Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a new book club hosted by the LM Montgomery Heritage Society in
Norval, Ontario. The book club is a new venture by the group to help the community
celebrate their most famous resident, LM Montgomery, and bring more attention
to her vast legacy of literary works. From
1926-1935, Montgomery lived at the Manse, a Victorian red-brick charmer that
still still stands next to the Norval Presbyterian Church. The LM Montgomery Heritage Society has recently launched a fundraising campaign to buy the Manse with the intention of transforming it into a museum about the author.
Even though I live a fair
distance away from Norval (a good 1.5 hours driving), I knew as
soon as I heard about the book club that I had to join. Not only is LM
Montgomery one of my favourite authors, but the first book to be studied was
THE BLUE CASTLE, which is my absolute favourite book written by her. The book
is the only book solely set in Ontario and features an area known as Muskoka,
Ontario’s cottage country north of Toronto, and actually only a very short
drive from where I currently live.
The book is about twenty-nine
year old Valancy Stirling, a self-described homey woman who has never had any marriage prospects in
her entire life and as a result is forced to endure a dull, suppressed existance with
an overbearing mother and ruthlessly disapproving aunt. In fact, the entire Stirling
clan seems determined to cut down Valancy at every turn, comparing her to her
cousin Olive, who has beauty and beaus aplenty. Things take an interesting turn though when
Valancy’s doctor tells her that she has a severe heart condition and can only expect
to live for another year. Facing her own death, Valancy begins her own kind of
rebellion, defying her family’s firmly held beliefs and forging her own path into
the future that eventually leads her to love and a freedom she never knew
before.
What’s great about the book club
is that many of the attendees not only know the story of THE BLUE CASTLE, but
they also know the story of Lucy Maud Montgomery as well. Many parallels were
drawn between the life of Valancy and Maud. Firstly, Montgomery did not marry Rev. Ewan Macdonald
until she was well into womanhood. Instead she remained in Cavendish caring for
her grandmother, who had raised her, while keeping her engagement secret. For this,
Montgomery most likely endured the same demeaning comments directed at Valancy
for being an old maid or "spinster". During this period in history, women were
often believed to have little value without a man which forced unmarried women
to rely on their families to support them. Valancy was one such woman, afraid
to say or do anything to contradict her family whom she depended upon for her
livelihood.
It was also observed that the
strict rules of the Stirling home were similar to the strict upbringing
experienced by Maud. For instance, as a child and young woman, even after
earning a tidy sum from the success of her early books, Maud was not permitted
to change the décor of her bedroom. As
well, both Maud and Valancy were not permitted to do much outside the regular
routine set out by the exacting standards of their caregivers. In the book, Valancy escapes her daily
drudgery by dreaming of her Blue Castle, a fantasy world where she can change
and move about anything at will. In her
diaries, Maud confessed to have a fantasy world of her own in which she says
she often retreated to when her days with her grandparents were particularly
difficult to bare.
I noted during the book club
meeting that to me the book had a very feminist message embedded in it, where
Maud depicts the constricted life of a Edwardian/post-war woman and then gives
her the fortitude to set her own path breaking free of the tethers of society,
in this case the exacting standards of the Stirling clan. A book club member
pointed out that when THE BLUE CASTLE was first published it was banned by a
number of schools as being too risqué. Authorities feared it would encourage rebelliousness.
It was also noted that the book was released at the same time Maud moved with
her family to Norval from Leaskdale, Ontario, a change that saved her from
having to face any disapproval from parishioners of her husband’s congregation. The
move allowed Maud a fresh start and a clean slate with which to make an
impression.
From my perspective THE BLUE
CASTLE is one of the best works written by LM Montgomery. In it she explores
many themes including societal expectations and breaking free from the bonds of
fear, but it also explores the meaning of real friendship and Christian charity.
The romance as well is very sophisticated, reminiscent of Gilbert and Anne, but
with a connection to the natural world of Ontario’s Muskoka that makes it shine
all on its own.
Next month we are reading JANE OF
LANTERN HILL. Join in and check back for a full report on what was discussed at
the meeting, until then, happy reading Kindred Spirits!
