Well, this is interesting. Hmmm. I absolutely LOVED all previous 7 books of this serie. Anne of Green Gables was delightful. When I read it, I was immediately swept away in L.M. Montgomery's beautiful world, a world of pretty sceneries and adventures. Anne was and is still, one of my favourite heroines of all times. Then, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island proved to be just as enthralling. Anne of Windy Poplars deceived me a little because of its lack of exploration of a potentially amazing romance (Anne and Gilbert's relationship- I mean, we've waited 4 books to finally see them get together, and then it's like the author decided that there had been enough talk of them, and skipped all potential description there could have been about their romance!), but it was still a good read. And Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside might not have been as good as the three first books, but they were still written in the same style, and still featured Anne as the beloved heroine. In my humble opinion, the Anne serie really ends with Anne of Ingleside. Because once you get to Rainbow Valley, you see nothing of Anne. This however, did not bother me. Perhaps because there was somewhat of a gap between the time I finished Anne of Ingleside and started Rainbow Valley. I loved Rainbow Valley. It was awesome. Anne was not present, but the Merediths certainly did make up for that.So, seeing that an Anne book could still be amazing even though the said Anne barely had a say in it, I was more than willing to give Rilla of Ingleside a chance. I started it under the impression that Rilla would be a similar heroine to Anne, and that the book would feature her romance with Ken Ford. Wrong!First of all, Rilla is nothing like Anne. At first she is a vain, selfish, thoughtless young chit. But mind you, she's more interesting then than as she progresses in the book. It seems that L.M. Montgomery in wanting to make her good, made her exceedingly boring and uninteresting. There seems to be nothing to her. Once the war starts, she begins to realize that partying and pretty things (ahem-green hat episode) are not all that matter in life, and from then on she is dull and uninteresting. The problem is that we are told that she becomes better and that she helps at home, but we are shown nothing that proves it, besides the fact that she holds Junior Red Cross meetings to help for the war, and that she takes care of Jims. Those are wonderful acts indeed, and do prove that she improves, but what is lacking, I think, are adventures to show how she will react to the world. Anne had so many comical adventures and little things that happened. Rilla only has a few here and there (the train episode near the end being one of them and getting her friend Miranda married, but besides that...nothing else really of great importance). So, my first problem with this book is that I'm not a fan of the heroine. She lacks the freshness and interest that Anne conveyed.My second complaint with Rilla of Ingleside is the amount of angst and moaning it contains. I mean, I understand it's the war, and all the Ingleside boys are at the front, and a war is certainly not something in which one rejoices, but I could have done without all that negativity from Cousin Sophia and Miss Oliver, especially. I perfectly understand that to create a war atmosphere one must incorporate elements of anguish and misery, but not to a point where every single chapter features one character or another, languishing about the new defeat the English had on the front. There was just wayyyyy too much war description and not enough description of other things that could have happened to the Ingleside folk while the war was going on. Had Miss Cornelia been there to critic the Germans and complain about the government, I wouldn't have minded half as much. Miss Cornelia should seriously have appeared in this story. I guess Susan sort made up for that, because I thought every thing that came out of her mouth was funny, and she did save a lot of yawning at times, with all that war chat, but it wasn't exactly the same.I suppose if at least there had been a romance intertwined in the events of the book, I would've given it a higher rating. The romance that I was led to believe would take center stage in the story. We barely hear of Ken Ford. Honestly. Those of you who are interested in reading this book because it looks like a cute romance, it's not. That really disappointed me. Ken had so much potential of being an awesome hero, but his character was so under-developed that we come to care nothing for him.Despite all these negative points, Rilla of Ingleside was still a hundred times better than today's average bestseller, and I did not dislike it to the point of refusing to finish it or to throw it away in anger. There were many aspects of the book that I enjoyed, such as the whole idea of "keeping faith" and the faithful Dog Monday patiently waiting for Jem to come home, but overall it was the most disappointing and, I'm afraid, boring book of the serie.I would still highly recommend the whole ensemble however, but beware of a sudden change when you come to book number 8. I still maintain my 5 star rating for the collection as a whole, for the Anne serie undoubtedly features among the best books I have ever read.
I knew what to expect going into this book, from inadvertently reading summaries. Even if I hadn't, the Pied Piper foreshadowing in Rainbow Valley, gave this last book's big development away. Even so, it was very moving. I read it during a flight and cried like a lunatic the whole plane route.Being mostly familiar with U. S. History, it was interesting to see the war from a Canadian perspective. Susan's view on Woodrow Wilson and his love of "notes" was hilarious. It makes me wish that Montgomery could have written one during World War II as well. I'd like to know what Susan would say of FDR and to see how PEI would have reacted to events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.It was interesting that women only got the right to vote during the war and only women with husbands and sons could vote at that! Despite the sexism at the time, I find Montgomery's women to be quite equal and independent thinkers, even young Rilla, the only one of the Blythe children who, seemingly, lacks ambition.It's also notable that the family did not judge "sissy" Walter, even if some of his school mates did. His sensitivity was a derivative of Anne's, but many societies would not appreciate or tolerate it. Given the bullying that leads to suicide and murder so often in American schools these days, the Ingleside perception of Walter seems quite topical.What Walter said in his last letter, about it being harder for him to return than to die in battle, was another prescient moment on his part. He knew that the memories of what he had seen -- done, would be overwhelming for him. It hinted at the post-traumatic stress syndrome that is acknowledged (but still not fully appreciated) today.What would certainly never fly in today's world is Bruce's drowning of the cat, to ensure Jem's safe return home. Everyone thought his gesture was "wonderful, wonderful". Rilla pointed out that he'd have to learn you could never bargain with God, but not one character ever criticized what he did to the poor cat! Of course, cats have been abused in stories for decades, but usually by naughty boys, not "good" ones. I found that episode both shocking and droll.When Walter and Faith rode pigs down the street, Gilbert jokingly objected on behalf of the swine, but he said not a word in defense of Bruce's drowned cat! Montgomery certainly knows how to personify animals when she wants, but in this instance she wasn't concerned with feline feelings.I loved the ending, but found myself wondering just why Ken Ford had taken two weeks to contact Rilla after arriving home. I concentrated on his face scar and told myself maybe he was healing from injuries and did not want to communicate with her until he could stand face to face in good health, but I'm not sure. I know his concentration was on the war, but his diffidence was frustrating. The poor girl didn't even know where she stood for 4 years.The lines that stood up and had me tearing long after the book was closed were Anne telling Susan to set the table for everyone, even the dear lad whose chair must always be vacant. Susan answered that it was not likely she'd forget to set his plate and I cry even now just typing about it.
What do You think about Rilla Of Ingleside (1997)?
I am just finishing reading this great book. It is a sequel to Anne of Green Gables, and I love it. It is very insightful and it is one of my all-time favorites.I have been reading the Anne of Green Gables series since my mom reccomended the first book to me. The other books are as well-written, but there seems to be something more in this book. Something that there cannot be peace always.This book was written by L.M. Montgomery, who lived from 1874-1942. Her book takes place in 1914-1918, during the times of WW 2. It's amazing how much impact a war can have on people." 'And two years ago this morning I woke wondering what delightful gift the new day would give me. These are the two years I thought would be filled with fun.''Would you exchange them -now- for two years filled with fun?''No,' said Rilla slowly. 'I wouldn't. It's strange- isn't it?- They have been two terrible years- and yet I have a queer feeling of thankfullness for them- as if they had brought me something very precious, with all their pain. I wouldn't want to go back and be the girl I was two years ago, not even if I could. Not that I've made any wonderful progress- but I'm not quite the selfish, frivolous little doll I was then. I suppose I had a soul then, Miss Oliver- but I didn't know it. I know it now- and that is worth a great deal- worth all the suffering of the past two years." One thing I learned from this book is that war makes people older in spirit. And that makes me feel sure that we are in a war today
—Lindsey
'Rilla of Ingleside' is my favourite of the 'Anne' series, it's even better than the internationally-beloved 'Anne of Green Gables'. That's my opinion, anyway! It features Rilla [short for Marilla:], Anne and Gilbert's youngest daughter, and her trials throughout WWI, when two of her brothers and the young man she cares for go off to war. Poignantly written, never dismissing hardship, heartbreak, love, and the more common of adolescent strifes such as rivalries and embarassments, 'Rilla of Ingleside' relaxes me everytime I read it and often makes me wish that if I were a fictional character, that I'd be her.
—Allie
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.
—Elizabeth
