An absolute gem of an audiobook

The narrator was a perfect match for the period of this thriller story set in the years after the second World War. This is the writers best book I reckon. It was her first and is very unformulaic, the female heroine has a romantic past which just adds so much unexpected depth to the romance genre. She is capable but also very real in that she gets tired and wants a bath. There is a fantastic cast of supporting characters who bring everything to life. Also a shout out for the dog, Romel.

Especially in these covid times when we can't travel it was lovely to have a story with such a strong depiction of food, scenery and atmosphere of the south of France not to mention the smoking!

The story is of the period so there is some casual racism.

Really really enjoyed this.

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Always one of my favorites

Beautifully narrated and such a good story. Romance, crime thriller and evocative travel book, all in one!

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Masterful

Anyone thinking of writing a romantic suspense book, take note, this is how you do it.

Actually Mary Stewart didn’t just write romantic suspense, she’s been credited with inventing the genre. Unbelievably, after skimming through reviews here on Goodreads, most are of the opinion that this, her 1955 debut, is Stewart’s weakest and least polished book. Unbelievable because it’s seriously good.

The book is set after WW2 which left our heroine, Charity, a widow. Charity travels to France for a holiday and, whilst staying in an Avignon resort, she gets to know one of the guests, a young boy, David. Charity’s natural maternal instinct kicks in and she soon becomes protective of, and friendly with, David. However, this puts her in danger when she and David are being pursued by David’s father, a man who has recently been charged with murdering his wife's lover.

It’s difficult to write suspenseful action scenes but Stewart does it with ease. Her cat and mouse chases, in particular, are spectacularly written. She also made me believe wholeheartedly in the romance. There was a real chemistry between Charity and her romantic lead. At times the air just crackled between them.

I love Alfred Hitchcock movies and this book is basically like reading a book version of one of his movies. I immediately cast Cary Grant and Grace Kelly whilst reading this. In fact, I struggle to understand why no one ever made it into a movie.

Given the age of the book I assumed there would be parts full of political incorrectness and just generally old fashioned views. I was pleasantly surprised that, for the most, this isn’t the case. There are a few parts which have scenes showing men bullying women but they’re not as grating as I feared. Actually, if anything, my fears were unfounded when it came to Charity. She was a strong independent woman who pretty much managed to get herself out of the many sticky situations she landed in throughout - usually without the help of a man. Okay, at times she gets a little help from males (even in a roundabout way she is helped by her late husband) but a lot of the time, it’s her own ingenuity that saves her.

The constant smoking of the characters is probably the most noticeable difference in the eras! Cigarettes are lit up for every occasion! LOL

I listened to this in audio version and it was read by Emilia Fox who proved acting royalty can be handy when it comes to classy narration. Fox is easily one of the best narrators I’ve come across in audio-land thus far. I highly recommend this version.

I must give thanks to group challenges here on Goodreads. I would have probably never picked up this book to read if it wasn’t for the ‘book with a question as a title’ category that I was stumped on before deciding on this novel. Now, given that I really loved this book, I’m looking forward to some serious binge reading of Stewart's other works.

Easily a 5/5

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2 people found this helpful

a beautiful production of a classic favourite

I first came across Mary Stewart's novel as a teenager and have loved them ever since, and this one, her first, is one of the best. Beautifully read by the narrator, this production recaptures all the magic and suspense of the original.

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Boring waffle

Book and narrator terrible couldn’t distinguish character voices . Lots of descriptive waffle poetry quotes but no substance 3 hours left still no idea what the plot was. Gave up and returned book

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