret organization called VFD (Volunteer Fire Department) that used to 'fight fires' until eventually the organization became torn apart by a schism, a word which here means a split or division between two groups due to opposing beliefs. As the children get passed from relative to relative as their legal guardians, I love the way Handler handles moral grayness and as he puts it, "People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like chef's salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinagarette of confusion and conflict."