• Rainbow Valley (1919) •

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Rainbow Valley is quite a turn from the previous novels in the series in that it focuses on the children, more so than on Anne herself. The story takes place around a year after the last book, Anne of Ingleside.
Situated in a little town in the Maritimes called Glen St. Mary, Anne and her family happily prosper. Their new neighbours around the bend are the Meredith family: John Meredith, a widowed minister, and his four unique children. His children: Jerry, Faith, Una, and Carl, are poorly taken care of and mistreated by their elderly housekeeper. As a result, they are unkept and lack a set of morals.
Their scandalous yet innocent behaviour perpetually astound the little town. This is further fuelled by their very absent-minded father, who is very much oblivious to their amusing antics. For the first time in the series, Anne seldom appears in this book. When she does, she provides guidance for the children.
This second last novel in the series follows the Meredith children's struggles to manage without their beloved mother, their bemused minister father, their ever-lasting friendships with the Blythe children, and their adventures in Rainbow Valley.

Quote: The shadow of the Great Conflict had not yet made felt any forerunner of its chill. The lads who were to fight, and perhaps fall, on the fields of France and Flanders, Gallipoli and Palestine, were still roguish schoolboys with a fair life in prospect before them: the girls whose hearts were to be wrung were yet fair little maidens a-star with hopes and dreams.

Last updated: November 26, 2006
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