Reading Through The Year With L. M. Montgomery (2022-23) discussion

Please post below.

It's romance week and what a better book than Anneof the Island I can't imagine. The first half of the book has an ending that is sad, with Anne rejecting Gilbert. Now I am going to be eagerly reading the second half to see how this resolves.

I did not like one thing in the story and that was the treatment of animals. Chloroforming cats was sad but at least fairly painless, but the hanging of the old dog Mr. Harrison no longer wanted, and to have to do it twice, filled me with horror and grief. I hate animal cruelty
I am not sure why Maud included this in the story.
What did you like or dislike about the first half of the story?