Hello friends, happy Friday! I hope you’re doing well! Today I’m posting my review of the last book in Anne’s journey, Rilla of Ingleside by: L.M. Montegomery.

You can read my review of book one: Anne of Green Gables
You can read my review of book two: Anne of Avonlea
You can read my review of book three: Anne of the Island
You can read my review of book four: Anne of Windy Poplars
You can read my review of book five: Anne’s House of Dreams
You can read my review of book six: Anne of Ingleside
You can read my review of book seven: Rainbow Valley

Rilla of Ingleside by: L.M. Montgomery: The final novel in the Anne of Green Gables series and we are following her youngest daughter, Rilla, as she and the town of Ingleside, prepare and face the first world war. This novel brought back the feel of what the first few novels in this series felt like. Rilla had a lot of Anne in her, which sparked a lot of wonder and awe and the reader couldn’t get enough. There was also this stubbornness to her that was really endearing to read. Her growth from the start of this novel to the end was so beautiful to watch. The best part might have been her time with the baby, that whole plot was so moving because we could see her turmoil about the whole thing and how she grew over time with baby Jims, the reader loved to read it. It also felt like that plot came full circle in the series, where Anne wasn’t exactly wanted at Green Gables because she was a girl, but taken in and everyone soon fell in love with her, and now her youngest daughter is taking in a war baby, even though she doesn’t exactly love babies, a genius plot device. The way Montgomery wrote about the war felt true to real life and what would have been happening in those days, she also really has a knack for pulling the rug out from under her readers. This is the second time a character death has shocked the reader. It was so gut-wrenching and devastating; it made the story more realistic, but it was still really sad. The way she wrote Walter and his feelings behind war, the reader could get behind and sympathize with. He was so confused in his feelings about it, that you don’t normally see from men so it was really refreshing to read. He was such a sweet and sensitive character. This novel felt slower moving than the past novels, where years would pass and the reader would fly through the book; this novel felt really slow as it made its way through the course of the war. The reader isn’t sure if it’s because the content was so heavy, but this last novel felt very drawn out. It was good in a way because the reader could spend time with the characters one last time. We got to see Anne and Gilbert a little more in this one, plus we got a visit from past characters kinda like a revolving door, which was nice, kinda like a farewell tour. Some of the characters we met in the last book, those children, made an appearance as young adults as background characters, filling out the world. The reader felt like we didn’t need to meet them in the previous book for how little a significance they had on the series. Overall, this series was such a lovable, joy to read. It hit a bit of a lull near the end, but it came back swinging in this last book, which made the reader glad they didn’t quit the series and went all the way to the end. This was such a sweet conclusion to a delightful series.