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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
re-read with the Rilla of Ingleside Readathon led by Benjamin Lefebvre and Andrea McKenzie, summer 2020. Enjoyed the videos, extra textual info, and discussions very much. This was always my favorite of the Anne books and now I have a deeper appreciation for it.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was absolutely fascinating to read about World War I, especially when I am traveling to some of the places they discuss in the book. As always, LM Montgomery has a wonderful cast of characters, and I love the people of Glen St. Mary.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so i just finished reading this book, the final installment in a series that has grown to mean so much to me. i have so many thoughts and i'm trying desperately to form them into something coherent, so sorry in advance for the sheer insanity this review is about to be.
when i started the anne of green gables series at the end of november / beginning of december, i had no idea that it would end up becoming so important to me. i love anne and gilbert and their family (extended and otherwise) so incredibly much, each of these books somehow special and meaningful in their own way. i thought that i would love the books less as they went on, as the focus shifted from anne and gilbert to their children and their children's friends, but rilla of ingleside honestly ended up being one of my favorite installments. i can't imagine reading this book as a child, because this book is first and foremost about war. the themes of this book center around what war takes away from us, how it changes us, how we have to accept change in times that won't allow us to do anything else. it feels really pertinent right now, honestly.
i purposely made this book last as long as i could; when i read, i would read only one chapter, until today, when i finished the last three. i cried at multiple points in this book, and honestly i feel like crying while writing this review. i can't truly put into words the exact feeling reading this series has given me, but it's been a real joy, to say the least.
in the last chapter, jem says: "we're in a new world, and we've got to make it a better one than the old. that isn't done yet, though some folks 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." this just resonated with me so much, especially now, that i think this passage is going to stick with me for a long time, just like this series as a whole will.
thank you, anne. thank you, gilbert. thank you, joy, jem, walter, di, nan, shirley, and rilla. thank you, susan, miss cornelia, phil, marilla, matthew, mrs. lynde, ms. stacy, diana, leslie, and even royal gardner. thank you, l.m. montgomery. i know i'll always be able to visit the pages of these books and feel at home.
when i started the anne of green gables series at the end of november / beginning of december, i had no idea that it would end up becoming so important to me. i love anne and gilbert and their family (extended and otherwise) so incredibly much, each of these books somehow special and meaningful in their own way. i thought that i would love the books less as they went on, as the focus shifted from anne and gilbert to their children and their children's friends, but rilla of ingleside honestly ended up being one of my favorite installments. i can't imagine reading this book as a child, because this book is first and foremost about war. the themes of this book center around what war takes away from us, how it changes us, how we have to accept change in times that won't allow us to do anything else. it feels really pertinent right now, honestly.
i purposely made this book last as long as i could; when i read, i would read only one chapter, until today, when i finished the last three. i cried at multiple points in this book, and honestly i feel like crying while writing this review. i can't truly put into words the exact feeling reading this series has given me, but it's been a real joy, to say the least.
in the last chapter, jem says: "we're in a new world, and we've got to make it a better one than the old. that isn't done yet, though some folks 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." this just resonated with me so much, especially now, that i think this passage is going to stick with me for a long time, just like this series as a whole will.
thank you, anne. thank you, gilbert. thank you, joy, jem, walter, di, nan, shirley, and rilla. thank you, susan, miss cornelia, phil, marilla, matthew, mrs. lynde, ms. stacy, diana, leslie, and even royal gardner. thank you, l.m. montgomery. i know i'll always be able to visit the pages of these books and feel at home.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rilla reminded me a lot of Anne in this book. It was almost like seeing the character come full circle and grow up before my eyes again. Sad to see the series end, but it feels complete.
What I read: Rilla of Ingelside by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Why I picked it up: I’ve been working my way through re-reading this series on audio this year and finally finished!
How I read it: On audio at 1.75x speed this week.
What it’s about: Rilla, one of the younger girls in the Blythe family is the main character of this book – it walks through her adopting a war baby, seeing her brothers go to the front in WWI, and catching up on all of our old friends with Anne and Gilbert and Susan
What I liked: I loved going back to see all of our old friends – and really walking through Anne’s story from the first moment she came to Green Gables to being a grown, married woman with adult children.
What I disliked: There were a lot of letters and diary entries, it might have been better on paper, but was still a delight. This is the only one of the series that wasn’t a re-read for me.
Genre: Young adult, historical fiction.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely, it’s best read as part of the series though – if read as a stand alone, you might miss a lot of the extra character adventures.
Why I picked it up: I’ve been working my way through re-reading this series on audio this year and finally finished!
How I read it: On audio at 1.75x speed this week.
What it’s about: Rilla, one of the younger girls in the Blythe family is the main character of this book – it walks through her adopting a war baby, seeing her brothers go to the front in WWI, and catching up on all of our old friends with Anne and Gilbert and Susan
What I liked: I loved going back to see all of our old friends – and really walking through Anne’s story from the first moment she came to Green Gables to being a grown, married woman with adult children.
What I disliked: There were a lot of letters and diary entries, it might have been better on paper, but was still a delight. This is the only one of the series that wasn’t a re-read for me.
Genre: Young adult, historical fiction.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely, it’s best read as part of the series though – if read as a stand alone, you might miss a lot of the extra character adventures.
80/103 - 1921 - Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
And so I’ve come to the end of the Anne of Green Gables series.
I read the first book when I was 31 and immediately fell in love with Anne. The first book felt so perfect that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to read anymore, but I’m so glad I slowly continued.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this last one, since the previous two weren’t the best (I didn’t finish Rainbow Valley). So this was a pleasant surprise. Rilla of Ingleside is about WWI and is much darker and more emotional than the previous books. It’s actually a fascinating look at WWI from the perspective of a female character.
My only complaint is that I missed Anne. She’s in the story, of course, but mostly just in the background as Mrs. Blythe. I felt so connected to Anne as a mother in House of Dreams, and I wanted to read the story from Anne’s point of view as she watched her babies go off to war. I did enjoy Rilla’s story, but I just wish at least part of it had been told from Anne’s point of view as well.
I have a lot of emotions about finishing this series. It took me a couple days to process. As soon as I finished, I was tempted to pick up book one and read all of my favorites again, which I think speaks volumes. I decided not to do it now, but I can’t wait to reread this series someday.
And so I’ve come to the end of the Anne of Green Gables series.
I read the first book when I was 31 and immediately fell in love with Anne. The first book felt so perfect that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to read anymore, but I’m so glad I slowly continued.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this last one, since the previous two weren’t the best (I didn’t finish Rainbow Valley). So this was a pleasant surprise. Rilla of Ingleside is about WWI and is much darker and more emotional than the previous books. It’s actually a fascinating look at WWI from the perspective of a female character.
My only complaint is that I missed Anne. She’s in the story, of course, but mostly just in the background as Mrs. Blythe. I felt so connected to Anne as a mother in House of Dreams, and I wanted to read the story from Anne’s point of view as she watched her babies go off to war. I did enjoy Rilla’s story, but I just wish at least part of it had been told from Anne’s point of view as well.
I have a lot of emotions about finishing this series. It took me a couple days to process. As soon as I finished, I was tempted to pick up book one and read all of my favorites again, which I think speaks volumes. I decided not to do it now, but I can’t wait to reread this series someday.
I appreciated the change that Rilla went through in the novel. Out of all of her siblings, she was the one that her parents thought would make the least out of herself. She lacked ambition and she didn't seem to care as much for others as for herself. When she ended up taking care of baby Jims because he would have died without proper care or been sent to an asylum if she lived, her lack of compassion in her thinking about him was shocking. But she grew up to become a person that others could rely on and her family could be proud of. This book spanned four years, from when she was 15-19, I believe. It covered WWI and it was much more somber in tone, to my mind than all of the previous books in the series. Although death has been explored in Montgomery's previous books, it definitely hit hard in this one.
Some reviewers mention that the housekeeper, Susan, has been a thorn in their sides with her tirades and lectures throughout the series but this didn't bother me. I like to think of Susan as the comic relief in the series, even if this wasn't Montgomery's purpose when writing her.
Like Montgomery's other books, this one seemed to have anacronisms in it, like the belief that every baby should cry 20 minutes a day and if they're not crying, you need to make them cry. There was also the weird part of Rilla's stutter being absent for a good portion of the book, only to reappear, disappear, and reappear again.
My main gripe about this series is how far it strays from Anne. It saddens me so much that she's only referred to as Mrs. Blythe and has about as much presence as paint on a wall. Anne and Gilbert remind me somewhat of the teacher in Charlie Brown specials. Considering how effervescent she was in book one, and to see her leave all of her ambitions and girlish fancies behind seems like a death.
While I liked delving into this last book in the series with Rilla, I preferred the character arc and journey of [b:Emily of New Moon|3562|Emily of New Moon (Emily, #1)|L.M. Montgomery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563899327l/3562._SY75_.jpg|1223124] in Montgomery's trilogy to this story.
Some reviewers mention that the housekeeper, Susan, has been a thorn in their sides with her tirades and lectures throughout the series but this didn't bother me. I like to think of Susan as the comic relief in the series, even if this wasn't Montgomery's purpose when writing her.
Like Montgomery's other books, this one seemed to have anacronisms in it, like the belief that every baby should cry 20 minutes a day and if they're not crying, you need to make them cry. There was also the weird part of Rilla's stutter being absent for a good portion of the book, only to reappear, disappear, and reappear again.
My main gripe about this series is how far it strays from Anne. It saddens me so much that she's only referred to as Mrs. Blythe and has about as much presence as paint on a wall. Anne and Gilbert remind me somewhat of the teacher in Charlie Brown specials. Considering how effervescent she was in book one, and to see her leave all of her ambitions and girlish fancies behind seems like a death.
While I liked delving into this last book in the series with Rilla, I preferred the character arc and journey of [b:Emily of New Moon|3562|Emily of New Moon (Emily, #1)|L.M. Montgomery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563899327l/3562._SY75_.jpg|1223124] in Montgomery's trilogy to this story.