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The Blue Castle
by L.M. Montgomery - This story opens on the day prior to Valancy Stirling's twenty-ninth birthday, and the opening paragraph says that if it hadn't rained that day her life would been entirely different. You see, Valancy has lived a monotonous, dreary life up until then. Always overshadowed by others and completely controlled by her overbearing extended family, who care nothing for her feelings or interests or dreams. Valancy has accepted that she will remain unloved and unmarried and that she'll have to live out the rest of her days the same way. But because of the rain, a family picnic is canceled, and Valancy decides to go secretly to consult a doctor about the chest pains she's been having.
When the doctor's letter arrives, the news is not good. He tells Valancy she has a heart condition that cannot be effectively treated and that she will likely not last the year. As a result, Valancy makes another decision - she is going to take some chances and do exactly as she pleases during her final days, and refuse to be bossed by her family. She starts off by saying what she really thinks during a family dinner, and later scandalizes the clan by spending a great deal of time talking with Roaring Abel, the town drunk, when he is doing repairs to her mother's house. But she's not finished raising eyebrows! Abel's daughter Cissy, about Valancy's age, is dying of consumption and because of Abel's reputation and Cissy's past, none of the respectable women in town will come keep house and nurse her, so Valancy volunteers. She moves in with Roaring Abel and Cissy, and also strikes up a close friendship with another town outcast, Barney Snaith, and falls in love with him.
After Cissy's death, Valancy tells Barney the secret of her heart condition and proposes to him, asking him to marry her so that she can live out her last few days in happiness without returning to her family. She doesn't expect him to love her, and this is by far the boldest thing she has ever done. Barney agrees to the plan and they marry and move out to his cabin on the lake. And Valancy finds great happiness and satisfaction - until a very near accident causes her to question the doctor's diagnosis. She realizes that her health was never really at risk, and that means she has trapped Barney. But Barney has secrets of his own which she starts to discover at that point, and maybe things will work out for her happiness after all!
by L.M. Montgomery - This story opens on the day prior to Valancy Stirling's twenty-ninth birthday, and the opening paragraph says that if it hadn't rained that day her life would been entirely different. You see, Valancy has lived a monotonous, dreary life up until then. Always overshadowed by others and completely controlled by her overbearing extended family, who care nothing for her feelings or interests or dreams. Valancy has accepted that she will remain unloved and unmarried and that she'll have to live out the rest of her days the same way. But because of the rain, a family picnic is canceled, and Valancy decides to go secretly to consult a doctor about the chest pains she's been having.When the doctor's letter arrives, the news is not good. He tells Valancy she has a heart condition that cannot be effectively treated and that she will likely not last the year. As a result, Valancy makes another decision - she is going to take some chances and do exactly as she pleases during her final days, and refuse to be bossed by her family. She starts off by saying what she really thinks during a family dinner, and later scandalizes the clan by spending a great deal of time talking with Roaring Abel, the town drunk, when he is doing repairs to her mother's house. But she's not finished raising eyebrows! Abel's daughter Cissy, about Valancy's age, is dying of consumption and because of Abel's reputation and Cissy's past, none of the respectable women in town will come keep house and nurse her, so Valancy volunteers. She moves in with Roaring Abel and Cissy, and also strikes up a close friendship with another town outcast, Barney Snaith, and falls in love with him.
After Cissy's death, Valancy tells Barney the secret of her heart condition and proposes to him, asking him to marry her so that she can live out her last few days in happiness without returning to her family. She doesn't expect him to love her, and this is by far the boldest thing she has ever done. Barney agrees to the plan and they marry and move out to his cabin on the lake. And Valancy finds great happiness and satisfaction - until a very near accident causes her to question the doctor's diagnosis. She realizes that her health was never really at risk, and that means she has trapped Barney. But Barney has secrets of his own which she starts to discover at that point, and maybe things will work out for her happiness after all!
I can't imagine why I'd never read - or even heard of - this book before! I've read Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, of course, but was unfamiliar with this one. It is a delightful story, full of fascinating characters, humour, small town drama, and some interesting plot twists. It's easy to sympathize with the lonely and downtrodden Valancy, and feel indignant at the little injustices she's subjected to; and it's entertaining to see her thrive and develop as she follows her own course in life.
This is a book published before I was born, for the 2019 Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge.
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