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jenn

Murder by Death

I read cozy and historical mysteries, a bit of Paranormal/UF, and to mix it up, I read science and gardening books on occasion.

Thornyhold

Thornyhold - Mary Stewart

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.