Wow. This was a very powerful and poignant novel. This deals with the Blythe family as it endures WWI. The telling of the family's day to day lives as they deal with the stresses of war and look for hope in a world with an uncertain future. 
 I think this is a very valuable piece of literature from a historical perspective. Montgomery obviously drew on her own experiences and the experiences of friends and neighbors in order to relate this story. 
 It was difficult to read at times...not because the writing was poor or the story boring....the opposite in fact. Everything was so real. She really puts you in the shoes of that generation of people. Reading Rilla's diary entries, you could be reading a real diary written in those days. 
 The story is a mix of third-person narration and diary entries. I thought the mix worked very well. Rilla started out as a rather obnoxious and unsympathetic character, but she grew over time, and by the end of the book I'd grown fond of her and admired her pluck and sauciness.