the hills and pools of Crete are beckoning and fair, all the better to entice an American abroad into perhaps unwise exploration. the island is full othe hills and pools of Crete are beckoning and fair, all the better to entice an American abroad into perhaps unwise exploration. the island is full of flowers, growing out of packed dirt and blanketing the countryside, dazzling the eye; the island is also full of women, shy, eyes downcast, clad in black, working from dawn to dusk. the village, the homes, the mill, the church... all eager to be opened for inspection, for those tourists armed with both camera and money. the villagers are likewise armed, with pride and gossip, knives and rifles, quick to stab and to shoot, to turn friend into foe. fishing spears and crab buckets can be used in surprising ways! Mary Stewart writes like an enlightened traveler, ready to stay on a while, as careful to withhold judgment as her heroine is quick to judge. happily, that judgment is often sound, encouraging her to help a man in need, to search for a boy that has vanished, to render sympathy towards a downtrodden woman. even in a place as lovely and open as a Cretan village in the spring, a life can be made small, if that life is ruled by a small and closed mind. in Crete, and elsewhere, sometimes it is better for a husband to be dead; perhaps then his wife can finally live....more
the ruins of Delphi are a melancholy tribute to past glories, and to past atrocities. the Englishman's brother Michael is likewise dead and gone but nthe ruins of Delphi are a melancholy tribute to past glories, and to past atrocities. the Englishman's brother Michael is likewise dead and gone but not forgotten; the mystery of his death lingers on, a lure for the curious and mournful, bait for the greedy and murderous. Greece is a hot and dusty place, stark and beautiful, a place to get lost and found in. passionate Greece, inspiring Greeks and English alike. the English woman is moving past her own past in this heated place, finding adventure and danger and of course love. Mary Stewart writes a tale that is both sprightly and foreboding, brisk and brooding, steeped in Grecian culture both modern and archaic. her artistry is as strong as ever: she paints a picture of a place that is easily felt, smelt, heard, tasted, seen. Seen and Unseen both hold court in this novel; some come to their court for guidance and a way forward, some to bury the past and honor it, and others to unbury that past, and its treasures. the book is a tense affair, much like its nervous heroine. the sun burns on, despite the darkness: the reader can feel its heat and see its glare, as the characters in this parched landscape feel their own blood turn hot, see their secret selves suddenly exposed to blazing light of day....more
the Northumberland countryside is windswept and stark, beautiful and craggy and treacherous, trees ready to fall, paths to get lost on, cliffs to be tthe Northumberland countryside is windswept and stark, beautiful and craggy and treacherous, trees ready to fall, paths to get lost on, cliffs to be tossed from. the heroine is frustrating: her mind moves back and forth, in the plan and then out of it, untrustworthy, uttering apologies of the "I'm just being womanish" sort. the handsome young Irishman is a violent boor, easily capable of laying hands on a woman, bending people and the world to his rigid, greedy plans. the mystery overlaps with other mysteries - mysteries of identity, acceptance, running away from problems and returning to step back into them. the romance is nonexistent, until suddenly it is not. Stewart writes a tricky narrative where past is present, one that's hard to untangle, characters hard to trust, until suddenly there is no tangle and characters are completely understandable. the arrival of clarity, following an exciting morning horse ride (Stewart loves her horses!) made for a breathtaking scene. I didn't find this book or its characters to be particularly likable, but the story compels and of course drips with atmosphere. I heard the wind moaning, I woke up to the too-bright sunlight, I inhaled the sweat dripping off of horse and man, I gazed at the world from cliffside along with the heroine, wondering where all of these lies would lead....more
the island of Corfu is golden, blue skies overhead and sandy beaches underfoot, light playing on the sea's surface. its waters have strange moods and the island of Corfu is golden, blue skies overhead and sandy beaches underfoot, light playing on the sea's surface. its waters have strange moods and deliver surprising gifts: a playful dolphin, treasure of a sort, and a body swept to its shores, bashed and broken. the island of Corfu is a romantic place! where better to find adventure and mystery, espionage and murder, passionate embraces. Mary Stewart fully commits to this lovely location, her descriptions vivid and clear, her affection and respect for the Greek locals and their culture equally on display. and then there is the dolphin, that clever boy, a highlight of the book. best of all, her heroine: intelligent and resourceful, curious and dynamic, never a shrinking violet. this is only my second Stewart; I wonder, will I continue to see a lack of silly heroines in her romantic adventures? the author adds additional layers that make her tale even richer: acting and the theatre is one layer, the story of The Tempest another. was Corfu that strange isle where Prospero found his home? one can only guess....more
the Isle of Skye was rendered in pleasing browns and greys, fog and wind and rain ever present, the surrounding mountainscape stark and threatening. othe Isle of Skye was rendered in pleasing browns and greys, fog and wind and rain ever present, the surrounding mountainscape stark and threatening. our heroine was independent and poised, always retaining dignity and autonomy. the murder mystery was compelling; the murderer or murderess (no spoilers!) was revealed in all of their madness in a wonderfully fearful set piece - the highlight of the novel. the romance took center stage only at the very end, in a brief but passionate and rather charming scene. Mary Stewart is a calm and confident author; I particularly enjoyed her precise focus on certain body parts - the size and shape of one character's hands, the dancing eyes and throaty laugh of another, the deep tan matching the golden hair of a third, etc. - as a way of making each character vivid and real. overall this was a pleasant surprise for me, and an ideal introduction to this author. I plan on reading more by her....more
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