Rilla of Ingleside (1921)

WWI hits. The young men of the town go off to war, some never to return, none to return unchanged. The book has a lot of saccharine moments (Rilla’s Soul has been Honed by Tragedy and Work and is now that of a Woman, yeehaw), but the war keeps the book as a whole from being too cloying. ( )

This was an entirely different book to the very first of the series. And it was quite painful to read, because it is so very much a book about the war, written close to the war and with understanding of it born of experiencing it. I almost don't count it as an Anne of Green Gables book, because it's not like the others at all -- but just as a book on its own, about people I feel I know from all the books before it, it's rather beautiful. ( )

I laughed until I cried during the "war wedding." ( )

Rilla of Ingleside is the eighth and penultimate book in the Anne Shirley series, by L. M. Montgomery, and one of the two that I have been most hesitant to read to date. That is because the subject matter is quite close to me in a way. It is that of war. The story occurs amidst the backdrop of World War I.

As the story begins, young Rilla Blythe, Anne and Gilbert's youngest child, is a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl, who has very little to no ambitions, or desire to do much in life. Of course, her parents and siblings lament this state of affairs about her, wishing Rilla would have some ambitions, and not be such a little titterer. Rilla doesn't care, however, she just wants to be a teenager and enjoy her life. But she is not to have such carefree days, for the dark clouds of war have begun brewing in Europe, and soon the conflict known as the “Great War” breaks out. Canada comes to the aid of her mother country, Great Britain, and Rilla's world is turned upside down. You see, eventually, all of Rilla's brothers and male friends, including her would-be suitor, Ken Ford, “put on khaki” as it is called, and deploy. One of them, will never come back.

Rilla is to undergo some painful moments at home during this conflict, but those moments are to have a hidden blessing nestled in among them. Through all of this time of testing and pain, young Rilla transforms into a natural leader and a responsible young woman who “keeps the home fires burning” to use the old adage. The experiences she goes through on the home front temper her into a far better person than she otherwise would have been. Her parents even admit – in private, they would never say this to her face, as it would unintentionally come across kind of mean – that young Rilla has gone from a frivolous young woman to pretty much the one that kept them all going in this hard time worrying about their sons.

This book was, as I said, quite hard for me to read. The subject of war and sacrifice, at least in a real-world setting, hits very close to home, as it were. I have a hard time reading of those who have served. Not because I don't think service is admirable, because I do think it one of the most admirable things a person can do. No, the reason is because I grieve for the loss of innocence that people experience. Yes, this is a fictional story, and these are not real characters, but that isn't the point. The point is that what occurs to the Blythe boys happens everywhere in combat for real.

The hardest thing in the world is to have your idealistic notions smashed to bits. Yet it happens. Or to have your idea of war as “exciting” proven so false. In both cases, you have to struggle to not feel jaded and foolish, respectively. I used to think that the military are heroes, and I guess I still do, but I don't think I was. Too many of my ideals were smashed, by myself no less, to think myself a hero. In that, I can sympathize with Walter. I don't have the same poetic talents he had in the story, but I did have idealism that serving was so very noble and heroic, like Superman or something. But it isn't. It's lonesome, dangerous, depressing, terrifying, etc. I can understand his sorrow at the world being turned upside down. You don't see suffering and not be changed.

As for the foolishness of war being “exciting”, that is something I can sympathize with Jem on. He sees quite quickly how wrong he was. You see, there is no epic soundtrack playing in the background in war. There is only danger, loneliness, and monotony. The exciting, deadly times are always deadly, but they quickly stop being exciting. They have to stop being exciting, for you to learn to cope, and survive emotionally.

One thing I have to comment on is the very painful to read concept of the “white feather”, and how Walter (who bravely serves and dies for his country) was bullied into serving. I have read that this “white feather” garbage happened for real in the member countries of the former British Empire. That was so awful for me to read about. Almost no one is able to go through battle unscathed, but some folks are able to bear up under it better than others. Walter Blythe in the story represents someone who bore it up, but whose world was shattered by what he experienced. For all we know, his death might be like those in real life who die precisely because they can't handle the conflict they are presented with. They got depressed. They still do their job, but become almost death seekers, their depression making an almost imperceptible difference that leads to some fatal mistake or action.

For me, the issues here in the story, and in real life, isn't whether Walter was right to go or not. The idea that folks were bullied into serving, some of them less emotionally able to serve, by mockery and cruelty, is so maddening to me. In my opinion, those who, in real life, bullied others who are emotionally or physically more vulnerable into serving are murderers. The deaths of such people are their fault, and their blood drips from their fingers. They were evil. I know this better than most. Because I can attest what I said earlier, that if one is not clear-headed, one will be more likely to die.

The final thought I have on the book was one of sadness, yet hope. The people in the story truly seemed to believe that WWI would be the “war to end all wars”, as Woodrow Wilson said. We know it wasn't. The sadness I feel at that fact is palpable. We live in such a sinful world where pain is an ever-present companion. But I feel hope as well. We have hope for two reasons. In our lives in this world, we have hope due to those who work hard to keep it alive. Hope because God has given us brave men like the fictional Jem and Walter Blythe, Ken Ford, Jerry and Carl Meredith, etc., who fight to preserve our freedoms and liberties. And also hope because there are good people keeping the world bright and happy in even the darkest of times. There are real-life Rilla Blythes everywhere. The impact they have is sometimes unnoticed, but it is not unimportant. The Rilla Blythes of the world are those who see the joy in the worst situations, who are strong for those of us who are weak, and who buck us up with faith in God and our fellow-man. That is what Rilla Blythe did in this book, and that is what the actual, everyday “Rilla's” do for us all. God bless them.

We also have our hope for another reason. For those of us who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have an eternal hope. Someday, we will have a world redeemed by Christ, with no wars and pain. I look forward to that day so much. To quote one of my favorite hymn verses:

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

I have learned much from this story, shed tears over some of the parts relating to Walter's sacrifice, and really felt both sorrow and joy due to it. Please read Rilla of Ingleside. It is not some “retread” of Anne of Green Gables. It is it's own story. This is one of the most powerful tales I have ever read. It will touch you, and you will remember what you have read, so that, like Rilla, you will want to “keep faith” with those who have sacrificed and given so much, sometimes given their all, for your freedoms. ( )

This is perhaps the best of the books about the Blythes life in Ingleside. Unfortlunately, the children have all grown-off to college and then for the guys, the War. I liked the Dog Monday who waited for Jem at every train and Rilla's caring for the baby in the tureen, Jims. (they sure pick funny nicknames for James.) A lot of the book is quotes from a diary b yRilla who is a baby in the other books is 14 and grows up to 18 or 19 in this book. I learned a lot about World War I in this book that I didn't know before. ( )