[USP]≫ Download Free The Ivy Tree Mary Stewart 9780380820740 Books

The Ivy Tree Mary Stewart 9780380820740 Books

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The Ivy Tree Mary Stewart 9780380820740 Books

Sometime in high school, I discovered Mary Stewart. I read everything she wrote and waited impatiently for her next novel. I read everything she ever published, including her children's books.

On Thursday, October 12, 2017, I discovered that all of her Gothics were on sale for Kindle and in a rash moment, purchased them all.

I devoured The Ivy Tree and to my delight, I still love as much as I did the first time and maybe a bit more as I now have life experience and can appreciate certain nuances now that I didn't back in the day. Much of the reason I love it is not only due to a complex plot and well-developed characters, but because even her minor characters have a few details that make them memorable. Another reason is the gorgeous way she writes. Her descriptions are vivid and I feel as if I could navigate that part of Northumbria based solely on her descriptions of the geography.

Reading this Kindle edition, I discovered I was reading the version sold in the UK and there are some important details which are different from the US version which I have devoured over and over in the years since I discovered her in the public library.


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The Ivy Tree Mary Stewart 9780380820740 Books Reviews

After trudging through a couple of mediocre fiction, I decided I needed to re-visit some classic authors that I had always enjoyed since I started reading fiction. Mary Stewart was a go-to author for me un my much younger days and with the re-release of her classic works I decided to take a trip down memory lane. I am so very happy that I did.

In Stewart's The Ivy Tree we are introduced to Mary Grey, a young woman who decided to move form Canada to England and immediately she is drawn into a scheme to impersonate another young woman, an English heiress who had ran away eight years ago and presumably died in an accident. Since Mary bares an uncanny resemblance to the dead heiress, she decides to become part of a scheme to help a cousin of the dead heiress inherit the estate he thinks rightfully belongs to him. But then again, not everything (or everyone) is all that it appears to be.

It was so refreshing to settle in with a book wherein the author doesn't resort to silly plot triggers to elicit an emotional response from the reader. The tone of the Ivy Tree is rather serious and the characters not as likeable as Stewarts other work. But Stewart has crafted a clever story wherein the reader is kept wondering to nearly the end of the book. This book contain elements of mystery, suspense, and a second chance romance that works coherently and subtly. Beautifully done and highly recommended for readers wanting skillfully done mystery/romance.

For a fast, captivating and entertaining read this one is hard to beat; Stewart's writing is timeless (and nearly undated, except for the continual cigarette smoking) and she works some great twists and turns into the plot.
We first meet the narrator sitting alone in the open near a precipitous drop. She is accosted by a handsome Irishman, Connor, who displays intense hostility and initially mistakes her for "Annabel". Persuaded that he is mistaken, that she is a newly arrived Canadian living in Newcastle, Connor lets her go. But soon there is someone watching her at her job as a waitress, following her home and making a strange offer. She is to come to Whitescar and impersonate this vanished Annabel, make the grandfather write a favorable will, dispel lingering doubts in the neighborhood and then make over the inheritance to Connor. A tall order! Who is this Canadian woman really? What happened before Annabel left abruptly several years ago? What happened to Annabel's lover? And what does the grandfather believe? Mary Stewart describes every scene carefully, it is easy to feel transported into the English countryside or the stables or on horseback during a fierce thunderstorm. I wished sometime she would give less impression and more facts.
What an absolute joy to be able to rediscover Mary Stewart on . I read many of her books when they were first published, but it's only now, after reading far too many mysteries and "thrillers," that I can truly appreciate the brilliance of her writing. Gone Girl and her numerous imitators look pretty shabby in contrast. Yes, Stewart may seem a slow read compared to them, but who would want to miss her brilliantly drawn characters, gorgeous landscape descriptions, and ingenious plots? The Ivy Tree was one of my favorites, and my enjoyment increased on reading it again after 50+ years. Don't be fooled by the comparison to Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym in the blurb. Stewart is a more literate writer than Christie, and Pym's novels are like delicate pastels in contrast to Stewart's complex, brilliantly colored oil paintings.
It's so hard to say this is my favorite Mary Stewart novel, but I think it is. It's kind of like my friend, Jennine, whenever she has one of my daughter, Tina's family-famous, homemade pies. Whichever kind Jennine is eating is her favorite.

But, the only other of Mary's novels that might steal the title of favorite is Nine Coaches Waiting. Oh wait! Perhaps Airs Above the Ground . . . I better quit while I'm ahead. LOL

The Ivy Tree was the first Mary Stewart, non-Arthurian-trilogy novel I read and I was blown away. I wish I could tell you all the reasons why, but I promised myself when I started this review that if you had not read this book, I would not spoil it for you. This story is so adroitly written, you kind of have to read it a second time to see how all the clues that kept you clueless (pun intended) were there all along.

I've read everything Mary Stewart has written multiple times. If you haven't yet discovered her work, and you are a digital reader, you will be pleased to know that all but the Arthurian novels were released this year in the format. There are comments from others who read the US version and didn't like the changes taken from the UK version. I agree that I like the version I read first the best, but I'm okay with the changes. It's worth it to have the privilege of reading it on the ever-versatile, easy-to-transport .

So good. So good. IMHO she's the best.
Sometime in high school, I discovered Mary Stewart. I read everything she wrote and waited impatiently for her next novel. I read everything she ever published, including her children's books.

On Thursday, October 12, 2017, I discovered that all of her Gothics were on sale for and in a rash moment, purchased them all.

I devoured The Ivy Tree and to my delight, I still love as much as I did the first time and maybe a bit more as I now have life experience and can appreciate certain nuances now that I didn't back in the day. Much of the reason I love it is not only due to a complex plot and well-developed characters, but because even her minor characters have a few details that make them memorable. Another reason is the gorgeous way she writes. Her descriptions are vivid and I feel as if I could navigate that part of Northumbria based solely on her descriptions of the geography.

Reading this edition, I discovered I was reading the version sold in the UK and there are some important details which are different from the US version which I have devoured over and over in the years since I discovered her in the public library.