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Anne of Green Gables #8
Rilla, ma Rilla
Pour Rilla, dernière-née d’Anne Shirley et Gilbert Blythe, pas question d’études comme ses frères et sœurs, la vie ne devrait être qu’un délicieux tourbillon de robes et de premiers baisers. Malheureusement pour ses aspirations, la Grande Guerre va jeter un voile sombre sur Glen St. Mary : départ des fils et des frères, nouvelles angoissantes, amours empêchées… Rilla devra faire face à des responsabilités aussi désagréables que nécessaires. Avec Rilla, ma Rilla, Lucy Maud Montgomery clôt de la plus belle des façons une série merveilleuse : en tissant un roman comme un sortilège pour conjurer la noirceur du monde.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1921
About the author
L.M. Montgomery
1,844 books12.3k followersLucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Montgomery was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911. She had three children and wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926. She died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,275 reviews
August 4, 2007
"'Is it Rilla my Rilla?'
Yeth."
Yeth."
July 9, 2015
This is the final book of the Anne series, and deals with the lives of her children. While it's wonderful to see characters evolve into adulthood and have a next generation come to life, the real strength of this book is it's window into the homeland society of rural Maritime Canada during the first World War. It's one of few documentations (even if the characters are fictional) of what women were doing at home during the war, and this setting breathes new life into the end of the series. The setting also allows Montgomery to challenge readers with darker elements that are often present but less overt in other books. Rilla, Anne's youngest daughter, is a wonderful, spirited character and one of my favorites.
In general, Montgomery's work is constantly under-estimated, and the way the books are marketed doesn't help (the flowery script, the swoony illustrations). There are many layers at work in her stories, and some pioneering feminist concepts tucked in between the deep appreciation of nature, the commentary on the stuffy contemporary society of her day, and the delightful, well-drawn characters.
In general, Montgomery's work is constantly under-estimated, and the way the books are marketed doesn't help (the flowery script, the swoony illustrations). There are many layers at work in her stories, and some pioneering feminist concepts tucked in between the deep appreciation of nature, the commentary on the stuffy contemporary society of her day, and the delightful, well-drawn characters.
February 21, 2011
This is the book that finally severed my relationship with Kevin Sullivan. When Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story premiered in the early 2000s, I was shocked to discover that Anne and Gilbert were suddenly time warped to WWI.
That's wrong. On so many levels.
WWI wasn't Anne's war, it was Rilla's, and Ken's, and Walter's, and that damn dog who turns me into a gushy mess every freaking time I read the last chapter. Rilla -- the youngest child of Anne and Gilbert -- is fifteen (see what I mean about the time warp??) and desperately in love with the boy next door. When the world around her crashes and she's forced to grow up quickly, her journey is just as enjoyable as her mother's was in the first three books. The difference is, this is a mature kind of love. Though I devoured the entire series as a seven year old, Rilla of Ingleside is the one that I've worn through with repeated readings as an adult. Simply put, it's perfection.
The fact that Kevin Sullivan clearly ignored the fact that this book was written at all is frustrating and, to a reader who considers this book one of the reasons she became a romance writer, downright cruel.
That's wrong. On so many levels.
WWI wasn't Anne's war, it was Rilla's, and Ken's, and Walter's, and that damn dog who turns me into a gushy mess every freaking time I read the last chapter. Rilla -- the youngest child of Anne and Gilbert -- is fifteen (see what I mean about the time warp??) and desperately in love with the boy next door. When the world around her crashes and she's forced to grow up quickly, her journey is just as enjoyable as her mother's was in the first three books. The difference is, this is a mature kind of love. Though I devoured the entire series as a seven year old, Rilla of Ingleside is the one that I've worn through with repeated readings as an adult. Simply put, it's perfection.
The fact that Kevin Sullivan clearly ignored the fact that this book was written at all is frustrating and, to a reader who considers this book one of the reasons she became a romance writer, downright cruel.
August 8, 2022
NO MORE ENDINGS.
i'm done. i have reached, even by the most generous readings of my potential life span (especially taking into account how many cookies i eat and how my insides are probably pickled with a mixture of caffeine, alcohol, and raw hate), the quarter-point of my life.
AND I HAVE HAD ENOUGH ENDINGS!!!
i'm going to miss anne so much.
this is much more war novel than it is anne novel (which is a genre, to me), and there were some truly bizarre moments (a kid drowns a cat and everyone is universally like HOW CUTE), but rilla is sweet (if no anne) and this has a very cute ending and i'm going to miss this series.
and i am furious about that.
bottom line: TOO SAD!!!! make it stop!!!
------------------
currently-reading updates
time for the grand finale.
------------------
tbr review
gathering strength to finish this series out
i'm done. i have reached, even by the most generous readings of my potential life span (especially taking into account how many cookies i eat and how my insides are probably pickled with a mixture of caffeine, alcohol, and raw hate), the quarter-point of my life.
AND I HAVE HAD ENOUGH ENDINGS!!!
i'm going to miss anne so much.
this is much more war novel than it is anne novel (which is a genre, to me), and there were some truly bizarre moments (a kid drowns a cat and everyone is universally like HOW CUTE), but rilla is sweet (if no anne) and this has a very cute ending and i'm going to miss this series.
and i am furious about that.
bottom line: TOO SAD!!!! make it stop!!!
------------------
currently-reading updates
time for the grand finale.
------------------
tbr review
gathering strength to finish this series out
September 13, 2021
مجموعه آنشرلی هم تموم شد و من با خوندنش کلی کیف کردم. 😍 پیشنهاد میکنم حتما سریالش هم ببینید که بیشتر معطوف به دوران کودکی و نوجوانی آنه هست. واقعا خوب بود.
💐
در این سه جلد آخر کمی از زندگی آنه و گیلبرت دور میشویم و بیشتر با دنیای فرزندان آنها آشنا میشیم.
💐
جلد هشتم مربوط به جنگ جهانی اول است زمانیکه پسران جوان و مردان راهی میدان جنگ شدهاند و دختران و زنان در انتظار آنها، حس دلواپسی خیلی خوب بیان شده بود و واقعا تاثیرگذار بود.🥺 زنان در خانه هستند و فعالیتهای اجتماعی میکنند و به نوعی پشت جبههی جنگ فعالیت دارند و در انتظار این که سرانجام عشقی را که قرار بوده تجربه کنند، چه بر سرش میآید! ریلا کوچکترین دختر آنه است؛ دختری با احساس و مهربان که به نظرم بیشترین شباهت رو به آنه داشته، دختری که فقط ۱۵ ساله است و بار آن همه سختی دوران جنگ بر دوششه. جنگ فقط ستیز قدرتها نیست؛ چالش بین احساسات آدمهاست، عاشقها و معشوقها که یکدیگر را به اجبار جا میگذارند و میروند... جنگ سختیها، مصیبتها، ترسها و نا امیدیها... و اینجاست که باید گفت ریلا تکرار غریبانه روزهایت چگونه گذشت؟؟
💐
در این سه جلد آخر کمی از زندگی آنه و گیلبرت دور میشویم و بیشتر با دنیای فرزندان آنها آشنا میشیم.
💐
جلد هشتم مربوط به جنگ جهانی اول است زمانیکه پسران جوان و مردان راهی میدان جنگ شدهاند و دختران و زنان در انتظار آنها، حس دلواپسی خیلی خوب بیان شده بود و واقعا تاثیرگذار بود.🥺 زنان در خانه هستند و فعالیتهای اجتماعی میکنند و به نوعی پشت جبههی جنگ فعالیت دارند و در انتظار این که سرانجام عشقی را که قرار بوده تجربه کنند، چه بر سرش میآید! ریلا کوچکترین دختر آنه است؛ دختری با احساس و مهربان که به نظرم بیشترین شباهت رو به آنه داشته، دختری که فقط ۱۵ ساله است و بار آن همه سختی دوران جنگ بر دوششه. جنگ فقط ستیز قدرتها نیست؛ چالش بین احساسات آدمهاست، عاشقها و معشوقها که یکدیگر را به اجبار جا میگذارند و میروند... جنگ سختیها، مصیبتها، ترسها و نا امیدیها... و اینجاست که باید گفت ریلا تکرار غریبانه روزهایت چگونه گذشت؟؟
July 22, 2020
"Faith and affection and loyalty are precious things wherever they are found."
Finally down to the 8th and Last of the Anne of Green Gables, though Anne is now only a background character.
This book breaks away from the dreamy nature of the series, and takes the reader through numerous hardships a family has to endure during war. In my opinion, all the heartbreak and sorrow faced by Anne's family adds a lot of realism to this final book. Adding anymore on this will be putting a spoiler.
A lot has changed since the days of little Anne at Green Gables.. Through a long, adventurous, engaging, romantic and heartbreaking journey, L. M. Montgomery has finally come to the end of one of the most remarkable series of fiction of all time. It's sad to see it all end, especially when I think back to the wonderful days of Green Gables and Avonlea.
But it'll be never good bye, for there will be many more re-readings of Anne series for me. Thank you L. M. Montgomery for an amazing journey.
"'We're in a new world,' Jem says, 'and we've got to make it a better one than the old.
Finally down to the 8th and Last of the Anne of Green Gables, though Anne is now only a background character.
This book breaks away from the dreamy nature of the series, and takes the reader through numerous hardships a family has to endure during war. In my opinion, all the heartbreak and sorrow faced by Anne's family adds a lot of realism to this final book. Adding anymore on this will be putting a spoiler.
A lot has changed since the days of little Anne at Green Gables.. Through a long, adventurous, engaging, romantic and heartbreaking journey, L. M. Montgomery has finally come to the end of one of the most remarkable series of fiction of all time. It's sad to see it all end, especially when I think back to the wonderful days of Green Gables and Avonlea.
But it'll be never good bye, for there will be many more re-readings of Anne series for me. Thank you L. M. Montgomery for an amazing journey.
"'We're in a new world,' Jem says, 'and we've got to make it a better one than the old.
March 3, 2018
I started reading the Anne of Green Gables series for the first time in late 2016. Slowly, but surely, I made my way through. I liked some of the books and loved others, but none of them ever quite match the first book, which remained my favorite of them all. Then, along came Rilla. I knew from certain Goodreads friends that it was different from the rest of the books because it's focus is on Anne's daughter rather than Anne herself. What I didn't realize was how very emotional it would be (in a good way, actually), because, as the book begins, they are approaching the beginning of WWI. The Great War. In all the previous Anne books, I discovered that there was literally ALWAYS one thing in every book sad enough to make me cry, and I had to learn to brace for it. List of some spoilery sad things, just because:
But this was not the case with Rilla. Oh, no. With Rilla, I WAS CRYING THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. I'm not joking, while there were some lighter-hearted chapters thrown in here and there, in general I could barely get through a single chapter without tearing up at least a little, just from the knowledge of how horrible that time in history was, not to mention seeing what it was like for the characters to live during that time (which I’m sure was extremely realistic given that L. M. Montgomery lived through that time herself), having loved ones going and fighting, not knowing what would happen to them, much less what would happen to the world by the end of the conflict, and being afraid with every phone call that you would be told your loved one wasn’t coming back.
This is actually why it took me a full month just to read this book. My main daily reading time is right before bed, but fear of death, actual death, and world war, do not good bedtime reading make, no matter how redemptively the author handles it. It was making me so emotional, I was having trouble sleeping afterwards, and so had to relegate it to daytime reading only. Unfortunately, I don't often get long periods of daytime reading, thus the slow progress. I just wanted to clarify that so no future readers of this review who didn’t see my updates while I read think I took so long because I wasn’t enjoying it, or that it was a difficult read, because I very much did enjoy it, and it was no more difficult to read than the rest of the Anne books. In fact, I’d say it had a lot fewer superfluous scenes in it than some of the other Anne books did, and I don’t remember skimming at all. Had I been on my normal reading schedule, I probably would have had it finished in under two weeks.
That said, I’ll get on to the things I liked and disliked.
Dislikes: …Not much, and the things I did dislike were more personal nit-picks than anything that took away from my reading experience, but I will mention them for the sake of balance. There was one girl Rilla knew who was a major jerk. The type that, if you’re friends with her, everything’s fine and dandy, but get on her bad side and she’ll treat you badly and try to get everyone else to turn against you, too. Thankfully, she didn’t feature much, but I was extremely annoyed when she and I just thought that was the meanest thing. :(
The only other things I can think of is that I did sometimes miss getting Anne’s perspective on things. We got glimpses of it here and there, but didn’t spend near as much time in her point of view as we did in other books. Speaking of missing things, I have felt at times that Montgomery had Anne and Gilbert have a few more kids than she, the author, maybe should have. On one hand, she did manage to have the all the children, and many other characters represented at least a little throughout the course of the book. On the other hand, half the Blythe kids got WAY more characterization than the others. Nan and Di especially seemed to just be set dressing in this one. They were off at school most of the time, and even when they were home, they didn’t do much. Shirley got a bit more to do in this book than the last two (I honestly forgot he existed at times, in the last two books), but I never developed any particular attachment to him because all I knew about him was that Susan felt like a mother to him because she’d had to do so much for him when he was first born because Anne got so sick. Then, the only thing I learned about him in this book was that he felt duty-bound to join the war and fly air planes. That’s…kinda it. Had he died I would have been slightly sad for his family’s sake, but I can’t say I would have shed tears. Sorry, Shirley. :/
Likes: Pretty much everything else! While I did miss Anne’s perspective, this is a children’s series, and I understand why Montgomery wanted to focus on the kids again. In this case, Rilla was the baby of the family and had the most growing to do, so I felt that she was a great narrator to choose. She was so frivolous and silly at the beginning of the book and it was wonderful to see her mature and grow so much, but also never become embittered. She was stronger than even she thought she was and rose to the challenges of life again and again.
Rilla and Ken. Need I say more? So sweet, so innocent, and it was so cute how Rilla’s lisp would come back around Ken, which just made them more adorable, especially in that very last scene. <3
Susan. Susan was such a “brick” as they called her in the book, and that’s a good thing! So strong through all of it, running up the flag after every victory, yelling at the Kaiser as if he could actually hear her. I think the family was right when they thought, if the Germans made it to Canada, Susan would face them all down and win. XD Such a wonderful lady who helped keep their spirits lifted through it all.
The family dynamics. I’ve always loved Anne and Gilbert’s family, even if all the kids weren’t characterized equally. Anne and Gilbert still love each other and seem to have a stable marriage in their 50’s, and they and the kids all love and support each other. Anne and Gilbert never stopped their children from doing the things they felt they needed to do, namely going to fight in the war and helping with the war effort, even when it meant a personal sacrifice for them. I also appreciated how Gilbert handled Rilla bringing her war baby home. He didn’t want the baby to just get shoved off and Anne and Susan, so he challenged Rilla to either take care of it herself or agree to send it to the asylum, all the while knowing that the baby would stay there at Ingleside no matter what, but also knowing that Rilla needed this opportunity to take responsibility and grow from it.
Then there was Rilla and Walter’s relationship, which was so wonderful. I love seeing close sibling relationships in books, especially brother/sister, and Rilla’s love for, and confidence in Walter, and the way they confided in each other was so sweet. And then the letter Walter wrote to Rilla before…before…well, you know before what, if you’ve read the book, and I won’t spoil you if you haven’t yet. But, the fact that Walter knew what was coming and that he took the time to send Rilla his love and encourage her to keep fighting no matter what. *eyes watering* Oh, Walter…
Dog Monday. WAH! So many tears caused by him. So many poignant moments made even more poignant because of his loyalty in waiting at the train station, and especially how he knew when *cries just thinking about it* Not going to get over that any time soon. And then the beauty when he was reunited with his best friend again and…and… *more tears*
The analogy of the Pied Piper’s song being the irresistible call to war. Oh boy, did Montgomery ever use that one masterfully. The use of that as foreshadowing in the previous book just made it hit home that much harder in this book, and it was so painful, and yet so beautiful and perfect. I already had great respect for those who fight for good in the armed forces around the world, and this book only served to deepen that respect. To quote the book, “Let us drink to the silent army—to the boys [and these days, the women, too] who followed when the Piper summoned. ‘For our tomorrow they gave their today’—theirs is the victory!”
The faith element, again, was present and well used. Even though they at times had doubts, the family kept their faith in God through the whole war, knowing that good would overcome evil, even when it didn’t happen as quickly as they hoped, and Montgomery used this very well to show where the hand of God was at work during the war. To quote Mr. Meredith, I truly do believe there were times when God said to the enemy, “This far. No farther.” And I believe He continues to do that in many conflicts, both global and personal.
Gertrude Oliver’s vivid prediction dreams, while not an element I expected Montgomery to use, especially as even the Blythe family didn’t believe in them at first, provided further spiritual depth and poignancy to certain happenings. The way she dreamed before the war started that there was a tide of blood coming that could not be held back. The time when it was feared that that vital city in France would fall, but she dreamed that even in the midsts of the raging storm, there was the French soldier standing strong against the tide and saying, “They will not pass.” And finally, when she dreamed the tide was receding, and the sun would shine again. All so beautiful, so poignant, and all provided some of the most vivid mental images for me while reading the book.
This depth of emotion is the biggest reason why Rilla of Ingleside is now tied with Anne of Green Gables as my favorite of the series. I can’t claim it’s overtaken Anne simply from the standpoint that they are such different books, set in such different times in world history, and I truly love them both, just for totally different reasons: I love Anne for its hope, innocence, and determination to find beauty even in the midst of tough circumstances, and I love Rilla for its depth, faith, and a different kind of hope: One that has been through the fire and come out the other side, not untouched, but still strengthened because of what it’s been through. Those are values that mean something to me personally, and for that reason, I am glad to have finally read these books, and will cherish them always.
Content advisory for those who want to know:
Due to the heavy themes of world war and personal loss in this book, I would recommend it for readers 12 and up unless, perhaps, a younger reader is particularly mature and not easily upset by such things.
Violence: The horrors of war are a big part of this story, but are never described graphically. We only read brief mentions of injury, such as someone was shot in the leg, someone was knocked out by an exploding shell, someone was killed instantly by a bullet, etc. We also read brief mention of how innocent women and children were starving and/or were killed in the war, and how prisoners of war were treated badly, but again, the treatment is not described.
One character has a dream in which a tide covers the entirety of the land where she live and when it reaches her doorstep, the hem of her dress is soaked with blood. She later has another dream in which she is standing side-by-side with a French soldier who has a bloody wound in his shoulder, but this wound is not described any more than what I just wrote.
Swearing: After hearing news about the killing of women and children overseas, Walter cries out, “Oh God, no!” several times. In the context I wasn’t sure if he was actually crying out to God, or if he was using the Lord’s name in vain.
Other than that, the only other “swearing” is the use of “darn” and “darned” which Susan considers swears. Miss Oliver also threatens to swear, wondering if it would help her feel better when she gets so upset over the war news, and several times says something along the lines of, “But don’t you think it would feel good just to say d—” and then Susan cuts her off before she can say whatever word was intended.
Romantic content: Nothing sexual to be found here. Only a mild, chaste romance between Rilla and her sweetheart and, one undescribed kiss between them, and a promise that she won’t kiss anyone else while he’s gone, to which she remains true.
But this was not the case with Rilla. Oh, no. With Rilla, I WAS CRYING THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. I'm not joking, while there were some lighter-hearted chapters thrown in here and there, in general I could barely get through a single chapter without tearing up at least a little, just from the knowledge of how horrible that time in history was, not to mention seeing what it was like for the characters to live during that time (which I’m sure was extremely realistic given that L. M. Montgomery lived through that time herself), having loved ones going and fighting, not knowing what would happen to them, much less what would happen to the world by the end of the conflict, and being afraid with every phone call that you would be told your loved one wasn’t coming back.
This is actually why it took me a full month just to read this book. My main daily reading time is right before bed, but fear of death, actual death, and world war, do not good bedtime reading make, no matter how redemptively the author handles it. It was making me so emotional, I was having trouble sleeping afterwards, and so had to relegate it to daytime reading only. Unfortunately, I don't often get long periods of daytime reading, thus the slow progress. I just wanted to clarify that so no future readers of this review who didn’t see my updates while I read think I took so long because I wasn’t enjoying it, or that it was a difficult read, because I very much did enjoy it, and it was no more difficult to read than the rest of the Anne books. In fact, I’d say it had a lot fewer superfluous scenes in it than some of the other Anne books did, and I don’t remember skimming at all. Had I been on my normal reading schedule, I probably would have had it finished in under two weeks.
That said, I’ll get on to the things I liked and disliked.
Dislikes: …Not much, and the things I did dislike were more personal nit-picks than anything that took away from my reading experience, but I will mention them for the sake of balance. There was one girl Rilla knew who was a major jerk. The type that, if you’re friends with her, everything’s fine and dandy, but get on her bad side and she’ll treat you badly and try to get everyone else to turn against you, too. Thankfully, she didn’t feature much, but I was extremely annoyed when she and I just thought that was the meanest thing. :(
The only other things I can think of is that I did sometimes miss getting Anne’s perspective on things. We got glimpses of it here and there, but didn’t spend near as much time in her point of view as we did in other books. Speaking of missing things, I have felt at times that Montgomery had Anne and Gilbert have a few more kids than she, the author, maybe should have. On one hand, she did manage to have the all the children, and many other characters represented at least a little throughout the course of the book. On the other hand, half the Blythe kids got WAY more characterization than the others. Nan and Di especially seemed to just be set dressing in this one. They were off at school most of the time, and even when they were home, they didn’t do much. Shirley got a bit more to do in this book than the last two (I honestly forgot he existed at times, in the last two books), but I never developed any particular attachment to him because all I knew about him was that Susan felt like a mother to him because she’d had to do so much for him when he was first born because Anne got so sick. Then, the only thing I learned about him in this book was that he felt duty-bound to join the war and fly air planes. That’s…kinda it. Had he died I would have been slightly sad for his family’s sake, but I can’t say I would have shed tears. Sorry, Shirley. :/
Likes: Pretty much everything else! While I did miss Anne’s perspective, this is a children’s series, and I understand why Montgomery wanted to focus on the kids again. In this case, Rilla was the baby of the family and had the most growing to do, so I felt that she was a great narrator to choose. She was so frivolous and silly at the beginning of the book and it was wonderful to see her mature and grow so much, but also never become embittered. She was stronger than even she thought she was and rose to the challenges of life again and again.
Rilla and Ken. Need I say more? So sweet, so innocent, and it was so cute how Rilla’s lisp would come back around Ken, which just made them more adorable, especially in that very last scene. <3
Susan. Susan was such a “brick” as they called her in the book, and that’s a good thing! So strong through all of it, running up the flag after every victory, yelling at the Kaiser as if he could actually hear her. I think the family was right when they thought, if the Germans made it to Canada, Susan would face them all down and win. XD Such a wonderful lady who helped keep their spirits lifted through it all.
The family dynamics. I’ve always loved Anne and Gilbert’s family, even if all the kids weren’t characterized equally. Anne and Gilbert still love each other and seem to have a stable marriage in their 50’s, and they and the kids all love and support each other. Anne and Gilbert never stopped their children from doing the things they felt they needed to do, namely going to fight in the war and helping with the war effort, even when it meant a personal sacrifice for them. I also appreciated how Gilbert handled Rilla bringing her war baby home. He didn’t want the baby to just get shoved off and Anne and Susan, so he challenged Rilla to either take care of it herself or agree to send it to the asylum, all the while knowing that the baby would stay there at Ingleside no matter what, but also knowing that Rilla needed this opportunity to take responsibility and grow from it.
Then there was Rilla and Walter’s relationship, which was so wonderful. I love seeing close sibling relationships in books, especially brother/sister, and Rilla’s love for, and confidence in Walter, and the way they confided in each other was so sweet. And then the letter Walter wrote to Rilla before…before…well, you know before what, if you’ve read the book, and I won’t spoil you if you haven’t yet. But, the fact that Walter knew what was coming and that he took the time to send Rilla his love and encourage her to keep fighting no matter what. *eyes watering* Oh, Walter…
Dog Monday. WAH! So many tears caused by him. So many poignant moments made even more poignant because of his loyalty in waiting at the train station, and especially how he knew when *cries just thinking about it* Not going to get over that any time soon. And then the beauty when he was reunited with his best friend again and…and… *more tears*
The analogy of the Pied Piper’s song being the irresistible call to war. Oh boy, did Montgomery ever use that one masterfully. The use of that as foreshadowing in the previous book just made it hit home that much harder in this book, and it was so painful, and yet so beautiful and perfect. I already had great respect for those who fight for good in the armed forces around the world, and this book only served to deepen that respect. To quote the book, “Let us drink to the silent army—to the boys [and these days, the women, too] who followed when the Piper summoned. ‘For our tomorrow they gave their today’—theirs is the victory!”
The faith element, again, was present and well used. Even though they at times had doubts, the family kept their faith in God through the whole war, knowing that good would overcome evil, even when it didn’t happen as quickly as they hoped, and Montgomery used this very well to show where the hand of God was at work during the war. To quote Mr. Meredith, I truly do believe there were times when God said to the enemy, “This far. No farther.” And I believe He continues to do that in many conflicts, both global and personal.
Gertrude Oliver’s vivid prediction dreams, while not an element I expected Montgomery to use, especially as even the Blythe family didn’t believe in them at first, provided further spiritual depth and poignancy to certain happenings. The way she dreamed before the war started that there was a tide of blood coming that could not be held back. The time when it was feared that that vital city in France would fall, but she dreamed that even in the midsts of the raging storm, there was the French soldier standing strong against the tide and saying, “They will not pass.” And finally, when she dreamed the tide was receding, and the sun would shine again. All so beautiful, so poignant, and all provided some of the most vivid mental images for me while reading the book.
This depth of emotion is the biggest reason why Rilla of Ingleside is now tied with Anne of Green Gables as my favorite of the series. I can’t claim it’s overtaken Anne simply from the standpoint that they are such different books, set in such different times in world history, and I truly love them both, just for totally different reasons: I love Anne for its hope, innocence, and determination to find beauty even in the midst of tough circumstances, and I love Rilla for its depth, faith, and a different kind of hope: One that has been through the fire and come out the other side, not untouched, but still strengthened because of what it’s been through. Those are values that mean something to me personally, and for that reason, I am glad to have finally read these books, and will cherish them always.
Content advisory for those who want to know:
Due to the heavy themes of world war and personal loss in this book, I would recommend it for readers 12 and up unless, perhaps, a younger reader is particularly mature and not easily upset by such things.
Violence: The horrors of war are a big part of this story, but are never described graphically. We only read brief mentions of injury, such as someone was shot in the leg, someone was knocked out by an exploding shell, someone was killed instantly by a bullet, etc. We also read brief mention of how innocent women and children were starving and/or were killed in the war, and how prisoners of war were treated badly, but again, the treatment is not described.
One character has a dream in which a tide covers the entirety of the land where she live and when it reaches her doorstep, the hem of her dress is soaked with blood. She later has another dream in which she is standing side-by-side with a French soldier who has a bloody wound in his shoulder, but this wound is not described any more than what I just wrote.
Swearing: After hearing news about the killing of women and children overseas, Walter cries out, “Oh God, no!” several times. In the context I wasn’t sure if he was actually crying out to God, or if he was using the Lord’s name in vain.
Other than that, the only other “swearing” is the use of “darn” and “darned” which Susan considers swears. Miss Oliver also threatens to swear, wondering if it would help her feel better when she gets so upset over the war news, and several times says something along the lines of, “But don’t you think it would feel good just to say d—” and then Susan cuts her off before she can say whatever word was intended.
Romantic content: Nothing sexual to be found here. Only a mild, chaste romance between Rilla and her sweetheart and, one undescribed kiss between them, and a promise that she won’t kiss anyone else while he’s gone, to which she remains true.
August 20, 2017
Now, I loved Anne. Don't get me wrong, but this book was on another whole level. I ADORED It. The heartbreak of ww1, the grown up Blythe family. . . I just loved everything about it.
July 15, 2020
I will confess, this one took me a little while to get into, likely because the last book was so enjoyable reading about the exhorts of the older children. Rilla wasn't especially close to my heart when starting this book. I'm happy to report that this book soared above all expectations once I pushed through a little bit in the beginning, and it became one of my favorites of the series. The sadness, fear and dread of World War 1 in the background against the day to day life in Prince Edward Island was of a much more somber note than the other books, but it was worth it. I don't remember crying while reading any of the other books of the series, but I cried so hard in this one I could hardly see the words. My favorite part of the book, however, has to go to Dog Monday.
Anyone who has ever been a fan of Anne of Green Gables, the first book OR the BBC series, I would strongly recommend you read the series at some point! You won't regret it.
Anyone who has ever been a fan of Anne of Green Gables, the first book OR the BBC series, I would strongly recommend you read the series at some point! You won't regret it.
August 31, 2022
نه بابا گریه چیه؟ پیاز خرد میکردم.
August 30, 2023
دفتر آنی شرلی هم به پایان رسید. 🥺
بخشی از قلبم رو برای همیشه در جای جای صفحات جلدهای این مجموعه میذارم و هر از گاهی میام و بهش سر میزنم تا شاید اون حس دلتنگی رو کمتر کنه.
زیبایی این مجموعه در اینه که از همون خط های اول جلد یکم، یک دختر پر حرف و فضول به نام آنی رو میبینیم و در انتهای جلد هشتم (آخر) به سرنوشت ثمرههای زندگی آنی و گیلبرت میرسیم که چقدر قلب آدم رو فشرده میکنه.
مرسی خانم مونتگمری، ممنونم بابت خلق این اثر جاودان❤️💚
بخشی از قلبم رو برای همیشه در جای جای صفحات جلدهای این مجموعه میذارم و هر از گاهی میام و بهش سر میزنم تا شاید اون حس دلتنگی رو کمتر کنه.
زیبایی این مجموعه در اینه که از همون خط های اول جلد یکم، یک دختر پر حرف و فضول به نام آنی رو میبینیم و در انتهای جلد هشتم (آخر) به سرنوشت ثمرههای زندگی آنی و گیلبرت میرسیم که چقدر قلب آدم رو فشرده میکنه.
مرسی خانم مونتگمری، ممنونم بابت خلق این اثر جاودان❤️💚
March 6, 2017
I have now read all eight books in the Anne of Green Gables series. Eight books that were an absolute pleasure to read. I like this one almost as much as the 1st one. It's the story of Anne's daughter Rilla, but it is set with the backdrop of World War I which has a huge influence on Anne's family. This story has a more serious tone than the other books but it is a fitting conclusion to a wonderful story.
March 10, 2024
آنی عزیز بالاخره تموم شد:(
بااینکه این چندوقت خیلی سرم شلوغ بود اصلا متوجه نشدم چطور تموم شد.
بااینکه این چندوقت خیلی سرم شلوغ بود اصلا متوجه نشدم چطور تموم شد.
February 4, 2020
Now I do know and realise that I am probably going to be seriously offending and angering some if not even rather many readers (and likely also more than a number of Goodreads friends) when I state that I absolutely and utterly despise L.M. Montgomery's Rilla of Ingleside (and quite with every fibre of my being). For while, yes indeed, I do well know that the novel was written not only about WWI but also basically immediately post WWI and that it is and should therefore be considered an object (a piece of fiction) of its time and place with its blatant anti-German sentiment and ultra nationalism, as a person of German background who has for one often been bullied and harassed because of her ethnicity and who has for two also read a goodly number of both British and German WWI novels that while definitely overly nationalistic were (are) still not only and simply diatribes of ethnic and cultural intolerance, I really and truly emotionally, personally cannot in any way stand and accept in particular the bigotry and racism against anything even remotely German shown and presented in Rilla of Ingleside by the Blythe Family housekeeper Susan Baker (and actually even more that there is NEVER really ANY type of actual criticism of Susan Baker and her radical hatreds by the author, by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which sadly and frustratingly does make me think that the former, that Susan Baker as a character is likely very much a mirror image of L.M. Montgomery and her own perceptions and attitudes). And sorry, (but actually no, I guess I am not really all that sorry and do stand by my attitude of anger) but whenever I do read (or try to read) Rilla of Ingleside, although the novel is definitely emotionally charged, well written and yes definitely tugs at one's heart especially with regard to Walter Blythe's death in combat and how this affects everyone, emotionally and very much personally, I indeed consider Rilla of Ingleside in many ways, in most ways quite as racist and as nastily intolerant as Montgomery's anti-Native Canadian short story, as her anti First Nations ranting tirade of Tannis of the Flats (which is one of the only L.M. Montgomery pieces of short fiction that I have absolutely and viscerally hated and which I also generally skip when rereading the author's Further Chronicles of Avonlea).
And finally, while I would NOT go so far as to not recommend Rilla of Ingleside, I do leave the (I believe necessary) caveat that in my humble opinion, the über-nationalistic tendencies of the novel (and especially the casual acceptance of this by almost everyone, including the author, including L.M. Montgomery herself) do need to be discussed and indeed also condemned. As honestly, especially Susan Baker, she uses throughout Rilla of Ingleside quite the SAME type of rhetoric against ALL Germans that the Nazis just a decade or so later were using against Jews, against Gypsies, basically against anyone not German, and I for one do find this both troubling and offensive (especially since not only the majority of reviewers but sadly also far far too many academic analyses of Rilla of Ingleside seem either completely and blissfully unaware of or would rather ignore and not consider this to be a potential and possible problem and issue).
So therefore, while I do from a stylistic point of view and departure (and also I guess to a certain extent from a historic realism point of view) both accept and even grudgingly commend L.M. Montgomery for having with her Rilla of Ingleside penned a both sadly emotional and often beautiful story of love, loss and the home front, I still cannot and will not give more than one star to a novel that is basically full to the proverbial rim with vile hatred and nastiness towards and for me simply because of my ethnicity and background as a German, and especially since Rilla of Ingleside is or at least seems so universally loved and considered acceptable in every way (but honestly and in my own and humble opinion, if or when those readers who absolutely adore Rilla of Ingleside were to peruse a German WWI account with even just some minor and slight vestiges of that same bigotry, nationalism and racial anger presented and featured, they would more than likely lift their heads and rightfully, with justification collectively howl in and with angry protest, even as Rilla of Ingleside and especially Susan Baker's uncritically and even by L.M. Montgomery generally positively shown and depicted viciousness and angry outbursts against anything and anyone even remotely German seem totally alright to and for them).
And finally, while I would NOT go so far as to not recommend Rilla of Ingleside, I do leave the (I believe necessary) caveat that in my humble opinion, the über-nationalistic tendencies of the novel (and especially the casual acceptance of this by almost everyone, including the author, including L.M. Montgomery herself) do need to be discussed and indeed also condemned. As honestly, especially Susan Baker, she uses throughout Rilla of Ingleside quite the SAME type of rhetoric against ALL Germans that the Nazis just a decade or so later were using against Jews, against Gypsies, basically against anyone not German, and I for one do find this both troubling and offensive (especially since not only the majority of reviewers but sadly also far far too many academic analyses of Rilla of Ingleside seem either completely and blissfully unaware of or would rather ignore and not consider this to be a potential and possible problem and issue).
So therefore, while I do from a stylistic point of view and departure (and also I guess to a certain extent from a historic realism point of view) both accept and even grudgingly commend L.M. Montgomery for having with her Rilla of Ingleside penned a both sadly emotional and often beautiful story of love, loss and the home front, I still cannot and will not give more than one star to a novel that is basically full to the proverbial rim with vile hatred and nastiness towards and for me simply because of my ethnicity and background as a German, and especially since Rilla of Ingleside is or at least seems so universally loved and considered acceptable in every way (but honestly and in my own and humble opinion, if or when those readers who absolutely adore Rilla of Ingleside were to peruse a German WWI account with even just some minor and slight vestiges of that same bigotry, nationalism and racial anger presented and featured, they would more than likely lift their heads and rightfully, with justification collectively howl in and with angry protest, even as Rilla of Ingleside and especially Susan Baker's uncritically and even by L.M. Montgomery generally positively shown and depicted viciousness and angry outbursts against anything and anyone even remotely German seem totally alright to and for them).
February 10, 2019
Rilla of Ingleside (Anne of Green Gables #8), L.M. Montgomery
Rilla of Ingleside (1921) is the eighth of nine books in the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but was the sixth "Anne" novel in publication order. This book draws the focus back onto a single character, Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter Bertha Marilla "Rilla" Blythe. It has a more serious tone, as it takes place during World War I and the three Blythe boys: Jem, Walter, and Shirley, along with Rilla's sweetheart Ken Ford, and playmates Jerry Meredith and Carl Meredith, end up fighting in Europe with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و پنجم ماه سپتامبر سال 2012 میلادی
عنوان: ریلا در اینگل ساید - سری آن شرلی کتاب هشتم؛ نویسنده: لوسی مود (ال.ام.) مونتگمری؛ مترجم: سارا قدیانی؛ تهران، قدیانی، 1386؛ در 480 ص؛ چاپ دوم 1388؛ چاپ ششم 1392؛ شابک: 9789645361950؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان کانادایی - سده 20 م
ریلا یا «برتا ماریلا»، دختر «آن شرلی» ست و اینبار داستان، روایتگر بخشی از زندگی ایشانست. او در نخستین مهمانی، که به همراه خواهر و برادرانش به آنجا میرود، با «کنت فورد»، کسی که از دو سالگی عاشقش بوده، ملاقات میکند، و با او میرقصد. در همان شب، انگلستان به آلمان اعلام جنگ میکند، و «جم»، یا همان «جیمز بلایت»، همراه «جری مردیت» به جنگ میروند. ریلا در سن شانزده هفده سللگی، سرپرستی کودکی را که پدرش به جنگ رفته و مادرش درگشته را بر دوش میگیرد. ا. شربیانی
Rilla of Ingleside (1921) is the eighth of nine books in the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, but was the sixth "Anne" novel in publication order. This book draws the focus back onto a single character, Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter Bertha Marilla "Rilla" Blythe. It has a more serious tone, as it takes place during World War I and the three Blythe boys: Jem, Walter, and Shirley, along with Rilla's sweetheart Ken Ford, and playmates Jerry Meredith and Carl Meredith, end up fighting in Europe with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و پنجم ماه سپتامبر سال 2012 میلادی
عنوان: ریلا در اینگل ساید - سری آن شرلی کتاب هشتم؛ نویسنده: لوسی مود (ال.ام.) مونتگمری؛ مترجم: سارا قدیانی؛ تهران، قدیانی، 1386؛ در 480 ص؛ چاپ دوم 1388؛ چاپ ششم 1392؛ شابک: 9789645361950؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان کانادایی - سده 20 م
ریلا یا «برتا ماریلا»، دختر «آن شرلی» ست و اینبار داستان، روایتگر بخشی از زندگی ایشانست. او در نخستین مهمانی، که به همراه خواهر و برادرانش به آنجا میرود، با «کنت فورد»، کسی که از دو سالگی عاشقش بوده، ملاقات میکند، و با او میرقصد. در همان شب، انگلستان به آلمان اعلام جنگ میکند، و «جم»، یا همان «جیمز بلایت»، همراه «جری مردیت» به جنگ میروند. ریلا در سن شانزده هفده سللگی، سرپرستی کودکی را که پدرش به جنگ رفته و مادرش درگشته را بر دوش میگیرد. ا. شربیانی
December 11, 2012
It was with great relief and disappointment that I finally closed the last volume of the Anne series. I'm afraid I found this volume a colossal bore. Rilla, cute as she is, was not featured as prominently as the title would suggest; nor was her love story. Set during WWI, Rilla of Ingleside chronicles the entire duration of the war and how it effected those in Canada. By the time they made it to 1918 I was praying for the war to end so the dang book would end. The scenes hardly varied. It was a continuous dull poetic procession of Rilla crying in Rainbow Valley, writing about the war in her journal or in letters to the boys on the front, Walter, the poet-phrophet turned soldier blathering on about his cowardice, and women sitting around sewing and discussing the war. I guess Montgomery must have thought Susan, the Blythe's 60-year-old housemaid, was quite a provocative character, because she kept up a steady flow of opinions on the war and their stupid cat that made me want to poke my eyes out.
I've noticed that Montgomery is better at character sketches than she is at prolonged character development, and like many of the books in this series, part of the problem is that it focused on random happenings with random neighbors that I cared little about.
A few thoughts on Anne. About halfway through the series I realized that Anne was receding into motherhood and becoming nothing but a stolid matronly figure amongst more spirited beings. Once she enters motherhood she isn't allowed to dream, to write, to be funny or fanciful. She becomes sentimental and adored as a mother, but almost completely unrecognizable as the Anne we know and love. I suppose this is the product of the Victorian age - proper women don't dream beyond the confines of their domestic sphere and once Anne is firmly planted in her homely sphere, well, adventures of any kind are out of the question.
Maybe what we love about Anne just doesn't translate into adulthood. A child who talks too much is cute and bright. An adult who won't shut up is annoying. A young girl's romantic longings are charming, but they don't exactly have a place in a married woman's life. And Gilbert, the hero of our romance, becomes about as exciting mushed peas.
I'm glad I finished the series, but I desperately wish this series had ended with a more satisfying book.
I've noticed that Montgomery is better at character sketches than she is at prolonged character development, and like many of the books in this series, part of the problem is that it focused on random happenings with random neighbors that I cared little about.
A few thoughts on Anne. About halfway through the series I realized that Anne was receding into motherhood and becoming nothing but a stolid matronly figure amongst more spirited beings. Once she enters motherhood she isn't allowed to dream, to write, to be funny or fanciful. She becomes sentimental and adored as a mother, but almost completely unrecognizable as the Anne we know and love. I suppose this is the product of the Victorian age - proper women don't dream beyond the confines of their domestic sphere and once Anne is firmly planted in her homely sphere, well, adventures of any kind are out of the question.
Maybe what we love about Anne just doesn't translate into adulthood. A child who talks too much is cute and bright. An adult who won't shut up is annoying. A young girl's romantic longings are charming, but they don't exactly have a place in a married woman's life. And Gilbert, the hero of our romance, becomes about as exciting mushed peas.
I'm glad I finished the series, but I desperately wish this series had ended with a more satisfying book.
June 18, 2018
"Before this war is over," he said - or something said through his lips - "every man and woman and child in Canada will feel it - you, Mary, will feel it - feel it to your heart's core. You will weep tears of blood over it. The Piper has come - and he will pipe until every corner of the world has heard his awful and irresistible music. It will be years before the dance of death is over -years, Mary. And in those years millions of hearts will break."
At first, everyone is more concerned with local gossip than the fact that some "Archduke Ferdinand or other" has been assassinated in a place called Sarajevo, but soon the affairs of the world have intruded into the quiet, peaceful village of Glen St. Mary.
"England declared war on Germany today," said Jack Elliot slowly. "The news came by wire just as I left town."
And before long . . .
"They are calling for volunteers in town, father," said Jem. "Scores have joined up already. I'm going in tonight to enlist."
Anne can do little but watch as her oldest son goes to war.
". . . I am determined that I will send my boy off tomorrow with a smile. He shall not carry away with him the remembrance of a weak mother who had not the courage to send when he had the courage to go."
And, so the womenfolk put on their brave faces, and begin their busy vigil. There are socks to knit, hastily arranged marriages to plan, and war babies to care for. Rilla, Anne's youngest child, grows from a rather spoiled fifteen-year-old into a caring and responsible young woman.
"Our sacrifice is greater than his," cried Rilla passionately. "Our boys give only themselves. We give them."
Then Gilbert relates the devastating news that changes so many lives forever . . .
I enjoyed this visit into Anne's world, though there is an incident of religious nutjobbery - - that I found rather disturbing, and must have managed to block out the other two times I read this book. Thankfully, Little Dog Monday, with his devoted Greyfriar's Bobby stunt, makes up for this, and his story made me sob yet again.
This is a wonderful culmination to the series. It is an ending, yes, but somehow Montgomery leaves us feeling that life will go on for this family, even though we no longer get to be a part of it.
At first, everyone is more concerned with local gossip than the fact that some "Archduke Ferdinand or other" has been assassinated in a place called Sarajevo, but soon the affairs of the world have intruded into the quiet, peaceful village of Glen St. Mary.
"England declared war on Germany today," said Jack Elliot slowly. "The news came by wire just as I left town."
And before long . . .
"They are calling for volunteers in town, father," said Jem. "Scores have joined up already. I'm going in tonight to enlist."
Anne can do little but watch as her oldest son goes to war.
". . . I am determined that I will send my boy off tomorrow with a smile. He shall not carry away with him the remembrance of a weak mother who had not the courage to send when he had the courage to go."
And, so the womenfolk put on their brave faces, and begin their busy vigil. There are socks to knit, hastily arranged marriages to plan, and war babies to care for. Rilla, Anne's youngest child, grows from a rather spoiled fifteen-year-old into a caring and responsible young woman.
"Our sacrifice is greater than his," cried Rilla passionately. "Our boys give only themselves. We give them."
Then Gilbert relates the devastating news that changes so many lives forever . . .
I enjoyed this visit into Anne's world, though there is an incident of religious nutjobbery - - that I found rather disturbing, and must have managed to block out the other two times I read this book. Thankfully, Little Dog Monday, with his devoted Greyfriar's Bobby stunt, makes up for this, and his story made me sob yet again.
This is a wonderful culmination to the series. It is an ending, yes, but somehow Montgomery leaves us feeling that life will go on for this family, even though we no longer get to be a part of it.
October 3, 2023
این تابستون با این مجموعه خیلی خوش گذشت؛ اما چقدر دلم میخواست جزو کتابهایی میبود که تو سن پایین خونده بودم، قطعا اون زمان شکل متفاوت و بهتری نسبت به الان درکش میکردم.
May 13, 2022
این جلد خودش به تنهایی یک شاهکار بود پر از لحظه های تلخ و شیرین و اشک و خنده هایی به فاصله چند خط :)
July 3, 2024
5+ stars (9/10 hearts). This book is a heartbreaker. And it’s so beautiful.
I don’t know if I can fully express how much is to be found in this book. I have been reading it yearly for many years, and always come away with new thoughts. As I grow older, and see more of the world, I relate and understand more, and another level of the book is discovered.
The setting—a small P.E.I. town carrying on through WWI. I’m pretty tough when it comes to war books, but I have to take breaks from this one because it is so raw and real. The agony is intense. I cannot even cry over it—my heart hurts too much for tears. This shows exactly what the Great War was for people. You sway back and forth, feeling the dread and terror. You know how it ends but you are broken anyhow. And when the end comes, you too can only rejoice softly. You feel as if you have paid part of the price yourself.
“‘We’re in a new world,’ Jem says, ‘and we’ve got to make it a better one than the old. That isn’t done yet, though some folks seem to think it ought to be. The job isn’t finished—it isn’t really begun. The old world is destroyed and we must build up the new one. It will be the task of years. I’ve seen enough of war to realize that we’ve got to make a world where wars can’t happen. We’ve given Prussianism its mortal wound but it isn’t dead yet and it isn’t confined to Germany either. It isn’t enough to drive out the old spirit—we’ve got to bring in the new.”
The characters in this book—they are alive. Splendid Jem, brave and merry and true; Jerry, steady and dutiful; Walter, sensitive and courageous; Carl, cheerful and fearless; Shirley, honest and reliable; Nan and Di and Anne, all heart-wrung and smiling; Gertrude, tragic and grasping for hope; the Doctor, determined and self-sacrificing; Susan, simple and true—and Rilla, who starts out a silly, frivolous girl and ends a strong, mature woman. Then there are all the minor and side characters—the Merediths, Cousin Sophia, Jimsy, Ken, Irene, Whiskers-on-the-Moon & his family, Mary and the Elliotts, Norman + Ellen, and everyone else. They’re all so alive, so real, so funny and terrible and beautiful—I swear Glen St. Mary exists and all the inhabitants thereof.
The story follows the Great War, from the first days in August 1914 to the bitter Summer of 1919, where peace has come but normal will never return. As a child, this story was simply World War One—a faraway, long-ago grief and horror and agony. Now, in 2022, as a woman, I have experienced a slight taste of what the people of 1914 felt, and it has humanized the story of the War. This, more than any other book I have read, brings the War and the world of 1914-1918 to life, showing how they were people just like us. The heart is wrung by their suffering, and there is no escape, for the war must drag on for long bitter years. And the price! Walter has become the face of unknown, forgotten heroes, and Jem has become that of the scarred heroes who returned. Every November we grieve the young men who never came home, and for the ones who came home missing a part of themselves, physical or otherwise. I have wept thinking of the children of Rilla, Ken, Faith, Jem, and the others—children who fought in WWII and whose parents were forced to relive the horrible conflict of mankind.
“It has been such a dreadful week,” she wrote, “and even though it is over and we know that it was all a mistake that does not seem to do away with the bruises left by it. And yet it has in some ways been a very wonderful week and I have had some glimpses of things I never realized before—of how fine and brave people can be even in the midst of horrible suffering.”
And yet the book overflows with humour—real laugh-out-loud scenes and witty, clever banter on princes and politics. It is another aspect of the humanity—the part that cannot fully let go of laughing despite the drain. Another angle is the shrewd commentary on principalities and powers, nations and cultures, is thought-provoking, as is the remarks that show us how the war truly changed the world.
“There was a time,” she said sorrowfully, “when I did not care what happened outside of P.E. Island, and now a king cannot have a toothache in Russia or China but it worries me. It may be broadening to the mind, as the doctor said, but it is very painful to the feelings.”
But the biggest things to me is the SPIRIT of this book. The spirit of perseverance, endurance, courage, and love. Of course, man is man, and there is suspicion, contempt, and a feeling of superiority—but this is not exclusive only to Anglo-Saxons. Every nation is guilty of such. World War One was a battle of good vs. evil—not of man vs. man, but Idea against Idea—the idea of civilization against militarism. Perhaps not on the part of the leaders—but when one studies the writings, letters, poems, and speeches of the everyday folks caught up in the war, one sees this distinction plainly. It was not a war of European against European, Anglo-Saxon against German—it was a war between an old, terrible Idea of Prussianism (Frederick the Great, anyone?) and the Idea of Respect and Peace.
“And you will tell your children of the Idea we fought and died for—teach them it must be lived for as well as died for, else the price paid for it will have been given for nought.”
May we never forget.
A REMARK: I discovered that Rilla of Ingleside was abridged by about 4,300 words (~14 pages), so I searched for an unabridged copy. I definitely encourage you to take the extra trouble to find an *unabridged* copy. It is SO worth it! I’ve read both versions and the unabridged is so much fuller, with a great deal more humour and fun.
Content: A few kisses, some mild language, an instance where I’m not sure if God’s name is being used in vain or not, a mention of lucky stars, & a poetic but rather indecent phrase.
A Favourite Quote: “‘We all come back to God in these days of soul-sifting,’ said Gertrude to John Meredith. ‘There have been many days in the past when I didn't believe in God—not as God—only as the impersonal Great First Cause of the scientists. I believe in Him now—I have to—there's nothing else to fall back on but God—humbly, starkly, unconditionally.’
“‘Our help in ages past’—‘the same yesterday, to-day and for ever,’ said the minister gently. ‘When we forget God—He remembers us.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Below her [window] was a big apple-tree, a great swelling cone of rosy blossom.... Beyond Rainbow Valley there was a cloudy shore of morning with little ripples of sunrise breaking over it. The far, cold beauty of a lingering star shone above it. Why, in this world of springtime loveliness, must hearts break?”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘The Germans have recaptured Premysl,’ said Susan despairingly… ‘and now I suppose we will have to begin calling it by that uncivilized name again. Cousin Sophia was in when the mail came and when she heard the news she hove a sigh up from the depths of her stomach, Mrs. Dr. dear, and said, ‘Ah yes, and they will get Petrograd next I have no doubt.’ I said to her, ‘My knowledge of geography is not so profound as I wish it was but I have an idea that it is quite a walk from Premysl to Petrograd.’ Cousin Sophia sighed again and said, ‘The Grand Duke Nicholas is not the man I took him to be.’ ‘Do not let him know that,’ said I. ‘It might hurt his feelings and he has likely enough to worry him as it is.’ But you cannot cheer Cousin Sophia up, no matter how sarcastic you are, Mrs. Dr. dear. She sighed for the third time and groaned out, ‘But the Russians are retreating fast,’ and I said, ‘Well, what of it? They have plenty of room for retreating, have they not?’ But all the same, Mrs. Dr. dear, though I would never admit it to Cousin Sophia, I do not like the situation on the eastern front. [But] Grand Duke Nicholas, though he may have been a disappointment to us in some respects, knows how to run away decently and in order, and that is a very useful knowledge when Germans are chasing you. Norman Douglas declares he is just luring them on and killing ten of them to one he loses. But I am of the opinion he cannot help himself and is just doing the best he can under the circumstances, the same as the rest of us.’”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
5+ étoiles et 9/10 coeurs. Ce livre brise le coeur. Je suis assez dur quand il s’agit de livre de guerre, mais je dois prendre des pauses dans celui-ci car il est tellement brut et réel. La souffrance est intense. Je ne me rappelle pas si je me suis mise à pleurer, mais mon cœur était déchiré. C'est beau. Et terriblement triste. Et si, si réel. Walter vit pour moi comme aucun autre personnage ne l’a jamais vécu. Ce livre montre exactement ce que fut la Grande Guerre pour les gens. Vous ressentant la crainte et la terreur. Vous savez comment cela se termine mais vous êtes brisé quand même. Je ne peux même pas le décrire correctement. J’aime ce livre, mais c’est difficile pour moi de lire, même si j’aime beaucoup le drame. Et pourtant, c’est parfois hilarant. Susan, surtout quand la cousine Sophia arrive, est encore plus drôle que d'habitude, commentant sur les princes, la politique et les pouvoirs. Je ne suis pas d’accord avec quelques petites choses, mais j’aime tellement ce livre.
Quelques baisers, probablement des jurons, un cas où je ne suis pas sûr si le nom de Dieu soit utilisé en vain ou non, une mention d’étoiles qui apporte la chance et une phrase poétique mais plutôt indécente.
I don’t know if I can fully express how much is to be found in this book. I have been reading it yearly for many years, and always come away with new thoughts. As I grow older, and see more of the world, I relate and understand more, and another level of the book is discovered.
The setting—a small P.E.I. town carrying on through WWI. I’m pretty tough when it comes to war books, but I have to take breaks from this one because it is so raw and real. The agony is intense. I cannot even cry over it—my heart hurts too much for tears. This shows exactly what the Great War was for people. You sway back and forth, feeling the dread and terror. You know how it ends but you are broken anyhow. And when the end comes, you too can only rejoice softly. You feel as if you have paid part of the price yourself.
“‘We’re in a new world,’ Jem says, ‘and we’ve got to make it a better one than the old. That isn’t done yet, though some folks seem to think it ought to be. The job isn’t finished—it isn’t really begun. The old world is destroyed and we must build up the new one. It will be the task of years. I’ve seen enough of war to realize that we’ve got to make a world where wars can’t happen. We’ve given Prussianism its mortal wound but it isn’t dead yet and it isn’t confined to Germany either. It isn’t enough to drive out the old spirit—we’ve got to bring in the new.”
The characters in this book—they are alive. Splendid Jem, brave and merry and true; Jerry, steady and dutiful; Walter, sensitive and courageous; Carl, cheerful and fearless; Shirley, honest and reliable; Nan and Di and Anne, all heart-wrung and smiling; Gertrude, tragic and grasping for hope; the Doctor, determined and self-sacrificing; Susan, simple and true—and Rilla, who starts out a silly, frivolous girl and ends a strong, mature woman. Then there are all the minor and side characters—the Merediths, Cousin Sophia, Jimsy, Ken, Irene, Whiskers-on-the-Moon & his family, Mary and the Elliotts, Norman + Ellen, and everyone else. They’re all so alive, so real, so funny and terrible and beautiful—I swear Glen St. Mary exists and all the inhabitants thereof.
The story follows the Great War, from the first days in August 1914 to the bitter Summer of 1919, where peace has come but normal will never return. As a child, this story was simply World War One—a faraway, long-ago grief and horror and agony. Now, in 2022, as a woman, I have experienced a slight taste of what the people of 1914 felt, and it has humanized the story of the War. This, more than any other book I have read, brings the War and the world of 1914-1918 to life, showing how they were people just like us. The heart is wrung by their suffering, and there is no escape, for the war must drag on for long bitter years. And the price! Walter has become the face of unknown, forgotten heroes, and Jem has become that of the scarred heroes who returned. Every November we grieve the young men who never came home, and for the ones who came home missing a part of themselves, physical or otherwise. I have wept thinking of the children of Rilla, Ken, Faith, Jem, and the others—children who fought in WWII and whose parents were forced to relive the horrible conflict of mankind.
“It has been such a dreadful week,” she wrote, “and even though it is over and we know that it was all a mistake that does not seem to do away with the bruises left by it. And yet it has in some ways been a very wonderful week and I have had some glimpses of things I never realized before—of how fine and brave people can be even in the midst of horrible suffering.”
And yet the book overflows with humour—real laugh-out-loud scenes and witty, clever banter on princes and politics. It is another aspect of the humanity—the part that cannot fully let go of laughing despite the drain. Another angle is the shrewd commentary on principalities and powers, nations and cultures, is thought-provoking, as is the remarks that show us how the war truly changed the world.
“There was a time,” she said sorrowfully, “when I did not care what happened outside of P.E. Island, and now a king cannot have a toothache in Russia or China but it worries me. It may be broadening to the mind, as the doctor said, but it is very painful to the feelings.”
But the biggest things to me is the SPIRIT of this book. The spirit of perseverance, endurance, courage, and love. Of course, man is man, and there is suspicion, contempt, and a feeling of superiority—but this is not exclusive only to Anglo-Saxons. Every nation is guilty of such. World War One was a battle of good vs. evil—not of man vs. man, but Idea against Idea—the idea of civilization against militarism. Perhaps not on the part of the leaders—but when one studies the writings, letters, poems, and speeches of the everyday folks caught up in the war, one sees this distinction plainly. It was not a war of European against European, Anglo-Saxon against German—it was a war between an old, terrible Idea of Prussianism (Frederick the Great, anyone?) and the Idea of Respect and Peace.
“And you will tell your children of the Idea we fought and died for—teach them it must be lived for as well as died for, else the price paid for it will have been given for nought.”
May we never forget.
A REMARK: I discovered that Rilla of Ingleside was abridged by about 4,300 words (~14 pages), so I searched for an unabridged copy. I definitely encourage you to take the extra trouble to find an *unabridged* copy. It is SO worth it! I’ve read both versions and the unabridged is so much fuller, with a great deal more humour and fun.
Content: A few kisses, some mild language, an instance where I’m not sure if God’s name is being used in vain or not, a mention of lucky stars, & a poetic but rather indecent phrase.
A Favourite Quote: “‘We all come back to God in these days of soul-sifting,’ said Gertrude to John Meredith. ‘There have been many days in the past when I didn't believe in God—not as God—only as the impersonal Great First Cause of the scientists. I believe in Him now—I have to—there's nothing else to fall back on but God—humbly, starkly, unconditionally.’
“‘Our help in ages past’—‘the same yesterday, to-day and for ever,’ said the minister gently. ‘When we forget God—He remembers us.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Below her [window] was a big apple-tree, a great swelling cone of rosy blossom.... Beyond Rainbow Valley there was a cloudy shore of morning with little ripples of sunrise breaking over it. The far, cold beauty of a lingering star shone above it. Why, in this world of springtime loveliness, must hearts break?”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘The Germans have recaptured Premysl,’ said Susan despairingly… ‘and now I suppose we will have to begin calling it by that uncivilized name again. Cousin Sophia was in when the mail came and when she heard the news she hove a sigh up from the depths of her stomach, Mrs. Dr. dear, and said, ‘Ah yes, and they will get Petrograd next I have no doubt.’ I said to her, ‘My knowledge of geography is not so profound as I wish it was but I have an idea that it is quite a walk from Premysl to Petrograd.’ Cousin Sophia sighed again and said, ‘The Grand Duke Nicholas is not the man I took him to be.’ ‘Do not let him know that,’ said I. ‘It might hurt his feelings and he has likely enough to worry him as it is.’ But you cannot cheer Cousin Sophia up, no matter how sarcastic you are, Mrs. Dr. dear. She sighed for the third time and groaned out, ‘But the Russians are retreating fast,’ and I said, ‘Well, what of it? They have plenty of room for retreating, have they not?’ But all the same, Mrs. Dr. dear, though I would never admit it to Cousin Sophia, I do not like the situation on the eastern front. [But] Grand Duke Nicholas, though he may have been a disappointment to us in some respects, knows how to run away decently and in order, and that is a very useful knowledge when Germans are chasing you. Norman Douglas declares he is just luring them on and killing ten of them to one he loses. But I am of the opinion he cannot help himself and is just doing the best he can under the circumstances, the same as the rest of us.’”
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
5+ étoiles et 9/10 coeurs. Ce livre brise le coeur. Je suis assez dur quand il s’agit de livre de guerre, mais je dois prendre des pauses dans celui-ci car il est tellement brut et réel. La souffrance est intense. Je ne me rappelle pas si je me suis mise à pleurer, mais mon cœur était déchiré. C'est beau. Et terriblement triste. Et si, si réel. Walter vit pour moi comme aucun autre personnage ne l’a jamais vécu. Ce livre montre exactement ce que fut la Grande Guerre pour les gens. Vous ressentant la crainte et la terreur. Vous savez comment cela se termine mais vous êtes brisé quand même. Je ne peux même pas le décrire correctement. J’aime ce livre, mais c’est difficile pour moi de lire, même si j’aime beaucoup le drame. Et pourtant, c’est parfois hilarant. Susan, surtout quand la cousine Sophia arrive, est encore plus drôle que d'habitude, commentant sur les princes, la politique et les pouvoirs. Je ne suis pas d’accord avec quelques petites choses, mais j’aime tellement ce livre.
Quelques baisers, probablement des jurons, un cas où je ne suis pas sûr si le nom de Dieu soit utilisé en vain ou non, une mention d’étoiles qui apporte la chance et une phrase poétique mais plutôt indécente.
November 30, 2020
El MEJOR libro de toda la saga de Anne de tejas verdes
June 7, 2023
ALL THE STARS!! 😍😭😍😭😍
A review can’t do this book proper justice, but I’ll try. Frankly, this book is beautiful, heart rending, and ever so touching! I laughed aloud, and at times, shamelessly cried my eyes out.
And don’t get me start on Chapter 23 because I am forever shattered. I thought Beth dying in Little Women was devastating as a child, but this is ten times worse. (Don’t mind me over here at 3am sobbing over the death of a fictional character I shall never recover from. 😏)
Compared to the rest of the series, Rilla of Ingleside isn’t as lighthearted or nostalgic. It has a heaviness, a depth, a maturity, and an emotional charge that sets it apart from the rest, and yet I find to to be one of the most poignant and impactful books I have ever read. There’s a reason I keep rereading it.
Montgomery captures the life of those on the home front of WW1 in a way that is by turns breathtaking, hilarious, and heart breaking. I owe this book much as it helped shaped my own story on WW1.
I didn’t appreciate this story as a child but fell in love with it later on. Rilla’s growth is just an incredible journey, but for me, Walter Blythe is the truest hero and always be.
Like those who have gone before, may we “keep faith” and never forget.
And this quote: 😭
“‘We are fighting to make those dear old places where we had played as children, safe for other boys and girls—fighting for the preservation and safety of all sweet, wholesome things.’”
____
June 2023 Reread
It always makes me cry, but I absolutely *wept* this time around. This book is an utter masterpiece that I will never recover from. 😭😭😭
A review can’t do this book proper justice, but I’ll try. Frankly, this book is beautiful, heart rending, and ever so touching! I laughed aloud, and at times, shamelessly cried my eyes out.
And don’t get me start on Chapter 23 because I am forever shattered. I thought Beth dying in Little Women was devastating as a child, but this is ten times worse. (Don’t mind me over here at 3am sobbing over the death of a fictional character I shall never recover from. 😏)
Compared to the rest of the series, Rilla of Ingleside isn’t as lighthearted or nostalgic. It has a heaviness, a depth, a maturity, and an emotional charge that sets it apart from the rest, and yet I find to to be one of the most poignant and impactful books I have ever read. There’s a reason I keep rereading it.
Montgomery captures the life of those on the home front of WW1 in a way that is by turns breathtaking, hilarious, and heart breaking. I owe this book much as it helped shaped my own story on WW1.
I didn’t appreciate this story as a child but fell in love with it later on. Rilla’s growth is just an incredible journey, but for me, Walter Blythe is the truest hero and always be.
Like those who have gone before, may we “keep faith” and never forget.
And this quote: 😭
“‘We are fighting to make those dear old places where we had played as children, safe for other boys and girls—fighting for the preservation and safety of all sweet, wholesome things.’”
____
June 2023 Reread
It always makes me cry, but I absolutely *wept* this time around. This book is an utter masterpiece that I will never recover from. 😭😭😭
May 10, 2009
This is a stand-out in the series for me, I love Rilla.
If Dog Monday doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. He breaks my heart every time.
If Dog Monday doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. He breaks my heart every time.
June 15, 2021
2017 update: The more I've read this, the more I appreciate the metaphors, every day life of each characters, descriptions, laughter, and tears throughout. This book will never grow old for me. It's a dear friend :)
***
This is the most amazing, sweetest, heart-wrenching books I've read in my life. I've read it at least ten times (maybe more ;)) and I love it every. single. time.
This is a book that can be enjoyable read on its on, but it is ever so much better if you've read the whole series. So read the whole series...and then just sigh with happiness, true bliss, when you read this one.
Why I LOVE about this book:
-The characters are whimsical and delightful. L.M. Montgomery explains simple ordinary things as hilarious and interesting. She makes you smile and cry with one sentence.
-Susan. She is my all time favorite character. Her mockery of the war and the leaders of the country made me smirk more than once. And then when daylight savings time is put into place she is adamant that it is against the Bible. Her love of Shirley, her devotion to the Blythes, and her stern ways make you simply want to hug her. She's so down to earth.
-I'm afraid all my loves are the characters themselves. Walter Blythe should get his own review. He makes me want to soooob....He is amazing. My heart wrenched for him. He hated the war, but duty came first. Duty because it was the right thing to do. Sigghhh.
-Kenneth Ford. Such a handsome fellow...and I especially like him because he is the son of the Ford's (whose love story is introduced in Anne's House of Dreams). I love how he calls Rilla, Rilla-my-Rilla. On this same note...I LOVE the scene when he has came to tell Rilla goodbye and Susan starts chatting about when she spanked him. I just died!!! And he is so serious and grim, but wants to burst out laughing the whole time.
-And Rilla. I love how she learns to do her part for the war effort. And how she learns to love the little baby from the soup tureen. Yes, she is a character full of mistakes, but oh so dear. And her lisp. Hehe. I LOVE the last two sentences in the book and I quote them all the time (oh the calamity of lisping at the worst of times!!):
"Is it Rilla-my-Rilla?"
"Yeth," said Rilla.
-The setting. I have fallen in love with the World War 1 setting (probably because of this book)! Instead of showing the men fighting, it focuses on those left at home.
Other thoughts:
-There are a couple swear words, but not more than a half of dozen. The middle is a little slow with all the fellows gone, but not enough to bore me, especially when Susan's around ;) There is a brief kiss in the middle of the book, but it's sweet and not detailed at all. One thing I would have liked is for the book to never end.
I heartily LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I review does not do justice to it. Go grab a copy and then fall in love with it too ;)
***
This is the most amazing, sweetest, heart-wrenching books I've read in my life. I've read it at least ten times (maybe more ;)) and I love it every. single. time.
This is a book that can be enjoyable read on its on, but it is ever so much better if you've read the whole series. So read the whole series...and then just sigh with happiness, true bliss, when you read this one.
Why I LOVE about this book:
-The characters are whimsical and delightful. L.M. Montgomery explains simple ordinary things as hilarious and interesting. She makes you smile and cry with one sentence.
-Susan. She is my all time favorite character. Her mockery of the war and the leaders of the country made me smirk more than once. And then when daylight savings time is put into place she is adamant that it is against the Bible. Her love of Shirley, her devotion to the Blythes, and her stern ways make you simply want to hug her. She's so down to earth.
-I'm afraid all my loves are the characters themselves. Walter Blythe should get his own review. He makes me want to soooob....He is amazing. My heart wrenched for him. He hated the war, but duty came first. Duty because it was the right thing to do. Sigghhh.
-Kenneth Ford. Such a handsome fellow...and I especially like him because he is the son of the Ford's (whose love story is introduced in Anne's House of Dreams). I love how he calls Rilla, Rilla-my-Rilla. On this same note...I LOVE the scene when he has came to tell Rilla goodbye and Susan starts chatting about when she spanked him. I just died!!! And he is so serious and grim, but wants to burst out laughing the whole time.
-And Rilla. I love how she learns to do her part for the war effort. And how she learns to love the little baby from the soup tureen. Yes, she is a character full of mistakes, but oh so dear. And her lisp. Hehe. I LOVE the last two sentences in the book and I quote them all the time (oh the calamity of lisping at the worst of times!!):
"Is it Rilla-my-Rilla?"
"Yeth," said Rilla.
-The setting. I have fallen in love with the World War 1 setting (probably because of this book)! Instead of showing the men fighting, it focuses on those left at home.
Other thoughts:
-There are a couple swear words, but not more than a half of dozen. The middle is a little slow with all the fellows gone, but not enough to bore me, especially when Susan's around ;) There is a brief kiss in the middle of the book, but it's sweet and not detailed at all. One thing I would have liked is for the book to never end.
I heartily LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I review does not do justice to it. Go grab a copy and then fall in love with it too ;)
Read
October 10, 2024Reread for a reading vlog: https://youtu.be/Z-1p0hIp-Ng (watch for both a spoiler free and spoiler filled review of each of the eight books in the series - spoilers are all clearly marked and easily skipped!)
Written review to come ❤️
You can find me on...
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You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
Written review to come ❤️
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
September 10, 2023
و امان از جنگ!امان:)
و دوباره یه مجموعه دیگه هم تموم شد؛این بار نوبت آنی شرلی بود:)))
کتابای این مجموعه مثل دارو میمونن؛دارویی برای روح خسته و افسرده ما آدما🥲💔
"ریلای_ما_ریلا"ی عزیزم🙂
ریلا در اینگل ساید بهترین پایان بندی ممکن رو داشت که میتونست این مجموعه رو به پایان برسونه
روحت شاد خانم مونتگمری🤌😭❤️🩹
و دوباره یه مجموعه دیگه هم تموم شد؛این بار نوبت آنی شرلی بود:)))
کتابای این مجموعه مثل دارو میمونن؛دارویی برای روح خسته و افسرده ما آدما🥲💔
"ریلای_ما_ریلا"ی عزیزم🙂
ریلا در اینگل ساید بهترین پایان بندی ممکن رو داشت که میتونست این مجموعه رو به پایان برسونه
روحت شاد خانم مونتگمری🤌😭❤️🩹
January 11, 2018
Heartbreaking and beautiful. One of the few fiction books out there in World War I, and so worth it.
December 30, 2023
2023 Review
Every time I re-read this, I wish a little more that (what seems like) two-thirds of the novel was not given over to Susan's political opinions and recounting of the war. It grows tiresome and is not so interesting to re-read and re-interpret. However, I can appreciate that this book was published in 1921 and it would have been very fresh for the intended audience.
It struck me this time how well Montgomery captures the experience of adolescence, in all its mood swings and extremes, but also how a drop of adamant flowing in the right direction can set the course for a lifetime. Rilla's is set again and again with her decisions, many of them hard-won, and watching her grow is always a pleasure.
I am always a bit sad to finish this series, but I have so many other Montgomery books to re-read that it eases the pain. We'll see which ones I pick up in 2024!
2021 Review
Oh, Rilla. I'm so glad Montgomery chose to end the story of the Blythes here, The Blythes Are Quoted notwithstanding. Perhaps the war is why she parts ways with Anne after House of Dreams. Telling the story of the war from Anne's perspective would be deeply sorrowful and not in tone with the previous books at all. While Rilla feels the absence of her brothers and friends deeply, mourns over Walter, and has her fears about the war, she also has Jims to keep her busy, a secret romance to cherish, and heading up the Junior Red Cross to occupy her time.
Montgomery tells most of the war news through Susan's voice, which is an interesting choice. Miss Cornelia is strangely absent from Rilla, and she is missed. While Susan is certainly entertaining, she is also rather xenophobic, and it made my heart hurt a bit for my German-speaking immigrant ancestors who came to the United States from Austria and then-Czechoslovakia just before the war. Susan's anti-German sentiments would not have stopped at the doors of families who left because of the conditions in Europe before the war, I fear. As unpleasant as this was to read, I couldn't help but be thankful that Montgomery included it, because it's accurate to the time, and makes me think about the ways we talk about contemporary issues. WWI clearly affected Montgomery deeply. Sadly, after reading Rilla of Ingleside again, I can see why she chose to die during WWII.
The strenuously pro-war nature of the book got on my nerves a bit this time, too. Again, Susan is at the helm (pardon me) of this. Rilla, in the case of Walter, sees things with more nuance, but the way they talk about other young men in the village is shameful. I wish there was a stronger condemnation of the pressure young men faced to go to war, and a really good, nuanced conscientious objector. Not a single one is portrayed in the book. Going to war is described with all its ugliness, but it's valorized too. There's hardly any post-war reflection to give a wider perspective on war, especially an overseas war that changes home front communities forever, without even touching their country.
Rilla is a very different character from Anne, thankfully. It would be awful if Montgomery had tried to replace her. She doesn't strike the same chord, of course, but I like and respect her even if I can't love her like Anne. Her friendship with Walter is precious to see, as are the many sacrifices, large and small, that she makes during the war. When I first read Rilla in middle school, I talked over Walter's death with a friend, and I'm still not over it these many years later. I don't think I ever will be. It's too heartbreaking. But I must admit, I love that Montgomery immortalized him as a Great War poet.
I've deeply enjoyed the past three weeks with Anne, but I'll probably go back to cherry-picking my favorite books when I crave a sojourn on PEI. Her characters are immortal, her world beautiful and true and good, and she makes me want to live life with all its ups and downs. In some dark years, I could always count on Anne to help me see beauty in the world again, and I'm grateful for that. Revisiting her in happier days is even more delightful.
"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."
Every time I re-read this, I wish a little more that (what seems like) two-thirds of the novel was not given over to Susan's political opinions and recounting of the war. It grows tiresome and is not so interesting to re-read and re-interpret. However, I can appreciate that this book was published in 1921 and it would have been very fresh for the intended audience.
It struck me this time how well Montgomery captures the experience of adolescence, in all its mood swings and extremes, but also how a drop of adamant flowing in the right direction can set the course for a lifetime. Rilla's is set again and again with her decisions, many of them hard-won, and watching her grow is always a pleasure.
I am always a bit sad to finish this series, but I have so many other Montgomery books to re-read that it eases the pain. We'll see which ones I pick up in 2024!
2021 Review
Oh, Rilla. I'm so glad Montgomery chose to end the story of the Blythes here, The Blythes Are Quoted notwithstanding. Perhaps the war is why she parts ways with Anne after House of Dreams. Telling the story of the war from Anne's perspective would be deeply sorrowful and not in tone with the previous books at all. While Rilla feels the absence of her brothers and friends deeply, mourns over Walter, and has her fears about the war, she also has Jims to keep her busy, a secret romance to cherish, and heading up the Junior Red Cross to occupy her time.
Montgomery tells most of the war news through Susan's voice, which is an interesting choice. Miss Cornelia is strangely absent from Rilla, and she is missed. While Susan is certainly entertaining, she is also rather xenophobic, and it made my heart hurt a bit for my German-speaking immigrant ancestors who came to the United States from Austria and then-Czechoslovakia just before the war. Susan's anti-German sentiments would not have stopped at the doors of families who left because of the conditions in Europe before the war, I fear. As unpleasant as this was to read, I couldn't help but be thankful that Montgomery included it, because it's accurate to the time, and makes me think about the ways we talk about contemporary issues. WWI clearly affected Montgomery deeply. Sadly, after reading Rilla of Ingleside again, I can see why she chose to die during WWII.
The strenuously pro-war nature of the book got on my nerves a bit this time, too. Again, Susan is at the helm (pardon me) of this. Rilla, in the case of Walter, sees things with more nuance, but the way they talk about other young men in the village is shameful. I wish there was a stronger condemnation of the pressure young men faced to go to war, and a really good, nuanced conscientious objector. Not a single one is portrayed in the book. Going to war is described with all its ugliness, but it's valorized too. There's hardly any post-war reflection to give a wider perspective on war, especially an overseas war that changes home front communities forever, without even touching their country.
Rilla is a very different character from Anne, thankfully. It would be awful if Montgomery had tried to replace her. She doesn't strike the same chord, of course, but I like and respect her even if I can't love her like Anne. Her friendship with Walter is precious to see, as are the many sacrifices, large and small, that she makes during the war. When I first read Rilla in middle school, I talked over Walter's death with a friend, and I'm still not over it these many years later. I don't think I ever will be. It's too heartbreaking. But I must admit, I love that Montgomery immortalized him as a Great War poet.
I've deeply enjoyed the past three weeks with Anne, but I'll probably go back to cherry-picking my favorite books when I crave a sojourn on PEI. Her characters are immortal, her world beautiful and true and good, and she makes me want to live life with all its ups and downs. In some dark years, I could always count on Anne to help me see beauty in the world again, and I'm grateful for that. Revisiting her in happier days is even more delightful.
"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."
November 8, 2013
It was recently drawn to my attention by a fellow Goodreads reader that the editions of Rilla of Ingleside, for which we had become accustomed, are abridged versions of the original edition that L.M. Montgomery published. Somehow along the way, an abridged edition appeared through an Amercian publishing house and that abridged version became the standard (accidentally). As a result, I was curious to discover what jewels of Rilla of Ingleside I was missing. While, I feel self-satisfied in the knowledge of having truly read the complete version of RofI, I don't think I would have noticed any difference between my 1980s edition and the new complete version had I not known. Nevertheless, my journey with the Blythe family through WWI was still provoking, tearful, and delightful all over again. In addition, the newly discovered and restored version(edited by Benjamin Lefebvre and Andrea McKenzie) includes: a glossary, a brief history of WWI and two war poems written by L.M. Montgomery. Therefore, I do recommend that any L.M. Montgomery fan (or anyone who has not already discovered Rilla of Ingleside) pick up a copy of this edition immediately. It's a book that will add a certain charm to anyone's collection.
March 16, 2021
فوق العاده زیبا بود و به عنوان آخر جلد به شدت تاثیرگذار بود
بالاخره جنگ جهانی پاش به کتاب رویایی آن شرلی هم باز شد و تلخی هاش رو نشون داد اما در نهایت مثل همه جلدهای دیگه، با یه پایان شیرین و دوست داشتنی، تلخی ها فراموش شد و این کتاب زیبا در دلم موندگار شد
بالاخره جنگ جهانی پاش به کتاب رویایی آن شرلی هم باز شد و تلخی هاش رو نشون داد اما در نهایت مثل همه جلدهای دیگه، با یه پایان شیرین و دوست داشتنی، تلخی ها فراموش شد و این کتاب زیبا در دلم موندگار شد
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