Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery

Title:  Rainbow Valley

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Read by:  Grace Conlin

Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Inc.

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 37 minutes

Source: Overdrive through the Kewaunee Public Library 

Rainbow Valley is the seventh novel of the Anne of Green Gables series.  I will be honest here.  I hadn’t read this book since I was in my teens and I didn’t remember much about it, besides the fact that it wasn’t my favorite Anne book.  I remember why now.  While it is a delightful L.M. Montgomery novel that I enjoyed, it’s not really about Anne or her children.  I am not sure why it is included in the Anne of Green Gables series.  You learn a lot more about Anne’s children in Anne of Ingleside and Rilla of Ingleside.

Rainbow Valley is about the Meredith family.  They are a new family that has moved to town as their father is the pastor of the Presbyterian church.  Their mother has died and their old great-aunt takes care of them.  There are two boys and two girls.  They quickly befriend the Blythe family and meet often in their special place, Rainbow Valley.  As the children of a minister, they often the subject of town gossip due to their actions.  They basically have no supervision from their absent-minded father and their old aunt and try to raise themselves.  It is really sad.  A homeless girl, Mary, actually lives with them for a couple of weeks before any adult takes notice!!!  I did enjoy the scrapes they got int and I especially enjoyed the romance between Mr. Meredith and Rosemary.

 I also thought it was funny how characters would get so up in arms about the matters between the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  It felt accurate to my small-town upbringing and living.  I do find it curious though that when I looked up Prince Edward Island, I discovered that half of the island was Catholic during the times the book are set in.  I don’t remember L.M. Montgomery ever mentioning Catholics in her books.  Why would that be?

Grace Conlin was a good narrator for the audiobook.  It was a nice book to listen to with each adventure as a separate chapter.

Overall, Rainbow Valley is a good L.M. Montgomery book about life in a small town, but it is a poor Anne of Green Gables book with Anne and her family as very minor characters.