Rilla of Ingleside
I finally made it to the end of LM Montgomery's series about Anne Shirley Blythe, and man was it worth it to get to this gem of a book. Rilla of Ingleside is easily the best book of the series, throwing Anne's idyllic world into turmoil during the first world war. The rest of the series may have gotten repetitive and boring, but it makes the hardship and tragedy in this one stand out that much more.
This book follow's Anne's youngest daughter. At the outset, she's eager to grow up, go to parties, get a boyfriend or two, and generally enjoy her youth. Unlike her brothers and sisters, she has no real ambition beyond enjoying her late teens. But all that gets thrown out the window by world events.
One by one, Rilla's brothers sign up and travel to the front. Instead of parties and dates, Rilla finds herself organizing Red Cross fundraisers and raising a baby whose mother died and whose father left for the war and hasn't been heard of since. She has to grow up quick, and of course she rises to the occasion.
I cried a lot while I was reading this book. It has a way of not just tugging on your heart strings, but grabbing them and yanking. The hardship in this book, which centers on the women who must stay home while the men go to war, is even more stark when compared to the rest of this idyllic series. Montgomery uses that comparison to full effect, highlighting the similarities and differences between Rilla and her mother, Anne. I'm so glad I persevered through this series and made it to this book. It's a fantastic culmination of everything that came before.
This book follow's Anne's youngest daughter. At the outset, she's eager to grow up, go to parties, get a boyfriend or two, and generally enjoy her youth. Unlike her brothers and sisters, she has no real ambition beyond enjoying her late teens. But all that gets thrown out the window by world events.
One by one, Rilla's brothers sign up and travel to the front. Instead of parties and dates, Rilla finds herself organizing Red Cross fundraisers and raising a baby whose mother died and whose father left for the war and hasn't been heard of since. She has to grow up quick, and of course she rises to the occasion.
I cried a lot while I was reading this book. It has a way of not just tugging on your heart strings, but grabbing them and yanking. The hardship in this book, which centers on the women who must stay home while the men go to war, is even more stark when compared to the rest of this idyllic series. Montgomery uses that comparison to full effect, highlighting the similarities and differences between Rilla and her mother, Anne. I'm so glad I persevered through this series and made it to this book. It's a fantastic culmination of everything that came before.
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