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Welcome to the first week of the Cool Bloggers Book Club (CBBC) where we will be discussing The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery! CBBC makes it sound like this is some exclusive club, but anyone can join, blogger or not, cool or not. I'm happy you are here and making this journey with all of us. As always, the ground rules for CBBC are:
1) Don't apologize. Don't apologize for having a lot or a little to say in the comments. Don't apologize because you're not an expert on something. Don't apologize because you don't have a doctorate in English literature. Don't apologize if you fall behind or can't keep up. Have fun and say what you have to say. You and your thoughts are important.
2) Feel free to come back and respond to comments more than once! I love it when there's a dialogue in the comments.
3) Have fun reading, thinking about the book, and discussing it! Don't feel limited to my discussion prompts - talk about whatever you feel like talking about.
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Who is L.M. Montgomery?
Lucy Maud Montgomery was a Canadian author best known for a series of books about a character named Anne Shirley, beginning with Anne of Green Gables. But she wrote short stories, poems, essays, and novels other than Anne books, including The Blue Castle, Magic for Marigold, A Tangled Web, and what I remember as the amazing Emily trilogy (Do those books hold up? I don't know, but I assume so.)
Montgomery was raised by her grandparents in Prince Edward Island (PEI) in Canada after her mother died when she was young and her father went to buy cigarettes and never came back (okay, fine, he went to work in what was the Northwest Territories, what now is Saskatchewan). She had a lonely, somewhat isolated upbringing and she created stories and imaginary friends. She was a teacher and it sounds like she didn't love it, but she started writing short stories and published over 100 between 1897 and 1907.
She had some youthful flings and settled down to marry soon after her grandmother died. The decision was clearly made for pragmatic, rather than sentimental, reasons. “This is a practical world and marriage must share in its practicalities,” Montgomery wrote. Her husband suffered from mental health issues throughout his life. They had three sons, although one was stillborn. She battled with her own depression and faced many lawsuits with a publishing house that she eventually prevailed in. She died at age sixty-seven. The cause of death was listed as coronary thrombosis, but her granddaughter later revealed a note at the bedside and a possible overdose.
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What happened in these chapters?
Set in the early 1900s, The Blue Castle is the story of Valancy Stirling. At age twenty-nine, she is an old maid. Her extended family seems pretty terrible and they treat her like a child. They call her a nickname, Doss, that she does not care for, and constantly compare her to her perfect cousin Olive. She escapes from this life in the books of a wilderness author named John Foster and creating detailed daydreams about a place she calls The Blue Castle.
She goes in for a checkup with a doctor who tells her she is near death.
Dr. Trent told her that she had a very dangerous and fatal form of heart disease—angina pectoris—evidently complicated with an aneurism—whatever that was—and in the last stages. He said, without mincing matters, that nothing could be done for her. If she took great care of herself she might live a year—but she might also die at any moment—Dr. Trent never troubled himself about euphemisms. (page 49)
Valancy "felt a curious freedom" (page 53) and vows to not tell anyone in her family about her illness.
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All page numbers will be referencing this Archive version of the book.
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Hat mentions (why hats?):
Valancy was once more seething with rebellion as she walked along, a prim, dowdy little figure in her shabby raincoat and three-year-old hat, splashed occasionally by the mud of a passing motor with its insulting shrieks. (page 29)
Valancy took off her hat. She had a scrawny little pigtail hanging down her back, but Dr. Stalling was shortsighted and did not perceive it.
“Little boy, go back to your seat and always take off your hat in church. Remember!”
Valancy went back to her seat carrying her hat like an automaton. Presently her mother came in.
“Doss,” said Mrs. Stirling, “what do you mean by taking off your hat? Put it on instantly!” (page 34)
Lines of note:
If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely different. (page 1)
First line! What did you think of this line? Did it draw you in to the story?
Valancy never persisted. She was afraid to. Her mother could not brook opposition. (page 4)
Valancy got up, though she hated getting up more this morning than ever she had before. What was there to get up for? Another dreary day like all the days that had preceded it, full of meaningless little tasks, joyless and unimportant, that benefited nobody. (page 15)
Oh, if I could only have a house of my own—ever so poor, so tiny—but my own! But then,” she added bitterly, “there is no use in yowling for the moon when you can’t even get a tallow candle.” (page 28)
“I’ve had nothing but a second-hand existence,” decided Valancy. “All the great emotions of life have passed me by. I’ve never even had a grief. And have I ever really loved anybody? Do I really love Mother? No, I don’t. That’s the truth, whether it is disgraceful or not. I don’t love her—I’ve never loved her. What’s worse, I don’t even like her. So I don’t know anything about any kind of love. My life has been empty—empty. Nothing is worse than emptiness. Nothing!” (page 64)
“After this I shall please myself. I shall never pretend anything again. I've breathed an atmosphere of fibs and pretences and evasions all my life. What a luxury it will be to tell the truth!" (page 64)
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Things I looked up:
lambrequin (page 3) - a short piece of decorative drapery hung over the top of a door or window or draped from a shelf or mantelpiece
passe-partouted engraving of Queen Louise (page 3) - passs-partout is a picture or photograph simply mounted between a piece of glass and a sheet of cardboard (or two pieces of glass) stuck together at the edges with adhesive tape; I do not know which Queen Louise it is - anyone else know?
Its ghost appeared Banquo-like at every subsequent family feast. (page 10) - Banquo is a murdered Scottish thane in Shakespeare's Macbeth whose ghost appears to Macbeth. Not understanding this reference clearly indicates my level of knowledge of historical literature.
Redfern’s Purple Pills (page 35) - Okay, I can't find if Redfern is a fictional company - I suspect it is - but this is such a great nod to quack medicine, peddlers, and cure-alls before governmental organizations started cracking down on them.
debouched (page 40) - emerge from a narrow or confined space into a wide, open area (this is very different from debauchery, which is what I had it confused with - I am obviously a woman with a limited vocabulary)
Grey Slosson (page 40) - This seems to be a made-up car model. I find myself constantly confused by what's real and what's not in historical fiction.
Muskoka (page 29, 40) - a regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the west, to the northern tip of Lake Couchiching in the south. It is REAL.
Lake Mistawis (page 41) - NOT REAL, but apparently corresponds to the real Lake Muskoka in Ontario
jamfry (page 53) - chiefly Scottish: rabble, mob
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How many times did the Blue Castle get name checked in these chapters?
FIFTEEN!!!
(one on page 4, three on page 5, four on page 6, three on page 18, one each on pages 26, 30, 41, and 47)
Normally the actually title of the book gets zero or one mentions.
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Questions to ponder (as always, feel free to answer as many or few of these as you'd like - talk about what you want to talk about!):
1) Friends! Valancy is off leash now. What do you think she's going to do and why do you think it's going to have to do with Barney Snaith and his broken down car (when Valancy said she had never been in a car, I squealed in delight - surely she's getting in that car before the book ends)?
2) I've been assuming that Valancy's issues are related to depression. Do you agree with my very educated (/s) diagnosis? Do you think she really has a heart issue?
3) I feel like Montgomery is walking a fine line with Valancy's characterization here. The character could come off as whiny and complaining, but somehow I came out of these eight chapters with a real sympathy for her and I'm rooting for her to change her life around. Are you rooting for Valancy? What literary techniques is Montgomery using here to make us feel so much for her?
4) What do you think of the setting here? Montgomery tended to use Prince Edward Island as her settings, but this one is in Ontario. Do you think that the setting is an important character?
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Homework for you:
How are you reading this book? Paperback, ebook, audiobook? Where are you reading it? If you have a photo of your book (maybe in the cozy chair where you read!) you'd like to share with the rest of the group, send it in and I'll make a collage for next week. dominique100 @ hotmail dot com
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Upcoming CBBC schedule:
February 10: Chapters 9 - 15
February 17: Chapters 16 - 24
February 24: Chapters 25-32
March 3: Chapters 33-45
March 10: Wrap-up
*I don't know if Valency is depressed- repressed and verbally abused perhaps. If she was depressed, the news of her impending doom would have crushed her , not set fire to the rebellion in her heart.
ReplyDelete* I think the setting is important as you need the bigger city (for example many streets, stores, and multiple churches) show how Valency has choices around her she's never been able to explore. And as a contrast to the island.
*I think she doesn't come off as whiny because she rarely says much out loud. Anything she verbalizes, we, the audience, recognizes as a reasonable request. She just wants her own dust pile.
*My favorite quote comes at the end of the chapter. 'Despair Is a free man, hope is a slave.'
* I think it's Queen Louise of Prussia- early 1800s. The first Google hit matches exactly the picture described in the book. it looks exactly like the kind of picture Valency's family would have.
-mbmom11
Great point about the setting being symbolic--so many places to go, yet so many are closed to her. She couldn't even claim a simple dust pile at one point in her life. It also shows that she feels alone amidst the multitudes in the city; she's a singular figure simply because she's unmarried and without her own money or title.
DeleteInteresting. I might be in the minority here (I think, from reading the comments), but I found Valancy's woe-is-me a bit unbearable at first. I warmed up to her, but the first few chapters were a bit challenging. But part of the warming up was realizing just how bad she did have it. Her family is terrible, her lot in life is terrible, and I just want her to go for a ride in a acar!
DeleteOkay, let's say it is the Queen of Prussia. Why is it the Queen of Prussia?!
She was a celebrity of her day, revered for grace, beauty, womanly virtues, devotion to her country, etc. So, given that the picture was probably a hand me down, I bet her family gave it to her to be an example of female propriety.
DeleteI loved that quote too. Best one in these chapters.
DeleteFirst of all, I'd like to recommend to all the CBBCers a podcast called Story Girl, which is all about the life and times of LM Montgomery. It's brand new, so at the moment there are only three episodes. I am loving it, having been a fangirl my entire life. It's interesting you mention depression. Maud (I'm going to call her Maud as that was her preference) did suffer depression. She had a pretty rough life, to be honest, particularly her childhood, which is why her characters almost always suffer at the hands of adults.
ReplyDeleteI read this in 1988, and I probably haven't since, but when I was reading these first few chapters it all came back to me. What struck me back then - I was 13, so at a real age to feel resentment - was how so many seemingly minor things can really add up. Things like a dust pile, or a nickname, these things just grow exponentially over time. Or, they can. It also struck me, then and now, just how cruel adults can be to children, seemingly unwittingly. I have always thought that mockery is one of the meanest things that a person can do, particularly an adult to a child. Things that are said to us as children really last a long time. I still feel upset about stupid things said to me as a child, and I'm sure they weren't meant to be cruel. But meaning and result can be two different things. Also, a detail that stuck out to me that I really remembered was the button string. WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE SPLIT THE BUTTONS FIFTY FIFTY?????The thing that struck me this time around, but didn't back in 1988, was the vulnerability of Valancy and her mother in terms of finances. Economic prospects for women were bleak and the thought that a person would have to rely on the generosity of their wealthier family members is abhorrent. But how many women over time have put up with shit just so as to not be put out on the street? Like I said it didn't occur to me then but it sure did now.I grew up in Calgary, a city, but I have a lot of relatives in small town Saskatchewan and I'd visit them for extended periods every summer. And the whole "everyone in your business" thing was true back then and is probably true now. If you had a reputation of any sort, you'd never escape it.
Setting is extremely important; Maud loved PEI so very much, and there is another book (Jane of Lantern Hill, CCR knows what I'm talking about) where the happy parts of the book are in PEI and the sad parts are in Toronto. Maud knows what she's doing here.
They couldn't split the buttons fifty-fifty because that would have marked Valancy as Olive's equal?
DeleteWell, yes.
DeleteYes, Jane's life in Toronto is as stifling, in different ways, as Valancy's in the beginning, and then she blooms in PEI! It does make me sad to think of Maud, away from her beloved island and missing it so terribly.
DeleteStory Girl!! I added it to my podcast list. What incredible timing! It's like I planned it that way. (I did not plan it that way - I didn't even know this podcast existed until JUST NOW.)
DeleteIt is interesting to think about this genteel poverty, especially in comparison to our last book. Valancy isn't complaining about leaking roofs or how hungry she is, but it does sound like she's cold all the time and relying on the "generosity" of her family. I will admit that I just wanted to sort of shake Valancy and tell her to stand up to her family, but you raise a good point that if she was turned out from this house, she didn't have any place to go.
Thank you for the podcast recommendation. I am not familiar with this author and her work so this might be a good way to get more background info.
DeleteI had never heard of The Blue Castle before you mentioned, Engie, and am truly loving the novel so far. Valancy is such a different character from Anne and yet...they both grow up in passivity and despair, both use escapism to survive (Anne has her reflection and dreams of being called Cordelia; Valancy has her blue castle), and they both ultimately embrace their inner fire and tell people what they think (Anne to Rachel Lynde and Gilbert; Valancy to her family).
ReplyDeleteI really liked the first line of the novel! It tells me right away that something is going to happen and, after the first few pages of hearing how terrible her life is, it seems to suggest that rain will move her life in a positive direction.
I think that Valancy is being emotionally abused, but she is also too depressed to stand up for herself which allows that cycle to continue on repeat. It seems she made a choice to be agreeable at one point in her life and has never once felt able to break out of that mold.
I’ve never heard that idiom. Nicole? Allison? I don’t think it’s a Canadian thing? Maybe a generational thing?
Like Nicole, the button thing felt so tragic. Having a teenage daughter I know how cruel these comparisons between people (especially girls) can be, and how deeply they need to feel equality. Poor Valancy :(
No, never. I would say generational, because tallow candle, but there are many idioms that we still use that have no relevance to modern times, so I don't know.
DeleteI don't think depression is the primary reason for her submission. Her station in life pretty much demands it, especially at her age. She's too old to be seen as merely temperamental and too young to be indulged as a cranky old matron whose earned her opinions. All she can really do is put up with it Like A Lady Of Good Breeding because she's living on someone else's dime. That's how repressive and restrictive things were in this era for women like her.
DeleteI don't know. Lines like "As far as she could look back, life was drab and colourless, with not one single crimson or purple spot anywhere" and "Valancy got up, though she hated getting up more this morning than ever she had before. What was there to get up for? Another dreary day like all the days that had preceded it, full of meaningless little tasks, joyless and unimportant, that benefited nobody" were what made me think of depression. I suppose you're right and it could be just that her life is so repressive that she has these thoughts, though.
DeleteLove Nicole's mention of economic vulnerability. Valency is completely at the mercy of her family, and she has to take all their shit. I was also struck so much by how classist the family is throughout the book-- race and class structure the Anne books, too, but it is laid bare here I don;t think she;s whiny-- I think her old maid life is the pits. I also really like how Montgomery describes the natural world.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting because I did think she was whiny at first. But then as the chapters went on, I was swayed to Valancy's side. Her life really is kind of the worst!
DeleteI thought she was whiny, too, Engie! But then I started to see WHY she feels so poorly about her life, and it made a lot of sense. I like the way the author played with our emotions like that!
DeleteWell, this is tricky for me- I loved this book so much that I READ THE ENTIRE THING, so I know exactly how it all turns out. But I'll try to go back to what my thoughts and feeling were at the end of chapter 8.
ReplyDeletePoor Valancey!!! Her life is just so dreary, hopeless and depressing. I'm always fascinated by the plight of women in books of these times. Their only hope of having a satisfying life was to be married. It made me think of when Charlotte marries Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice. He's completely unlikeable, but marriage to him is better than not being married at all, where she would be a financial burden to her family and treated with disrespect for the rest of her life. So, when I first started The Blue Castle I anticipated a Jane Austen-ish story where Valancey does of course find love after all. The revelation of the fatal heart issue was a surprising twist for me! I'm fascinated by the upcoming change in Valancey's life, now that her death sentence has given her a sense of freedom.
At this point, I wasn't really sure where the story was going. I haven't read anything else by LM Montgomery so I don't know if her books always have happy endings, or not.
i can't wait for next week's discussion- there are some funny things coming up in this book!
You read the whole thing!! Look at you!!
DeleteThe twist was so shocking, but I'm glad there was a catalyst for Valancy to make some change to her life. Now I'm excited to see what those changes are going to be!
1) I love the idea of Valancy gone wild and breaking out of that "second-hand existence" with all the books she wants piled into Barney's car... although, I'm afraid it will all come crashing down with the return of Dr. Trent after his travels.
ReplyDelete2) This is probably a "modern" take on Valancy's issues, but I wondered if it was some sort of trauma-induced anxiety vs. depression. Although there's probably a discussion somewhere about reliable and unreliable narrators, if she's been constantly been berated, disregarded, mocked, etc. for 29 years to the point she mentally hides in a dream castle, I feel like the heart symptoms Dr. Trent saw could have been fear/anxiety from breaking the rules to see him or panic attacks when her life seems too dreadful or hopeless.
3) I love Valancy in such a specific way. I don't know if it comes from being a late bloomer who had a strict-ish upbringing, but I entered my late 20's also thinking I would never have a life and adventures and juiciness... I can see where the whininess comes out, but I think it is purposeful to show how stunted Valancy's growth has been because of her circumstances. I am very much rooting for her excited to see what happens when she has agency (even if it is driven by her medical condition)!
4) I do not have enough Canadian knowledge to speak to the setting... but I will say that the town where everyone knows everything about you and your family from generations of living near each other resonates with me (who comes from a super small town where everyone knew everything about me, haha).
I love, love, love this book! Valancy's inner monologue and outer circumstances have such a dissonance and I'm super excited to see what happens as she's thrust into being more than others want/need her to be. (This is my way of waving at Roaring Abel, haha!)
Look at all of us putting modern diagnoses on Valancy. I'm easily persuaded by all of these. Could be just her repression, could be trauma-related, could be depression/anxiety. I'm here for all of it!
DeleteI just want the scene in Barney's car and if I don't get it, I'm going to be disappointed!
I like you spin with anxiety.
DeleteCan I just say what a delight it was to pick up this book and start reading?
ReplyDelete1. All bets are off! I feel like she will somehow find a new living situation, tell her family to shove it, and meet John Foster.
2. Aw heck no, she doesn't have a heart issue. My prediction is that the doctor got her name mixed up with another patient.
3. I don't know *how* Montgomery is doing it, but I adore Valancy.
I'm reading on my Kindle, and I dropped a whopping 39 cents to get this book. Big Money Baby!!!
The doctor did rush out in a hurry, snatching his hat and coat from the rack, so maybe you're right about the good doctor!
DeleteI have a copy on my Kindle (I paid zero cents!) and it's fine, but I did request a physical copy from the library and haven't yet gotten it. I would like to hold it in my hands!
When Elisabeth mentioned this book on her blog I didn't put it together that this was the book y'all were reading together. Honestly, I'm getting goofier [as in inattentive] every month. Don't know why I'm telling you this other than to say I'm going to follow along here. Carry on 🙄
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to join in whenever you can!
DeleteI don't think she comes off as whiny at all - I think she's depressed BECAUSE she's been abused. What kind of insufferable Pollyanna would be able to live this life and take this shit from all the people in it and NOT be depressed. As soon as she decides to live without regard for her bitchily repressed relatives and 'the will', she seems much lighter and happier.
ReplyDeleteI love the way that an entire paragraph can be nothing but descriptions of people, and yet this speaks volumes about Valancy's world.
I don't know if anyone here has watched The Big C, but it really resonates with this same storyline - Laury Linney's character finds out she has terminal skin cancer and before she tells anyone she spends a few weeks telling people what she thinks, acting on every impulse and generally appearing insane, which is what happens when someone lives without regard to societal strictures. "Live every day like it's your last" is really difficult to do when it's actually not.
-Uncle James is described as ‘Handsome, black, with his sarcastic, trap-like mouth’ - black doesn't really mean Black, surely?
-I do not think she is terminally ill. I think she has heartburn from repressing everything she'd like to say to her mother, or anxiety and panic attacks, or something else benign. The device of the doctor having to skip town suddenly is a deux ex machina, and I'm here for it. I am happily anticipating the mystery being resolved, and if she really does die I will be irate.
No matter how old I get, I am not immune to the breathless, incandescent rage prompted by a child (or woman, I guess) being treated with this kind of vicious unfairness. Screw Olive! Screw Valancy's Mom! Screw Olive's stupid button-stealing parents!
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-”’Fun!’ Mrs. Frederick uttered the word as if Valancy had said she was going to have a little tuberculosis.”
I think "black" is black hair and dark eyes- maybe like "black Irish" is a description of dark hair, dark eyes, and a non- ghostly skin tone. My dad and grandpa popped into my head when I read that description of James.
DeleteI interpreted the same way - as "black Irish." And, maybe, that his soul is black!
DeleteI'm reading this book simultaneously with George Gissing's Victorian novel "The Odd Women", which is about three sisters who are left almost penniless when their father dies before settling his affairs. It speaks to the cruelty of the patriarchal system of inheritance during that time, and how the only way women really had to break free of poverty was to marry. Needless to say, I really feel for Valancy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I noticed was that her nickname is very telling: Doss is British slang for a makeshift and convenient place to sleep. It's also close to the word Dross, which means trash or rubbish. Imagine being called that, a constant reminder that you are imposing upon others for your room and board, and that you are a throwaway person of no real use.
I think Valancy gains our sympathy because she shows us her room, which isn't populated with anything she chose. Most of us see our bedroom as our haven, our private and secure space. Valancy's isn't; it's full of ugly things that she has nothing to do with, and she quietly acquiesces to it all because she knows her place in the hierarchy. Her escape is to invent an entire castle that no one else in her tiresome family can breach. It makes us sympathetic and happy for her.
After all, as mbmom11 said, she just wants her own dust pile, and she couldn't even have that. How pathetic and sad. Our modern sensibilities want her to stand up for herself and tell everyone off, but during these times, it was nearly impossible. Now, however, with this prognosis, Valancy thinks she has nothing to lose.
*I had to laugh about all the quack medicines. So many back then were either worthless, or if they were liquids, were alcohol or narcotic. Lots of people were Under The Influence, thanks to these "remedies."
Oh, you're right! Her room is decorated with hand me downs and nothing she would choose. She would never leave a dog out in the rain like that.
DeleteYES!! My modern sensibility wants to tell her to stand up for herself, but what were her options if she did that? Where could she go? What could she even do for money if she had to? It's truly terrible to think about. I cannot wait to see what Valancy does now that she thinks it doesn't matter.
DeleteThe quackery! Ughhh...those damn purple pills and the stinky ointment.
ReplyDeleteThis family---they're horrible to Valancy, and I'm so happy to see her fight back and not take their shit and call them out on the nonsense. I had a giggle when they claimed she must be 'feverish' when she doesn't play along with their BS.
1)
I love that term Off Leash! I think she's going to find that ruffian Barney, take a ride in his car and perhaps kiss him in front of the general public. People will FAINT!
2)
I don't think she has a heart issue, she has a broken heart, broken spirit because of her family and of course, the negative self-talk. Depression for sure!
3) I'm rooting for her 100%. I don't think she sounds whiny at all.
4) I wish I knew more about Canadian areas, so this doesn't mean much to me.
I'm doing the audio version. Turns out there are many of those available, so it took me a minute to choose one.
Ok, fun fact: How many times did they use the word EJACULATE and I grimaced like a sixth grader? I don't know that I've ever heard the word used other than in a sexual manner. Am I still twelve? Yes, yes I am.
KISSING BARNEY!!! I hope she does, Suz, I hope she does.
DeleteI didn't notice ejaculate, Suz, and I did a search and it only came up once in the whole book. If I had noticed it, I would have giggled, too.
My copy of The Blue Castle is the original manuscript with annotations etc. The biggest change Montgomery made was to rename her main character. Valancy was originally called “Miranda.” Suggestions for why she changed the name from Miranda to Valancy are:
ReplyDelete1.Miranda is the name of the main character in Charles G.D. Roberts’s book The Heart of the Ancient Wood (1902), a book Montgomery owned and read.
2.She may have chosen the name Valancy as a nod to well-known poet Canadian poet Isabella Valancy Crawford.
Poor Valancy! No support from anyone in her family and no friends to turn to. Belittled, dismissed and always left out – how can she not be depressed? And add that she is a woman who is economically dependant on the rich uncle, so even with him can’t say a word. Not the best of times.
However, that (mis)diagnosis from the quack is just what our girl needs. I loved how she left Cousin Stickles “aghast” when making it clear she would not be rubbed with Redfern’s liniment. I am looking forward to more “aghast” moments from the rest of her family!
We NEED photos of this, Jacquie. I need to see what it looks like!! Miranda. That's a crazy name change, if you ask me.
DeleteI have a feeling the family is going to be super aghast soon enough and I can't wait, either.
I'll have to catch up next week :/ . I had a lot of rec. letters to write for other people and didn't get around to this.
ReplyDeleteWhenever you have time! This should not be a priority.
DeleteWhen you have time, take another look at Emily and see what you think about the creepy level! I found it off the charts as an adult (and a mom), but it didn't register for me as a teen.
ReplyDeleteEmily of New Moon is one of my options for book club at a later date. It would be fun to do all the non-Anne books. LOL. I remember loving the books as a tween/teen, but I have not revisited those Emily books in decades.
DeleteI am so glad you said this, Jamie! I recently read Emily of New Moon and it was SOOO creepy and problematic at times. Eeks.
DeleteI'm reading a copy of the book from the library. I started this book, but then switched over to Go As a River, because I need to read that for my Feb book club. The main characters in both books are both women who get glossed over/are unappreciated/suffer from their family situation, and I admit I'm struggling to separate the two. *I never read more than one book at a time, Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI don't think she has a heart condition. I think she's sick because of how she's been treated by her family. It sounds like she might get together with this Barney guy (I am not sure I've gotten this far yet) but I do love that she's giving it back to her family.
I don't think she's depressed, just down trodden from the trauma and abuse. She worries that her mom won't speak to her now (or something unacceptable) because she told her not to call her Doss. So infuriating.
I don't think she's whiny. I think she's fed up and rightfully so.
I think the setting is important. It broke my heart when she wanted her own tiny house, her own dust pile. Ugh.
This felt a lot like the early chapters of Harry Potter. Poor Harry was so abused and all he wanted was for someone to remember his birthday. All Valancy wants is for her own pile of dust. Sad stuff.
DeleteDang it! I somehow only read until chapter 7 and I had to stop reading your recap and the comments to avoid spoilers. Grrr! I can say that I'm on the fence about this book, but I am very interested in the description you give of Montgomery's life - I had no idea!
ReplyDeleteYeah, her life was apparently pretty unhappy, but it's not clear to me, from a superficial Wikipedia read, of why it was unhappy. BUT! BUT! I did download that Story Girl podcast that Nicole recommended above and I'm excited to learn more.
DeleteOoh! It's late where I am, but I am going right now to read chapter 8 so I can read Nicole's comment, so I can listen to the Story Girl podcast!
DeleteKnowing this book as well as I do, I obviously can't opine on what I *think* will happen, but it's so fun to me to read guesses from first-time readers! I don't remember a lot of my first impressions of it, but I do know that I always loved the first line, I think it really sets the tone. And I do remember that on my first read, I was a bit confused by Doss/Valancy in the first few pages, until we get to "Sit up straight, Doss" and "Valancy sat up straight" and it clicked for me.
ReplyDeleteI just sent you a photo of my lovely ex-library copy, which feels absolutely perfect in my hand.
I did find the Doss/Valancy thing confusing, too, but it was clear enough if you keep reading. I will say, as someone whose family still calls her a childhood nickname that I don't care, this nickname business is somewhat traumatic for me. Ha. Just kidding. But it does make me feel kind of bad for poor Valancy.
DeleteI have your photo and have added it to my file o' pictures.
The Doss/Valancy thing was VERY confusing for me, as I'm listening to the audiobook, haha.
DeleteI've read ahead because I just needed to know what happens next, so I won't answer some of the questions. I'm not sure I would consider her depressed, I mean her situation sucks so her feelings are entirely rational. I think she is feeling stuck, without options, for very good reasons. I like her because although she is outwardly compliant she is inwardly rebellious and at least that means that she hasn't completely given up. This may be the way things are, but at least Valency doesn't believe that is right. The mum is awful, why are other women often the worst enforcers of the patriarchy? Yuck! Valency off-leash is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI am excited for what she will do next. Surely she'll go WILD!!
DeleteI love this book so far, and am really glad we voted for it! Valency is a wonderful character. I thought she might be whiny for about a minute or two, but as soon as we examined her shitty room, and met her family, I was Team V. Her family is the worst. SHE CAN'T EVEN HAVE HER OWN DUST! WTF people??? Perhaps I've forgotten already, because I read my chapters on Friday and today is Monday and I forget details pretty quickly...but I feel like they did NOTHING to celebrate her birthday. She was ridiculed for being unmarried, and that's it. What a horrible family.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever see the TV cartoon, Around the World in 80 Days? It's from before your time, it came out when I was little, 1972. His side kick was named Passepartout.
Likely it's only because we were just discussing Gone With the Wind, but when Valency decides that she is DONE with this shit, and is going to stop living a lie, she reminded me a bit of Scarlett O'Hara being sick of all of the limitations and rules that fenced her in. I could see V standing in the garden declaring "AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I'LL NEVER BE HUNGRY AGAIN"
Clearly the doctor is a quack and she is going to be OK, but thank goodness, or she would continue to waste her one precious life pretending to be who she is not.
I'm purchased a paperback version, because I want to have all of my CBBC books together. <3
The family really is terrible. It's interesting to think about it from their perspective, I guess. What is she contributing to the household? (I guess I don't know what Olive is contributing, either, but that's neither here nor there.)
DeleteOh, I never even really thought to compare Valancy and Scarlett, but you're right! They both just end up saying fuck it, I'm done here!
I might ask you for a photo of all the CBBC books on a shelf or pile for the next one we run!
This is Pat - (as mentioned before I can only comment if I sign in to google which links to an old Camino Santiago blog my husband & I did)
ReplyDeleteI am loving this book. It is horrible how Valancy is treated. It is absolute abuse. And yes I think she is depressed. I am blown away by this “diagnosis “ and her being told she has a year to live! There are so many doctor/quacks (the disgusting purple ointment). I cannot wait to see what she does with her new attitude!
Pat
There's such good foreshadowing in this book. I'm so excited to see what's going to happen!
DeleteThis book is making me so happy! I am enjoying it so much, and Valancy's voice, even though she has had such a tragic life. I also love that she's a 29 year old spinster - usually, they're like 21 in these novels. (Which yes, was a spinster in those times but still feels a little silly ha.)
ReplyDeleteI don't think Valancy has a heart issue - I'm guessing she has panic disorder or something along those lines that has been misinterpreted as a heart condition. I *do* agree with you that she probably has depression. It's just so clear about the way she talks about her life AND knowing that Maud (I'll call her that since Nicole did!) suffered as well, it makes sense that she would have such a clear understanding of how it feels in one's body to have depression.
I'm excited, though, for Valancy to have a new lease on life and to get away from her terrible family. The story about the buttons made me so mad! Don't do my girl dirty like that!! And she can't even voice a simple opinion - like being called HER ACTUAL NAME - without being condescended to and made to feel like a nobody. Poor girl.
I will say that I was shocked that not everyone thought Valancy started off whiny because she totally did for me! Of course, once we learn about her home life, it makes sense why she feels so sad all the time, but it was hard in the beginning to be in her head like this. But now I will DIE FOR VALANCY and I can't wait to see what happens to her next! (Good things, I hope!)
Now that J talked about the comparison between Valancy and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind, I can't stop thinking about it. At first, the characters didn't resonate with me, but within a few chapters, I am all in on them. I honestly don't understand the literary techniques enough to understand how the authors do it. It's MAGIC. (Also, maybe I should have taken more literature classes?)
DeleteI was glad to see she was 29 and not late teens/early twenties. It does add to the character because she's been suffering for YEARS with this family without a lot of options. I feel like it really opens up a lot of avenues for the book, too.
I'm enjoying this book so much! I feel like Valancy is a mix of whiny, depressed, suppressed and angry - and about to blow up! The diagnosis of a heart condition could be just the thing to free her, and I'm rooting for her. I hope she blossoms into a sassy, amazing woman. I can't wait to see what happens next! I'm listening to the audiobook and I have a copy on my Kindle so I can read along when I feel like it.
ReplyDeleteI love the Kindle/audiobook combo. You can ALWAYS be reading it!
DeleteI got both the audiobook and the ebook from Hoopla, but that does mean I have to read it on my phone, so I have mostly been listening to the audiobook! I agree with you that at first I was not quite sold on Valancy, but we shall see how it goes! I do think she is being picked on a little, I mean those buttons! Why not split them evenly? It seems like her mother is a tyrant. I do also giggle about the 29 spinster thing, although I do know that was a thing, it seems so young now!
ReplyDeleteI have the audiobook and the ebook, but I haven't even touched the audiobook because I keep marking passages every other paragraph! There are so many funny lines, hat mentions, references to the title of the book, and things I need to remember to look up! But I do want to listen to at least some of it so I can get a feel for the narrator. Which audiobook version are you reading?
Delete1) I am not sure what she is going to do but I am cheering for her. I cannot imagine the grief she is getting for being unmarried at 29 in this era. That is probably like being 40 or 50 and unmarried in our current age.
ReplyDelete2) It never occurred to me that it could be anything besides a legitimate heart issue but I was surprised they had the technology to dx that sort of issue! I hope it's not a heart issue though!
3) I do not find her at all whiny. I have sympathy for her. But I was a border-line old maid since I was 36 when I got married which is much older than my college friends and peers in the Midwest and I got quite a bit of slack for it sadly.
4) I don't think of the setting as a main character quite yet. There was such a strong sense of place in her PEI books but I don't have that vibe yet.
I am loving this book so far!!!
So, the thing is that by the time someone is 40 or 50 in current times, don't people just stop asking about marriage? Or do people still ask? I honestly don't know because I don't ask people questions like that!!!
DeleteMost of my friends got married out of high school, so even though I got married in my late-20s, I was definitely hearing it from other people. Ugh. I just feel terrible for people who can't push back on it. You can't just marry the first person to come along!!
I would hope people would stop asking. I was asked well into my 30s though. It was so annoying!!!
DeleteI feel like Valency's not depressed, but just kind of beaten down a lot. Even L.M. Montgomery isn't very nice to her. She keeps being described as plain and not very interesting and weak. I once read somewhere that no one actually thinks Jane Eyre is truly plain or unattractive, and I've been reminded of that a lot during this book - like all we get is that her hair isn't as glossy as Olivia's or what not, and her eyes are small.... Like does that *really* make someone unattractive? So this will be interesting to me because it seems as if Montgomery herself isn't interested in making Valency seems like a worthwhile heroine, and keeps dumping on her, and in some way Valency's sort of has to take on a life of her own and show everyone (even the author) that, yeah, she can grow a backbone.
ReplyDeleteAlso can we talk about all the confusing names? Like where does Doss even come from? And it took me a long while to figure out that Mrs. Frederick was HER MOTHER. Maybe I'm just not paying attention.
I think attractiveness can be linked to confidence, too, and Valancy is just not as confident as Olive. Maybe she'll do a "glow up" as she moves away from her family (which I presume will happen) and does grow that backbone.
DeleteOh, this is a thing from the wayback times, right? A married woman is forever known as Mrs. X. *sigh*
I am not familiar with LM Montgomerys work so this is a fun way to read for me and get all the insights from my fellow book club members.
ReplyDelete1) YES! My thoughts exactly. She is going on a wild ride with Barney - and yes i picture him like the HIMYM version of course.
I say she will even learn how to drive it because Olive wants to but is not allowed.
2) I guess you can get depressed easily living in that household. For one so many people being all over you. No option to go to your room. Everyone in your business. It would drive me nuts and eventually depressed. But maybe Valancy is also just bored out of her mind. She is 29 and not allowed anything. Everything is being discussed in the clan. By the time there is a decision she’d probably not even care about the thing.
About the gear failure… I don’t think it’s true. I am not sure if the Dr. Is just awful or if he is brilliant in teller her she’s going to die in order to get her out of this funk.
3) I am not sure I am rooting for her. Well… maybe I am hoping this book will start getting some action.
The whiny tone of Valancy did bother me a bit. Granted her home is terrible but she has no backbone and I find this very annoying.
I can not add any smart comments regarding the literary technique applied.
4) Absolutely indifferent to me since I know none of her books. And as of know the place could be anywhere. For me there is no characterization here.
Now I go and read all the comments and my want to change all my answers after that.
YESS!!! He is Neil Patrick Harris, right?
DeleteI think the household would make anyone sort of a complainer, right? Especially if there was something deeper going on. I guess we'll see. I'm hoping Valancy turns things around!