The Juniper Tree [Hardcover]

Barbara Comyns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1986

In their idyllic garden, Gertrude and Bernard forge a perfect triangle of friendship with Bella, the scarred mother of an illegitimate child. Then Gertrude conceives the child which has long eluded her, and the spell breaks into foreboding, menace and madness. By the author of " The Vet`s Daughter" .

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This haunting contemporary fable, first published in England, is in part a retelling of the Grimm folk tale that involves a stepmother who murders her stepson and serves his body for dinner. Comyns has fashioned this macabre material into a strangely involving modern Gothic romance. (It's a bit strong for Holt and Whitney fans.) The protagonist, Bella Winter, is a beautiful but physically and mentally scarred young woman who marries a wealthy, rather cold widower. He is obsessed by the memory of his first wife, overly attentive to their small son, and neglectful of Bella. As their marriage deteriorates, she experiences a mental breakdown, and blames herself for his son's accidental death. Comyns's characters are fascinating, and remind the reader of the wicked impulses in us all. Joyce Smothers, Ocean Cty. Lib., Toms River, N.J.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 187 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (August 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312448589
• ISBN-13: 978-0312448585
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,988,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "lost" gems, February 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Juniper Tree (Paperback)

It's a shame that most of Comyns is out of print (at least here in the US). Her novels are strange, haunting, quirky, beautiful and worth every effort to track down in used bookstores or online. The Juniper Tree is no exception. Please, readers, find these books!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-drawer Comyns, June 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Juniper Tree (Hardcover)

If you've been fortunate enough to read The Vet's Daughter or The Skin Chairs-two of this marvelous writer's best books-or even if you've never heard of either book, do yourself a favor and get ahold of this hard-to-find, out-of-print gem. The story is enthralling, the writing limpidly beautiful. While I was reading it, I re-experienced the pleasure of total absorption I felt in childhood when immersed in a favorite book.