Unlike many women, I did not discover L.M. Montgomery in childhood. I expect I would have loved the Anne of Green Gables series, but I just never picked it up. This is probably because I didn’t read a lot of the books I felt were aimed at girls – they just didn’t look interesting to me (maybe the covers are to blame).
I’ve heard about The Blue Castle from a few favorite bloggers (Enter the Enchanted Castle for one), but I became intrigued after reading Mimi Matthews’ The Belle of Belgrave Square, a book the author explains is heavily influenced by Blue Castle.
First published in 1926, I expected a fairly typical romance, but that wasn’t what I got. Valancy, a 29 year old woman in Ontario, Canada, is tired of her boring life and oppressive family but she feels obligated to follow her responsibilities and the social rules of her community. But she has a place she escapes to in her mind, the Blue Castle. There, Valancy has a rich fantasy life, with many lovers (she explains how they change as she matures) and a beautiful fairy tale home.
I did find Valancy overly self-pitying for the first part of the book. Yes, her life is drab and loveless, but not quite as horrible as she makes it out to be, especially since she does little to change it. Until, that is, she gets some frightening news from her doctor and decides to take her life into her own hands.
If you’ve ever imagined telling the people around you exactly what you think of them, you’ll love the snarkiness and humor of this book. There’s a lovely romance in this book, but it’s more than that. It’s really a book about finding yourself and figuring out what you want in life – and understanding that if you’re brave enough, and honest enough, you might be able to make that happen. I loved Valancy’s strength and initiative. I also loved the honesty between her and Barney.
I also loved that Valancy begins the book dreaming of a huge castle with turrets and knights, but she really finds her true heart on an isolated island. I love books about the healing power of natural settings. Valancy loves nature and trades in her immature fantasy for a real, but not perfect, setting. Which is not to suggest there’s anything wrong with fantasy, just that it can and should change as we mature. And Valancy discovers, too, that there are people who suffer more from societal norms than she herself has.
If you’ve read The Belle of Belgrave Square, certain parallels of the story will become obvious to you. If you’re looking to read a classic story about a woman who finds her own path to happiness, I recommend this one. It’s a feel-good read with heart, humor, and depth.
The Book Stop 
I was a HUGE Anne fan as a girl. We both had red hair. 🙂 Read the entire series, all the way up to Anne of Ingleside. What people don’t often appreciate is what you caught in Blue Castle — her humor, and the snarkiness of it. Part of Anne’s charm is she says (or at least shares with the reader) what she thinks of the people around her. Glad you found and enjoyed!
This is one of my favorites books! Is so lovely and cozy. I love the romance, but my favorite part is Valency and your personal growth.
I love Mimi Matthews’s work and i was so excited when i read the inspiration in The Belle of Belgrave Square, Julia is a great MC
We must be a lot alike! I read these books as an adult, too, for much the same reason. I’ll check out The Belle of Belgrave Square–thanks.
I also missed out on Anne growing up, but as an adult have read that whole series, and read Blue Castle a couple of years ago (and adored it). This is a great review! Thanks for mentioning The Belle of Belgrave Square — I hadn’t heard of it, but now that I know there’s a connection to Blue Castle, I’ll check it out.
There’s also a Colleen McCullough book, The Ladies of Missalonghi, which is interesting to read as a contrast. Apparently there was quite a bit of criticism when it came out — McCullough was accused of plagiarism, which she denied… anyway, very interesting to read and compare!
I’m obsessed with the Anne of Green Gables series but have never read any other L.M. Montgomery books. I really should, especially since she wrote so many, and this sounds like a great place to start!
As Lisa alluded to above, I came to The Blue Castle via the controversy surrounding Australian author Colleen McCullogh’s possible plagarism of TBC. Her book is called The Ladies of Missalonghi; I think you would enjoy it too 🙂
My link to TBC is here –