Book Review: Rainbow Valley

[osprey_archer]

As a child, I never made it far enough in the Anne of Green Gables series to read Rainbow Valley. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago, when littlerhymes and I did an Anne of Green Gables read-through. But although I read it so recently, somehow I managed to forget entirely about Mary Vance, the orphan child whom the minister’s children find hiding in barn and take in for two weeks before their absent-minded father wakes up to the fact that a strange child seems to have taken up permanent residence in the manse.

For all the book is technically about Anne’s children, it’s really far more about the Merediths, the children of this vague and detached minister. (I suspect that Montgomery may have got a bit bored of writing about Anne at this point, because she’s forever whisking Anne and Gilbert out of the way on a visit just when the action reaches a critical point.) Mrs. Meredith died a few years ago, and although the children are basically good-hearted, they are forever shocking the congregation by such antics as taking in the slangy Mary Vance or playing in the graveyard next to the manse.

Although I forgot Mary Vance – I can’t understand how I managed this. There’s a scene where she chases little Rilla Blythe through the town flailing dried codfish! You’d think that would stick in one’s mind… Anyway, as I was saying, though I’d forgotten Mary Vance, I did remember Mr. Meredith’s courtship of Rosemary West, who refuses him because she and her sister Ellen had sworn to each other never to marry but to live together always. Ellen West insists that Rosemary must keep the promise, only to turn around and get engaged herself a year later!

Rosemary releases Ellen from her promise at once, of course. But then Rosemary refuses Ellen’s invitation to move into Ellen’s new home after the wedding, so then Ellen breaks her engagement because she won’t leave Rosemary to live alone… They would probably still be mired in this misery if sensitive little Una Meredith, under the impression that Rosemary refused her father because the Meredith children were such scapegraces, cut through this Gordian knot by coming to promise Rosemary that they would all be very very good if only Rosemary would marry Mr. Meredith.

One might imagine this might remain a source of friction between Rosemary and Ellen forever after, but then again, all’s well that ends well. And maybe it is just as well. During the first phase of their courtship, both Rosemary and Mr. Meredith were convinced that this second love, though sweet, could never live up to their first romance. (Rosemary had a sailor fiance who died tragically at sea.) But then Rosemary refused Mr. Meredith, and in so doing revealed to them both how deeply they truly loved each other! Of course perhaps they might have realized after a few years of marriage, but then again, maybe not. Maybe just as well to go in already knowing that a second love, though of course not the same as a first, can be just as deep.

Comments

[landofnowhere]

I remember Mary Vance! I need to reread this, I haven't reread it since I was a kid, my most recent go at the Anne series stopped at Anne's House of Dreams, but having picked up Anne of Ingleside recently and put it down after the weight talk in chapter 2, I think I should just skip to this one!

[osprey_archer]

IIRC Anne of Ingleside was written last, because LMM needed the money, and you can really feel the impact of this motivation on the book. She's grinding it out and it's less fun than the others.

[ladyherenya]

I don't think I've ever reread Rainbow Valley. (I'm not sure if I've ever reread a few of the other Anne books, at least not in their entirety, but my memories of Rainbow Valley are the most shadowy.) Your post makes me think it would be interesting to revisit it. I suspect that at age 12 I was, unlike Montgomery, not bored with Anne and my disappointment over her absences may have coloured how I felt about the rest.

[osprey_archer]

Yes, it was definitely an interesting book to revisit, even if I like you have not gotten tired of Anne and would really secretly prefer another book about her. I can understand why Montgomery might be tired of her! It takes a lot longer to write a book than to read one! But nonetheless... I would like more Anne...

[littlerhymes]

I do remember the Meredith children and the romantic mishaps of the West sisters! But little orphan Mary Vance... Sorry Mary. I too have forgot her!

[osprey_archer]

Truly baffling that we both forgot Mary Vance so entirely. You'd think the ORPHAN discovered STARVING in a BARN would have made more of an impression on us!

[kore]

Rosemary releases Ellen from her promise at once, of course. But then Rosemary refuses Ellen’s invitation to move into Ellen’s new home after the wedding, so then Ellen breaks her engagement because she won’t leave Rosemary to live alone

You know, sometimes I really wonder what Montgomery might be writing now.

[osprey_archer]

I genuinely find it hard to imagine, because she seems so deeply embedded in her own time period - and not just her own period but the early part of that time period. She lived till 1942 and made stabs at writing characters who live in a world of cars and radio but except for Valancy Stirling I never quite bought that any of these characters actually lived in a world with cars.

[silverusagi]

I've been thinking of reading some of the later Anne books, as I've only read Anne of Green Gables. Though I suspect I will not have much interest in reading about Anne's children at all, so I suppose I'll probably stop once they're the main characters...

[osprey_archer]

I think Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and Anne's House of Dreams make a good quartet. Modern editions stick Anne of Windy Poplars in before House of Dreams, because chronologically it's first even though it was written much later. There are good parts, but it also drags at times, so you get bogged down you can just skip ahead to House of Dreams if you want.

[silverusagi]

Thanks! I will do at least those four and see how I feel.

[skygiants]

In a continuing theme of 'why did I own these books and not others,' this was one of the only two Anne books I owned as a child (the other was Anne of Avonlea which I do remember much better than this one. I ALSO forgot Mary Vance! What is it about her that makes her slide so easily out of the brain?)

[osprey_archer]

Fascinated by the completely random selection of Anne books that you had! And also fascinated by the fact that so many of us have apparently forgotten Mary Vance. When we first meet her she is a STARVING RUNAWAY ORPHAN hiding out in a BARN, what more did we need to make her stick in our minds?