William and Mary Books

If you are from the South or just enjoy reading Southern fiction this series is a must read. I heard about Anne George because she was my husband's eigth grade English teacher - and she is definitely a hidden gem. The humor reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series - so if you like wacky, murder mystery fun - dig in!

The best of the series. Very interesting and fast moving. Keeps your interest. I liked it.

Our two favourite southern sisters get up to more hijinks in this book when they run across a travelling preacher who also handles snakes. We also finally get to meet Cousin Puke Lukey! Cousin Luke enlists the aid of Patricia Anne and Mary Alice to help track down his missing wife who has run off with a preacher. And while they are doing this, they end up in more trouble than you can shake a stick at. Of course there are dead bodies as these two girls always seem to be stumbling over, but oh what fun as we read about their antics. I absolutely love these two old dears, and am really sorry that there is only one more story to read. Ms. George was definitely taken from us too soon.

I laughed the first time I heard Patricia Ann and Mary Alice refer to their cousin in that way simply because he used to get car sick as a child. I laughed even harder when they referred to him as "Puke." Ann George not only has a refreshing and bluntly witty writing style, but her characters really come alive from page to page. In fact these two 60-something southern sleuths are so youthful and vibrant, one often forgets their ages and imagines them to be 20 years younger.

Poor Luke. His wife of 40 years, Virginia, has taken off with a house painter who is also a reverend, and when the sisters go with him to find his wife, they find a dead woman in "Monk's" church instead, and the reverend is discovered dead in Virginia's car--all full of snakebites. The reverend was a snake handler to boot. Add this, a bunch of suspicious characters, a romance between sister Mary Alice and the sheriff, lots of snappy sparkling dialog, and you have the makings of a fine and entertaining mystery that echoes a cross between Murder She Wrote and The Golden Girls. This was my first Southern Sisters novel, and I definitely wouldn't rule out more. I laughed and kept on guessing who the killer was up until the last 2 chapters. I hope you are as amused and intrigued as I was. Southern charm has never been more irresistible.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series so far and this one may well be the best of the bunch. Just where else could you find a story about a guy nicknamed Pukey Lukey whose wife ran off with a snake-handling preacher who was painting their house. Mary Alice (Sister) and Patricia Anne (Mouse) are always hilarious but with a plot line like this anybody could be funny.

Readers of this series will be familiar with Pukey Lukey and his wife Virginia from previous books. Cousin Luke got his nickname because he was prone to carsickness as a child and he has yet to live the name down. Out of the blue he contacts his cousins to inform them that Virginia has run off with the above-mentioned preacher and he enlists their help in finding her. The preacher lives on Chandler Mountain north of Birmingham and so off the sisters and Lukey go on a mission to at least find out if Virginia is okay. They find the preacher's home and church with little problem but there is nobody at home so Luke checks the church. When he fails to return to the car the sisters go in to investigate and find Luke bleeding on the floor and worse yet they find a dead body.

The search for Virginia and the killer are the stories that make up the mystery in this book and the mystery remains surprisingly in focus when you consider the characters that are involved in this story. As if the snake-handling, house painting preacher wasn't enough there are some of the most memorable characters I have ever come across to be found in these pages. From the hillbilly professor who is also a collector of books to the county sheriff who falls for Mary Alice and from the professor's snuff dipping mother to the Chandler Mountain Booger this book is just overflowing with characters with character. If the Booger and the sheriff aren't enough for you, well the Pope himself is actually involved in this book as is a new baby and to some extent George Wallace.

As usual this author displays her gift for dialogue in this book and her imagination must have been running in overdrive when she wrote this one. It is hilarious how Sister keeps tempting Luke by promising that she will let him ride in her Jag while she knows full well that the Pukey one will never set foot in her car. In the end of course the mystery is solved and as usual the sisters almost get killed once they figure out who done it. As with most cozy mysteries this one has a happy ending, at least for the sisters. Pukey Lukey on the other hand might ought to learn to be careful what he wishes for.

Welcome to Mason County, where even the census takers were baffled when they came to a town where blacks looked white. Isabel is the main character in this story. Every one calls her Belly in Mason County. That all changes when a series of events after her childhood friend Teeny got pregnant, led her to Jamison county to stay with her Aunt Rachel. She takes piano lessons from a woman name Ophelia that calls her Isabel, shows her what a real lady is, wins over her heart, and also the heart of Uncle Avery, Aunt Rachel's husband. This causes a lot of problems in Belly's life and causes her to learn a lot life's lessons pretty early. This book was written very beautifully and opened my heart back up to my childhood. I won't tell the rest of the story but all of the characters were endearing and I'll never forget them.

Revisit childhood and relive it in a marvelous way! I felt that I grew up with Belly during the tale of "Miss Ophelia". After reading how her family interacted with each other, their personalities and histories, I felt like I knew them. I laughed out loud at their antics and conversations. You probably will too!

The book seems to start off a little slow in the beginning, but don't let that fool you. This is one to savor. It takes time to get to know this family and watch Isabel (Belly) come of age. While there were events that many of us could relate to, this book lacked the over-the-top, crazy drama that can be found in some other books about childhood family experiences. How refreshing! Belly actually had a good childhood! It was joy to read about. She also had some tough issues to deal with, and this kept the book grounded in reality.

Belly spent part of an important summer taking piano lessons from Miss Ophelia. Miss Ophelia left a powerful influence on Belly, and their time together was a "defining moment" in Belly's life. The way the author described their interaction and other aspects of Belly's life before and after was beautiful. I could picture everything, but the writing style wasn't too wordy. The style was very natural, and the characters seemed so authentic.

I took my time reading this book and looked forward to reading it every time I picked it up. I felt so contented while reading it and satisfied even after I'd finished it. I highly recommend this book. Reading it is time well spent.

This story is sooooo wonderfully written and told. This is one hot summer that readers will surely enjoy. The summer heat is not just in temperature, the heat also rises from the pages in the form of anger and passion.

This story of young Isabel (Belly) is very endearing. Each summer, Belly visits with her aunt and uncle in rural Virginia. She learns lessons that are never taught in summer school. When Miss Ophelia teaches Belly to play the piano, she also teaches her life lessons about love, friendship, responsibility, and accountability.

Though she appears to be very quiet, Miss Ophelia has deep passions about music and love which she eventually shares with others. You will enjoy the music as well as those who play it!

this book was an excellent read. it captured the whole time era and gracefuly put it into words. the author of this book seems to draw the reader into being a part of the novel. she gives you the sense of being there as a bystander, watching and understanding Belly's life that summer. i love the plot, the use of words and the key message. of friendship. i hope this isn't the last piece of work by this author. i highly recommend this book. you'll never want to put it down, and will continuosly find yourself hoping that it never ends.

This book hit me where the heart is!!! The characters: Belly, Willie, Miss Janie, Miss Rachel, Mama, Uncle Avery, Miss Pheenie, And of course, the lovely and dearest of all, Miss Ophelia. When I first got into the book,( first quarter of the book),It primarily focused on teen pregnancy and the main character (Belly's) best friend, Teenie getting sent away to get "rid of her problem", which hurt Isabel Anderson/Walker.
The way the book portrays Miss Opelia, and her warm and kind personality was so well-written, that in the end, I cried, thinking about the True love that could never be, between...
Oh!!!!! Youre just going to have to read the book and see why most of these people(including myself, of course) rated this book 5 stars.

A Cinderella story. I loved it when I read it years ago. I have continued to re-read it. And I love it now.

My public had to dig it up from the hidden stacks, but a few years back I checked out and read The Revenger's Tragedy, which Stewart quotes as epigrams before chapters. I fell in love with Shakespeare's "The Tempest" after reading "This Rough Magic," and other novels assume a knowledge of Greek drama. It's great to see this new edition, but I wonder if a Gothic romance of this erudition could be published today.

This is an absolutely fantastic mystery/romance. I own it and have read it multiple times, along with most of the rest of Mary Stewarts books. It's one of the books I never get tired of. No matter how many times I read it, I still can't put it down when I'm in the middle of it. I highly, highly recommend it.

This is the first Mary Stewart novel I've read and while I enjoyed the book's atmosphere and lead characters, I was a bit let down by the plot on the whole.
From reviews I had read, I was hoping for a dark and intricately plotted mystery. While there were several very suspenseful passages, the story was a bit too predictable and the ending seemed to drag on a little too long.

I did enjoy the fact that 'Nine Coaches Waiting' is mainly a mystery with just a sprinkling of romance. However, I felt that even with the main focus not on the romance, that part of the story could have been handled a lot better. The romantic entanglements between the two main protagonists seem much too rushed and unrealistic.

All that being said, I still enjoyed reading 'Nine Coaches Waiting' (even though it did not live up to expectations)and will give the author's other books a try.

I enjoyed this book. It's the story of a young girl 23 who becomes a governess in a French mansion with a dark side to a little boy and she falls in love with a handsome but dark and mysterious man named Raoul. It was a good gothic mystery when strange things start happening to her.

This book was my introduction to Mary Stewart. I found it in a box of books in the attic when I was about twelve or thirteen. I read it and most if not all of her other novels throughout my teenage and young adult years. I reread this recently (30 years later) and find it is still enjoyable. It seems all the romances on the market these days are nothing but bodice rippers and they get boring real fast. I much prefer books with a plot and character development. I highly recommend Mary Stewart's novels to every one.

Has any one else noticed that her characters smoke so many cigarettes in her novels? Maybe I do because I'm an ex smoker.

I have to give this book 5 stars. Mary O'Hara wrote an incredibly beautiful story about a struggling family. Many of the details of the story are so true to life. As an adult reading this story, I found the details about the parents to be more interesting than the story of the horse and the boy. O'Hara really understands the concerns of a parent for a struggling child and it's very true to life in the book. Many important issues are touched upon in this book too; responsibility for our domestic animals, love for people and animals, doing our duty in our every day life are all there with out being mushy and sentimental. O'hara also paints a vivid picture of Wyoming and old-time ranch life. It makes me wish it was still like that, so I could visit it. This is another great book for a read aloud family time.

Although he made his audio book debut just two readings ago, stage, screen and television actor Michael Louis Wells is in full command of the metier with his narration of the classic My Friend Flicka. Many will remember the story as a film with Roddy McDowall, as a TV series or as a current film. Wells is on a par with all of the actors who have undertaken bringing this touching tale to life. The reason for the story's many incarnations is obvious - it is one of our best-loved books and well deserves its place among others that are enjoyed from generation to generation, such as Treasure Island and Mutiny on the Bounty.

Pivotal to O'Hara's story is Ken and his seeming laissez faire attitude. Where his mind is his father, Rob, certainly doesn't know. He's a young boy who would much rather just look out a window than study his arithmetic. He should have studied because his report card is so poor that he's doomed to repeat a grade. Rob undoubtedly wonders whether he'll even catch on the second time around.

Their home is Wyoming's Goose Bar Ranch and Rob is working hard to make a go of it. He doesn't need a son who seems given to daydreams. Then, along comes Flicka, a beautiful chestnut filly, with a wild streak inherited from her sire. Ken is certain he can tame Flicka, and so begins the unforgettable relationship between a boy and his horse.

O'Hara wrote a follow-up to her story, Thunderhead, but it never achieved the popularity of My Friend Flicka, a timeless story to be enjoyed over and over again.

- Gail Cooke

On the Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming, between the World Wars, former Army captain Rob McLaughlin and his Eastern blue-blood wife, Nell, are raising two sons and an ever-growing herd of thoroughbred horses. Rob, a stern but loving father, doesn't know what to do with younger son Ken. The boy daydreams constantly, and for that reason just failed to be promoted at his boarding school. Why should Rob give small Ken a colt of his own, as he already has older son Howard, when Ken can't do anything that demonstrates he's responsible enough to be trusted? Yet a colt is what Ken wants more than anything else in the world. Until he finds out what happens to male horses when they're two years old - after which he decides he'd rather have a filly.

Not just any filly, though. Flicka, born to the half-wild mare called Rocket. Flicka is faster already than her sire, the ranch's stud horse Banner, and Ken believes he'll be able to train Rocket's "bad blood" out of the yearling. Rob thinks his son is (to use his word for it) dumb, for a lot of reasons that now include choosing this filly that Rob is sure will turn out to be just as "loco" as her dam. Untrainable, and downright dangerous to those who try to handle her.

This novel is a perfect example of the type of children's classic that, when read by adults, proves to have depths and layers its target audience never perceives. I know I read it as a young girl, and enjoyed it as both a good "horse story" and coming of age tale. But in reading it again now, I was amazed by the detailed and multi-faceted characters of Rob and Nell. Their love story is one of the most interesting I've read, because the author not only captures the tensions between these two very different people - she also captures the way that raising their children, who are (for better or worse!) a blending of those differences, affects their relationship. No wonder this book is still in print more than 60 years after it was first published. Simply wonderful!

This is a very good book. My granddaughter really enjoyed it.

I am in the middle of lstening to this book. Its detailed descriptions of ranch life and horses are quite compelling. But what surprised me was the absolutely accurate description of a boy with ADD. This book was written some two decades before attention deficit disorder gained anyone's attention, but O'Hara's descriptions of Ken's behavior are absolutely consistent.

And then O'Hara answers the question of what to do about the condition: give the kid something he really wants to do and stand back. Of course, it helps that Ken has two wise and good-hearted parents; but then, maybe that is the start to solving most problems that children have.

A fine book on many levels, and a fine companion on the road for adult and child.

Mary Stewart is a great writer. I'm glad that I discovered her again. This book keeps you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed this book.

Back when I was in high school, my bookshelves were filled with the Gothic romances of Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney. In my mind's eye (especially on a dark and stormy night!), I liked to cast myself as one of the the intrepid governesses who finds employment at the manor house of a devastatingly handsome but brooding lord with a plethora of mysterious, murderous relatives and eavesdropping servants. While I always questioned why these young women used to traipse out at midnight into the fog-shrouded moors - wearing only a diaphanous nightgown - to investgate a spooky noise, I was nonetheless captivated by the way all three of these authors could spin such breathtaking ambiance and make a reader feel as if they were right in the scene. I was, thus, delighted when an associate sent me a paperback copy of the newly re-released "The Ivy Tree" by Mary Stewart. Her heroine is a plucky lady of mystery who or may not be who she really says she is, and the scintillating underscore of sexual tension throughout the chapters makes this the kind of read that should be enjoyed with a pot of herbal tea, a fire in the fireplace, a cozy comforter, and a storm outside one's windows. Even with the passage of 40 years since I originally read this title, it's a cleverly orchestrated mystery that still feels timeless.

Christina Hamlett
Author of "Movie Girl" and "Screenwriting for Teens"

First Sentence: I might have been alone in a painted landscape.

Annabel Winslow has been dead for four years. Mary Grey, over from Canada, looks enough like Annabel to be her twin. When Conner, foreman at Whitescar, stumbles upon her, it takes a bit of convincing that she is Mary. Con, and his half-sister, Lisa, work up a plan for Mary to pretend to be the missing Annabel long enough to ensure her grandfather passes the ownership of Whitescar to Con in his will. Annabel Winslow has been dead for four years. Or has she?

This is Mary Stewart at her very best. With lovely nods to Josephine Tey's "Brat Farrar," which I also loved, "The Ivy Tree" is a more complex, layered book, although the clues are there for us to find. Stewart's characters come alive and even have reader questioning just who is Mary? There is that constant threat of danger. Her descriptions and use of imagery make me go back and re-read passages for the pure pleasure of her words. It is a story of love, loss, and hope is wonderfully timeless. Stewart is always such a pleasure to read and this is one of, if not the, best of her works.

This book is wordy and descriptive--half of our book club really appreciated her use of words, and half found it tedious. The beginning is a little slow and hard to engage in, but stick with it because the plot thickens enormously in the middle and the twist is so much fun! It has a dramatic conclusion that made for some fun conversation at book club.

All of Mary Stewart's works are good. This is one of her best mysteries.

Well written history is a rare treat, and rarer still is a history by one who lived through it. Grant writes engagingly and humorously and with great humility for a man who achieved so much. That he wrote this in the throes of cancer, finishing it on death's door and yet has no sence of savig himself or self pity is remarkable. It's a pity there is no one like this in the elections.

References to political memoirs often suggest that Grant's memoirs are some of the best ever published. Have worked my way slowly through almost 800 pages of his memoirs, the accolades are deserved. Autobiographies by their nature are bound to be someway self-serving (he makes no reference to his well documented drink problems) and I am sure many historians could pick flaws with some of Grant's recollections, but the book is exceptionally well written and interesting. To my surprise, the author comes across as being compassionate and showing a high degree of empathy for many he fought against during the civil war.

He is very honest in his commentaries and is not afraid to be critical of US policy. The Mexican-American war (1846-1848) was unnecessarily provoked and in his opinion "the war which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation. ... We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that the Mexicans should commence it."

Grant is not shy in admitting that especially in his early military career, he was often frightened and would rather have been somewhere else when the bullets were flying. He is also self-effacing and sometimes humorous about his impact in early combat situations. "My exploit was equal to that of the soldier who boasted that he had cut of the leg of one of the enemy. When asked why he had not cut off his head, he replied: `Someone had done that before.' "

Grant is a very good storyteller and has an excellent eye for detail and description. His contrasting profiles of Generals Taylor and Scott whom he fought under during the Mexican war are models of clarity and painting pictures with words.

His account of the civil war contains numerous interesting anecdotes including one instance when inspecting a picket line which was close to a Confederate picket line. After his picket line called "Turn out the guard for the commanding General," he heard a similar command from the Confederate picket and a reference to General Grant. The Confederate line saluted "which I returned." - Amazing!

Obviously, the bulk of his memoirs relate to the civil war. He suggests that he was of the same mind set as Secretary of State Seward, "that the war would be over in ninety days." Grant is very respectful of many of his former colleagues who fought against him during this war. He has little respect for the "Demagogues who were to old to enter the army ... others who entertained so high an opinion of their own ability that they did not believe they could be spared from the direction of the state of affairs," but who constantly poured oil on the secessionist fire.

He lauds many of his comrades including Generals Sherman and Sheridan. While respecting Secretary of War Stanton, he does not appear to have been a great fan of his style of management. He also writes approvingly of Confederate Generals Longstreet, Lee, Bragg, Joseph Johnston and others, and takes great delight in ridiculing the military genius of Confederate President Jefferson Davis who he obviously despised. Grant writes sensitively of General Lee and the surrender at Appomattox.

The author believes the death of Lincoln was a disaster not just for the North, but for the vanquished South. "He would have proven the best friend the South could have had." Interestingly, Grant makes no reference to the Gettysburg Address and to the best of my recollection only references the Battle of Gettysburg but once. He was otherwise involved in the Battle of Vicksburg at the same time.

I glossed over some of the detailed military and battle descriptions in this book, but overall it is a great read. It is also interesting to note that the book saved Grant's penurious family from a life of poverty. Published by his friend Samuel Clemens, these memoirs became a bestseller after Grant died from throat cancer.

U.S. Grant is often said to have been a failure at everything in his life except his marriage, war, and his memoirs. The latter, written as he was dying of throat cancer in 1884-1885, provide a straightforward account of his years in uniform during the Civil War.

Grant passes quickly over his Ohio boyhood and time at the United States Military Academy. His service in the Mexican War and his financial misfortunes out of uniform between the wars get only slightly more coverage. His story really begins with his return to uniform in 1861 as a commander of Illinois volunteers. The narrative follows Grant's campaigns in Missouri, Tennessee, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, his elevation to supreme command of the Union Armies, and the final grinding agony of the war in Virgina. The account ends with the cessation of hostilies in 1865.

Grant's memoirs are remarkable reading for a number of reasons. First, they provide insight into the first-rate military mind of a consistantly successful general. Grant's ability to determine the essentials of a situation and remain focused on them are evident. Second, the memoirs are a classic example of clear, simple, English narrative. Third, they display the considerable modesty of a naturally reserved man, a departure from the egotism often found in the personal memoirs of famous men. Grant himself continues to be something of a mystery to historians; these memoirs do not really lift the veil of his sense of privacy.

The Union Army of the Civil War had more than its fair share of politicians in uniform and politically-minded generals. Grant was not immune to spinning history his way; careful-eyed scholars have found more than a few instances where Grant remembered only part of the story or settled a few scores with old opponents. Nevertheless, Grant's memoirs are a valuable resource for understanding the conduct of the Civil War, not least because Grant became such a key figure in the winning of it.

Grant's memoirs are highly recommended to students of the Civil War, and to scholars seeking to understand the art of war in the midst of rebellion.

General Grant's use of the English language is very interesting and informative. Absolutely a pleasure to read.

This book is a must-read for any Civil War or American history buff. Grant's writing is consistently clear, elegant, beautiful. He gives an engaging account of his wartime experiences that are accurate to the best of his ability, and he writes with introspection and humility. The personal letters at the end of the volume reveal much about this fascinating man, and are a welcome addition. Please read this one! Another wonderful book in this series is the volume containing Frederick Douglass's autobiographical works.

Compact, great pictures, well indexed. It won't scream "TOURIST" when you pull it out of your bag. I got this one and the Paris book. Used them exclusively. Barely opened the other ones I got.

This books gives you the 10 top sites to see and itineraries. I like the itineraries (10), because it's very simple. It reminds you that your on vacation and you don't need to be running around town to enjoy London.

This is one of the best guides out there, very detailed & full of photos of things worth seeing & comes in a neat, small size so you can easily throw it inside your back-pack.

This book is compact and easy to carry around and has all pertinent information for daily use. Maps are good and the top 10 seemed to agree with my assessment.

My wife and I love the Top 10 series. We always buy a Frommers or Rick Steves book for the trip's planning, but the Top 10 is a must for the trip itself. It'll fit in a pocket (a long one), and will provide quick and easy references to the most important sights, as well as maps and public transportation routes.

My love of horses brought me to this book and it didn't dissapoint. The surgery done on Piebald ( the horse) was explained in detail. The old horse was useless to the Circus. They wanted and needed horses who could perform beautiful movements like the "Airs Above The Ground". The old horse is rescued and as in all Mary Stewart books there is a chase, this time along the top of a mansion. MS is intriguing in that she writes in detail. You can smell and feel the circus and everything about it. As always, MS keeps me reading even when I guess the ending.

If you love horses, that makes this book even better. Trust me, you don't need to read a plot summary, this is a great book even though it is nearing 50 years old.

Having read one too many very bad books lately, I went back to one of my favorites. Mary Stewart is one of the original true storytellers of the last generation. Her ability to research and create a in-depth tale of intrigue is amazing.

I can recommend most of her books, including the Merlin series, but AIRS was one of her greatest.

This is the kind of book I can imagine lots of people being sniffy about, cheesily packaged and unashamedly romantic - probably a lot wouldn't even pick it up in the first place. Well that's their loss, but I'd like to get a read-mary-stewart campaign off the ground. She is so good: a deft and clever writer who wears her literary nounce lightly. I adore her stories, her settings and her feisty (but not too feisty!) heroines. No one else is as consistently good: let's hear it for romantic fiction! I've been chastised on the bookwormonthenet blog for offering qualified praise to writers like Mary Stewart and for using phrases like 'pulp fiction' - but no, it is no slur. These are stunning books by a vastly talented writer. I also think film producers ought to be trawling the stewart back catalogue: I can just see Cate Blanchett as the heroine of Airs Above the Ground and the whole sub-plot around the Austrian circus, spies and a lost Lipizzaner stallion would translate fabulously to the wide screen. Go on, someone, do it!

Airs Above the Ground is not quite as compelling in its descriptions and plot as The Gabriel Hounds, My Brother Michael, or This Rough Magic (my favourite); however, it is still a classic Stewart mystery/romance, even if the romance is quite evident from the start. Vanessa March is quite likable and the only Stewart heroine thus far to not have annoyed me just a little bit. My favourite element of the book is the friendship that develops between Vanessa and young Tim Lacy, who is trying to break away from a stifling household and forge a path for himself. As far as the descriptions of exotic locales go, trademark to Stewart, I enjoyed the chase scene through the castle. Airs Above the Ground didn't wow me and I found the ending a bit strange as it didn't feature Annalisa at all..., but all in all, a pleasent read.

I have loved every novel written by Mary Stewart, some more than others. I read this one well over twenty years ago and many times since then. It is one of my many favorite of her books. In her books you get to travel; you feel as if you are really there. I have wanted to visit almost every place I have visited in her books. I too had pledged to see the Lippizaner stallions someday & I finally got to see them a few years ago. They were wonderful of course. There is magic in all the Mary Stewart books; the relationships in this one in particular were warm and appealing.

Yes, yes, yes to all the earlier reviewers! That's why I put Madam, Will You Talk? on my listmania list of favorite romances - along with my alltime Stewart favorite: Nine Coaches Waiting. They both hold all the essential ingredients for a good read - not the least being excellent writing. It's all too true that most contemporary love stories, suspense thrown in or not, are written at an elementary school literary level. I've submitted 3 manuscripts to Avalon, all of which were returned with comments that my writing was excellent and my characters engaging but I spent too much time on plotlines and peripheral characters outside of the central love story - which is exactly what I prefer in a story! Thank goodness Stewart never followed Avalon's "Rules for Writing"! Unlike some other reviewers, I lost interest in Stewart with her Merlin series. It's her early first-person narratives that enthralled. Her sense of place, plot, and people cannot be beat in this genre! Sad to say, my local library does not carry a single one of her early romantic suspense novels, so I'm on a quest to build my own Stewart library. I don't reread many authors - but Stewart just gets better with time. Madam, Will You Talk? holds a line I've never forgotten over 30 years: "Who's Johnny?" Not what I expected the hero to ask in that scene but what an impact! Read the book and see if you agree. Lily's Sister

First Sentence: The whole affair began so quietly.

WWII war widow Charity Shelbourne whose holiday in France becomes life changing. It starts with a large dog and a young, clearly troubled, boy in Avignon and progresses with a suspicious step-mother, an Englishman who reads poetry and a way-too-handsome Frenchman via a thrilling car chase to a man who had been accused, but acquitted, of murder and is desperate to connect with his son in spite of others desperate attempts to prevent it.

I love Mary Stewart's pre-Merlin books. The story starts off placidly but you are told things are going to quickly change as all the players are in place. Stewart's writing is incredibly visual. Her sense of place is vivid to the point that you feel the heat and smell the flowers. Her use of analogy is wonderful. With only a few words, you know who these characters are. Her protagonist is strong, smart and very capable. Her friend, Louise, plays a minor role but is memorable in her own right. I don't always like the way children are portrayed but, again, Stewart has drawn a lovely character in the boy, David. Stewart creates and builds the suspense, but adds just a subtle, mostly off-scene, dash of romance to make a wholly satisfying read. Even the chapter headings add to the story. My only personal nit-pick is the use of portents, which is just a personal irritant for me, but so minor when compared with the rest of the story. This book was an absolute pleasure to read.

I first read this nearly 30 years ago (yikes), and it left such an indelible impression that when I recently started visiting this genre again, I had to have another taste of this story. There are a couple points where it's obvious this is an early work, but they are few and do not detract from the vivid descriptions and characterizations. By the end of the novel, I have been to Avignon and Marseilles, and I'm quite fond of Charity and her friends. Even Louise, a minor character, is well drawn and you feel you know her.

Time to revisit all of Mary Stewart's books, I think. I remember the Merlin series fondly as well. If you like this genre, you may also like the works of Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Phyllis Whitney. And if you liked the Merlin series, I highly recommend The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Mary Stewart writes great romantic suspense. This novel has the beautiful settings, fast-paced mystery and charming protagonist of all her suspense novels, plus an edge-of-your-seat climatic car chase that will leave you wanting to rush out and get her other books.

Nobody does it better. Nobody ever will. Even in this, Stewart's first novel, her prose is so compelling that you overlook some of the new-author awkwardness. Some scenes go on too long, and her fascination with cars/driving/car chases (a staple in each of her books) can get a bit tiresome. But you only notice that on your third or fourth reread. It's a shame that romance novels aren't permitted to be intelligent nowadays; authors are expected to write at a junior-high school comprehension level. No such rules in Stewart's day, and that's why she'll never be bested.

Mary Stewart is a great writer. I loved the setting of Delphi, Greece. The whole driving scene is funny. The bit of war history of Greece is good background information. Highlights the British view of Greece and it's people, which is not always flattering. But, still a great read.

Definitely buy this novel, or any by Mary Stewart, if you have grown bored of the modern authors.

Stewart knew how to tell a tale of romance and intrigue and here you are plunged into the crisp, dark waters of suspense. The rocky hills and ancient marvels of Greece are the backdrop for this fast-paced story of a young woman who sets out to see Delphi. She discovers far more than she bargained for in the form of the very likeable and mysterious Simon, whose brother Michael was murdered during the hostilities of WWII more than a decade before.

She joins him in his search for justice and together they solve the murder and find great wonders. If I compared this story to a painting, it would be one of the colorful baroque canvases about 12 feet tall.

As a fan of Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters work, this book at first moved slower than I am used to. However, the book delivered on many of the elements that makes me most interested in picking up a mystery novel - historical/archeological/mythological themes, exotic settings well described, a strong female heroine, adventure, and maybe just a touch of romance (not too much). What I found most interesting/facinating was Mary Stewart's ability to paint with words a richly detailed/atmospheric landscape (in this case the rugged mountains of Greece and historically significant center of Delphi) was enough to leave a lasting impression, like snapshots in your mind of time spent in a place that just by being there spiritually uplifted you in some way. Armchair travelers with an interest in experiencing through osmosis impressions left on people upon visiting historical/mythological places will like this book.

Other recommended authors: Sharyn McCrumb, Nevada Barr, Jessica Speart, Beverly Connor, Lyn Hamilton, Susanna Kearsley, and Kathleen Skye Moody.

I'm so glad to see some of Mary Stewart's romantic fiction reissued. As a young girl I envisioned Greece while reading My Brother Michael, as a young adult I went there and it was sublime. We read and, then, we experience. If you read to see the world, start at home with Mary Stewart and let your imaginations take you to Europe; her books will grow with you. With Madam Will you Talk in mind, (her best I think) I danced on the entrance to the Pont d'Avignon, I stood on Hadrian's Wall and thought of the Ivy Tree; Corfu did indeed boast men named Spiro, but sadly, no magic dolphin. I wish there were more of her books.

I remember before I discovered Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Minette Walters, and P.D. James, my favorite writer was Mary Stewart. I may never read her "Merlin" series again, but I still think of it fondly as a great step along the way to good reading. So when I came across a few of her books recently that I may or may not have read 20 years ago, I snatched a couple of them up, anxious to see if they held up over time. I probably should have resisted. "My Brother Michael" is an interesting story, and Mary Stewart's writing is good, but she just isn't in the same league as the Big Four. This was an OK read, and the setting was beautifully described, but the story sort of lurched along for me. I may go ahead and read another of the Stewart books I picked up at the same time as this in hopes of redemption, but then again, I may not. The good news: this is a very fast read. : )