Madam, want to talk about author Mary Stewart? discussion

Ann-Marie wrote: "Annabel wrote: "I absolutely love Inception but foundJoseph Gordon-Levitt much more appealing than Tom Hardy..."

Yes! That's who I had my eye on too! :)"

I'm so glad I'm not the only one. I've struggled with his other films though. 500 Days of Summer is just infuriating and Looper, which I dragged an unsuspecting friend along to, is only for those with strong stomachs. Guess that means another rewatch of Inception is the only answer. (Or did I just dream that film existed??)

Teaqueen, can you put your spoilers behind tags please? Thanks!

Tidiana....i'm sorry… I didn't realize any of my comments were spoilers. Which ones were? I don't know how to do the spoiler tags but I can edit out the comments if you tell me which ones they were. Or I can just delete the post. Thanks!

@Teaqueen, anything that gives away a secret disclosed later in the book than chapter 5 is a major spoiler. In your post (view spoiler)[you give away the fact that Mary is actually Annabel (hide spoiler)], which readers of this thread who haven't yet read the whole book wouldn't know.

To create a spoiler tag for part (or all) of a post, you type the word spoiler inside of carats at the beginning of the spoiler part, and then type /spoiler inside of carats at the end of the spoiler. If you click on (some html is ok) above the comment box, and look down toward the end of the pop-up list, you'll see how it should look. I can't type it into this comment because the carats will just make my text disappear. :) If you can't figure it out, you or I can just delete the comment, or you can edit your comment to take out the spoiler parts. (view spoiler)[I think your comment 151 would be fine if you just edit it to refer to her as just "Mary," not Annabel, and rephrase comment's like her "return" so you're not giving away big clues to the secret (hide spoiler)] Thanks!!

ETA: I've deleted your original post now since you didn't edit it. Sorry!

Thank you Tadiana for the tutorial. (view spoiler)[ just doing a test to see if I understood right, (hide spoiler)] 😊

Yay, you've got it! ;)

I am coming back to this now. Since I have it on kindle and see easy to get to on a whim! Yippee!

I really enjoyed this last read of The Ivy Tree. I have 6 favorite MS books....
The Ivy Tree
Airs Above Ground
Nine Coaches Waiting
This Rough Magic
Madam, Will you Talk
The Moonspinners

I've spent the last couple of years rereading these 6 books. The buddy read of the Ivytree Was great timing as I hadn't read read it yet. My last one that I need to read is airs above ground.

I remember really enjoying the Ivytree the first time I read it and was definitely not disappointed Re read. I love the dark Gothic overtones of the book.

I love the way the dark undertones are balanced by the beauty of the surroundings, the normalcy of an English summer and the beautiful old farmhouse.

Karlyne wrote: "I love the way the dark undertones are balanced by the beauty of the surroundings, the normalcy of an English summer and the beautiful old farmhouse."

It nicely echoes the theme of deception in this book. :) As does the description of the old ivy tree itself:

Here a giant oak stood. It had been originally on the inside of the wall, but with the years it had grown and spread, pressing closer and ever closer to the masonry . . . But the power of the oak would be its undoing, for the wall had been clothed in ivy, and the ivy had reached for the tree, crept up it, engulfed it, till now the trunk was one towering mass of the dark gleaming leaves, and only the tree's upper branches managed to thrust the young gold leaves of early summer through the strangling curtain. Eventually the ivy would kill it. . .

I looked up at it for a long time.

Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "Karlyne wrote: "I love the way the dark undertones are balanced by the beauty of the surroundings, the normalcy of an English summer and the beautiful old farmhouse."

It nicely echoes the theme of..."

And when we're reading that passage about the ivy tree, it seems like just a great bit of description. But she "looked up at it for a long time" puts more into it: the choice of sunshine or shadow, for instance.

Um. Wow! How bout that for a description.
Or is It foreshadowing?

Both, I think!

Haah!

Trying to boost the threads for The Ivy Tree for our October 2022 discussion.

I remember the storyline of this one quite well so I have been on the watch for clues, but Mary Stewart is very smooth. The one thing that makes me suspicious of the whole setup is Con’s he-man stunt at the beginning, making implicit threats to Mary Grey about tossing her over the cliff. If someone did that to me and I got away, I would not be joining him in his home or in a plot!

Question: When Mary figures out who the woman is who has been watching her in the café (took her long enough), she immediately quits her job and starts packing. Was she going to leave Newcastle, or was she expecting Lisa to turn up on her doorstep?

Great articulation of the many layers of the action!

I have joined you in reading this book. After the first few chapters I already have a problem with this book. Well, two problems.

1. I read another book with a similar premise earlier this year so this seems repetitive. The other book was Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano, published in 2019. She gave no indication that her book copies the premise from The Ivy Tree or Brat Farrar. I am hoping the outcomes will be different.

2. The main character, Mary Grey, seems unlikable to me. On the surface she's likable enough, but then she agrees to do something illegal and that makes me like her a whole lot less. I hope there will be something to redeem her in my mind and heart before the book ends. I like books with main characters I can sympathize with.

You’ve only just begun to encounter the twists and turns in this book, Linda! Stick with it!

Should start tomorrow. Looking forward to it :O)

It's so frustrating reading comments in the non-spoiler threads once you've finished! My lips are sealed - but.......