L. M. Montgomery (1874–1942)

Emily Starr is in many ways similar to Anne Shirley and you can tell Montgomery shaped them from the same mold. Their youthful spirits are as tough as brick walls and they never undermine their own precocities for the sake of their peers; they demand respect, yet this does not make them any less generous and faithful to their friends. However, I think Emily is perhaps the more sophisticated of the two and is faced with more interpersonal challenges. Unlike Anne who has her fair share of trusted allies, Emily struggles to maintain a sense of harmony with the ever-changeable people around her. But nevertheless, she is the kind of intrepid girl who takes no prisoners, and she never fails to show who’s boss to those who are jealous of her unparagoned talents and try to take advantage of her. Anne Shirley is perhaps the more loved and long-lasting of the two, but in my opinion I find Emily more potent and personal.… (mere)

I'm not entirely sure Roy is a real person, but more of a figment of Anne's overblown imagination, and he suffers a merciless death (figuratively) when at last her quixotic dream ceases to sustain itself before her and she grows up. What happens with Anne seldom happens in real life, as it is ludicrously fortunate for her that Gilbert is so indomitable in his love that she gets so many chances, perhaps to an excessive degree (in so far as his contracting typhoid fever in his loveless agony because he can't live without her). The thing is, there is no such thing as a perfect man (or woman) and we are only deceiving ourselves if we think such people exist; they only exist in novels like this. I think this novel should serve as a warning: if we let ourselves become like Anne, it may very well cost us the only chance at love we get.… (mere)