All her life, Valancy Stirling has lived on a quiet street in an ugly little house in northern Ontario, Canada and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and unforgiving aunt. The deeply squelching kind of small town life L.M. Montgomery describes for Valancy is one that I recognize as Canadian, but of course is universal. To escape her life of quiet desperation, Valancy has created a world apart for herself called “The Blue Castle”. This private realm in which things are beautiful and she has value has changed and grown with her since childhood and now, at the age of 29, it is her intellectual and emotional sanctuary.
When Valancy receives a shocking letter, she takes the reins of her life, doing what she wants to, saying what she feels, and refusing to bend any longer to her repressive existence. Given the setting and early twentieth century time period, this rebellion consists of changing churches, refusing to participate in her maddening family dynamics, and becoming employed. Her so-called loved ones are the kind of people who feel Valancy’s life is careening out of control because she said “darn” and therefore almost swore, so when she takes is a step further and marries a local man of poor, but unproven, reputation, her family is so scandalized that they fear for her sanity and disown her. Delightfully, Valancy soon discovers more fulfillment and adventure than she ever thought possible, including someone to love and the modest, true, real-world version of her Blue Castle.
L.M. Montgomery is famous for her Anne of Green Gables, Avonlea, and Emily of New Moon books. I am an Anne devotee and many of the lovely elements of those stories are present in this sweet, adult romance. Montgomery is a wonderfully evocative writer with a light touch for setting a scene and painting a landscape. So much of this story is about Valancy reveling in her environment and simple day-to-day activities, but Montgomery portrays it all with lyrical, measured prose. The window to Valancy’s world is just captivating.
As someone from Ontario, I have been to Muskoka where Valancy lives. It is incredibly beautiful and this book made me terribly homesick for its geography. Being Canadian also gave me a layer of familiarity with the characters. Ours can be a severely Protestant culture, leery of being overly enthusiastic, making a fuss or drawing attention to oneself, and with an absolute horror of self-confidence and pride. Shown in this context, Valancy’s quiet, incandescent joy in her new life, as well as her deep-seated insecurities, felt very real.
I have a list of favourite and classic romances that The Blue Castle has been added to. When I first dove into this genre, the classics were all around for me to find and for people to recommend. As I read on, the flood of truly great and new-to-me romances has slowed to a trickle. Discovering a book like the Blue Castle is such a treat. Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful.
I totally agree with your apt assessment of The Blue Castle. It’s a gentle and gorgeous story of growth, small rebellion, and love. I didn’t pick it up thinking it would be a romance, and wouldn’t necessarily qualify it as a romantic novel per se, but the evolving relationship is so heartfelt and palpable, it’s just lovely. Definitely a book to re-read and enjoy.
It’s absolutely Valancy’s book, but I decided I wanted to include it as a romance given everything about her beloved.
Congratulations on your Cannonball. Your review made me tear up a little.
I can lend it to you, if you’d like.I have sent you a copy.
You are lovely beyond compare.
I finished late last night. It was soooooooo good.
Congrats on your cannonball!! Cheers!
Thanks!
Yay cannonball!
Your review has made me realize I should probably get around to reading more of LM Montgomery’s work than just the first Anne of Green Gables book, which is all that I’ve read as of right now. I did read it over and over again as a kid, though. Why I didn’t keep going is beyond me.
I read the first six and loved them. I had never even heard of this book until I became part of this romance community. My sister hadn’t heard of it either. Some Canadians we are.
Oh my god, yes, you are missing out! I’ve read every novel and short story L.M. Montgomery has ever written (with the exception of Jane of Lantern Hill, because if I read it I won’t ever have another new L.M. Montgomery books to look forward to) and I adore her a ridiculous amount. Her writing is delightful.
Your comment reminds me of how let down I felt when I bought a complete works of e.e. cummings and realised I could never again justify buying a slim volume of this poems.
Cannonball! Woohoo! I love that this is your 52nd review of the year and I’m so happy that you too have read this lovely book now. As I said on Facebook, it felt like a precious gift when my BFF Lydia told me the book existed, as I too cherished L.M. Montgomery’s books for children/young adults growing up. The fact that she’d written a book for adults was a complete surprise to me.
I got so many lovely comments on my review for this book when I reviewed it a few years back, it’s clearly a very well-loved if not widely talked about book.
Thanks! It is a lovely book you are so right. If you hadn’t updated your 100 list I would have forgotten about it.
Glad to be of service.
Cannonball! Congratulations! And with such a lovely book.
Thanks! I want to get a paper copy just so I can hug it.
Congrats on your Cannonball and in some weird bit of synchronicity, I just found out that this book existed and was reading about it (elsewhere)! I love it when the universe comes together 🙂
Thanks! It’s just the loveliest book.
Yay Cannonball! Now I’m even more excited to have this book on my TBR. 🙂
As I said above, I just want to hug it.
I am so excited I had the time to read some of the Cannonball reviews today and found an entirely new [to me] book by L.M. Montgomery! And it’s even better that you liked it.
Congrats on the Cannonball. It looks like you are more than on track for a double!
It’s so good and thank you and we’ll see as I usually stall out in the 80s.
Congratulations on the Cannonball! No better way to achieve it than with one of the loveliest books ever written. It remains one of my all-time comfort favorites.
Thanks, I keep opening it and re-reading random passages.
Congrats on the Cannonball! And this one has been on my list for years! It’s time to get bumped up!
Thank you!
Believe the hype!
Congrats on the cannonball! I loooooooove this book. More than the AoGG books I think. The first time I read it I was almost hyperventilating from laughing so hard at the dinner scene with her family towards the beginning. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if somebody adapted this for the screen?
I know what you mean. LMM drew such descriptive portraits of the family, warts and all (literally!) that I can see them and I find myself casting everyone around the table for the movie. And the actors are usually from British TV and movies, because they seem to resist facelifts and Botox and let themselves look their age. Certainly the Stirlings would sniff at such frippery as well since they regarded themselves as perfect, moles and double chins notwithstanding (although they didn’t mind criticizing Valancy’s looks). Have you ever seen the late Margaret Tyzack? She would be perfect as Aunt Isabel.
Congrats on the Cannonball and thanks for the review. I just requested this through my library!
Thanks! I hope you like it.