Customer Reviews

Madam Will You Talk

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As I have always wondered why the BBC has not produced any of Ms. Stewart's wonderful novels as mini-series for public television, I cannot help but imagine how media rich such a production would be. Case in point, Ms. Stewart's first work of suspense fiction: "Madam Will You Talk?" Her heroine, Charity Shelbourne is instantly likeable--a WW2 war widow who lovingly carries a framed photo of Johnny, her fallen RAF pilot in her suitcase,gladly expends time from her own holiday to entertain a lonely 14-year-old boy and honestly is confident enough about her own looks to admit when another woman is breathtakingly beautiful. True to her name and her noble instincts, Charity plunges unwittingly yet rather intelligently into a post war intrigue involving the estranged boy, his agressively tenacious father and the boy's lovely yet frightened stepmother using all the wit and willpower that made the British so heroically stoic through WW2. The characters play against the lush backdrop of the walled hilltop villages of Avignon and Nimes and eventually the cosmopolitan splendour/squallor of Marseilles which we see, smell and hear from the passenger side of Charity's car in a chase sequence more harrowingly memorable than that in the film "The French Connection". Ms . Stewart delivers not only a nicely summed up tale of greed and murder, but neatly fills Charity's emotional void and our own as she allows Charity to utilize Johnny's devil-may-care driving tips, rebel savvy and masculine assuredity through each twist of the plot on her way to finding her way in the world without him while opening her heart to someone else. She is a woman all women want to be: vulnerable yet indispensible. The essential ingredients are all there for a most wonderful episodic film about a wily 20th century woman--get those cameras rolling! Highly recommended, especially in the unabridged audio format.

I first read Mary Stewart as a teenager with her Merlin series, and it left such an impression on me that when I recently saw at a library book sale that she had other books I immediately picked them all up. Stewart is a master writer (and I didn't know she published in the 50's) who informs you as she writes, with eloquent references to geography, literature, and art. The story is about an attractive heroine who is thrown into close quarters with a man who may or may not be a murderer, who wants her to divulge the location of his young son. Like a play with a cast of characters, she is staying at a hotel that has a variety of people for whom you do not know what their real motives are. If you want a suspenseful romantic novel, you could not do better than Mary Stewart.

Nobody does it better. Nobody ever will. Even in this, Stewart's first novel, her prose is so compelling that you overlook some of the new-author awkwardness. Some scenes go on too long, and her fascination with cars/driving/car chases (a staple in each of her books) can get a bit tiresome. But you only notice that on your third or fourth reread. It's a shame that romance novels aren't permitted to be intelligent nowadays; authors are expected to write at a junior-high school comprehension level. No such rules in Stewart's day, and that's why she'll never be bested.

From the inside cover - "The whole affair had begun so quietly. No hint of danger in the air. Only a picturesque vacation resort in the south of France, a very lovely...and very rich...young widow on a holiday tour, and a group of amiable strangers lazing about the little hotel with its elegant, old-world charm. How was Charity Selbourne to know of the dark, sinister forces that lay behind this pleasant scene, and that they were, at the very moment of her arrival, uncoiling for a final, deadly thrust?"

From the back cover - "When Charity Selbourne arrived in the picturesque French resort town of Avignon, she had no way of knowing that she was to become the principal player in the last act of a strange and brutal tragedy. Most of it had already been played. There had been love-and lust-and revenge and fear and murder. And now the killer, with blood enough on his hands, was waiting in the wings."

This reader believes that this is classic Mary Stewart action, in which her readers become irresistibly involved with admirable characters suddenly caught up in intricate webs of danger and deceit. As always, her settings are so spectacular and described in such detail that I can see, smell and touch as clearly as if I were there as well. It is because of this superb sense of detail that a half dozen reads may not even be enough.

As much for the times about which it is written as for the adventure into which a young war widow stumbles while on holiday in France with her best friend.

It is about a boy & his dog, a father & his quest for his son & a painting for which people have killed.

Woman's Hour on BBC radio was serializing Madam, Will You Talk? when I was packing to emigrate to America & I bought a copy to take with me because I had to know how it turned out.

Mary Stewart's adventure books about young women tossed into dangerous adventures are always well written, well researched & give you a taste of the countries in which they are set.

Charity Selborne looks forward to a wonderful holiday with her friend Louise in the South of France -- Charity's first holiday since her husband's death. But her dream of lazy days on the beach and lovely afternoons sightseeing come to an end when she befriends a sweet but troubled young boy. From that moment on, her life becomes a nightmare when Richard Byron, the boy's father, begins to stalk her, hoping to find his boy through her. Young David is with his stepmother, who is hiding from Richard. Richard is a dangerous, crazy murderer who shouldn't be allowed to be near his son. But as Charity goes out of her way to protect David, she discovers that things are far more sinister than she had ever imagined.

Mary Stewart is a clever writer of literary romantic suspense. I loved Nine Coaches Waiting and The Ivy Tree but hated Thornyhold. The aforementioned book had magic elements and was sketchy and dull to me. Stewart is in her element with this novel, writing the genre she does best, and I couldn't put Madam, Will You Talk? down. An atmospheric tone is big in Stewart's novels, and this one is not an exception. Suspense and tension are in every page, but the backdrop of the South of France plays a major role as well. I enjoyed Charity's descriptions of cafés, beaches and the Provencal landscapes. The best part is when Charity, in an effort to avoid Richard, travels to Marseilles and takes a tourist ferry ride to the Château d'If. The scene is short, and full of suspense, but I like that the author added that into the mix. All in all, I absolutely LOVED Madam, Will You Talk? First published in 1955, this dark, suspenseful, romantic, and quite surprising novel is a definite page-turner. The plot is a little similar to Nine Coaches Waiting, but only in superficial ways (heroine going beyond her call of duty to protect a child, falling for a man she cannot trust, etc.). My one and only complaint is that this novel is too short (only 191 pages -- at least that was the page count of the used out of print paperback edition I bought). More of a novella than a novel, really. It ended too soon for me and I'm going to experience some Mary Stewart withdrawal. Alas, I have Airs Above the Ground and My Brother Michael on my TBR pile and I look forward to reading those soon.

I first read this nearly 30 years ago (yikes), and it left such an indelible impression that when I recently started visiting this genre again, I had to have another taste of this story. There are a couple points where it's obvious this is an early work, but they are few and do not detract from the vivid descriptions and characterizations. By the end of the novel, I have been to Avignon and Marseilles, and I'm quite fond of Charity and her friends. Even Louise, a minor character, is well drawn and you feel you know her.

Time to revisit all of Mary Stewart's books, I think. I remember the Merlin series fondly as well. If you like this genre, you may also like the works of Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Phyllis Whitney. And if you liked the Merlin series, I highly recommend The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Few authors can tell a story that weaves a spell the way Mary Stewart does. I recently reread all my Mary Stewart books which I'd first read more than 20 years ago. This book was hard to put down. Despite the passage of time, you can't help getting involved...who can you trust when a child's safety is at stake?

Mary Stewart writes great romantic suspense. This novel has the beautiful settings, fast-paced mystery and charming protagonist of all her suspense novels, plus an edge-of-your-seat climatic car chase that will leave you wanting to rush out and get her other books.

Charity Selborne is on vacation in the south of France with a friend, when by chance she meets David Shelley, an English boy traveling with his stepmother. It turns out that the boy's father, Richard Byron, is a murderer--and he's followed David to France. Charity immediately becomes embroiled in the lives of David and Richard, not knowing who she can trust.

Another really great suspense novel from Mary Stewart. One thing she's really good at is description--you can almost hear the cicadas chirping (well, it was quite literal in my case--I had my window open and the cicadas were working overtime!). Mary Stewart is also known for her exotic locations, and this one definitely didn't disappoint. The car chase scene is especially well done; the tension is palpable, even as we find out what really happened all those years ago. Mary Stewart's books aren't by any stretch of the imagination, literature as such (even the cover looks a little bit romance-y), but they're definitely entertaining, and the perfect end-of-summer read.