Melki's Reviews> Anne of Ingleside

Anne laughed. "We never need to be economical in our imaginations, thank heaven."

Quite a few years have passed, and Anne is now the mother of five children, with another one on the way. Her life is full and busy, and, for the most part, happy.Thisis the book where Montgomery begins to shift her attention from Anne to Anne's tribe of children. Anne becomes little more than a peripheral character in the last two books in the series, as her exploits are now limited to her role as a wife and mother; a necessary shift, true, but it provides less "scope for the imagination." But in the meantime, there's plenty to love in this go round. Anne's matchmaking skills yield unexpected results, and the children face various trials involving pets and friends. My favorite part was housekeeper Susan's schemes to rid the Blythes of a guest whowill not leave:

"That woman came here in June and it is my opinion she means to stay here the rest of her life."

You'll never guess what finally nudges the old bat out the door!

The book ends with Anne making a nocturnal assessment of her sleeping family, admiring her children, and counting her blessings. It's a nice circle-of-life moment as we watch her exit center stage to take her place in the audience for the next chapter of a wonderful life story.

A very nice family, Anne reflected happily as she lay in her bed, with the baby beside her. Soon she would be about with them again, light-footed as of yore, loving them, teaching them, comforting them. They would be coming to her with their little joys and sorrows, their budding hopes, their new fears, their little problems that seemed so big to them and their little heartbreaks that seemed so bitter. She would hold all the threads of Ingleside life in her hands again to weave into a tapestry of beauty.