Rilla of Ingleside
Book - 1921
The eighth book in the Anne Shirley series.
Anne Shirley's children are almost all grown up - except for pretty, high-spirited Rilla, who is now almost fifteen years old. No one can resist Rilla's bright hazel eyes and dazzling smile, and Rilla herself can think no further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse - and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford!
But at the dance, news is brought that England has declared war on Germany. At first, this means little to Rilla, on the threshold of so many new excitements. But as her brothers go off to fight in the Great War and Rilla brings home an orphaned newborn baby in a soup tureen, she is swept into a drama that tests her courage and will leave her changed for ever...
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9780771061783
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9781442490208
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Opinion
From Library Staff
See Sandra's review here: https://youtu.be/kLtwP-ytyK8
From the critics

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Age Suitability
Add Age Suitabilityamazing_chicken_2005 thinks this title is suitable for 12 years and over
Summary
Add a SummaryFifteen-year-old Rilla Blythe is looking forward to what she calls "the best years of life." Instead, during those years she experiences the heartache of WWI. All three of her brothers must leave, as well as childhood friends, and Ken Ford, whom Rilla is strongly attached to. To top it off, she must become "mother" to a baby whose father is off at war, and whose mother has died. What will the outcome be?
Rilla Blythe, Anne and Gilbert Blythe's youngest daughter, is ready to experience life--or so she thinks. She wants a social life, pretty dresses, and--beaux! At almost fifteen, she thinks she's ready for adventure and romance.
Then WWI strikes. As Canada joins England in the 'Great War', Rilla's brothers and close male friends, including handsome Ken Ford, whom Rilla has a crush on, head to war. The four years Rilla wanted to spend in fun and flirting are spend in knitting socks, waiting anxiously for news of the war, and taking care of a little war-baby. Will Rilla accept the hard things in life as well as the smooth and grow into a lovely woman, despite the tragedy that threatens the Blythe home?

Comment
Add a CommentI was skeptical that I would continue enjoying L.M. Montgomery's Anne series as it went on as it moves away from Anne's perspective to that of the next generation. However, I was thrilled with this book, the series finale; it has become one of my favourites of the series. The sweet, endearing relationship among the Blythe children and especially between Rilla and Walter touched my heart. It's a beautiful, powerful, sometimes poetic story of love, sacrifice, and of a girl becoming a woman in the midst of a war.
Rilla of Ingleside is the eighth and final book of the Anne of Green Gables series, a thrilling and heart-wringing conclusion. Rilla Blythe, a lighthearted, pretty girl of fifteen, who always welcomes mornings in eager anticipation of what surprise the day will hand her, is to undergo a wrenching four years of war and grief--the "dance of death" that sweeps over Canada.
From 1914 to 1918, the honest, gritty growth of a girl into a woman amid destruction and loss, the whispers of love, bursts of laughter, shining moments of courage throughout it, Rilla of Ingleside is a truly magnificent and rewarding read. The historical context as well as the brilliant characterization makes the story truly come alive; until the very end, where the last word is dropped with a meaningful simplicity.
"The body grows steadily but the soul grows in leaps and bounds. It may come to its full stature in an hour."
@StarRead of the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library
I LOVED this book when I was twelve - and still love it today. When I was younger, it was the romance, the heart-squeezing plot, and the return to a best-loved character and time that got me. Now I appreciate the amazing romantic yet realistic depiction of what life was like at home in Canada during The Great War, coming from the experience of one of Canada's most well-known authors.
Read this as part of my WW1 reading project. Montgomery’s account of how the Islanders deal with a faraway war is interesting. At the beginning, “that some Archduke Ferdinand or other has been assassinated at a place bearing the weird name of Sarajevo” is irrelevant, compared to gossip about the folks they know. But once England declares war, Canada answers the call, and local boys enlist, the entire arena of war and the leaders on all sides become part of their community. They discuss “military tactics and diplomatic intrigue” and follow the hope and despair in turns. Complex relationships unfold with kindness and humour in a community of well-drawn characters who care dearly for each other.
And you gotta love that determined Dog Monday.
One of my favorites in the series! Such a sweet story. Totally a reread!
Love it! A heartbreaking and hilarious coming-of-age story from an era that is often overlooked. Rilla is an intensely relatable character who will make you laugh and cry. WWI will never be dull after you read this, and that you may tie to.
This is one of Lucy Maud Montgomery's most critically acclaimed books by academics. It is the only book written from the perspective of a woman on the Canadian homefront living through the First World War by an author who lived through it herself. And I love this new edition edited by Benjamin Lefebvre & Andrea McKenzie - it gives you so much background into the war, provides maps of where key battles took place & what the western front looked like. There is also a glossary of terms at the back of the book that explains absolutely every term in the book that modern day readers might not understand. I have read Rilla many times since I was a child but I realize now that I missed a lot because I didn't understand a lot of the terminology. I HIGHLY, highly recommend this new edition of Rilla!
I so much enjoy this book! Susan, the Blythe family housekeeper, makes me laugh as she proclaims what she would do to the Kaiser if she had control of him! Rilla is a very understandable main character, and Walter's death still makes me cry every time I reread the book. This is one to buy, not just borrow!
Easily my favorite of the Anne books. Tells of what life was like in Canada during WW1. If it doesn't make you cry, you have no heart.
If you enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, you'll love the last book in the series. Rilla (Anne and Gilbert's youngest child) waits anxiously for the love of her life to return home from WWI. Be prepared to cry until the very end.