I think this is partly due to the nature of her books.

I would say that Mary Stewart’s weakness is developing the relationships between her characters. I love how she manages to blend reality with myth subtly so that it’s not exactly fantasy, but it almost feels like at times that the book could step over that boundary into the realm of the fantastical. The story revolves around the legend of the Greek Moonspinners. The name of Mary Stewart’s books are always meaningful, and this one was no exception. Nicola is put in plenty of extreme situations and this made the action even more intense because I felt like I was able to relate to her fear and stress and it made it that much more of an impact when her situation took a turn for the worse or better.

This is cheating the reader though, because real courage of course if characters who persevere in the face of the fear or pain they are confronted with. Sometimes authors in an attempt to make their female heroines strong make them unbelievable and impervious to pain and fear. She is no fainting heroine and is very competent and logical. The romance was light and didn’t take center stage, but was fairly well done. It’s interesting because there’s an element of mystery but much of the book focuses on chase scenes which is unique from Agatha Christie’s books. It was especially nice during a very gloomy winter where I live to escape to a hot island on the mediterranean.Īll of her books are very tense, and definitely had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I loved the setting! I think that is my favorite thing about books written by Mary Stewart, how well she is able to immerse her readers in a different time and place. She ends up stumbling across a life-or-death hunt and as she unravels the pieces of the plot finds herself being hunted as well. The owners of the hotel process a relaxing stay, almost to the point of boredom. Nicola decides the perfect vacation for her and her aunt is a few days on the dreamy island of Crete.

In fact, it is the moonlight, the moon itself… The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart Summary

They each have a spindle, and on to these they are spinning their wool, milk-white, like the moonlight. Sometimes, when you’re deep in the countryside, you meet three girls, walking along the hill tracks in the dusk, spinning.

This rough magic mary stewart summary