The Blue Castle Published by Sourcebooks Fire by L.M. Montgomery
on 1926
Genres: Fiction, Classics, Romance, Historical
Pages: 249
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Reading Challenges: Beat the Backlist 2020, Summer 2020 Reading Assignment
Also by this author: Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon , Emily Climbs , The Golden Road , Emily's Quest, Pat of Silver Bush , Mistress Pat , A Tangled Web, Magic for Marigold, Jane of Lantern Hill, Twice upon a Time: Selected Stories, 1898–1939
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 1402289367
Flame Rating:
Rating:
An unforgettable story of courage and romance. Will Valancy Stirling ever escape her strict family and find true love?
Valancy Stirling is 29, unmarried, and has never been in love. Living with her overbearing mother and meddlesome aunt, she finds her only consolation in the "forbidden" books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle--a place where all her dreams come true and she can be who she truly wants to be. After getting shocking news from the doctor, she rebels against her family and discovers a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams.
This is one of those books that I read that get to serve multiple purposes! One, I’m reading it for my 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge. Also, it’s one of my picks for my Summer 2020 Reading Assignment.
I first read Anne of Green Gables when I was 11. From that point on, I’ve probably read the series once every year or so. There’s just something so wonderful about the way Montgomery wrote that red-haired orphan girl.
But, I haven’t read The Blue Castle until just recently. And, now I’m wondering why. Because Valancy Stirling is an absolute amazing heroine. She’s funny, endearing, sympathetic, and such a sweetheart!
But, poor Valancy is surrounded by family who don’t understand her, or arguably, even love her. She’s 29 and doesn’t have a voice. Until one day she gets some news that rocks her world and she decides to throw caution to the wind and be herself.
I’ve never been more satisfied that to see Valancy say what’s on her mind and get to read the reaction of her truly unsuspecting family. It was priceless.
From that point on in the story, Valancy lives and does what makes her happy–which takes her on a path to her Blue Castle.
I have to say that Blue Castle hasn’t replaced Anne for me–but it has secured its own place as one of my favorite of Montgomery’s works.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| Writing | |
| Pacing | |
| Overall: | |
About L.M. Montgomery
The author of the famous Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Nov. 30, 1874. She came to live at Leaskdale, north of Uxbridge Ontario, in 1911 after her wedding with Rev. Ewen Macdonald on July 11, 1911 in Prince Edward Island. Her three children were born at Leaskdale, and she wrote close to a dozen books while she was living in the Leaskdale Manse before the Macdonald family moved to Norval, Ontario in 1926.
Maud died in Toronto April 24, 1942 and was buried at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
