Thornyhold is a house deep in a wild wood like somewhere out of a fairy tale. Inheriting it is the beginning of a fairy tale for Geillis Ramsey. With the house she finds she is inheriting the mantle of her god-mother whose reputation was that of a wise-woman in a witch-infested region. Mary Stewart is author of the Merlin trilogy - "The Crystal Cave", "The Hollow Hills" and "The Last Enchantment".
Interesting... unexpected in a lot of ways. Not sure what to really say about it beyond I enjoyed it and found it an easy story to fall into.
Gilly has a lonely childhood, punctuated by rare visits from her mother's lively, magical cousin and namesake. After the death of Gilly's parents, she gets a letter informing her she's inherited her cousin's house, Thornyhold, as well as her reputation for being a witch.
This story would never survive today: people would complain that nothing happens, there isn't any plot. I suppose at its heart it's a romance, but the romance is so subtle as to be non-existent; the leap Gilly makes from acquaintance to love is startling even by today's insta-love standards. But boy, can Stewart write some atmosphere; and the characters are alive and compelling. I got 75% of the way through before it occurred to me that nothing was really happening: no building tension, no climatic showdown approaching. The ending was comic, which was totally unexpected and charming.
I think I'll buy myself a copy of this one; I finished it feeling like I'd read a good comfort read - perfect for a rainy afternoon.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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21 October, 2016:
Finished reading
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21 October, 2016:
Reviewed