With “Rilla of Ingleside,” we come to the last installment of the “Anne of Green Gables” series. Rilla is the youngest daughter born to Anne and Gilbert Blythe, named after Marilla Cuthbert and definitely the pet of the family. She has Gilbert’s dark coloring and a dimple in her lip.
World War I, called The Great War at the time, is looming over the land and Canada is being asked to send over support. Nan, Di and Rilla begin knitting bandages and preparing aid baskets for the effort, while the boys enlist. This is the only book in the series to take on a truly somber tone as the Blythes face the realities of war and what it will mean. Nothing will ever be the same for this fairytale family.
Details of the war are given throughout the book. L.M. Montgomery used her journal to bring those passages to life, putting her own emotions onto the paper to felt by her characters. This poignant touch brings to reality for the reader the fact that war affects all of us, not just those out there fighting.
In the midst of the upheaval, there is humor. Rilla takes in an abandoned baby, discovered while out getting donations for the war effort, and can find nothing to bring him home in but a soup tureen. She vows to care for him herself, with no assistance, and reads every book she can on the subject. But she finds that no book can teach her what she really needs to know – how to open her heart and truly love the poor little thing. She learns that for herself.
There is a strong thread of romance woven throughout the book, the stuff every young girl dreams of. He is dashing, she makes a fool of herself, and yet he comes back for more. I enjoyed this love story even more than I did that of Anne and Gilbert. I hope it’s not sacrilegious for me to say that.
All in all, this is one of L.M. Montgomery’s finest novels. She balances humor, heart-wrenching history, and romance in a mixture as smooth as silk. I have read the book repeatedly, and each time, find something else to admire.
This is why, when the movie “Anne: the Continuing Story” was made, I became upset. The story of the Blythes during the Great War is powerful and impacting, and there was no need to create such a complete fabrication, as the movie was. If the movie makers had simply filmed the story of “Rilla of Ingleside,” they would have found so much depth, so much romance.
If you have not yet read “Rilla,” I urge you to pick up a copy as soon as you can.
Related Blogs:
Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley