The Ivy Tree

For those of you who enjoy straight-out romance, or the Nora Roberts brand of a little suspense thrown in with a lot of romance, Mary Stewart is not the author for you. Stewart requires indepth reading, her plots are intricate, her characterizations strong. She is incomparable; her words are literature. Although descriptions abound, there is not any graphically detailed sex, so if this is not your cup of tea, read no further and look for another selection.This particular book does not fit into any of the usual Stewart categories----the great chase as in 'Madam Will You Talk?', the closed room police procedural as in 'Wildfire at Midnight' or the Evil Relative with Nefarious Intentions as in 'Nine Coaches Waiting'----rather, it is a story of impersonation. . . and one of Stewart's best offerings in terms of just about everything: plot, tone, description, dialogue, characterization etc.Mary Grey accepts a 'job',posing as Annabel Winslow, the long-lost cousin and heiress to Whitescar, a lucrative North England working farm---her employer, her 'cousin' Con has much to gain once Annabel's cantankerous old grandfather passes on. At first, after careful schooling by Con and his half-sister, Lisa, Mary takes to her new position smoothly, easily edging her way into life on the farm with a barrage of lies that seem to be second nature to her. No one doubts her identity until she discovers the presence of an unknown lover that may blow her cover. The real reason Annabel Winslow left Whitescar eight years earlier hits the reader with tour de force revelation which Stewart masterfully manipulates.I won't spoil the story any further. It must be read slowly and savored like a good $100+ bottle of wine. The language is glorious,meant to be read aloud. The words paint wonderfully lush and powerful images of life in the north country. The characters likewise are finely drawn, flesh and blood human beings whose emotions thunder off the pages with the same potent electric charge of lightning that finally splits the old ivy tree in two towards the end of the story. Even the secondary characters are not to be missed. Mrs. Bates with her nosy northerner's distrust of anything 'London', Julie, the pettish young adult who is Annabel's mirror image, and Donald Seton, the stuffy, but warm-hearted Scot archaeologist with a soft spot for the greedy cat Tommy and his litter of kittens. Even the colt, Rowan, has a personality all his own; Stewart knows and loves her animals and this like all her other novels is a tribute to the creatures and places she loves best.I have read and listened to this book over and over again. Each time, even though I know the ending, I find new techniques to ponder and wonder over. Stewart is simply fantastic; shame on anyone who prefers lesser works to her masterpieces.

I had been an avid reader of Mary Stewart's gothic novels as a teenager. I thought I had read every one. Somehow, I missed this one. I came across it accidentally and wondered if her book would have the same appeal to a woman in her seventies. I am so happy I tried it! It has the same lovely characters, the same fascinating descriptions of the countryside, and the same tension, where you aren't really sure who is the good guy and how it will all work out. Great mystery, great romance, and great suspense. I wish I had more of these to look forward to.

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.

I first read this book years ago as a teenager. I read it again about ten years ago. I recently gave away all of my old paperback books as my pulmonologist told me digital books were my future.When I went looking to find some of my old favorites on my Kindle, I came across Mary Stewart. I purchased a number of her books and the first one I re-read was “The Ivy Tree”.At the time she wrote the book, it was based real time in the present. It is now decades old and, in some ways, it is a little bit dated. Most notably, in the way that women were thought of and also how they presented themselves, not to mention a lot of smoking.Chalking that up to the time it was written, I was able to set my feelings aside and enjoy the book for what it was. That is an interesting mystery with a modern gothic twist.A young woman is accosted during her day trip to Northern England. She is mistaken for someone who had long been thought dead. The young woman in question is a would-be heiress and, because of her likeness, a twisted plot is developed which involves her.There are twists and turns and, even having read it before and know what those were, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Ms. Stewart’s book are beautifully written and read as poetic prose. They paint pictures in your mind of a different time not too long ago.Do as I have done with older books. Set aside modern sensibilities and have fun reading.

Mary Stewart always has intriguing plots but this is an excellent book. She has incorporated many mysteries into one heartwarming and many-faceted story that often keeps even the reader led into dark alleys.

I read this book years ago and wanted a copy in my kindle. If you have ever read any Mary Stewart books you know they are extremely well written. Her descriptions put you right there in the story. Her plot lines are unpredictable and you have to keep reading to figure them out. They are usually mysteries but not typical and there is always a romantic element as well. She builds her characters well, unveiling the layers as you proceed in the book. Any Mary Stewart book you read you will enjoy and I predict you will order others as you become hooked on her writing style.

Die Geschichte von Annabel Winslow, die vielleicht oder vielleicht auch nicht nach acht Jahren zum Gut ihres Großvaters in Northumberland zurückkehrt, kann man immer wieder lesen - und das, obwohl sie in erster Linie von der Spannung zu leben scheint, die sich aus dem Mysterium um die Hochstaplerin Mary Grey ergibt. Weil der Roman eben noch so viel mehr zu bieten hat als eine rätselhafte Intrige.

Well...i didn't see that coming....or did I? Another stunning read. From an age where women are falling into home, family and marriage comes another strong woman with a clear agenda, but with twists and underlying passions. Typical of the time where women driving fast in vehicles made for men (chuckles) show her to be wild and carefree, it still delivers a tense, exciting and mesmerising journey toward a satisfying conclusion. This book is another descriptive and character driven avalanche of words, some i had to look up, not used these days, that fills your head so putting the book down in order to go to work or make a sandwich is extremely difficult....just one mor page/chapter and then ! Well worth getting into this tranche of new characters and their clearly self-centred and potentially dangerous motivations.

Al principio del libro estuve a punto de abandonarlo, apenas pasa nada en el primer tercio de la novela, luego la historia va mejorando, aunque es predecible y de vez en cuando el ritmo se vuelve pesado, algo que no va mucho con un libro de este estilo (entre intriga y novelita rosa). Parte del argumento no se sostiene, los comportamientos son erráticos, las relaciones entre los protagonistas fallan y hay algunos personajes realmente malos.

The book would have been good with bigger letters and hard bound. It looked like a school text book! I was disappointed.