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quotablehedgehog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Death, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Violence, Abandonment, Car accident, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Cursing and Mental illness
bibiran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Classism
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Death
helenafaustina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The first thing I'd like to say is that this would be a great book to read for anyone who wants to get into creative writing. There is a lot of descriptive writing with beautiful similes, prose, and things like that that are not only enjoyable, but would be really good for students to pay attention to.
It's a cozy book, full of twists and turns. It gets rather crazy at some points, and there was a lot of shocking plot twists that I didn't expect, although I did predict one from the beginning that I'm proud of myself for. I'd like to reread this knowing all that happens. The writing, in true Montgomery fashion, is gorgeous. As a nature lover myself I absolutely relished those parts. Romantic tropes came up, but it wasn't cringy, and it was enjoyable and sweet.
The only think that made me take away a half star was that during Valancy's rebellion, her attitude towards swearing was weird. She was decent in every way, but she had become weirdly tolerant of it to the point of considering doing it herself. It was an odd point in her character development.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Bullying, Medical content, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Sexual content
Mild swear words, like d*mn. Mild physical romance, nothing to worry about.annabutm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Bullying
town_scar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Death
Moderate: Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Alcohol, Bullying, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
kelleykamanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Medical content and Bullying
Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Minor: Child death, Death, and Sexual harassment
lizzye33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Classism and Chronic illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Medical content
Minor: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Misogyny, and Terminal illness
eatingfiction's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my soul. The way L.M. Montgomery crafts her stories are wistfully melancholic and deeply joyful. Her descriptions of nature are stunning and could make me cry for how in love with the world, despite all tragedy, her characters are. Her classic children's novel, Anne of Green Gables, is one of my all time favourites and now, and now, and now...
I love The Blue Castle. I love it despite all the reasons I shouldn't. It's largely a romance novel, which is not something I typically enjoy -- but even more so it's the story of a young woman, Valancy, falling in love with life itself. She is searching for her "Blue Castle", in other words, her home -- her true home, her purpose. She lives a loveless life in a loveless family, all tradition and routine and rules and reputation. It's in the threat of losing her life -- a sudden diagnosis of a terminal illness -- that she discovers love can exist for her. She pursues life like she never had before, to the horror of her family. (she even dares to slide down the bannister!!!)
"I’ve been keeping up appearances all my life. Now I’m going in for realities. Appearances can go hang."
This novel is funny, with Valancy's family and their utterly ridiculous ways. It's tragic, in the ways books about terminal illness usually are and bittersweet in the way that L.M. Montgomery always is. It's also very circumstantial in ways that make little logical sense...but it doesn't matter much. The ending is the stuff of fairytales, and almost too cheesy to bear. But it doesn't matter. I don't care even a little. I love this story wholeheartedly. This book is my blue castle.
“Isn't it better to have your heart broken than to have it wither up? Before it could be broken it must have felt something splendid. That would be worth the pain.”
p.s. Banjo and Good Luck are the loves of my life
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Bullying
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Still a sweet and funny (and scathing in all the right ways) read the second time through, cementing this book as an official favorite.
Original review:
This was a rather fabulous book about 'living like you were dying' as the song goes. Because of some of the peripheral parts of the story I might not recommend this for the very youngest end of 'young adult', but perhaps it should be required reading for every 16 (or so) year old.
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Child death
asiaasiaja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Death
Moderate: Dysphoria and Confinement
Minor: Religious bigotry