Divine Victim [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Wings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

The narrator's lesbian lover, Marya, inherits a large, eerie Montana home, and the two women find a house full of unsolved mysteries. By the author of She Came Too Late.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The narrator of this well-paced, if not always exciting suspense novel leaves the vibrant gay community of San Francisco to travel to Billings, Mont., with her lover Marya, whose great-aunt Rebecca has bequeathed her a house full of kitschy Catholic icons. Our unnamed heroine, a medieval art historian, becomes fascinated with the reclusive Rebecca's story when she discovers a beautiful Quattrocento box tucked away in the basement. This priceless object calls forth memories of the narrator's time in Italy with her former lover Ilona, a brilliant Swedish professor she has tried unsuccessfully to forget. She gradually comes to terms with her own past while pursuing Rebecca's to a convent in San Diego; just as she solves the mystery of the old lady's hoarded wealth, a painful personal secret catches up with her. Wings ( She Came Too Late ) writes straightforward, intelligent prose, and her lesbian protagonist's perspective is refreshing, especially when exploring Rebecca's deep-seated, mystical Catholicism. At times, though, plot developments are too neat, which robs the tale of some potential intrigue. Still, the author provides an enjoyable, original twist on the familiar mysterious-legacy story in a tried-and-true genre.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452272106
• ISBN-13: 978-0452272101
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,500,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Treat, March 15, 2004

By 

Terry Caplenor (Bell Canyon, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divine Victim: 2 (Hardcover)

Too bad Wings has some books out of print, because she is a delight to read. If you read her books chronologically, you can see her phenomenal growth as a writer. Her characters live and breathe on the page, and as she writes more her elements become more rounded and subtly shaded. In Divine Victim she does not disappoint. This more serious effort deals with more difficult issues. Who else could bring together Montana, Lesbian issues, and Catholicism in such a readable book? No one but Mary Wings. I always count on her to show me what I cannot always experience for myself. For my sake I hope she delves lesser known entities as well, such as a Lesbian Southern Baptist, or Baha'i, for example.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lesbian gothic thriller, August 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Divine Victim (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Wings is the author of the witty and entertaining Emma Victor series. With Divine Victim, Wings achieves higher and succeds. It is a dark, haunting story that links, surprisingly, lesbianism and the Roman Catholic faith. Other components of the story include art, art history and cloistered life.
The narrator's girlfriend Maryam inherits a house and a considerable fortune from her aunt Rebecca, on the condition that she has to live in the house one year. In Rebecca's house the narrator comes accross strange objects such as a nun's habit and a box full of red human hair. She become's interested in Rebecca's life and the secret that her house seams to hide. Meanwhile, someone is after the narrator, and it is not only the traumatic memories from her past, of her former lover Ilona and of their nightmarish trip to Italy.