Kindred Spirits Book Club

Episode 14: ”Carrots” and Slates; Anne’s Pride

Anne Shirley, “all spirit and fire and dew,” is notorious for her temper and her pride. Ragon and Kelly explore why this is such a challenging character trait for Anne, and how she overcomes it. Side quests include TikTok, duels of honor, and whether Jo March, Mary Lennox or Pippi Longstocking is Anne’s spiritual sister. 

Episode 13: Dryads, Ghosts and Lily Maids: Anne’s Imagination

Wherein our heroine invents ghosts and dryads, fairies and snow queens, and we discuss how her imaginings very likely saved her spirit. We talk about whether embellishments are the same as lies, which Romantic poets Anne was reading, and how Anne made Prince Edward Island iconic with her imaginative descriptions.  

Episode 12: Red Hair and Puffed Sleeves: Anne’s Vanity

New Year, New Anne! We discuss Anne’s preoccupation with her appearance – she’s perfect just the way she is and so are you, listener! – and why Marilla was so worried about Anne’s vanity. We discuss Victorian fashion as well as the terrible haircuts, skincare, and diets we tried in the name of vanity.

Episode 11: Gilbert Blythe, Everyone’s First Crush

The podcast episode that is at least 20 years in the making . . .  We gush about why Gilbert was our first imaginary boyfriend, what the heck was wrong with Anne, and contemporary successors to Gilbert’s true good guy prototype.  We also discuss our year in reading and where we stand on the “rivals to lovers” trope.  

Episode 10: The Girls of Avonlea

It turns out that kids are kids even a century apart: opaque social hierarchies, dares gone wrong, mean-girl passive aggressive relationships, gossip and dramatics!  We talk about Anne’s friends and their antics, what we all got wrong about The Lady Of Shalott and how we are coping with the holiday season.  

Episode 9: Miss Josephine Barry, Rich Auntie Supreme

Everyone knows that single, child-free, and mysteriously wealthy woman with immaculate clothes and a gorgeous home – and for Anne, it’s Diana’s Aunt Josephine! We tag along with Aunt Jo and the girls on a lavish trip to the big city and speculate about where her money came from.  Bonus content includes Aunt Jo fan fic!

Episode 8: The Ladies of Avonlea

Upsets, accidents, and apologies – how do the adult ladies of Avonlea respond to Anne’s escapades, and what does that tell us about who Anne is becoming? We discuss busybodies, eating medicine flavored cake to be polite, and politics in Avonlea.

Episode 7: Miss Stacy and Education

How do you educate a whole village of children in one room? Why was Mr. Phillips such a creep and Miss Stacy so wonderful? We ask these questions and share some embarrassingly hilarious stories from our own school days in this episode.

Episode 6: Matthew and Masculinity

Do you love Matthew Cuthbert as much as we do? In this episode we celebrate this legend of gentle masculinity, and talk about how his capacity for unconditional love nourished and sustained Anne. Digressions include: why gifts are our favorite of the five love languages, fatherly pride, the delight of grubs in the cucumbers, and David Lynch.  

Episode 5: Diana and Friendship

What is a bosom friend, exactly? In this episode, we take on that question and talk all about the wonderful girl who became Anne’s dearest friend and most ardent supporter. Come for the raspberry cordial, stay for our thoughts on long-standing childhood friendships, Diana’s “dark side,” and whether Anne and Diana’s intimacy can be read as something more.