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Madam Will You Talk? Mary Stewart 9780060093563 Books

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Madam Will You Talk? Mary Stewart 9780060093563 Books

If I weren't the kind of reader who enjoys rereading favorites I would have long ago have been buried beneath my collection -- not to mention divorced my much put-upon and dear spouse. Instead I reread my favorites -- most in paperback -- until they literally fall apart. Mary Stewart's books mysteries have long been on the list of old and much beloved. I was very fortunate, about the time I first read many of these books, I spent a year in Europe as an exchange student and was lucky enough to visit some of the places where Stewart sets -- and describes so wonderfully. Several of my particular favorites have reached that state of decrepitude where covers are frayed and pages keep falling out to be held in place with Scotch Tape. Imagine my delight in discovering re-issues of all my faves, including and especially Madam, Will You Talk. I was surprised to find out (from the intro to this edition) that this was Mary Stewart's first-published mystery. All the features which characterize a Steward thriller are there ... spectacular setting, believable characters and just a touch of the Gothic novel -- a young heroine, dark handsome stranger with a shady past, danger around every corner but all payed out beneath the brilliant skies and historic grandeur of Southern France. What appealed to me in particular when I read this more years ago than I care to admit to) is that while her heroines are young, Mary Stewart gives then more courage and common sense -- plus a little extra something that gives them a surprising edge that lets them take an active role in beating the bad guys. What that "something" is differs in each novel. In this story, the heroine is Charity Selbourne, a young war widow (WWII) whose war hero and former race car driver husband leaves her a tidy fortune as well as his skills behind the wheel. How those skills play out in a plot involving a young boy, his possibly homicidal father, a gang of criminals with sinister connections to the holocaust, an unflappable best friend and one very shaggy and dusty dog all make for most entertaining reading -- and rereading. It was a couple of years since my most recent copy disintegrated when this one became available. Reading it again after such a time, I was agreeably surprised how contemporary it seems, despite the historical setting. I am so glad that this wonderful book is available again and if I'm given enough time, throughly expect to read this edition "to death" as well. To those who haven't read this book, or haven't discovered Mary Stewart yet, I envy you...


Tags : Madam, Will You Talk? [Mary Stewart] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Much of a strange and tragic drama of revenge, lust, fear, and death has already been played by the time Charity Selborne arrives at a plush resort in the South of France. But by befriending a terrified boy and catching the attention of his enigmatic,Mary Stewart,Madam, Will You Talk?,HarperTorch,0060093560,FICTION General,Fiction,Fiction - General,General,General Adult,MASS MARKET

Madam Will You Talk? Mary Stewart 9780060093563 Books Reviews

The young and pretty widow, Charity Selbourne, has arrived in Provence for a holiday with her good friend Louise. The author wastes no time in setting the stage for suspense Charity meets a young boy (David, also there on holiday with his mysterious stepmother) and has strong suspicions that all is not well in David's world. Charity begins by championing the boy's interests and being a good listener, but soon she is racing toward Marseilles in her Riley roadster (I should be so lucky) on a mission of life and death. She's a damn good driver, which I found exhilarating and refreshing for a novel from the late 40s or early 50s.

Although I enjoy every Mary Stewart book I read, she definitely has a formula going, as other reviewers have noted. Stewart is a bright and clever author, but the pattern is quite predictable a woman leaves GB because of a major life-upset, goes off to France or wherever, and meets a guy. Falling in love often takes a very short time (in this book, it happens in one afternoon -- the characters move from raging distrust to rapture and are suddenly mooning over each other at a candle-lit dinner).

There were a good many coincidences in the unfolding of the plot in this particular book, but I had no trouble forgiving this. Would have liked a little more depth to the characters, but it's a short book.
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 Madam, Will You Talk 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 Provence and get to Marseilles based solely on her descriptions of the geography.
I learned to love romance novels in my tweens and teens (oh so long ago) by reading Georgette Heyer for historical romance and Mary Stewart for contemporary romantic suspense. They were top of the line for me at that time (over a half century ago). How lovely it is to now find Mary Stewart's books in e-format (and at a great price). This one is her very first book, released in 1954. It's amazingly good for a debut novel. Taking place after WWII, it has as protagonist a young and lovely widow named Charity who's on vacation in Provence with a friend and finds herself involved in a murder mystery. She meets up with a young boy and his stepmother at the hotel she is staying at and from there things just get more and more exciting.

Where is the boy's father? Is the father a murderer? Who can be trusted? Although I read this years and years ago, I still felt the excitement and terror and tension of the suspenseful scenes this time around. Mary Stewart was an excellent writer. What an ability to set a scene and describe a locale. She could put you there right with the characters. And have you frightened out of your seat for them in the fraught moments. There may be some outdated notions and attitudes of the characters but I read her stories with the right mind set and love them all.
If I weren't the kind of reader who enjoys rereading favorites I would have long ago have been buried beneath my collection -- not to mention divorced my much put-upon and dear spouse. Instead I reread my favorites -- most in paperback -- until they literally fall apart. Mary Stewart's books mysteries have long been on the list of old and much beloved. I was very fortunate, about the time I first read many of these books, I spent a year in Europe as an exchange student and was lucky enough to visit some of the places where Stewart sets -- and describes so wonderfully. Several of my particular favorites have reached that state of decrepitude where covers are frayed and pages keep falling out to be held in place with Scotch Tape. Imagine my delight in discovering re-issues of all my faves, including and especially Madam, Will You Talk. I was surprised to find out (from the intro to this edition) that this was Mary Stewart's first-published mystery. All the features which characterize a Steward thriller are there ... spectacular setting, believable characters and just a touch of the Gothic novel -- a young heroine, dark handsome stranger with a shady past, danger around every corner but all payed out beneath the brilliant skies and historic grandeur of Southern France. What appealed to me in particular when I read this more years ago than I care to admit to) is that while her heroines are young, Mary Stewart gives then more courage and common sense -- plus a little extra something that gives them a surprising edge that lets them take an active role in beating the bad guys. What that "something" is differs in each novel. In this story, the heroine is Charity Selbourne, a young war widow (WWII) whose war hero and former race car driver husband leaves her a tidy fortune as well as his skills behind the wheel. How those skills play out in a plot involving a young boy, his possibly homicidal father, a gang of criminals with sinister connections to the holocaust, an unflappable best friend and one very shaggy and dusty dog all make for most entertaining reading -- and rereading. It was a couple of years since my most recent copy disintegrated when this one became available. Reading it again after such a time, I was agreeably surprised how contemporary it seems, despite the historical setting. I am so glad that this wonderful book is available again and if I'm given enough time, throughly expect to read this edition "to death" as well. To those who haven't read this book, or haven't discovered Mary Stewart yet, I envy you...