Anne of Ingleside

Anne of Ingleside was published in 1939, the last Anne book Montgomery wrote, though chronologically it sits between Anne’s House of Dreams and Rainbow Valley. The Blythes have moved from the little house of dreams to Ingleside, a larger house in Glen St. Mary, and have a houseful of children: Jem, Walter, Nan, Di, Shirley, and Rilla. The book is essentially a series of childhood vignettes told through the kids’ eyes.

Montgomery had grown noticeably more interested in the children than in Anne herself by this point. Several chapters follow Walter, the sensitive dreamy son who later carries the emotional weight of Rilla of Ingleside. Several follow Nan and Di through the small dramas of school and friendship. There are recognizable Anne touches: a meddling visiting cousin named Mary Maria who slowly poisons the household atmosphere, the gradual realization that Anne is briefly unsure of Gilbert’s love. The book was Montgomery’s last Anne novel before her death in 1942. A quieter close to a long series.