# Janet Sweet — Anne of the Island character guide

> Janet Sweet in Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Miss Janet Sweet, Janet, Poor Janet, dear Janet

**First appearance:** 0034-xxxii-tea-with-mrs-douglas

## Snapshot

The gentle, long-suffering woman of Valley Road who has waited years to marry John Douglas while his possessive mother clings to him.

## Who they are

Janet Sweet is the quiet, faithful woman John Douglas loves, kept waiting by his mother's frail health and iron grip on her only son. At the Douglas tea table she blushes, pours, and endures in a hideous dress while old Mrs. Douglas strokes her hand and calls her dear. Her patient devotion, contrasted against that sweetly tyrannical old age, gives Anne a sobering glimpse of how love can be worn thin by duty and delay.

## Relationships

### [John Douglas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/john_douglas)

_romantic_

Janet Sweet and John Douglas are a middle-aged couple whose long-delayed romance is finally resolved, with Anne acting as a catalyst.

### [Anne Shirley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/anne_shirley)

_friendship_

Janet Sweet is a kind, hardworking woman who becomes a friend to Anne during Anne's stay in Valley Road.

### [John Douglas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/john_douglas)

_romantic_

Janet Sweet and John Douglas are a middle-aged couple whose long-delayed romance is finally resolved, with Anne acting as a catalyst.

### [Anne Shirley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/anne_shirley)

_friendship_

Janet Sweet is a kind, hardworking woman who becomes a friend to Anne during Anne's stay in Valley Road.

### [John Douglas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/john_douglas)

_romantic_

Janet Sweet and John Douglas are a middle-aged couple whose long-delayed romance is finally resolved, with Anne acting as a catalyst.

### [Anne Shirley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/anne_shirley)

_friendship_

Janet Sweet is a kind, hardworking woman who becomes a friend to Anne during Anne's stay in Valley Road.

## In the story

### [XXXI: Anne to Philippa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters/xxxi-anne-to-philippa)

Anne's landlady at Wayside, a kind and old-fashioned cook.

### [Tea with Mrs. Douglas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters/xxxii-tea-with-mrs-douglas)

Dresses up for prayer meeting; is courted by John Douglas; pours tea at Mrs. Douglas's house and appears uncomfortable.

### [XXXIII: “He Just Kept Coming and Coming”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters/xxxiii-he-just-kept-coming-and-coming)

Cries on her fortieth birthday, reveals her twenty-year unrequited courtship with John Douglas, and reluctantly follows Anne's advice before being reconciled.

### [John Douglas Speaks at Last](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/chapters/xxxiv-john-douglas-speaks-at-last)

Janet is grieving after Mrs. Douglas's death, but is surprised and overjoyed when John Douglas finally proposes, revealing the promise that kept them apart for nineteen years.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters/janet_sweet
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anne_of_the_island_se/characters