She is “a born storyteller” according to her unofficial fan site, and I agree! Mary Stewart is an author I have enjoyed for many many years. I loved her Merlin trilogy, an interesting look at the Arthurian legend. And years ago I read 7 of her other books of fiction, and enjoyed each one. So when I found one of her books that I hadn’t read yet on the shelf in our little library down the street, I grabbed it, knowing it would be a good read.
Thornyhold is what I would call a “quiet” book. There’s not a lot of action or drama. It’s the story of a young girl who lives a bleak and lonely life, quite neglected by her busy and non-involved parents. A cousin of her mother comes into her life sporadically as she is growing up, but each of those encounters was a breath of life for this young girl. Thornyhold is that cousin’s house, and when she dies, she leaves it to Gilly, now a young woman. Moving into Thornyhold is a precious gift of both freedom and independence, and as Gilly explores the house and garden, she finds mysterious and unexplained things about her cousin’s life. Was her cousin a witch?
The house, itself, is a major character in the book, and I loved the descriptions of the house and the garden. I also enjoyed the journey of self-discovery of this main character, and I thought it was a sweet story, nothing dramatic, just interesting and life-affirming.
A Fondness For Reading 
I loved the Merlin Trilogy also (read it eons ago!) and read Thornyhold too! There are just tooooooo many books to be read!! argh! lol
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I found Thornyhold in one of my many bookcases, and will be reading it next!
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I’ve just recently discovered your blog, and I’m enjoying exploring it. I’ve also recently re-discovered Mary Stewart. I’ve loved the Merlin books for years, but I’d never read her other books. There is a Mary Stewart reading week coming up in September – I’m looking forward to joining in & learning more about her books (not to mention reading the ones I’ve been collecting but neglecting).
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Oh, Pat, so true!!..so many books I want to read!
Andrea, I hope you enjoy it! She dedicated it to her parents, which I thought was lovely.
Hi Lisa. I’m happy you found my blog and are exploring it! I hadn’t heard about the Mary Stewart reading week. I’d love to participate! Do you know who is hosting it?
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Robin, Anbolyn at Gundrun’s Tights is hosting it – http://www.gudrunstights.com/
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Robin, thank you for reminding me about Mary Stewart. I read all her books years ago, but didn’t know she had written more in the 1990s – and now I’ve read two of them in the past few weeks! Must look for more!
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Lisa, thanks for the link to Anbolyn’s site. I’m glad to be introduced to it, and excited about her Mary Stewart Reading Week!
Andrea, I’m glad you’ve been enjoying reading her again. I’m doing the same thing…finding as many of her books as I can and reading or re-reading them.
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