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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, we're finally at the end. If you read all of my reviews you'll know it has been a tipsy turvy ride. I am happy to report that Rilla is a good send-off to a mostly solid series. I was hoping for decent so it was a relief that it satisfied my expectations.
The last in the series if reading in chronological order - The Blythes are Quoted absolutely does not count - the story has shifted its focus once again. The last book, Rainbow Valley, mostly followed the exploits of the Meredith children with interjections or passing references to the Blythes. Rilla of Ingleside returns to the Blythe family via the character of the youngest Blythe, the titular, Rilla.
Just shy of 15 years old Anne worries that Rilla is spoiled, self centered and lazy. Everything changes when Canada gets drawn into World War 1. Flighty, irresponsible Rilla is thus forced to grow up in a hurry to do her part for her country.
The Anne books do not have strong arcs. While people do grow, the format of the story means it's not often a central theme in the way it is in other novels. For example in Anne of the Island Anne must overcome her denial to reunite with her beloved Gilbert Blythe. It impacts the story to an extent, but the events of the novel are not expressly arranged in a manner designed to explicitly teach her a lesson. The fact that she does is more incidental as the most important part is merely that she and Gilbert get together, not that Anne experience personal development.
In contrast to all other books Rilla of Ingleside has an actual narrative to follow. While it does still maintain the interconnected short story structure, the backdrop of the war ensures that it stays on theme in a way none of the other books does. Rilla's story is anchored to the progression of the war so unlike other books there is no interjection of other character shenanigans or undertakings. It is all about Rilla grappling with the hardship of war.
It’s a refreshing change that served the novel exceedingly well. Looking at how war massively impacted the women back home just as much as the men was an interesting direction to go in. This kind of media is not uncommon any more (if it ever was, I’m not particularly well versed in classical fiction tropes) so I was not unaware of how much women struggle in wartime. Still, for the Anne series it was a surprising spin and overall, Montgomery did a wonderful job in her depiction. I’m sure women who read this in its debut felt seen.
Following Rilla’s glow up is equal parts fun equal parts frustrating. We’ve come really far in our understanding of mental health and our treatment of minors. While I was impressed Rilla stepped it up not only for her family but for her community as well, I was also vaguely disgusted at all that was imposed on her in the name of ‘keeping a stiff upper lip’ out of a sense of duty to the cause. It meant undue suffering for poor Rilla as she was allowed virtually no outlet for her emotional upheaval. It’s one thing if the adult women make this decision, it’s another thing entirely to expect a teenager to have that same maturity and level of emotional regulation.
Obviously, in times of war everyone has to sacrifice their happiness to some extent. It’s a sad reality of war. But, nowadays we, as a society, at least can recognize the immense burden that it is. Rilla, unfortunately, lives in a time before that cultural shift. As such, I felt tremendous sadness for her unceremonious shove into adulthood.
To give an indication of just how bad it is, Rilla essentially adopts a baby. The baby's mother is confirmed dead and the father is unreachable, though presumed dead as well. When she first chooses to take the little war baby in it’s only intended to be for a few days or so. In this time, the still 14 year old Rilla is left to do absolutely all the chores regarding this baby despite not knowing anything about babies. It’s essentially a punishment for doing a good deed as the baby becomes her ward for the next few years. Her parents are completely comfortable allowing her to do this as in their eyes she’s doing her part to aid the war effort. Nevermind the fact that there are plenty of other ways she can and does help out. Like why couldn’t Anne - a fully grown, adult woman - take this baby on instead?
Rilla has this weird relationship with her closest brother Walter. I don’t mean to malign close opposite sex sibling relationships. I personally am very close to my brother. But, there were moments when the two acted like they were lovers. This was exacerbated by the fact that Rilla had an actual love interest who was lucky to get a tenth of her attention. Walter wrote her long, flowery letters, called her a special nickname, and when he tells her of a life changing decision she literally tells him he’s everything to her.
She does not know Ken Ford that well, but this was the perfect opportunity to have a sweet epistolary romance while fleshing him out. Instead, all of that time is taken up by Walter. Walter is her brother so it makes sense that he’d have more significance to her than Ken Ford in a general sense. However, there needed to be way more of a balance. Especially since Ken Ford is the man Rilla ends up marrying. I know for a fact Montgomery could have managed it since Anne of Windy Poplars is half letters and it comes after this one in publication order.
Anyways, if you’re thinking of undertaking this series I’d say go for it. There are definitely things I dislike - characters are pushed out at will never to be heard about again, the meaningless minutia about social convention can grate, it’s maddening to read about Anne abandoning her career goals after so much effort put forth and there are a lot of awful societal standards being strictly enforced at the expense of the women involved. In spite of it all, I can't help loving it. There’s a lot of charm underneath all the traditionalism. Anne has gumption even in her most matronly moments. Her kids are a chip off the old block. The wish fulfillment is in full force, but there are many poignant moments of loss as Anne ages that makes it feel painfully realistic at times.
The point is if any book character deserved a happy ending it’s her - I’m glad I made it far enough to see it.
The last in the series if reading in chronological order - The Blythes are Quoted absolutely does not count - the story has shifted its focus once again. The last book, Rainbow Valley, mostly followed the exploits of the Meredith children with interjections or passing references to the Blythes. Rilla of Ingleside returns to the Blythe family via the character of the youngest Blythe, the titular, Rilla.
Just shy of 15 years old Anne worries that Rilla is spoiled, self centered and lazy. Everything changes when Canada gets drawn into World War 1. Flighty, irresponsible Rilla is thus forced to grow up in a hurry to do her part for her country.
The Anne books do not have strong arcs. While people do grow, the format of the story means it's not often a central theme in the way it is in other novels. For example in Anne of the Island Anne must overcome her denial to reunite with her beloved Gilbert Blythe. It impacts the story to an extent, but the events of the novel are not expressly arranged in a manner designed to explicitly teach her a lesson. The fact that she does is more incidental as the most important part is merely that she and Gilbert get together, not that Anne experience personal development.
In contrast to all other books Rilla of Ingleside has an actual narrative to follow. While it does still maintain the interconnected short story structure, the backdrop of the war ensures that it stays on theme in a way none of the other books does. Rilla's story is anchored to the progression of the war so unlike other books there is no interjection of other character shenanigans or undertakings. It is all about Rilla grappling with the hardship of war.
It’s a refreshing change that served the novel exceedingly well. Looking at how war massively impacted the women back home just as much as the men was an interesting direction to go in. This kind of media is not uncommon any more (if it ever was, I’m not particularly well versed in classical fiction tropes) so I was not unaware of how much women struggle in wartime. Still, for the Anne series it was a surprising spin and overall, Montgomery did a wonderful job in her depiction. I’m sure women who read this in its debut felt seen.
Following Rilla’s glow up is equal parts fun equal parts frustrating. We’ve come really far in our understanding of mental health and our treatment of minors. While I was impressed Rilla stepped it up not only for her family but for her community as well, I was also vaguely disgusted at all that was imposed on her in the name of ‘keeping a stiff upper lip’ out of a sense of duty to the cause. It meant undue suffering for poor Rilla as she was allowed virtually no outlet for her emotional upheaval. It’s one thing if the adult women make this decision, it’s another thing entirely to expect a teenager to have that same maturity and level of emotional regulation.
Obviously, in times of war everyone has to sacrifice their happiness to some extent. It’s a sad reality of war. But, nowadays we, as a society, at least can recognize the immense burden that it is. Rilla, unfortunately, lives in a time before that cultural shift. As such, I felt tremendous sadness for her unceremonious shove into adulthood.
To give an indication of just how bad it is, Rilla essentially adopts a baby. The baby's mother is confirmed dead and the father is unreachable, though presumed dead as well. When she first chooses to take the little war baby in it’s only intended to be for a few days or so. In this time, the still 14 year old Rilla is left to do absolutely all the chores regarding this baby despite not knowing anything about babies. It’s essentially a punishment for doing a good deed as the baby becomes her ward for the next few years. Her parents are completely comfortable allowing her to do this as in their eyes she’s doing her part to aid the war effort. Nevermind the fact that there are plenty of other ways she can and does help out. Like why couldn’t Anne - a fully grown, adult woman - take this baby on instead?
Rilla has this weird relationship with her closest brother Walter. I don’t mean to malign close opposite sex sibling relationships. I personally am very close to my brother. But, there were moments when the two acted like they were lovers. This was exacerbated by the fact that Rilla had an actual love interest who was lucky to get a tenth of her attention. Walter wrote her long, flowery letters, called her a special nickname, and when he tells her of a life changing decision she literally tells him he’s everything to her.
She does not know Ken Ford that well, but this was the perfect opportunity to have a sweet epistolary romance while fleshing him out. Instead, all of that time is taken up by Walter. Walter is her brother so it makes sense that he’d have more significance to her than Ken Ford in a general sense. However, there needed to be way more of a balance. Especially since Ken Ford is the man Rilla ends up marrying. I know for a fact Montgomery could have managed it since Anne of Windy Poplars is half letters and it comes after this one in publication order.
Anyways, if you’re thinking of undertaking this series I’d say go for it. There are definitely things I dislike - characters are pushed out at will never to be heard about again, the meaningless minutia about social convention can grate, it’s maddening to read about Anne abandoning her career goals after so much effort put forth and there are a lot of awful societal standards being strictly enforced at the expense of the women involved. In spite of it all, I can't help loving it. There’s a lot of charm underneath all the traditionalism. Anne has gumption even in her most matronly moments. Her kids are a chip off the old block. The wish fulfillment is in full force, but there are many poignant moments of loss as Anne ages that makes it feel painfully realistic at times.
The point is if any book character deserved a happy ending it’s her - I’m glad I made it far enough to see it.
I love this story of the Canadian home front during WWI. Rilla's character arc is believable and I love all the other characters as well. Montgomery has a talent for writing people in all their humanity..
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Toxic friendship, War
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very beautiful way to end the series this book was. This book is the most sad out of all of them since World War One occurs but it shows how strong the Blythes truly are. The main character is the youngest of Anne’s children Rilla and she is very loveable we get to see her truly grow through out the duration of the novel. And that last line was truly heartfelt
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Heartbreaking and beautiful. One of the few fiction books out there in World War I, and so worth it.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Digital audiobook narrated by Emily Durante.
4****
Book eight in the “Anne of Green Gables” series focuses on Anne’s youngest child. Rilla is fifteen, starting to get interested in boys and dances, but needing to worry about her brothers and friends now that World War I has started.
I never read this series as a child or young adult, so am slowly working my way through them now. It’s hard to believe that this book is one hundred years old! Despite what TODAY is an historical setting, when written it was contemporary and it has that feel to it. There are young women today, going through many of the issues that Rilla experiences: first love, worry about a brother sent to fight overseas, grief over friends or relatives who’ve died too young. There are also the day-to-day relationships within a family: child to parent, or between siblings. These ring true today as they did when Montgomery wrote the story.
I love how Rilla rises to the challenges imposed by the war; she takes on leadership of a committee, and the raising of a war-orphaned child. I loved, too, how she put together a wedding on short notice for her friend. I see a lot of the young Anne in Rilla.
This is the last in the series, and I’m sorry it’s over. There is a collection of short stories (The Blythes Are Quoted), as well as a prequel authorized by Montgomery’s estate (and written by Budge Wilson) that I may yet read.
Emily Durante does a wonderful job performing the audio version. She sets a good pace and I loved the way she interpreted Rilla.
4****
Book eight in the “Anne of Green Gables” series focuses on Anne’s youngest child. Rilla is fifteen, starting to get interested in boys and dances, but needing to worry about her brothers and friends now that World War I has started.
I never read this series as a child or young adult, so am slowly working my way through them now. It’s hard to believe that this book is one hundred years old! Despite what TODAY is an historical setting, when written it was contemporary and it has that feel to it. There are young women today, going through many of the issues that Rilla experiences: first love, worry about a brother sent to fight overseas, grief over friends or relatives who’ve died too young. There are also the day-to-day relationships within a family: child to parent, or between siblings. These ring true today as they did when Montgomery wrote the story.
I love how Rilla rises to the challenges imposed by the war; she takes on leadership of a committee, and the raising of a war-orphaned child. I loved, too, how she put together a wedding on short notice for her friend. I see a lot of the young Anne in Rilla.
This is the last in the series, and I’m sorry it’s over. There is a collection of short stories (The Blythes Are Quoted), as well as a prequel authorized by Montgomery’s estate (and written by Budge Wilson) that I may yet read.
Emily Durante does a wonderful job performing the audio version. She sets a good pace and I loved the way she interpreted Rilla.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A