Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert have sent to the orphanage for a boy. So when a skinny, red-haired girl turns up, she is not quite what they had in mind. Anne Shirley soon sets the quiet island community of Avonlea talking of little else. With her incessant chatter and intense imagination, things are never dull with Anne - in fact, they are frequently fiery. But slowly the islanders realise that beneath the quicksilver tongue and the red-headed temper is a little girl with a heart of gold, who brings a much-needed warmth and vitality to the community...

Anne of Green Gables was originally written by Lucy Maud Montgomery and published in 1908. This BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation was first broadcast in five parts between 19 January and 16 February 1997.

The story starts when farm owners Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, make the decision to adopt a boy in order to help them with the farm work. But when Matthew goes to the train station to pick up the boy, they discover that they've been sent a young girl instead - an eleven year old precocious girl called Anne Shirley. Anne, who would rather be called Cordellia as it's a much more romantic name, is soon winning the hears of the entire community. She also excels in her education and gets up to many adventures with her new friends.

While this is an entertaining audio production, the accents might be too much for most to stomach. However, if you stick with it, you'll soon get sucked into the tale and thoroughly enjoy this sweet story about a little orphan girl.

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Amber Leigh