Quintessential Non-romantic Love Story

L. M. Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables" is the rarity referred to in the title. Unlike the traditional love stories, which concern themselves with only the romance between the hero & heroine, here different facets of human love take centre stage.

To start with is the unselfish love between the middle aged, unmarried siblings Matthew & Marilla. Instead of being frustrated & irritable, they are at peace with themselves & their world. 

With the arrival of the unwanted orphan Anne Shirley, who from the beginning loves them, as she comes from a horrendous background, the dynamics change. Matthew is sympathetic right from the start, while Marilla takes her time. But her feminine, unrequited maternal heart is also soon conquered.

Then there is the friendly, sisterly love between Anne & Diana, which progresses in spite of initial external hiccups. Though beginning with a stormy start, the love between Anne & the older ladies Rachel Linde & Josephine Barry strikes root firmly & becomes enduring.

Only towards the end of the book, the embryonic romantic love between Anne & Gilbert makes its beginning. In spite of it, Anne rejects a lucrative college scholarship to be with the aging Marilla in a supreme act of selfless love.