Retro Friday: Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

From the moment she first sets foot back in France, Linda Martin feels as if she's finally coming home. Even if she's not returning to her own home per say, she is returning in the role of governess to the quietly contained nine-year-old Count Philippe de Valmy. An orphan like Philippe, Linda quickly gains her footing with her new charge but it's the boy's family that keeps her on her toes. She never can quite find her balance in the face of the tremendous presence of his uncle Léon or the quiet ambivalence of his aunt. But it's the handsomely arrogant Raoul that keeps her "eggshell composure" permanently rattled. Yet when a series of accidents seem to point to an attempt on Philippe's life, Linda doesn't know what to believe or who to trust and time is running out.

Somewhat ashamedly I admit that Nine Coaches Waiting is my very first foray into the fabulous world of Mary Stewart. Which seems utterly absurd to me now that I've gone and read it because it reads like a laundry-list for All Things Michelle Adores. The language (can you get more romantic than French?), the setting (I swear I could see those twisting zigzag switchbacks leading up to the château), the frightening yet enigmatic Valmy family (Léon practically gave me the shivers with his puppet master-like remarks). And oh! The suspense! Told in Linda's first person narrative, I could not have been more caught up in her fears and triumphs and most importantly her unease concerning whom to trust.

It's like Jane Eyre and Rebecca (two of my all time favorite reads) went and had a gorgeously intelligent baby with a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for poetry. I don't think I've ever read a book that references another so subtly and appropriately. And the best part is that Linda even makes the Jane Eyre connection herself -- she is fully aware of the similarities but it only serves to heighten the aptness of the comparison, not lessen it. How does Ms. Stewart do that?!

Furthermore, Mary Stewart possess that rare quality in a writer of being able to not say something and have it mean a great deal. This may seem like a small thing, but I so appreciate an author who is willing to trust her readers to pick up the threads and make sense of their emotional import without beating the thought to death. It's a very quiet trait (and often very undervalued) but I think Ms. Stewart has it in spades.

Ms. Stewart certainly understands how to play upon this readers' emotions; despite its initial slow buildup, there was always yet another twist just around the corner to throw my heart back into overdrive. Truly when all's said and done Nine Coaches Waiting packs a bit of a wallop in the best way possible. I literally could not put it down and venture to say, if you're a Mary Stewart innocent like I was, I recommend you remedy the situation immediately.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Allure of Books review
Angieville review
Book Harbinger review
Chachic's Book Nook review
She Reads Novels review

book source: purchased

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

As Retro Friday reviews go, this one has been a long time coming. I find I must start with a confession: I have never read a single, solitary book by Lloyd Alexander. Baffling, no? Looking back, I find it a HUGE oversight on the part of all those librarians I unabashedly pestered as a youngster. But I'm older now, and wanted to mend my ways and after some gentle prodding from Angie's direction, decided to have a go with Westmark as it was promised to include political intrigue and high adventure. Which was basically like dangling the proverbially carrot in front of a hungry horse.

On the run and facing imprisonment (or worse) Theo runs head-long into the finest charlatan ever to walk the streets of Westmark, Count Las Bombas and his dwarf companion, Musket. Although uncomfortable with their easy style of thievery, Theo is reluctant to part company after they are joined by the street urchin Mickle and eventually travel to the palace itself to face the Chief Minster Carrabas, who is determined to take control of Westmark for himself.

Fast-paced yet utterly subtle in it's detail Westmark was a revelation to me. I don't think I have ever read anything so tightly written with such deliberate adventure but still chock-full of complex discussions on right and wrong. By allowing the reader to follow Theo on his travels through Westmark, we are able to witness as he evolves and even get frustrated as his ideas of right and wrong are challenged by every single character he meets along the way. Yet due to stellar pacing and superb writing the book is never bogged down into a preachy mess.

Weighing in at just under 200 pages, Westmark packs quite a punch. Lloyd Alexander caught me over and over again with his seemingly innocent yet startling phrases like this opening line which reads:

Theo, by occupation, was a devil.

Which although being perfectly true, doesn't exactly mean what you think it might. You see, Theo is a printer's apprentice and those apprentices go by the title of a printer's devil. Makes perfect sense, no? But at the same time extremely memorable and a technique he uses to perfection throughout the entire series. I never got tired of these little flashes of creative genius. They never failed to catch my full attention with very little effort and usually with stunning results. Matched with the cleverness of how Alexander would then bring each detail to light was absolutely lovely. If this is what every Lloyd Alexander book reads like, you can be sure I'll be blazing through his oeuvre without delay.

side note: Just after I finished reading this standout trilogy, I discovered that the library at my alma mater has a exhibit in their special collections affectionately called "the box." It is comprised of many of Lloyd Alexander's manuscripts, original artwork and even several typewriters from his private office. Anybody want to pop over to the HBLL and check it out for me? Pretty please?

series reading order:
~ Westmark
~ The Kestrel
~ The Beggar Queen

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Book Loons review

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. 

For what seems like months now, Leila over at Bookshelves of Doom has been talking up one particular author: Franny Billingsley. Especially to praise her books The Folk Keeper (which was published almost a decade ago) and her newest novel, Chime. Needless to say, my curiosity was sparked and since I haven't been able to get ahold of Chime yet (but trust me, I will), I was able to track down an older copy of The Folk Keeper in the meantime.

Corinna is a survivor. Not only was she able to transform herself into a boy named Corin to escape the drudgery of life as a female orphan but taught herself to become a Folk Keeper in the process. As a Folk Keeper, Corinna is responsible for watching over the elusive and sometimes dangerous Folk that live underground. Relatively happy with the control she now has over her life, Corinna suddenly finds herself at a loss after she is whisked off to Marblehaugh Park, a wealthy family's seaside manor, where whispers of her own dark past await. Always Corinna has been able to appease the Folk, but in this wild new manor house by the ocean, she is staggered to discover how ineffectual her powers have become. That is, until Corinna discovers new, startling abilities of her own which begin to manifest themselves in response to new dangers.

The Folk Keeper is one of those uniquely atmospheric books that I am clueless as to how to classify; so I will simply say this book squarely resides in a class all its own. Written as a series of journal entries, Corinna details her dealings with the temperamental Folk - her successes and failures - and later, her dealings with the Lord Merton's family. At the outset of her Record, Corinna is sharp, vengeful, and truth be told, almost a little scary in her intensity. But her self-awareness is utterly compelling and the imagery of her new life living close to the sea... utterly stunning. This is perhaps where the author, Franny Billingsley shines - in the crafting of such a tangible, natural (albeit fictional) world where the sea crashes, storms rage, and the land swells with secrets. As the secrets surrounding Corinna's connection to Marblehaugh Park begin to unravel, I found myself wishing there was another 100 pages of Corinna's story to discover.

I've read that fans of Neil Gaiman would probably find themselves a home in Franny Billingsley's books and after finishing The Folk Keeper, I agree. Just enough darkness and excellent world-building based on folk tales to keep you flipping the pages. And occasionally even looking over your shoulder.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Book Smugglers review
Green Bean Teen Queen review
Things Mean A Lot review
Wondrous Reads review

book source: purchased

Sword-Dancer by Jennifer Roberson

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. 

A few weeks ago I read the exceptional retelling of Robin Hood, Lady of the Forest, by Jennifer Roberson and was obviously intrigued with such a talented author. Immediately I set out to unearth her other novels, which of course led me to discover her Tiger and Del fantasy series. Not withstanding its awesomely bad cover, I quickly ordered the first, Sword-Dancer with high hopes.

Known throughout the Southron for his courage and deadly skill with a sword, the Sandtiger has survived his fair share of dangerous and unusual scrapes as a sword-dancer. But from the minute the strange woman with the pale hair and a sword strapped to her back stepped into the cantina, Tiger knows he's out of his league with Del. Tiger is even more stunned to discover that Del wants hire him to lead her through the Punja desert in search of her brother who was stolen by slavers years before. Knowing a crazy undertaking when he hears it, Tiger still agrees to Del's proposal. No sooner do the pair set off, than they are set upon by viscous desert tribes, fierce sandtigers, and the harsh desert itself; that is when they aren't trading insults or clashing swords.

Holy cow this book is a whole new animal. One that I fell in love with double quick. And that includes its 'unique' cover - which I absolutely adore to tell you the truth - because that is Del. Told solely from the perspective of the arrogant and often narrow-minded (yet oh so lovable) Tiger, Sword-Dancer excels at describing the tricky relationship of Tiger and Del. Both are incredibly strong personalities who are more than capable of taking care of themselves but together they form this crazy partnership that simply works. Obviously Del as a foreigner has buckets to learn about the Southron from Tiger but more often than not, she's the one teaching Tiger a thing or two about his deepest self. And Del. That girl won my heart with her fierce determination and her willingness to challenge every accepted tradition - especially when it comes to women being capable of wielding a sword and wielding it well. I love nothing better than watching strong characters go through the toughest of trials and Sword-Dancer does just that. Tiger and Del face some heartbreaking obstacles and emerge all the stronger. Love this book. Love the characters. I'm anxious to see where Tiger and Del go next.

series reading order:
~ Sword-Dancer
~ Sword-Singer
~ Sword-Maker
~ Sword-Breaker
~ Sword-Born
~ Sword-Sworn

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review

book source: purchased

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

Confession time here folks: Up until a few weeks ago, I had never read S.E. Hinton's classic coming of age novel The Outsiders. [insert chorus of gasps] And I have no idea why either, though really it's my own fault. I did see the movie years ago and remember loving it and also remember my mom telling me that the book was a million times better (of course) but for some odd twist of fate, I never settled down with The Outsiders myself. Which is a crying shame to be sure. A couple of weeks ago, I came across it at a book sale and took it for the sign it was. I decided NOW was the time I would read this slim classic. A few hours and a head full of endlessly quotable passages later, I sat there stunned and in awe. Ponyboy and Sodapop, the responsible Darry, the tragic Johnny, and on-the-edge Dally - each and every single one of them wormed themselves into my heart, determined never to let go. 

I think what wrinkles my brain the most is the fact that Ms. Hinton was only sixteen years old when The Outsiders was published. Drawing upon her own experiences between the haves and have-nots, she crafted something so honest yet harsh in its stark reality, utterly unlike any other 'teen' novel that had come before.

This sorta comes from left field, but is it just me or did anyone else find themselves flashing back to scenes from West Side Story while reading The Outsiders? Maybe because I'm such a theater nerd but over and over again, I found myself reading about the Socs and Greasers yet picturing the Jets and Sharks facing off in turf rumbles or singing about the crummy justice system in "Gee, Officer Krupke" - which was stuck in my head for days later thankyouverymuch.

So now, I'm happy to say I'm hooked on S. E. Hinton and her brand of reality. After searching around a bit I discovered she has quite a few other novels floating around, but where to go next? That Was Then, This is Now? Rumble Fish? Tex? I need direction and I'm looking to you, my dear blogging friends, for suggestions. Which S.E. Hinton book should I pick up next?