"The Blue Castle" is one of the few books author L.M. Montgomery (author of the "Anne of Green Gables" series) wrote for an adult audience. It is a romantic novel set in early 20th-century Ontario, Canada, that follows the emotional and romantic awakening of Valancy Stirling, a 29-year-old spinster trapped in a stifling, judgmental family. Valancy appears trapped, living a dull, joyless life while her relatives order her about. Her only escape is her imagination, where she dreams of a beautiful place she calls the Blue Castle-a symbol of freedom, love, and happiness.
Valancy's life changes dramatically when she is diagnosed with a fatal heart condition. Believing she has only a short time to live, she decides to cast off her family's control and live authentically for the first time. She leaves home to care for Cissy Gay, a dying young woman shunned by society, and befriends Barney Snaith, a mysterious man with a scandalous reputation.
Written in 1926 and received with rapturous reviews, "The Blue Castle" is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
Autorentext
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was a Canadian author best known for her Anne Shirley books, which began with "Anne of Green Gables" in 1908 and expanded into a six-book series concluding with "Anne of Ingleside" in 1939. (Characters from the Anne Shirley series were also spun off into stories and books of their own.) But Montgomery was responsible for far more than just the Anne Shirley books; during the course of her long career, Montgomery managed to complete twenty novels, over five hundred short stories, another five hundred poems and thirty essays. Born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Montgomery would later set almost all of her stories there and created in the fictional community of Avonlea for her characters to live. A writer from an early age, Montgomery was already selling short stories at a fairly rapid clip when in 1908, she published "Anne of Green Gables," which became an immediate sensation and catapulted Montgomery into a central position in Canadian literature. The success of her "Anne of Green Gables" series encouraged Montgomery to explore other book series including the Emily trilogy and the pair of two-book series: "Pat of Silver Bush" and "The Story Girl." She also wrote five stand-along novels - including the critically acclaimed "The Blue Castle" - and multiple collections of her short stories, many of which take place in and around her fictional Avonlea. Montgomery received just about every award and honor one could receive as a celebrated Canadian author, including the Order of the British Empire (OBE). She was named a National Historic Person in 1943 and her home - now a popular tourist destination- was named a National Historic Site in 1997. After suffering for years from depression and mental illness, Montgomery died - possibly by her own hand - in 1942. She is among the most celebrated and admired authors in Canadian history and her books have been adapted multiple times to the stage and screen.