7 h 57 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 195 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 195 pagesAbout this book
What if the news you fear most gives you the courage to live as you please?
Valancy Stirling is twenty-nine, and her family has already decided who she is: dull, obedient, and destined to stay that way. In the Ontario town of Deerwood, she lives under her mother's strict eye and keeps her hopes secret. Then a doctor's letter tells her she has little time left, and obedience begins to lose its hold.
In The Blue Castle, L. M. Montgomery follows a woman who dares to disappoint everyone around her. Valancy leaves home to care for Cissy Gay, a dying woman the town shuns. Beyond her family's rules lie the woods and lakes of Muskoka—and Barney Snaith, the island-dwelling stranger whose name sets Deerwood whispering. Freedom means risking the town's judgment.
What you’ll discover
- A quiet woman's rebellion Watch Valancy trade fearful obedience for the unsettling pleasure of speaking her own mind.
- Romance beyond the rumors Meet Barney Snaith, whose kindness and humor stand apart from Deerwood's dark suspicions.
- Family dinners with teeth Enjoy sharp comedy as familiar rituals reveal the Stirling family's pride and narrow rules.
- Room to breathe Step into Muskoka's lakes and woods, far from the stuffy rooms that confine Valancy.
- The courage to want more Follow a grown woman's awakening as she begins to take her own desires seriously.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like warm, witty stories about a person finding her nerve, and anyone who loves old-fashioned romance with real humor in it. If you want fast action or a dark, modern tone, it may feel gentle and slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A woman who has never lived
- A letter gives her one year
- She tells the family the truth
- She leaves home to nurse Cissy Gay
- The man the town whispers about
- She proposes and starts a new life
- Courage, freedom and the price of obedience
- Small-town comedy and sharp portraits
- How the story is told and what the castle means
Who’s who
- Valancy StirlingA shy woman of twenty-nine who has obeyed her family all her life and decides, with little time left, to start living.
- Barney SnaithA quiet man living alone on an island in Lake Mistawis, about whom Deerwood spreads dark rumors, though he is kind and humorous.
- Mrs. Frederick StirlingValancy's strict, proud mother, who controls her daughter's days and cares deeply about what the family and neighbors think.
- Cousin SticklesA nervous relative who shares the Stirling house, anxious about every change and loyal to the family's rules.
- Cissy GayA gentle, dying young woman shunned by Deerwood, who asks her old schoolmate Valancy to care for her.
- Roaring AbelCissy's loud, hard-drinking father, who lives in a rough house and meets Valancy's calm with grudging respect.
- Dr. TrentThe doctor whose letter sets Valancy's change in motion by giving her news about her health.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 57 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 195 pages: 8,95 USD when you start free, 15,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 195 pages: 16,95 USD when you start free, 22,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Blue Castle: a novel in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
The Blue Castle: a novel
by L. M. Montgomery· 1926
A woman facing death breaks with her family's rules.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Español
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A woman who has never lived
Valancy Stirling is twenty-nine, and in Deerwood that makes her an old maid. She lives with her mother, Mrs. Frederick Stirling, and her mother's cousin, Cousin Stickles. Both women watch her every move. Valancy has never earned money, never gone anywhere alone and never been courted. She sleeps in a small room and wears the dull clothes her mother picks out.
The Stirlings are a clan, and the clan has opinions about everything. There are uncles and aunts who meet at one another's houses to judge the family and the neighbors. Valancy's mother is the strictest of them. She decides what Valancy may read, who she may visit and what she should think. When Valancy disagrees, even slightly, she is made to feel foolish or ungrateful.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
The author
L. M. Montgomery
1874–1942 · Canadian novelist
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) was a Canadian writer born on Prince Edward Island. She later lived in Ontario, where she died in Toronto. She wrote novels, short stories and poems. Her novels include Anne of Green Gables (1908), Anne of Avonlea (1909) and The Blue Castle (1926).
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by L. M. Montgomery
All 15 books
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about The Blue Castle: a novel
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 15,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 8,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The Blue Castle about?
It follows Valancy Stirling, a timid woman of twenty-nine who lives under her family's thumb. After receiving news about her health, she decides to live freely, speak honestly and chase happiness, which changes her life and the life of her town.
Who is Barney Snaith in The Blue Castle?
Barney Snaith is a quiet man who lives alone on an island in Lake Mistawis. The people of Deerwood gossip about his past, but Valancy comes to know him as kind, funny and much more complex than the rumors suggest.
What does the Blue Castle mean in the book?
The Blue Castle is Valancy's private daydream, a beautiful castle in Spain where she is free and loved. It stands for her longing for a richer life and the hope that such happiness could exist in the real world.
Popular in romance
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
Free
