The Blue Castle

Valancy is, at twenty-nine, the old maid of the Stirling clan. Her entire life has been spent with her nagging mother, aunt, and gossipy extended family: Victorian and middle class, they actively discourage happiness and treat Valancy like a child, constantly comparing her with her beautiful cousin, Olive, putting her down, and calling her by the baby name "Doss." Her only respites come from daydreaming of her "Blue Castle," and reading the nature books of John Foster.

Then Valancy is diagnosed with a terminal heart ailment, a fact she keeps secret. At a stroke it frees her from fear of the future and awe of her oppressive family. She has always judged them objectively and secretly laughed at their foibles: but now, by doing what she pleases rather than what is 'expected' of her, and saying aloud what she thinks of them, she causes the Stirlings to conclude that she has suddenly gone 'dippy.'

Then Valancy scandalizes the clan by moving out of her mother's house and taking a position as housekeeper for childhood friend Cissy Gay and her father, master carpenter and notorious town drunk Roaring Abel. Cissy is dying of consumption, but is socially ostracized for having had a child out of wedlock. Cissy and Valancy share a room and renew their friendship. Valancy enjoys earning a salary and spending her money in ways her family would not approve of – such as purchasing a brightly-coloured, low-necked dress. But her real satisfaction comes from doing something worthwhile, and doing it well. She also meets and spends time with Barney Snaith, who is a good friend of both Abel and Cissy, but whom town gossips are convinced is a criminal in hiding and/or the father of Cissy's illegitimate, now-deceased child.

Towards the end Cissy confides in Valancy, about the man she fell in love with but refused to marry because he no longer loved her. Her baby compensated for her heartache, but when the infant died she was devastated. Cissy passes away quietly and Valancy makes all the funeral arrangements, setting the house in order for Abel before leaving.

All this time Stirling prestige has suffered from Valancy's actions, her 'going into service' and associating with 'lowlifes,' and several unsuccessful attempts are made to have her come 'home.' Now they assume she will move back to live with her mother and aunt, having magnanimously decided to forgive her recent behaviour and gloss over it as an act of 'Christian charity'. They are appeased after the funeral when Valancy agrees that she will not stay with Roaring Abel - unaware that she has other plans. She proposes marriage to Barney, revealing that she is dying and wants to enjoy the remaining time she has left. She confesses that she has fallen in love with him but tells him that she does not expect him to feel the same. Barney agrees to marry her, and they have a quiet ceremony the next day. Valancy's family are horrified by her marriage to such a 'disreputable' man (whose real crime is being unconventional and not giving a damn for their opinions) and effectively disown her.

Barney takes Valancy to his home on a wooded island located on Lake 'Mistawis,' which Valancy sees as the 'Blue Castle' of her imaginings. They build a contented life together, though he forbids her from ever entering a certain room which she dubs 'Bluebeard's Chamber'. Barney and Valancy share wonderful conversations and take long walks on the mainland, she often quoting from books by John Foster, which he abhors. They celebrate Christmas, he giving her the only gift she asked for: a necklace of pearl beads.

The year she had to live is almost over when Valancy is nearly killed by an oncoming train, her shoe caught in a train track. Barney saves her in the nick of time, risking his own life to do so. After the shock passes, Valancy realizes that she should have died of it: the doctor warned that any sudden shock would kill her. Barney is likewise stunned by the experience and retreats to his beloved woods to think. Valancy assumes that he has left because, having married her out of pity, he now realizes he is trapped in a marriage he doesn't want.

Valancy returns to the doctor, who discovers that he sent Valancy "Stirling" a letter with a diagnosis meant for Miss "Sterling," another patient who visited him on the same day and had a fatal heart condition; Valancy's letter went to her instead. While equally painful, Valancy's condition was temporary.

Arriving home from the doctor depressed, with Barney still away, she finds a gaudily dressed man waiting near their home. He introduces himself as Barney's father, Dr. Redfern, the multi-millionaire inventor of Dr. Redfern's patent medicines. Dr. Redfern explains that a decade earlier Bernard Snaith Redfern abruptly left home without a word; he had no idea where his son was until Bernard withdrew $15,000 (+/-$226,000 in 2023) from his bank account to purchase a pearl necklace. Dr. Redfern is surprised and pleased by his unknown daughter-in-law, and asks that Barney come home; he is the only family he has.

Thinking that Barney believes she tricked him into marriage, Valancy decides to leave him and return to her mother's house. While searching for pen and paper to write Barney an explanatory note, she unthinkingly goes into 'Bluebeard's Chamber' and discovers that he is also 'John Foster,' her favourite author. She writes the note, explaining the mix-up behind her diagnosis and asking for a divorce - and leaves behind the necklace, which she had thought an expensive imitation.

Valancy returns home despondent and reveals to her family that Barney is the son of famous and wealthy Dr. Redfern, as well as the noted literary figure John Foster. Barney's wealth instantly erases any misgivings her family had about him, and they are determined that Barney and Valancy should stay together.

Barney, after meeting his father, finds Valancy's note and rushes to town to see her and ask her to come back. Barney's absence after the train incident was due to the stunned realization that he had grown to love her so much, he would not want to live without her. At first she refuses, believing that he is only asking out of pity, but when he becomes angry, thinking she is ashamed of his father's patent medicine business, she realizes he does love her and agrees to return.

Barney reconciles with his father but will not live with him; they will build a home of their own out in the country, but near enough to visit. Meanwhile Barney and Valancy prepare to go on an autumn world tour, knowing their summer home on Barney's small island - the 'Blue Castle' - will be waiting for them.

• Valancy Jane Stirling, called "Doss" by her family
• Barney Snaith, actually Bernard Snaith Redfern, and author 'John Foster'
• Mrs. Frederick Stirling (Amelia), Valancy's mother
• Cousin Christine Stickles, a widowed aunt who lives with Valancy and her mother
• Cousin Olive, Valancy's much courted and beautiful cousin
• Cousin Georgiana, another elderly widow
• Uncle Benjamin, bachelor proprietor of the local general store
• Aunt Alberta & Uncle Herbert, the Stirling's 'power couple'
• Aunt & Uncle Wellington
• Dr. Trent, the doctor who misdiagnoses Valancy
• Cecilia "Cissy" Gay, a childhood friend of Valancy's
• Roaring Abel Gay, Cissy Gay's unruly father
• Dr. Stalling, the reverend of the Stirlings' Anglican church
• Mr. Towers, the pastor of Valancy's favorite Free Methodist church
• Edward Beck, an elderly widower who contemplates marriage with Valancy
• Ethel Traverse, a woman Barney had previously been in love with
• Dr. Redfern, Barney's multi-millionaire father

Almost all editions of The Blue Castle lack dust jackets. The true first edition does not have a castle on the front boards, it was added after Montgomery had commented, "Not so pretty. A plain cover."[3]

• The Ladies of Missalonghi, similar novel by Colleen McCullough

• Hutton, Jack (1998). Lucy Maud Montgomery and Bala : a love story of the north woods (1st ed.). Bala, Ont.: Bala's Museum with Memories of Lucy Maud Montgomery. ISBN 0-9683934-0-3.

• The Blue Castle at Standard Ebooks
• The Blue Castle at Faded Page (Canada)
• The Blue Castle at Project Gutenberg
• The Blue Castle public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page Resource for all things L.M. Montgomery, includes The Blue Castle Encyclopedia and more on Valancy
• The Blue Castle: A Musical Love Story a 1997 musical adapted from the book by Hank Stinson
• L.M. Montgomery Online Formerly the L.M. Montgomery Research Group, this site includes a blog, extensive lists of primary and secondary materials, detailed information about Montgomery's publishing history, and a filmography of screen adaptations of Montgomery texts. See, in particular, the page about The Blue Castle.