Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC MON master
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Description
Classic Literature. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: All her life, Valancy Stirling lived on a quiet little street in an ugly little house and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and her unforgiving aunt. At twenty-nine, she's never been in love, and her only consolation has been the forbidden books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle. Then, one day, she gets a letter and decides that things need to change. For the first time in her life, she does exactly what she wants to and says exactly what she feels. At first, her family thinks she's gone around the bend, but soon, she discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams..
Genres
Publication
Tundra Books (2019), 320 pages
Original publication date
1926
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stewartry
This is possibly my favorite of L.M. Montgomery’s books, Anne included. It’s a tremendous Mary Jane story... Valancy Stirling is given terrible news which jolts her from the deep and muddy rut her life has run in – and everything changes. From poking I found a reference to the book as a
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“fairy tale”; I suppose, in a way, that’s so, with the references to Bluebeard’s castle and the transformations of Valancy and Barney Snaith. It has dark edges, this romantic tale, not least of which is Valancy’s outright (richly deserved) loathing for her kin. I was also a little surprised at the tale of the old friend, now fallen from grace and dying; it was more worldly than LMM tends to be, and Valancy's acceptance and, eventually, understanding of the situation is one of the reasons I'm so fond of the book and of the character. Perhaps it’s all a little too happily resolved – which, however is a Montgomery trait I can’t argue with too hard. Reading, like the Blue Castle, is escape. It's nice to read about a life from which one doesn't want to escape now and then. Show Less
LibraryThing member lossealasse
Valancy Stirling, finding out that she's going to die in a year, kicks free of her repressive life, tells her irritating relatives a bunch of hilarious and perfectly true things, and marries a man half the town dimly suspects to be an axe murderer.
This book is funny, sweet, sappy (occasionally
This book is funny, sweet, sappy (occasionally
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irritatingly so), but on the whole, refreshing and rejuvenating. Definitely a comfort read. Show Less
LibraryThing member matlock.sarah
What a fabulous read! I hadn't realized that L.M. Montgomery wrote for an adult audience until one my fellow book clubbers suggested this as our March read. I enjoyed the character development, the outlandish fantasy elements, and the critique on turn-of-the-century society. Well done!
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
I have always had a special infinity for Valancy. Growing up, Ms. Montgomery's Anne stories were wonderful and idyllic, but Valancy is the character with whom I related the most. Her family is odd and overbearing. She is ignored and considered inconsequential by all family members, including her
The fact that she opts to do something without consulting the family and even forgoes the family doctor is the first sign that there is more to Valancy than initially appears. From the moment she receives that fateful letter from Dr. Trent, sparks fly, and the rest is pure magic. Valancy's new release on life is hilarious, refreshing and absolutely inspiring. Who hasn't wanted to tell certain family members exactly what one thinks about them? Who hasn't wanted to ignore convention? Surrounded by eccentric but lovable characters who provide her the love and support she has craved all her life, she is no longer afraid to live and does so with such gusto, one cannot help but fall in love with her.
As a child reading The Blue Castle I never knew Ms. Montgomery's biography. I knew she wrote wonderful novels but never took the time to discover who she was and what inspired her. Now that I have taken the time to read her history, the fact that Ms. Montgomery wrote this particular novel shortly before her suicide makes the story more poignant for me. Knowing how depressed Ms. Montgomery was for most of her life, I can't help but wonder just how much of Valancy is Ms. Montgomery's own cry for help. Was she trying to find her own happiness by writing about someone who struggles but eventually attains it? Did Ms. Montgomery view herself as Valancy does in the first half of the novel? If Ms. Montgomery were able to overcome her own demons, would she have been half as successful a writer? Was her search for happiness the impetus for her characters' own personal searches? Valancy is all about searching out and making her own happiness. It isn't easy for her, but she ultimately succeeds by finally being herself. It is unfortunate that Ms. Montgomery was not able to succeed as well.
Once Valancy decides to live for herself, happiness follows. As a young girl, this is such an impressive lesson to learn. Even better, the lesson never gets old no matter how many times one re-reads it. Having read this most recently with my book club, it was an absolute delight to see the reactions and life-changing epiphanies that so many fellow members had while reading The Blue Castle. Written by one of the most beloved children's authors, it truly does appeal to people of all ages. Having re-read it more often than the Anne series, it was one of my all-time childhood favorite novels and remains one of my all-time favorite stories today.
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mother. She is bored, lonely and resigned to her fate as the family spinster.The fact that she opts to do something without consulting the family and even forgoes the family doctor is the first sign that there is more to Valancy than initially appears. From the moment she receives that fateful letter from Dr. Trent, sparks fly, and the rest is pure magic. Valancy's new release on life is hilarious, refreshing and absolutely inspiring. Who hasn't wanted to tell certain family members exactly what one thinks about them? Who hasn't wanted to ignore convention? Surrounded by eccentric but lovable characters who provide her the love and support she has craved all her life, she is no longer afraid to live and does so with such gusto, one cannot help but fall in love with her.
As a child reading The Blue Castle I never knew Ms. Montgomery's biography. I knew she wrote wonderful novels but never took the time to discover who she was and what inspired her. Now that I have taken the time to read her history, the fact that Ms. Montgomery wrote this particular novel shortly before her suicide makes the story more poignant for me. Knowing how depressed Ms. Montgomery was for most of her life, I can't help but wonder just how much of Valancy is Ms. Montgomery's own cry for help. Was she trying to find her own happiness by writing about someone who struggles but eventually attains it? Did Ms. Montgomery view herself as Valancy does in the first half of the novel? If Ms. Montgomery were able to overcome her own demons, would she have been half as successful a writer? Was her search for happiness the impetus for her characters' own personal searches? Valancy is all about searching out and making her own happiness. It isn't easy for her, but she ultimately succeeds by finally being herself. It is unfortunate that Ms. Montgomery was not able to succeed as well.
Once Valancy decides to live for herself, happiness follows. As a young girl, this is such an impressive lesson to learn. Even better, the lesson never gets old no matter how many times one re-reads it. Having read this most recently with my book club, it was an absolute delight to see the reactions and life-changing epiphanies that so many fellow members had while reading The Blue Castle. Written by one of the most beloved children's authors, it truly does appeal to people of all ages. Having re-read it more often than the Anne series, it was one of my all-time childhood favorite novels and remains one of my all-time favorite stories today.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Being diagnosed with terminal heart problems would tend to be a depressing and horrifying experience for most people, but for Valancy, whose home life has been repressive, restricted and dull, the news actually comes as an almost welcome shock.
A sweet, gentle, heartwarming novel set in Canada
A sweet, gentle, heartwarming novel set in Canada
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during the early 1900's. My copy is very battered from multiple re-readings. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2chances
L. M. Montgomery wrote a lot of better books than her classic Anne of Green Gables. This is my personal favorite - the story of old-maid Valancy (poor girl is only 29, for God's sake) who believes that she has only six months to live and decides to live it the way she wants to. The scene where she
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suddenly decides to say what she thinks instead of merely thinking it - at a big family dinner! - is one of my favorite scenes (in ANY book) of all time. Also, hero Barney Snaith makes Gilbert Blythe look like a big pansy. Which he was anyway. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Ms. Montgomery paints a picture of Valancy's transformation that is charming and romantic. Though the story focuses almost exclusively on the contrast between her former life and the one she dares to reach out for, Valancy's is not the only life that changes. Her genuine love transforms Barney as
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well, which is even more satisfying. This is the perfect feel good book. Show Less
LibraryThing member raffles1970
This book is a safe haven for me. Valency embodies courage and conviction, in short she has guts in a time when women weren't meant to say 'boo', let alone 'boo' to the people of different social standing. I love to pick this book up at any point, it has seen me through many good and not so good
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times. Show Less
LibraryThing member cullumosity
This book is an annual read for me; every Spring since I was 13, I have a craving for it. It has the distinction of being the first Montgomery book I read that was not a part of the Anne series. In this novel, Valency is tired of her family and throws off the chains of tradition to find her own
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way. The writing is Montgomery at her best; the descriptions of Canadian seasons can be tedious, but when given a chance, they give the book a dimension her others lack. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarycatnip
I guess it has been a long time since I read this one. I loved it the first time I read it, Valancy speaks to the heart of my inner rebel who, like her, had no past to speak of on that first reading. Even as I get older, I find it is the things I didn't do, the people I didn't tell to go f*ck
The book opens to Valancy on her 29th birthday as she considers the blandness of her existence. She slips away from her socially draconian relatives to see a doctor about heart pain, and is told she has a year to live. Despite the somewhat cliched premise, this book manages to be matter of fact, endearing, inspirational and heart rending by turns. It argues that a life lived in fear isn't a life worth living, particularly where obedience to social conventions are concerned.
Valancy is a delightful heroine, and her good-hearted social irreverence continue to comfort me in my anxiety over asserting myself and my needs in a world that would be happier with my submission.
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themselves, that I regret; not the things I've done and the scars I've gained in the doing, those are a lighter burden.The book opens to Valancy on her 29th birthday as she considers the blandness of her existence. She slips away from her socially draconian relatives to see a doctor about heart pain, and is told she has a year to live. Despite the somewhat cliched premise, this book manages to be matter of fact, endearing, inspirational and heart rending by turns. It argues that a life lived in fear isn't a life worth living, particularly where obedience to social conventions are concerned.
Valancy is a delightful heroine, and her good-hearted social irreverence continue to comfort me in my anxiety over asserting myself and my needs in a world that would be happier with my submission.
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LibraryThing member ang709
Probably my favorite L.M. Montgomery book. It feels to me like a fairy tale for adults.
LibraryThing member elizabeth.a.coates
I keep coming back to this book again and again. I reread it at least once a year. When I'm feeling down and depressed I can pick it up, read it cover to cover, and actually feel happy again. It has that power! This is probably my favourite book of all time. A young woman has lived her entire life
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her a certain way, catering to the opinions of others. Upon finding out she has a year to live, she decides to change her life. The writing is great, very vivid descriptions etc. It's Canadian which I also like. The main character, Valancy, becomes like a friend to the reader. Read this book!!! I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member raidergirl3
This was not the first time I've read The Blue Castle, and it won't be the last. Luckily, it had been long enough between reads that while I know the overall story, many of the details were fresh this time.
Valency Stirling, 29 and an old maid in early 20th century Ontario, is stuck in her families
With typical Montgomery style, coincidences happen, nature is adored, and there are happy endings. It is why I love LM Montgomey and what I look for in her books. Somewhere along the way I lost my copy of The Blue Castle so I was thrilled to win this Early Reviewer copy, with the most beautiful cover by illustrator Elly MacKay is one I'll happily hang on to and read again.
Many fans of LM Montgomery claim The Blue Castle as their favourite, and it does not disappoint.
Valency Stirling, 29 and an old maid in early 20th century Ontario, is stuck in her families
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perception of her and is just gentile enough to have no options. No husband, no job, no purpose in life. She puts up with everything until the day she gets a dire health prognosis and vows to live while she can. She lives her life as she chooses hanging around local undesirables like Roaring Abel and Barney Snaith, well, undesirable according to her clannish clan.With typical Montgomery style, coincidences happen, nature is adored, and there are happy endings. It is why I love LM Montgomey and what I look for in her books. Somewhere along the way I lost my copy of The Blue Castle so I was thrilled to win this Early Reviewer copy, with the most beautiful cover by illustrator Elly MacKay is one I'll happily hang on to and read again.
Many fans of LM Montgomery claim The Blue Castle as their favourite, and it does not disappoint.
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LibraryThing member puzzleqt
powerful, life changing
LibraryThing member Elemi
One of my favorite L. M. Montgomery books. I am continually inspired by Valancy's courage to live life on her own terms.
LibraryThing member tenlove
I have read many of L. M. Montgomery's books and collections of short stories and this is my all-time favorite!
LibraryThing member shaunnas
All I can say is that this was an enjoyable little romance. We read it for book club along with "The Ladies of Missalonghi" which has a story that is so similar that we discussed plagiarism. This would be the original version
LibraryThing member innocentdevil
This was my second of l.m Montgomery's books and I loved it.I really liked the part where Valancy's shoe got stuck in the railway track and Barney helped her by saving her life.
LibraryThing member KendraRenee
Good good good, just like every other book of hers I've ever read. But as much as I loved this one, and as much I identified with Valancy, I think I'm done with her books for awhile.
LibraryThing member LibraryDiva76
A childhood favorite of mine about a girl who has been repressed all her life but suddenly finds herself after being told she has a serious, terminal illness. One of L.M Montgomery's lesser-known books, too often overlooked.
LibraryThing member tiff18
This is my absolute favorite Montgomery novel. The heroine is 29 so I suppose it could be considered an adult book, but really it works best for those of us who first read it in our teens and fall in love with it, reading it over and over. The heroine is more real than the sometimes too-perfect
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Anne, and who doesn't love the possible-villain hero? While the twist at the end is perhaps a bit predictable, this is a fun, quick read that is all too easy to fall in love with. It also has some beautiful passages in praise of nature. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
I waited till I was forty-five to read Anne of Green Gables; I wish I'd met Anne when I was ten, Anne that great mix of passion for life and knowledge about the harshness and inevitability of disappointment. So when I heard an online bookgroup member say The Blue Castle was her favorite book, I
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couldn't wait to read it. Valancy Stirling is and isn't Anne. Valancy, at twenty-nine, has had a non-lifelife. Bound by the restrictions of her controlling family, Valancy feels ugly and unloved and superfluous. All that keeps her alive are her dreams of a mythical Blue Castle. Fear keeps her in check until she learns she is dying. That death sentence, paradoxically, frees her, and changes the course of her life. Show Less
LibraryThing member crochetbunnii
This was a nice departure for me. The romance was heart-warming without any suggestion of sex. Valancy is 29, homely and her family doesn't expect anything from her except complete submission to their will. When Valancy makes a move for independence by visiting a doctor for her heart troubles, she
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finds out she will die soon and tosses caution to the wind. Valancy moves out of her mother's home, keeps house for a man and his disgraced daughter and marries the worst man in town, only to have all of her dreams come true. This book is in our young adult section, but Valancy is 29, so I don't know if it belongs there (or if teens would really read it). Show Less
LibraryThing member elizabeth.a.coates
I keep coming back to this book again and again. I reread it at least once a year. When I'm feeling down and depressed I can pick it up, read it cover to cover, and actually feel happy again. It has that power! This is probably my favourite book of all time. A young woman has lived her entire life
Show More
her a certain way, catering to the opinions of others. Upon finding out she has a year to live, she decides to change her life. The writing is great, very vivid descriptions etc. It's Canadian which I also like. The main character, Valancy, becomes like a friend to the reader. Read this book!!! I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member ljhliesl
I read somewhere or other that Colleen McCullough had plagiarized this book for her novella The Ladies of Missalonghi, and I wanted to read it to judge for myself. The two books have in common women proposing to men to escape the rigors of spinsterhood and using heart disease to assure her prospect
Omigod, the Megs M are both the oldest of four children with an absent father! Madeleine L'Engle plagiarized Louisa May Alcott!
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that the marriage won't inconvenience him for long. The difference -- and need I say that if you haven't read both and you care about spoilers, stop here -- is that Montgomery's heroine, Valancy, is mistaken about her condition whereas McCullough's, Missy, deliberately lies. The main difference, that is; plenty of others exonerate McCullough. Plenty more, plus the fact that romances all have certain elements in common because those are what make them romances. Elements common to both protagonists are that, first, both are bone-scrapingly poor and are compared unfavorably to beautiful cousins. If they weren't poor, unattractive, and without societal clout, they wouldn't be the heroines of romances. Second, both love to read and hate oatmeal. These four characteristics are true of Jane Eyre as well, a prototypical romance heroine. Both of their targets are rough, suspicious types who want to own an entire geographic feature (island or valley). Their physical descriptions make them like Mr. Rochester, the kilted swain of Outlander, and every other Fabio who has graced the cover of a bodice-ripper; their desire for privacy make them like every human who has ever lived, ever. Valancy is about as dangerous as Meg March where Missy has spirit just waiting to be unchained, like Meg Murray. Omigod, the Megs M are both the oldest of four children with an absent father! Madeleine L'Engle plagiarized Louisa May Alcott!
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ISBN
0735265232 / 9780735265233