Brooke Hamilton

Last night I finished Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery, one of the series of Anne of Green Gables books. Rilla Blythe is Anne’s youngest daughter and she’s quite irresponsible. She’s fifteen at the start of the book and all she wants to do is play and read and go to parties with boys. She has no plans regarding her future. Then something happens. World War I. Soon all the young me. In her life, her brothers and her beau, enlist and are shipped off to France to fight against the Kaiser. Rilla is thrust into responsibility when she happens along a baby whose mother has died and takes it into her charge, promising her father that she will take care of little Jims herself.

I had fun reading the playful dialogue and mishaps that L.M’s writing is known for. Rilla is just as endearing as her mother. I knew how the war turned out, but I was kept in suspense hoping that Jem, Walter, and Shirley Blythe make it home safely. Spoiler: One of them doesn’t.

The next book I’m reading is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. I’m 100 pages in and it has captivated me. The writing isn’t showy, but it’s honest. This is a book club pick.

Tomorrow I’m headed to Coles for their book giveaway! Wish me luck!