Genre: romance, comedy, drama
Originally published: 1926
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Blue Castle is a lesser known book by the author L.M. Montgomery who is famous for writing Anne of Green Gables. It tells the story of 29 year old Valancy Stirling who for all her life has lived in an ugly house and has been overruled by the rest of the domineering, upper class Stirling clan. Ever since she was young she had two homes the ugly brick red house on Elm street and her imaginary Blue Castle in Spain. The story begins with “If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely different.”
Valancy receives a letter which turns her whole life upside down. For the first time in her life she does exactly what she wants and says exactly which results in her uncle Benjamin saying that she has gone dippy. She goes to nurse “roaring” Abel’s (often seen in a drunken rage) ill daughter then runs away with the “vagabond” Barney Snaith and goes to live in a tumble down hut on the island of Mistawis or in Valancy’s eyes her Blue Castle. Full of laughs galore and stunning descriptions of the Canadian wilds this book will suit people who usually do not read early 20th century romance novels because it is so fresh, timeless and different.