I 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.