Valancy is curious about Barney, as he leads a secretive life. During her stay with her friend, she meets Barney Snaith, a sort of vagabond with a rakish air that her family utterly disapproves of. She even, to the horror of her family, moves to live with her friend. She befriends the 'mad drunkard' old coot (Roaring Abel is his name) who is her friend's father and she helps care for her friend until her death. She finds out that one of her old school friends is very ill and dying from tuberculosis.

Valancy used to bear with her relations but now she finds amusement in being rebellious and the reactions she gets from her relations. She starts to rebel, much to the horror of her family who think she's gone nuts because they don't know of Valancy's health condition. Valancy is tired of meekly allowing her Aunts, Uncles and Mother to push her around. Suddenly, her life is put into perspective. Valancy is shocked at the news that she might die but the news also liberates her.Ĭlick here to see the rest of this review The doctor suggests that she take care not to overexcite herself and take pills to keep her condition stable for as long as possible. Later on, Valancy receives a letter from her doctor saying that she has a heart complication and may not have very long to live. Her appointment is cut short due to her doctor having a familial emergency. Lately, she's been having queer pains in her heart so she goes to see a doctor about it. Her only consolation is to read some beautiful books about the vast freedom of the natural world by the author John Foster and daydream about her Blue Castle and the lovers in it. On the outside, Valancy is a drab, wallpaper type of girl who is obedient to her mother and often sickly and unhappy. She's the oldest spinster in her family and constantly compared to her more beautiful and popular cousin and her spinsterhood the butt of jokes and pity. The story begins with Valancy Stirling feeling depressed about her life because she feels like she's hardly lived in it. Valancy Stirling is reaching 29 years old and has never fallen in love because her family is so controlling and stifling but one day she dares to break stand up for herself and break family expectations entirely by falling in love with a vagabond.

The blue castle montgomery