Rainbow valley

First published in 1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Rainbow Valley” is the seventh novel chronologically in the “Anne of Green Gables” saga, though it was published fifth. This installment of the timeless series finds Anne Shirley happily married to Gilbert Blythe for 15 years, busy raising their six children. Soon the family has an unusual neighbor when the new Presbyterian minister John Meredith, a widower, moves into an old mansion nearby with his four children. Most of the community views the Meredith children as wild and unmannered and question John’s ability to raise them on his own and thus be a good minister to the village. The Blythe family is the only one to see another side of this misunderstood family and witness their kindness and generosity. Soon all the children work together to solve problems both big and small, from finding a home for a starving orphan, helping John find love again, to saving a favored rooster from death. “Rainbow Valley” is an enjoyable and heartwarming addition to the popular and well-loved saga of Anne and her family. This edition includes a biographical afterword.