I finally pulled out of my Rhett Gone with the Wind funk long enough to read another book before I go out of town. I was a little apprehensive since I did not appreciate the previous book as much and I was worried that this one would be similar. But this one was much, much better.
When Rainbow Valley ended the author made a reference to WW1. I didn't think much of it, because life on Prince Edward Island seemed so remote and not close to the real world at all that it didn't seem likely that something real world would affect it.
It was ironic to read this book right after GWTW because Rilla initially reminded me a lot of Scarlett (ugh). She was beautiful and liked having boys fawn over her, and wanted to just have a good time and have her way. She was just 14 when World War 1 broke out. Her brothers enlisted throughout the war (Jem initially, Walter later, and Shirley towards the end of the war), Nan and Di went to be nurses at training camp, and Rilla stayed at home to help the cause from there. The biggest thing that happened was when she was going around the town trying to collect donations. She found a house where the dad was English and had sailed straight to England to fight, leaving the mom home alone when she was about to have a baby. Well, when Rilla showed up the mom had just barely died from a broken heart and left the 2 week old baby. There was a woman there who was watching over them, but not very well and Rilla knew the baby wouldn't make it without some extra help. So she carried him home (in a soup tureen) and raised him herself. She helped to plan a war-wedding (without the father of the bride's permission), began a "Junior Red Cross" movement in their town, and raised many funds for the war. She had a boy who wanted her to wait for him until the end of the war, and she did but was never quite sure what that meant. Sadly, her brother Walter was killed in one of the battles, and that was a devastating blow. Then her brother Jem was reported missing, and her 2 friends Jerry and Carl were both injured. So even when those boys who survived came home, it was obviously never going to be the same.
So as I said initially Rilla reminded me of Scarlett. However, throughout the course of the book she grew in the right way. The war took away her youth similarly to how the Civil War took away Scarlett's youth, but Rilla was a little less dramatic and more realistic about it. She did not pine after Ken (the boy). She didn't allow her losses to make her unkind or hardened. Even when she had to give Jims (the war baby she took) back to his father, she just allowed him to go because she knew she could see him again.
Overall, one of my favorite books of the series! I stayed up too later last night to finish it.
SERIES AS A WHOLE:
Well, I had never read one of those books until August. And I have to say, I am so glad I did. I don't know how much more I will like the movies, but I will give them another shot (without Brandon, of course). I like Anne more and more as she grows up, because she still has her imagination and love of life but she is also much more realistic. And while I wish there were more books told from her perspective I did like seeing how her children were growing up. I am sad about Walter though, he was my favorite boy.
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