I discovered the joys of Mary Stewart’s Gothic romances in January, and I’ve been steadily reading my way through her backlist ever since. This post is comprised of three mini-reviews, as was my previous post on Mary Stewart’s books.
THE IVY TREE (1961) BY MARY STEWART
The Premise: Mary Grey leaves Canada to travel to England, the land of her ancestors. While visiting Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, she is confronted by an angry young man who insists she’s the image of his dead cousin, Annabel.
Once Mary finally persuades Connor Winslow that she’s not his late cousin, she finds herself drawn into a nefarious scheme of deception and impersonation to help Connor inherit the estate which he feels is rightfully his.
My Thoughts: The Ivy Tree is a wonderful book and one of my favourite of the six Mary Stewart books I’ve read so far. I’m relieved to be able to write a mini-review and not a longer one as this is a story full of delicious twists and turns which could only be spoiled by a more detailed synopsis. Highly recommended. A-
AIRS ABOVE THE GROUND (1965) BY MARY STEWART
The Premise: When Vanessa March is asked by a family friend to escort her teenage son to Vienna, she initially refuses. Vanessa is married to a man who travels a lot for work. They recently had an argument when he had to cancel a long-anticipated holiday in favour of a business trip to Sweden. Vanessa is still hoping that Lewis will return in time for them to have some sort of holiday to make up for the one they missed.
When a friend spots Lewis in a cinema newsreel of a recent fire in Austria, Vanessa can scarcely believe it. She goes to the cinema to watch the footage herself, and sees her husband in the company of a beautiful young woman in a country in which he’s not supposed to be. Furious, Vanessa makes the impulsive decision to accompany her friend’s son to Vienna after all, determined to track down her errant husband and confront him.
My Thoughts: This is another fun story by Mary Stewart. I loved the Austrian setting and the details about the Lipizzan stallions. The interaction between Vanessa and Timothy, her seventeen-year-old charge, was amusing, and I thought the romance element was particularly well done in this book. B
MY BROTHER MICHAEL (1960) BY MARY STEWART
The Premise: Camilla Haven has broken her engagement to the overbearing Philip and gone to Greece in search of adventure. A case of mistaken identity gives her possession of a hire car intended for someone named Simon at Delphi. As Camilla wants to visit Delphi in any case, she seizes the opportunity to drive the car there in search of the mysterious Simon. When she locates Simon, Camilla finds herself drawn into his quest to locate his brother’s killer.
My Thoughts: While I found the suspense plot rather weak in this book, I loved the Greek setting and the details about the history of Delphi. I also enjoyed the subtle but romantic interaction between Simon and Camilla. It is an old-fashioned story in the sense that Simon almost always takes the lead, but I was pleased to see Camilla start to assert herself as the book progressed. B
Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think of them?
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I’ve read all three (huge Stewart fan). And I think MY BROTHER MICHAEL is actually my favorite of those three. Though THE IVY TREE is completely wonderful. But something about Camilla and Simon and the setting and history in Delphi…just does it for me.
As I’ve said before, The Ivy Tree is my absolute favorite. I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!
I don’t think I’ve read Airs Above the Ground–or maybe it was Wildfire at Midnight that I just couldn’t get into. I can see I’m going to have to schedule a reread for that one!
My eighth grade English teacher turned me on to Mary Stewart 30 years ago. I’ve read these three and, I think, everything else MS ever published.
Funnily enough, The Ivy Tree is one of my least favorite of her books, even though it’s tightly plotted and suspenseful. I think the romantic portion of that story didn’t appeal to me so much. I didn’t like the infidelity and the age difference between Mary and her love. I also like the suspense in Wildfire at Midnight, but was disappointed at how Gianetta had no backbone. She takes Nicholas back with hardly any groveling or explanation. He even comments on it!
I like Airs Above the Ground and My Brother Michael much better. I like Vanessa’s gumption to head to Austria to find Lewis. In MBM, I like Camilla’s character arc. I feel like we are watching her come into her own.
Stewart did a fabulous job making me feel like I am in Delphi, Corfu, Crete, or wherever. Every time I re-read her books I feel like I am there.
I highly recommend Touch Not the Cat, Moonspinners, and This Rough Magic too, if you can find copies.
Oh, The Ivy Tree is my favourite, no question about it. I loved the twists, and I’m a total sucker for romance with some angst.
@Angie: I adored the Greek setting in My Brother Michael!
@heidenkind: @Mary Beth: I’ve heard from a few people who disliked Wildfire at Midnight for similar reasons. Funnily enough, I really enjoyed it, despite its flaws.
Touch Not the Cat will probably be the next Mary Stewart book I read.
@Li: The Ivy Tree is a very cleverly constructed mystery.
I think I read The Ivy Tree too fast: it certainly was full of twists and turns. Airs Above the Ground was OK but I felt there were too many endings. Wildfire at Midnight sounds really good.
You should try Helen MacInnes, her early books are particularly good, like The Venetian Affairs … Decision at Delphi is very absorbing. What is it about stories set in Greece?
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