| Title | : | Madam, Will You Talk? |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0060093560 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780060093563 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 360 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1955 |
Very soon her dreams turn into a nightmare, when by befriending a terrified boy and catching the attention of his enigmatic, possibly murderous father, Charity has inadvertently placed herself center stage. She becomes enmeshed in the schemes of a gang of murderers. And now the killer, with blood enough on his hands, is waiting in the wings.
Madam, Will You Talk? Reviews
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*2022 buddy read in the Mary Stewart group, starting today, April 1. Join us if you're interested!*
This is my second-favorite* Mary Stewart book, one of her best old-fashioned romantic suspense novels. Nobody does it quite like Mary Stewart.
It's about 1950, and Charity, a young English widow (her husband died in WWII), is traveling with her former co-worker, Louise. They begin their leisurely vacation with a stay in the lovely walled city of Avignon, France:
Little do they know the murderous plots they are stumbling into, in this small, sleepy French town.And though the part I was to play in the tragedy was to break and re-form the pattern of my whole life, yet it was a very minor part, little more than a walk-on in the last act. For most of the play had been played already; there had been love and lust and revenge and fear and murder . . . and now the killer, with blood enough on his hands, was waiting in the wings for the lights to go up again, on the last kill that would bring the final curtain down.
So, since we're talking a 1950-ish play here, let's cast the main roles: In the part of Charity, we have Grace Kelly:
Despite her penchant for alpha men, Charity is a capable person who spends much of the story driving around the south of France like a maniac, so:
For Charity's lazy, "plump and fair" friend Louise, I've found this unnamed 1950's plus-size model:
Cary Grant as Richard Byron, the sinister (and possibly mad) suspected murderer who chases her across half of France:
Jayne Mansfield, as the French femme fatale Loraine:
Louis Jourdan, as the drop dead good-looking Frenchman Paul Very:
and finally, Tommy Rettig (of "Lassie" fame) as David, Richard Byron's son:
(use your imagination to replace Lassie with a nondescript mutt named Rommel)
So, with our all-star cast in place, back to our story: Charity befriends young David and takes him on some local excursions. David is in the company of Loraine, his stepmother, since his father was accused of murdering his best friend (with whom Loraine said she was having an affair), and David is desperately trying to avoid his father--he tells Charity his father is "mad."
Charity accidentally meets Richard Byron and lets slip that she knows his son. That's all it takes to begin the mad chase across the south of France, with Richard hell-bent on finding his son and Charity in a panic to avoid being caught by him and, at the same time, avoid giving him any leads back to David.
This novel, admittedly, is quite dated in some ways. The social attitudes are pretty much straight from the 1950s, although Charity has a lot more gumption than most young women of the time, and the amount of smoking is not to be believed. I think it averages a cigarette every other page. There are some pretty far-fetched coincidences, and . . .
It's a very exciting book, perhaps not terribly deep, but I adore the main characters, and I make no apologies for loving this escapist novel. I've read it probably half a bazillion times. It really is quite a bit like an old-fashioned Hitchcock film, and you just have to accept it on those terms. As usual, Mary Stewart includes some great literary references, which really adds to my enjoyment of the book. Every single time!
Prior review:
If you like old-fashioned romantic suspense novels, this is one of Mary Stewart's best. The chase across France, where the heroine is being pursued by a sinister stranger in a fast car, is one of my favorite reads in any book of this type.
Stewart writes in a more literary style than most mystery/romance writers but for my money it makes the book much more enjoyable. Its 1950s roots show a little with the alpha male hero and incessant cigarette smoking, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for this novel.
*
Nine Coaches Waiting is my favorite Stewart book. -
Take one brave heroine who drives her snazzy convertible like Mario Andretti.
Add thrilling car chases on twisty roads in the south of France. And a mysterious but magnetic stranger who’s always just a few car-lengths behind.
Mix in splendidly described settings from Avignon…
…to Marseilles.
Stop for a quick bite at a roadside bar where even the croissants are to die for…
Or savor a more lavish meal on a terrace…
Add some moments of true terror when a man who might just be a murderer is spotted on the waterfront...
Throw in a cute kid with a dog, witty dialog, deft characterizations, literary references from Chaucer to Shakespeare, lots of 1950s period details (think endless cigarettes and uncrushable nylon) and you have the recipe for a Mary Stewart romantic adventure and even--Insta-Love!
But, hey, insta-love has been known to happen in beautiful France. And, truth be told, I had so much fun reading this bit of pure escapist fiction that I didn’t care that the ending was too pat and the plot relied too heavily on coincidence. So excuse me while I head out to the terrace to enjoy my café au lait and croissants--with yet another Mary Stewart!
Buddy read March 2015:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... -
In one of those rare confluences that are amazing and delightful when discovered, my last three reads have all taken place in France. From 2015 Paris (
You Will Not Have My Hate), back 31 years to 1984 in Rouen in Normandy (
Flaubert's Parrot), then back another 31 years to the publication of this one in 1955, which takes place in Avignon in Provence.
That is where this story begins, that is. A father is searching desperately for his son and Charity Selborne gets caught up in it due to a chance meeting with young David and his step-mother. Charity quickly becomes fond of David and believes that by helping him to escape from his father, she is doing the right thing.
This story has many twists and turns, and the suspense is heightened by subterfuge, high-speed car chases, and an antique silver bracelet turning up in an unexpected place. The surprises don’t stop until the end of the book, and I was happy for an epilogue that set me back gently on my feet.
This is the debut novel of Mary Stewart and all debut novelists would benefit from reading this as a great inspiration. The storytelling is outstanding, the characters fascinating, and the descriptive writing so well written that I could visualize each place this author took me in the story.
Mary Stewart is credited with developing the genre of romantic suspense featuring intelligent, independent, and capable women who don’t fall apart in a crisis. I have read other Mary Stewart novels (her historical fiction ‘Merlin series’ is outstanding), and I look forward with great anticipation to reading more of her work in the years ahead. -
There is an old-fashioned elegance about Mary Stewart's writing. A stately polish with a more then a hint of an old 1950's Hollywood movie.
Whatever minor quibbles I (as a modern reader) have about some of the outdated social mores found between the pages of a Stewart novel, it is only that - minor. They are easily overlooked by the smooth and soothing way in which Stewart can pull the reader into her world of danger, intrigue and romance. Ultimately, however, her incomparable sense of descriptive place is what keeps this fan enthralled. Even with the modern internet convenience of google image search, it's truely not necessary to explore these tech. options to visualize the places Stewart describes. She's already done it for you the old-fashioned way - through sheer genius of being able to paint a word postcard of any setting she places her characters and her story.
This time, that place is Southern France, and Stewart takes her readers, (literally as well as figuratively), on a wild ride through Provencal. The time is the mid-50's, and it shows. There's cigarette smoking - alot of smoking. Alot. Oh, and did I mention the copius amounts of smoking? There's the quintessentinal 1950's alpha hero, who scares and excites our heroine in equal parts. Who demands and threatens her, chases her, makes her faint and makes her cry, until ultimately she's got him wrapped around her little finger. THAT'S how a Stewart heroine gets the job done.
And then there is her characterizations of a troubled child in peril, and the equally wonderful inclusion of a lovable mutt. I'm personally always glad when Stewart involves animals in her stories. It's clear she loves her doggies and kittehs, and I love reading about them, too.
And then there's the fact that she makes her characters intelligent; quoting poetry and prose (often in other languages) all over the place, without them seeming snobbish or it feeling contrived or ridiculous. That Stewart woman, she makes me wish I had more depth of classical literature knowledge to appreciate all that's being implied by each literary utterance.
And last, but not least, if Stewart in this novel suffered her hero and heroine to fall into the trap of "insta-love" (which negated me giving it 5 stars), at least she didn't have them fall into insta-bed, with a 2 page description of the sexual act. These are clean, classy reads. Something I appreciate the older and I get. The trajectory from novels like this one to Fifty Shades of Grey is so far flung that I don't personally think it's even on the same planet earth. Reading tastes vary with the times. I guess I'll always be stuck in the 1950's. With a cig. And a stiff brandy. And a nylon nightie. And a bossy (yet classically educated, mind you) man telling me what to do while I let him think he's really doing that. -
3+ stars - I remember Mary Stewart for ‘The Merlin Trilogy’ which I dearly loved. They were written when Stewart was in her fifties after she had written many successful romantic suspense novels. Her debut novel published in 1955, ‘Madam, Will You Talk?’ is the beginning of a prolific and flourishing career. Stewart’s prose is elegant as one might expect of a person with her background in English, in which she attained her master’s degree. Her ability to create and sustain suspense is spectacular and I’m sure played a huge role in the success of her novels. She writes a car chase scene in this story that is Hollywood worthy, and indeed, one of her novels, ‘The Moonspinners’ was made into a movie.
The heroine in this novel is Charity Selborne, a young widow from England on a car trip to Provence, France with her friend, Louise. With superb foreshadowing, Stewart lets us know that a murderer is lurking in the wings, not all that far from the Hôtel Tistet-Védène, where Louise and Charity are staying. As Charity looks through the shuttered window of the balcony, she considers that a tree’s shadow could have been “designed by Ma Yuan.” Ma Yuan is a famous Chinese painter from the Song Dynasty. The ginger cat that sits at the base of the tree she likens to “Nidhug?-at the root of Yggdrasil.” This is from Norse mythology. Nidhug is a dragon or serpent who gnaws at the root of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. In just a few paragraphs, Stewart develops a foreboding picture, but also a beautiful one. Not only is Stewart’s prose elegant; it is refined. She is knowledgable of cultures and mythology, and she makes the world spin in a universe that is infinitely more fascinating than anything of which I am immediately familiar.
When thirteen-year-old David bursts onto the scene with his scalawag dog, Rommel, the adventure will commence. David has a lively, winning personality and befriends Charity right away. But what’s up with his gorgeous stepmother, Lorraine Bristol? David is rude to her, and after being so friendly and well mannered with Charity, Charity is puzzled. Never mind the stepmother’s magnificent Dior dress or the knock-out sapphire on her finger. When Charity learns that David’s father is an accused murderer who’s been acquitted, she understands why David seems burdened, a boy who’s being asked to bear more than he should.
While I did enjoy this novel, I found the romance highly improbable. I just didn’t buy it...at all. The heroine is a plucky, inventive girl, who can drive like a mad demon, and isn’t afraid to leap into the fray. She seems attracted to men who come on strong...to say the least. The romancer is in a tight spot, brusque, and dictatorial. He verges on the bad boy stereotype and because we’re somewhat plot bound, there isn’t a lot of time to develop more of his character, but I want to tell Charity, "Look before you leap!" If adrenalin creates life-long romance, well then, you might be okay. I am happy to have read this for the book’s insight into the gender culture of the 1950s as well as learning how strong Stewart’s prose was from the very start. -
Both Hannah and Jeannette wrote such excellent reviews for this, I’m not sure I have much more to add. In fact, here are the links to their reviews.
Hannah's review
Jeannette's review
I did think this book was a lot of fun though. While I was reading, I kept thinking of old 1950s Hitchcock movies with icy blondes, big heavy cars, and sinister villains. LOL
So I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to cast this puppy with stars from the fifties? They would have to be English, of course, since most of the characters are from the UK. And they would have to have that glamorous fifties look. :D
I already know who the two leads were because their voices were in my head while reading the book.
First off, I think bad guy and suspected murderer, Richard Byron, should be played by the wonderfully menacing James Mason. *swoon*
“Listen, my dear, this won’t get either of us anywhere. I want to know where David is. You do know, and you refuse to tell me. Very well, then I shall have to make you tell me.”
Rich widow, ace driver and savvy traveler, Charity Selborne, should be played by Jean Simmons.
“And how do you propose to do that? Torture? Be your age, Mr Byron.”
LOL You tell him, Charity!
Smooth talking Frenchman, Paul Véry, should be played by Louis Jordan.
“Is this fast enough for you?”
Charity tells him no. :D
The unflappable Louise, Charity’s good friend and traveling companion (who’s supposed to be a bit plump but I ignored that) should be played by Georgina Cookson.
"The other lonely male is English, and a schoolmaster. His name is John Marsden and he is almost certainly a Boy Scout and a teetotaler as well.”
Tell us what you really think, Louise?
The questionable John Marsden, who’s country of origin is suspicious, should be played by the ambiguous Herbert Lom.
“He’s unconscious, and of course I don’t know how badly he may be hurt.”
David’s beautiful stepmother and Richard’s ex-wife, Lorraine Bristol, should be played by the lovely Shirley Eaton.
“You’re late. I’ve been here a long time. Have you a cigarette?”
And this last one was kind of difficult. Who to play David? I decided to go with Roddy McDowell, although I know I’m pushing it a bit with him. Roddy was actually much too old to play David in 1955, but oh well. He’s perfect for the part.
“Golly Mrs. Selborne, what a place! I saw a door down there labeled TORIL. D’you suppose that’s the bull? Do they use Spanish names here? Where does the bull come out to fight?”
So now with my movie all set in place, I’m excited to watch Madam Will You Talk? with all it’s fabulous fifties glory. Be expected to find exciting car chases, lots of intrigue, romantic love scenes and unbelievable twists and turns. There are some breathtaking scenes of Southern France. And lots of smoking too. :D
This was a fun book! -
4.5*
An amazing first novel, even though the coincidences are a bit hard to swallow.
Beautifully captures the spirit & style of Southern France, (right down to the fact you are looking through a haze of cigarette smoke all the time!)I really felt like I had been taken on a journey. & Charity was another brave & resourceful Stewart heroine. & I liked the character of Louise very much. So many older romances don't show true, deep friendship between women, but this book does. -
I must assess quality differently. I love books others berate but am underwhelmed by “Madam, Will You Talk?”. I liked “Thunder On The Right” better. Mary would have honed her craft after 1957 and certainly, after this début. This is why I read in order: to benefit from improvements as an author’s publishing goes on. It feels awkward to admit about a legend: I found this novel awful. Behaviour was preposterous. Nobody would act like Charity! Even a cheesy, sinister introduction alluded to a catastrophic ordeal that was exaggerated.
Two friends visit France. Charity befriends a boy at their hotel, whose Father was acquitted of murder. The boy and a stepmother evade him, which Charity spends the rest of the novel doing. People in 1955 were rightfully raw from war but the eventual, unforeseeable motive was a stretch. That is not my complaint. The final chapters became an exciting adrenaline rush of anxiety and the conclusion was endearing, albeit a very old-fashioned cliché for 1955. Regrettably.... the balance of this novel stunned me into aggravated disbelief. Charity reacted ludicrously, over a miscommunication, in 98% of the pages!
If you imagined a killer were chasing you: you would stay among people. You would notify police without caring if your concerns were founded, or have someone else alert them. Charity had a million opportunities to do all these things but did none!!!! In one case, she took the time to eat and go to sleep!!!! I liked seeing a skilled lady motorist but the impossibility of a pursuer endlessly keeping apace, across miles and cities, flew too much in the face of reality for me to enjoy this story. Five year-olds understand the urgency of seeking help better than this lady. I was tempted to call this: “Madam, Will You Wizen Up”?! -
Mary Stewart at her best, proving that she sprang upon the publishing world fully formed and ready to go. This novel has everything that separates her from the pack: a quickly paced plot, a mystery that doesn’t solve itself before the end of the book, descriptions of Roman ruins and natural beauty that transport you to the scene, a heroine who is just an ordinary girl but finds within her the strength to rise to the occasion, and just the right touch of love interest.
I do not read Mary Stewart and see what her characters are doing, I sit with them, eat with them, and herald the morn with them:
How long I sat out there, in a coign of carved stone and rough rock, I do not know. Long enough, I suppose, for my vigil did at length bring in the dawn. I saw the first light, forerunning the sun, gather in a cup of the eastern cloud, gather and grow and brim, till at last it spilled like milk over the golden lip, to smear the dark face of heaven from end to end. From east to north, and back to south again, the clouds slackened, the stars, trembling on the verge of extinction, guttered in the dawn wind, and the gates of day were ready to open at the trumpet…
I will admit that part of what makes me love her so much is my long-time relationship with her. She peopled my youth with her characters and stories. When I had graduated from Nancy Drew Mysteries, she was waiting for me, but while Nancy Drew remains a childish adventure, one that it is not even possible to recapture with the same delight, Mary Stewart is as delightful, thrilling and interesting now as she was then. She is a comfort read for me, and this particular book is the writer at the height of her skills and allure.
I am so glad to have read it again after all those years and to have found that, while I have grown old across all those years, it has not. -
It was great!!!!! Charity is a very memorable heroine. Adventurous and independent. I think she is one of Mary's best! I loved following her around and a few certain dangerous scenes will remain unforgettable. OH, and the dog, Rommel!!! I often notice how Mary has animals as fairly important characters (important to the storyline) in her books. The dolphin, and cat, in This Rough Magic, The hounds in The Gabriel Hounds...I greatly enjoy this in her books as an animal lover myself. I always look for them when beginning a book. I'd like to believe she was a big pet lover herself. I think I even read that.
I highly recommend this one! I can imagine re-reading this one in a few years. Loved the setting and the women as friends traveling together. Read this one if you can find a copy. It's a lot of fun!
RE-Read beginning April 1, 2022 with the Mary Stewart group. I bought the kindle this time at a low price and just added the audible version at a reduced price with whisper-sync. Loving the narration. -
Very mild spoilers ahead.
This was my first experience of Mary Stewart. I gather she was a bit of a phenomenon in the 1970s, but the idea of romantic suspense must not have appealed to me at that time. The incentive to read this particular novel was an extended buddy read and the fact that the novel is set in the south of France, where I’ll be spending a couple of weeks in March this year.
The novel was first published in 1955 and it shows. It has a dated quality with more references to smoking than I would have thought possible to include in a 360 page paperback. However, it’s not just the smoking that screams 1950s. The drinks the characters consume, the cars they drive, the way in which the cars are driven and the makeup and the nylon (yes, nylon!) nightie worn by the heroine are also a giveaway. Not that this is a bad thing. As others among my buddy read companions have noted, the novel calls to mind a 1950s film: glamorous characters driving fast cars while engaging in a spot of intrigue in a beautiful location.
Mary Stewart could write great prose. I love her descriptions of Avignon, Nîmes, Arles, Les Baux and Marseille – she really makes the locations come to life. In addition, the characters are fun, albeit somewhat stereotypical. However, while it has its twists, the narrative is predictable, at least in broad outline. It is, for example, easy to pick the hero quite early in the piece. In relation to the hero, it occurred to me that Stewart may have been inspired by Georgette Heyer when she created him. He is the type Heyer described as Mark I: “the brusque, savage sort with a foul temper.” In time-honoured 1950s style, he and the heroine fall in love quite quickly. Plausible? Maybe not, but on the other hand, what was all that racing around for if not a prelude to courtship?
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. A long way from the best novel I’ve ever read, but great fun to share with Jemidar, Jeannette, Hannah, Misfit, Laura, Willowfaerie, Leslie, Kim, Joanne, Marg, SarahC and possibly others, most if not all of whom finished reading the book before I did. 3-1/2 stars. -
If you’re planning to read this book, set aside a block of uninterrupted time—because once you get to chapter 5, you won’t want to put it down until you’ve finished.
This is Mary Stewart’s debut novel, but you’d never know it, so assured is she in her writing. The pacing is perfect, the descriptions lush and original, the establishment of characters and scene self-assured. It’s rare to find a first-time author with such aplomb.
We open in the mid-1950s with Charity Selborne, widowed by World War II, on holiday in Avignon with a friend and former colleague, Louise. They are easygoing friends, willing to spend time together but also go their separate ways when their interests diverge. Louise is a devotee of the relax-with-a-book-and-a-drink school of vacationing, and Charity is more a see-the-sights type of woman. She meets a young English boy at the hotel who seems a bit lost and unhappy, and impulsively invites him to accompany her in some of her sightseeing. He’s traveling with his stepmother but the two don’t seem particularly attached. Then another guest at the hotel lets Charity in on a secret: the boy is the son of a man who was recently accused of murder but acquitted.
From that point on, it’s nonstop action, twisty and thrilling. The car chases alone are worth the price. I don’t want to spoil a moment of it for you. And on top of the car chases there is the author’s gift for description that conveys both the scene and the feeling within the scene, without ever going over the top.
I would give this book five stars except that it relies too heavily on coincidence. The hero is of the domineering alpha male type (not a favorite of mine) but I could accept that he was a favorite of the heroine. The heroine herself, like most 1950s heroines, slues between kitten and tiger—also a combination I don’t love but accept as one that comes with the territory of romantic suspense written in this era. Fortunately for my limited tolerance, the tiger predominated.
I haven’t read Mary Stewart’s romantic suspense novels for years and was glad to find that her work holds up so well. -
Buddy-read with Hannah, Misfit, Willowfaerie, Jeannette, Laura, Leslie, Kim, Joanne, Marg, SarahC, Jemidar, Willofaerie
Page 2:
How was I to know, that lovely quiet afternoon, that most of the actors in the tragedy were at that moment assembled in this neat, unpretentious little Provençal hotel?
Pont du Gard, Avignon
St Benezet Bridge (Pont d'Avignon)
Page 18:
I looked about me, resigned to the fact that almost everybody in the hotel would probably be English too. But the collection so far seemed varied enough. I began to play the game of guessing at people’s professions – and, in this case, nationalities.
Rue de la Republique
Page 34:
Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y dance...
Rocher des Doms
Page 35 - Chapel of St. Nicholas
It reminds me
the legend of Saint Bénézet.
Page 37:
We sang ‘Sur le pont d’Avignon’ in the style of Jean Sablon, and David told me the story of St. Bénézet who confounded the clerics of Avignon, and built the bridge where the angel had told him...
Page 41: Pope's Palace,
Avignon
Monuments d'Avignon. Le palais des Papes du xive siècle et le pont Saint-Bénezet (il s’agit du fameux pont d’Avignon) du xiie siècle sont classés au patrimoine de l’humanité par l’Unesco.
Page 42:
Then suddenly, from somewhere behind me, came a man’s voice, speaking low, in French. ‘So this is where you are!’
Page 64: Maison Carrée, Nimes
Page 66: Temple of Diana, Nimes
Page 57-58:
I suppose the ten or twelve minutes that David and Rommel and I spent gazing at those golden arches spanning the deep green Gardon were like the last brief lull before the thunder.
Page 87: Place de l'Horloge, Avignon
Page 96:
‘A man who can read poetry at breakfast would be capable of anything.’
Page 101:
I’m going to take the car and drive up to Les Baux for a night – or even a couple of nights. D’you want to come?’
Page 356:
‘Most people,’ he said gravely, ‘begin their sightseeing in Marseilles with a trip to the Château d’If.’
-
***2021 Dog Days of Summer***
It's time for my summer theme and this year I have chosen to read books that include canine companions. I've had remarkable luck with Mary Stewart this summer, this being the second novel of hers that I have thoroughly enjoyed. This one featured Rommel, a dog acquired by an unhappy boy during a distressing interlude in France.
Stewart uses a plot device that she will repeat in
Nine Coaches Waiting , the fondness of a young woman for a little boy that she senses is in trouble. In both cases, she is correct and becomes embroiled in dangerous doings. At least in this book, I found the romance elements to be far more believable. The pace of the relationship was still precipitous by my standards. Apparently I am not very trusting!
My last foreign trip before the Covid-19 lockdown was to the south of France in 2019 so it was fun to revisit that part of the world through fiction. Since it was one of my favourite trips, there were many good memories. I'm sorry that the book passed so quickly—I will have to search for my own copy of it for my permanent collection.
In the mountains in France
The roads that I pictured Charity racing along -
I just discovered that this was Mary Stewart's first book! My goodness! A complex thriller, with abundant twists in the last third, this had two of the best car chases I've ever read! An excellent balance between description and pacing so that you pictured every curve of the road and still felt breathless! I've read her Arthurian novels, and Thornyhold, but never tried her mysteries, and now I'm hooked!
-
This book was such a wonderful treat - as was discovering Mary Stewart for the first time and I find it incredible that, as a huge mystery fan this was my first encounter with her fabulous writing and even more that this was never made into a movie as that would have been just too too divine.
Published in 1955 and Mary Stewart's first of many novels, after a little Googling I was amazed to see that she is credited with creating the Romantic Mystery Novel and if this was the first ever in the genre, combined with the suspenseful and delicious writing, I cannot believe this book is not more famous, especially as it not only stands the test of time but is all the more gorgeous and glamorous for it, conjuring up all the allure, elegance and style of a bygone age with natural authenticity.
I find audio books are a wonderful way to read and get work around the house and garden done so I also treated myself to the Audio Book which was sublime and some of the opening passages were so beautiful I found myself reading and listening together for an extra heady experience which I have never been tempted to do before.
Emilia Fox was a dream narrator for this book as she really did it proud making it come alive like the glorious movie it should have been made into and perhaps even might be picked up at this late date. Of course I am a sucker for all the greats like Rebecca, Laura and for me I saw this in the same style but with touches of Roman Holiday and To catch A Thief, with adventure danger and the promise of romance never far away.
I loved the beautiful descriptions of the sunny French location, the amazing feistiness of the plucky, stiff upper lip heroine, who made a lot of modern day protagonists, both male and female look like wimps with her daring, devilish driving and cool head. It seems Mary Stewart was also ahead of her time in her compassion to animals throughout the story in a time when this was sadly lacking in the world, so I am thinking she must have been a very exceptional woman who was incredibly ahead of her time which is why this story is so fresh today.
In fact, the only thing that gives this book away as being over 70 years old is the clever use of cigarettes as props and of course the descriptions of how France was so primitive, exotic and dangerous, with mule carts, beggars sleeping on the outskirts of Avignon, sinister alleys and leery drunken sailors and the kind of place that anything could and would happen and crimes went unnoticed and unreported as part of every day life. There was a couple of words which we consider politically incorrect today and what seems like a rather naive description in the Mercedes which to my naughty mind was a series of double entendres ... but perhaps as Mary Stewart was such an amazingly modern woman, this was her intention - anyway it gave me a giggle!
The whole book is written with such panache and read so evocatively that I seldom have had such vivid pictures painted for me and after I guessed the first and second twist, I then realised that this was part of the charm of the book as the reader is drawn into a "He's behind YOU!!" moment, knowing more than the protagonist. But do not worry there are more twists and turns than a serpent's tail and it is impossible not to just jump on board for this romatinc and reckless rollercoaster of a ride.
All this and the suspense, the atmosphere of France in the 50's, the dashing and gorgeous men, the impossibly elegant women, the allure of a bygone age - the nightly "heure du cocktail" where the hotel guests met up and sipped Vermouth was all just a wonderful holiday for me.
I especially loved the opening chapters describing the sun drenched balconies, cobbled courtyard, couture clothes and lazy long limbed fair girl who was the travelling companion for this gorgeous motoring holiday in an open topped racing green Riley sports car.
Too too too divine ... I will never forget this magical, mysterious, menacing adventure which Mary Stewart took me on which had everything including the promise of a jolly good kissing by a devastatingly dishy gentleman or two!
What more could a girl ask for?
100 stars! -
This is my first read by Mary Stewart. Written in 1955, it’s definitely dated in many aspects from constant smoking where barely a scene went by without someone lighting up to social attitudes. Reading it is like watching old Hollywood movies where sophisticated people eat, drink, smoke, drive glamorous cars and deal with mystery and intrigue.
The story starts off placidly but you are told things are going to quickly change as all the players are in place. There is suspense and tension abound including impressive car chase sequences--with the heroine at the wheel, no less.
Stewart's writing is incredibly visual. Her sense of place is vivid to the point where you almost feel the heat of sun-drenched Southern France, hear chirping of cicadas, admire beautifully described locations. In fact, the backdrop of the Southern France plays a major role and the setting is what I liked the most in the story in addition to the heroine. Surprisingly, this 1950s novel heroine is portrayed as more capable and competent than demure heroines of many 1970s-80s romances. I just loved her. She takes charge of the situation, makes quick and sound (most of the time) decisions and runs with them. Very refreshing!
The story is romantic suspense and I have to say suspense was just average with too many coincidences and romance was more of insta-love variety. It’s also the author’s debut, the fact that has to be taken into consideration. -
4.25*
Romantic suspense is a pretty apt description for this delightful 1955 adventure. Stewart paints such an idyllic setting in the south of France, and then drops her heroine in the middle of a dreadful mystery. I was swept in only too easily, imagining Charity racing around in her Riley.
It is hard to imagine this was Stewart’s first novel. I’m in awe. Yes, there are some big coincidences but I was having too much fun to mind. The only thing that did annoy me was . I still want to read more of Stewart, especially her Arthurian Saga, which I shall start soon. -
2020 Review
Today I took a half day, made myself a giant cup of tea, and decided to give this novel a try in print. (Instead of audio.)
Still loved every moment of it. It is not a flattering analogy but reading this book makes me feel like a dog being scratched in the perfect spot. I'm so delightfully satisfied with the lovely, descriptive language, faint air of impending danger, and lightening fast romance that I sit with half-closed eyes in pure bliss. My tail would be wagging if I had one.
A perfect novel when you need a time out from life.
2019 Review
4 stars for execution and writing, 5 stars for personal enjoyment, 5 stars for the audio book, and 5 stars for historicity (
love Sherwood Smith's review about how it demonstrates early women's agency in literature)
In short, I stumbled upon this book quite by accident and fell madly in love. It is an almost Gothic novel, full of eerie settings and long, descriptive passages. Character pause constantly to drink cognac or smoke cigarettes. Yet despite the slow, descriptive nature of the book, it is also an adventure novel and abounds with murderers, neo-Nazis, and exciting car chases. It is a romance (though I really didn't think it would be for a while there.) And finally, it is the story of a woman post-WW2, widowed all too soon and trying to put the pieces of her life back together.
Not the best put together book I ever read. The reader can foresee almost every twist from the start, with the exception perhaps of motive which is so roundabout that even now I don't totally understand it. The heroine has some interesting depth but most of the villains are rather Evil for No Apparent Reason.
And yet...the descriptions are just lovely so you want to keep reading despite easily guessing what will happen next. It also helped that I found
a terrific audio version. It made the experience even more enjoyable.
I will definitely be seeking more of Mary Stewart's books! -
For a debut novel, I thought this romantic suspense set in the south of France was an engaging one. It also happens to be the first Mary Stewart novel I read so I'm partial, I admit. But, the development of suspense, characters, and making the south of France come alive was a big draw.
Young widow, Charity Selborne is on a holiday with her friend in Avignon when she stumbles upon what she thinks is a sad situation for a young boy, but turns out to be a more sinister situation involving murder. A few harrowing near misses have her fearful of a man accused of murdering his best friend over jealousy for his wife and also bashing his own son over the head. Charity can't let him get to the boy and leads him on a merry car chase over southern France.
Charity was a fun heroine. She's level-headed, but has an impulsive, giving nature paired with an intrepid streak that makes her good for the adventure she landed in. I enjoyed the sense of not knowing which of the people around her to trust and the heart-pounding moments when she had to escape some tough situations. There is also an underlying journey of the heart going on as she makes peace with the loss of her husband and is ready to move on to the next part of her life.
The suspense element is the central part of the story and is a good twisting one that teases out well and left me as curious about the why as Charity.
The romance was a slow simmer that flared up late in the story which makes sense because of the situation. It was sudden in some ways, but I did like it.
Emilia Fox was a great fit for this story and I enjoyed her work doing Charity's narrative and all the voices. She did great with the different genders, ages, and accents. I thought she caught the emotions and pacing well, too. I'll look forward to more of her work.
All in all, it was a nostalgic delight for the old-style romantic suspense fan in me. I am enjoying revisiting Mary Stewart's works on audio. -
I am lucky to have not read an abundance of Stewart's romantic suspense novels in the past, so that I can read them now. These are so like the mystery stories that have always drawn me in. These books make me thankful to be a part of my generation. As a young reader, I wanted to be like the Mary Stewart heroine: smart, a traveler, well-spoken, well-read, with a little bit of a "past." All the rest in a Mary Stewart novel is just icing on the erudite cake. And it still is.
Stewart also has a mind for concise writing; the life of the main character is not of real-time and the action and the details speed along. We easily and quite quickly find out the shadows of her character's past and the danger ahead of her. My taste for this pace of writing is probably the cause for my dislike of the plodding historical fiction novels, for example, always coincidentally published at right about 400+ pages. Mary might tell some authors to get on with it a bit earlier.
Reading Madame has been a great mix of clear reading enjoyment and reminiscence of great stories and characters of my reading and movie-watching life as an American girl. -
This is my second favorite Mary Stewart, I just love the mix of suspense!
I can't write a synopsis, I just can't. I loved this book too much, I wouldn't ever be able to write a fitting synopsis so I'm just going to say what I loved; which was everything. The Hero was perfect in a none perfect way, the heroine did a lovely job driving; she had me on the edge of my set! There where midnight car chases on the cliff edges, puzzles as to who was to be trusted and who wasn't and, suspense. Thrilling, scarry suspense. Then there's the kid, I loved him! He added so much to the story, he never took over or grew irritating. And he was Just like a thirteen year old boy. My favorite scene in the whole book is the very last one, it's funny and sweet and charming all bundled onto one delightful ending.
I'd give this a G, I don't feel that there's anything in this to worry about, some cigarettes, a few drinks and some swears, (B's, H's & D's) but nothing stronger.
My Favorites so far by Mary Stewart
1#
Wildfire at Midnight ★★★★★
2#
Madam, Will You Talk? ★★★★★
3#
Nine Coaches Waiting ★★★★★
4#
This Rough Magic ★★★★★
5#
The Moon-Spinners ★★★★ 1/2
6#
The Ivy Tree ★★★★
7#
Airs Above the Ground ★★★ 1/2
I was reading this addition:
The Moonspinners/Nine Coaches Waiting/The Ivy Tree/Madam, Will You Talk? -
Forgot to review this.
Listened to the audio and I wonder if that may have drummed some of the enjoyment out of this one as it’s a three stars. Still decent but
This Rough Magic,
Nine Coaches Waiting,
My Brother Michael,
The Ivy Tree and others are so much better.
Here the heroine drives through Provence or I should say is chased through Provence as she attempts to help the poor plot moppet with a dubious but well-dressed stepmother (post WWII-Dior) and even more dubious father.
As always Stewart would make a great travel writer as her locations serve as characters as much as her created characters do. In
Madam, Will You Talk?, Provence is by far the most enjoyable. The heroine is a courageous and relatively sane widow who has somewhat questionable taste in men. Her dead husband was somewhat of a reckless charmer and was killed in the war, and her current and future swain, the plot moppet’s accused father, is a sadist in training. He’s not a very nice guy and no matter what happened in the story I felt like Charity will always be second best to the H’s son. I may reading this through typical romance goggles, but I have a bad feeling about the relationship. The mystery or McGuffin is a little thin as well and stems from hidden identities and horrors from WWII.
Enjoy it for a step back in time, the clothes, and another Stewart suspense story, but don't get too attached as even for the time these characters are smoking themselves into either an early grave or emphysema. -
Personally, I think it's astonishing I'm still reading Mary Stewart's books after our very rocky first date, Thornyhold, left me unimpressed. (I don't count the Arthurian trilogy, which I read as a teen and liked--it's just too different from her suspense novels.) But a friend really loves Nine Coaches Waiting, so I gave that one a try and absolutely loved it. Which led to my buying a handful of others. Not all of them. I'm not crazy.
Anyway, I had an afternoon to kill and was sick of looking at my own writing, and this one caught my eye, and not just because of the vivid cover. I was immediately drawn in by the author's lovely, evocative prose, as well as the hints at the mystery to follow. Stewart has a real knack for characterization in just a few swift strokes, not to mention misdirection with the same. The main character, Charity, combines cleverness and a kind heart with being just enough of an innocent that the story can unfold around her, keeping both her and the reader in the dark.
And I would really like to know which writer's god Stewart sold her soul to that she can make the romantic plot work! Instalove almost always turns me off, but in both this book and Nine Coaches Waiting she has me convinced that it's not only plausible, but emotionally satisfying. I don't know if every reader feels this way, and maybe some of it was seeing through Richard Byron's surly exterior early on, but it was impressive.
And this was her first book.
I have two other Stewart novels that also came highly recommended, and I hope they're as good as this one. I'm beginning to think between this and
The Talented Mr. Ripley, also first published in 1955, I have a fondness for '50s suspense fiction. Or maybe it's just Stewart and Highsmith. Either way, I'll put the next books higher on my TBR list. -
I am going to review 3 Mary Stewart books all in one since I just finished reading them all (Madam will you talk, This rough magic, and My brother Michael). Let me just say that reading a Mary Stewart novel is so very very refreshing. You know that at the end you will feel nothing but satisfaction. I don't know how she does it, but the chemistry between her heroines and the leading men are FABULOUS. I find myself not being able to pin point why they are just meant for each other but they just ARE and even though some of them have only known each other a VERY short amount of time I find myself going right along with the fact that they just KNOW that they will be together forever....they just are and it couldn't be any other way. Some of the men are goody-goody, some of them are flawed at first glance but then you realize that you love them anyway and because of their flaws, but mostly they are just very decent men that for some reason just don't exist much in novels that are set 50 years later in today's world. And I can't even begin to describe how fabulous her leading ladies are. They are so very smart and strong but still in a feminine way. I love the amazing mystery she winds through each story and the places around the world she takes you to. I feel like am there and it is just a fun ride. Oh, and she manages all this brilliance with a G/PG rating; no cheap love scenes just great writing.
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What a thrill! What an adventure! And those car chases! [In cars from the 1950s!] Almost to the very end there were twist after twist. And the French spirit! I will not even start about characters. I know, so many exclamation marks, but I have had a really great time with this novel.
Yes, the romance was... let's call it: sudden. It wasn't satisfying. There were also a bit unbelievable coincidences. But no matter. Other aspects of the book were splendid.
I love Mary Stewart's stories. -
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 -
Oh, my heart! This was a wonderful story and the romance between the two protagonists was beautiful. Five stars for the full story experience and the exhilarating rapture felt by the close. Three stars for the execution of the explanations. I won’t say more about that because I don’t care to add the spoiler alert. This being her first novel, I can see that she improved that beautifully as she went on in her writing career. Ladies, you must read. 😀
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First book of 2020 was a good one - one of my favorite Mary Stewart's so far. I liked the heroine, the story was very suspenseful and the young man, David, was a delight.
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First read when I was thirteen. I just loved this book, with its painful glimpses into the horrors of World War II in the years immediately after, overlying medieval times, and the peeks at Avignon and far more ancient history, full of its own passions.
The car chase was thrilling because of the vivid descriptions of the south of France, but also it was the first time a woman had agency--she wasn't being rescued, or frightened, she was behind the wheel metaphorically as well as physically.
I also loved the little boy.
I reread it years later (though my copy, a cheap paperback now very delicate, and found that it held up pretty well, in spite of some period attitudes and the fact that everyone smokes like a chimney. These were women's romantic adventure, intelligently and beautifully written.
