The Blue Castle

One of the wonderful things about Young Adult books is that many authors understand the longing that young female readers have for heroines with real personality who overcome the challenges of their times or particular situations. Such stories move to the pinnacle of my “oh-my-gosh-I-loved-this!” list when they include a romance and by the end, the heroine is acknowledged as an equal to her partner. While L.M. Montgomery is known best for her unforgettable Anne of Green Gables (who could have been on this list), my particular favorite quirky heroine of hers is Valancy Stirling in The Blue Castle.… show more.

This was the first book I ever hugged. I desperately wished for this ill-fated romance to work out, since I adored the characters, but she was dying. And he didn’t love her. Until the twistiest of all romance twists came about—not only was the heroine not dying, but the hero had a secret identity and the heroine had managed to fall in love with him twice. Twists that catch me off guard are gold. Even better are twists that also bring a happier ending than you could have dreamed up for them. I read this during an intensely sad… show more.

The Blue Castle is my favourite Montgomery book. The heroine, Valancy Stirling, is not depicted as suffering depression per se, and yet something in it resonates. Her life is grey, dreary, and sad, until she rebels against her oppressive family and the daily belittling, nagging, and inducement of guilt she endures, and breaks free. The book is pure escapist romance, and Montgomery, who suffered from depression and dealt throughout her married life with her husband's extremely severe depression, seems to have written it as consolation to get herself through a particularly bad time. It’s a story of friendship growing into… show more.

Anne of Green Gables, step aside! The Blue Castle, a lesser-known work for adults from author Lucy Maud Montgomery, features a laugh-out-loud heroine that goes from spineless to sassy in a mere 310 pages. Set during the 1920s in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada, the heroine Valancy Stirling, escapes to Mistawis Island, the home of her heart with her very unlikely hero. Descriptions of the natural world are spellbinding as is the shimmering romance. A book to reread over and over again, something I rarely do.