It had looked into another heart, felt it beat and heard it sigh, and that is how all hearts grow. This was truly a remarkable statement. I had known about this book for a long time, but for two reasons, I never got around to reading it. Firstly, I didn't anticipate it to be that great. Secondly, I wrongly assumed it was just a rip-off of Anne of Green Gables. However, I was proven wrong on both counts, and I'm extremely glad that I was.
Five years and an entire country separate the release of this book and Anne. To be honest, I might actually prefer this one. I know it sounds blasphemous considering how beloved Anne is. The plot is somewhat familiar. A girl named Rebecca goes to live with her two spinster aunts as her father has passed away, leaving seven children with a mother who can't take care of them all. Rebecca gradually changes the lives of those she meets with her charm, happiness, and wonder at the world. She attends school to improve herself, finds a best friend who may not be as intelligent as she is but is extremely loyal. She enchants everyone she comes across and graduates as a better person. But what really set this book apart for me was Rebecca herself.
Miss Rebecca Rowena Randall is one of the sweetest little characters I've ever come across. She brings light and a sense of wonder to every room she enters, with her positive attitude. She is hard-working, determined, and makes her own way while still respecting the wishes of those in authority over her. She leaves her mark on the world around her with excitement and kindness. I would truly love to meet a child like her. Ultimately, this book simply made me happy. Even when I almost shed tears at the end, I was still filled with happiness. And it gave me this beautiful little rhyme that I will cherish forever:
Then if our lot be bright or sad,
Be full of smiles, or tears,
The thought that God has planned it so
Should help us bear the years.
Re-read in 2020, this was a total comfort read, and I still love it a great deal.