Fatal illness, wretched mothers, unlikely benefactors, a shocking proposal — all this and more is set against a breathtaking Ontario landscape in L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle (1926). With her masterful molding of character, the author creates a compelling story of a heroine searching for her heart’s desire — the “Blue Castle” of her daydreams.
Poor Valancy Stirling. Nearly 30, she’s been beaten down by a passive-aggressive mother and a cringing cousin all her life. She has no recourse — the rest of her extended family is equally unkind to her — and no respite. Living in tidy but ugly surroundings, Valancy has been denied most pleasures in life, including the pleasure of looking pretty. Any personal charm she may have is hidden under drab, dowdy clothes. Starved for beauty and love, Valancy sees no way out of her depressing existence. But then she receives a letter that changes everything, and the story’s drama begins.
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