Customer Reviews

Moonraker's bride

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I first read Moonraker's Bride when it appeared in the U.S. in 1973. It haunted me. I was very, very happy to find a copy through Amazon last year and found myself re-reading it again this weekend. Madeleine Brent's books all share a common theme of young women who grow up in exotic and difficult circumstances only to be brought into English society. They are timeless, with good plots, great characters, insight into distant times and places, and sense of modesty that fits in well with the regency era. This is the second novel by this author, and is the best of the author's well-done books in my opinion.

From the moment I first met Lucy Waring in a Chinese Christian mission struggling to find an alternative to stealing to feed the 15 girl-children in her care, I couldn't put this book down. Brent's descriptions of life in turn-of-the century China before and during the Boxer Rebellion, the lives of American and European exiles, the outsider's view of English gentry life are compelling. But it is a host of extremely interesting people that I wanted to know better from the first description that draws me in each time: Dr. Langdon (why did he leave America?), Miss Victoria Prothero and her dedication to the Chinese mission after terrible tragedy, the two rival Englishmen who show up in Chengfu with a haunting riddle, the local people and their customs that seem so strange to modern western eyes. These are contrasted with English country society - the Greshams and their snobbish views, Marsh the butler who takes Lucy under his wing and trains her in society; the artistic Falcons and young Matthew, the little boy next boy. But it is Lucy Waring herself that keeps me turning pages in a book that I have now read countless times.

Lucy describes herself at 17 as having "freakish white skin, ugly round eyes, and huge feet". A foreign-devil girl who has grown up in a society that values only males, worships ancestors and hates foreigners. She contemplates selling the older girls as concubines yet her conscience places bad marks in the Recording Angel's book when she must lie to a bed-ridden Miss Prothero about their lack of money and her plans to acquire it. Imminently practical, she is a mixture of Chinese thinking and training by an English spinster. Meticulously following the rules set down by Miss Prothero she has no reference for why many of them are important.

The plot twists and turns are discovered with every page. But you stay with the novel for the characters: Lucy Waring, Nicholas Sabine, Robert Falcon, Edmund Gresham, young Matthew, Marsh, Dr. Langston, Miss Prothero Yu-lan, the Fenshaws, and the children of the Mission.

Madeleine Brent (Peter O'Donnell of Modesty Blaise fame) wrote some really good historical adventure stories pitched toward women. Why does he succeed in making his books interesting even on repeated reading, where a lot of other authors in the same genre fail? He has great respect for the intelligence and good sense of his heroines.

Plucky and intelligent, Lucy struggles against great odds to support and protect her benefactor and the orphans they had taken in and cared for in a hostile turn of the century China. Meanwhile, events are conspiring to send her on an adventure to take her half way around the world.

This book is a delightful read.

This book is, if not the best, then one of the best of Madeleine Brent's literary productions. The heroine, Lucy Waring,has the typical spunky, direct character and unique talents that are endowed to Brent heroines. An exotic setting,one of Madeleine Brent's trademarks, is this time a poor mission in China. The romance of the story is captivating, especially since the plot involves a marriage of convenience, which is one of the major factors I look for in my favorite romance novels (no reason in particular - I just like that kind). The mystery that is threaded throughout the book is impenetrable, puzzling, and cleverly crafted. I also enjoy how Madeleine Brent's characters all seem to be connected in some obscure way, shape or form; it allows for more guessing of what will happen. All these factors contribute to the alluring appeal of Moonraker's Bride, making it a read that I am glad I did not miss.

I read alot, and I mean alot. There are many wonderful books out there, but it's not everyday you find a book so intruiging and so splendidly suspensful that you absolutely can't put it down. I just finished reading "Monnraker's Bride," by Madeleine Brent. If it had not been for my wonderful neighbor, I would not have discovered my new favorite author. As you read, step by step the beautifully sculpted mysteryof a treasure lost in the ruins of a raging war, you will get to know Lucy, a budding, young, English-woman, growing up in ancient China. When a stranger with striking, dark eyes passes through asking about about a riddle: "Above the giant's twisted knife Where the wind-blown blossom flies Stands the temple where fortune lies. Beyond the golden world reversed Marked by the bear-club of the skies Rest the sightless tiger's eyes." Lucy is warned to be on the lookout for yet another traveler who might be coming, asking about the same riddle. Not long after, Lucy is confronted by a man bearing a odd resemblance to the man she was warned about. As a result of this unexpected loose lifestyle and is given the task of conquering the "lady" within. She agrees to take up accomodation with an upperclass family from the reputable part of England. In England, it seems everyone is screaming to uncover the mystery of the treasure, lost centeries ago in the rubble of a remote temple, somewhere in China. Meanwhile Lucy is just tyring to wear the right hat at the right time of day. But still there is another mystery not yet uncovered, it is the question of the old Moonraker's mansion up on the hill. With every turn of the page, still another surprise is undug and as the suspense builds, Madeleine Brent, slips little tid-bits of glee in through the cracks. The only problem with this book, is that you won't want to put is down!

... with mystery and intrigue, an absorbing plot, intelligent description, fascinating setting and history, richly written characters, and, above all, a humble, kind-hearted and utterly charming heroine to root for, then read this book. Did I oversell it? I hope not. I read this everytime I need an escape. Goes down as easy as the creamiest ice cream, and just as satisfying.

In 1970, the first novel I ever read was
Ms. Brent's "Moonraker's Bride" and to this day, it remains my favorite book. Although, the pages are turning yellow and front cover is missing, I still pull it out when I need to be entertained by the heroic adventures of Lucy Waring. I am glad to see that others have found this book as exciting as I do. My only wish is that it would be reprinted in large print, my eyes are twenty-something years older now and it's becoming very hard to read the words, but I know most of the book by heart and know what Lucy's next steps are going to be. Thank you for letting me express my feeling about Ms. Brent's novel.

A poor orphanage in China is the only home Lucy Waring has ever known. There she battles daily to keep herself and the other children alive. She is caught stealing for food one day and put in jail. There she meets a doomed Englishman who will help her to escape, under one condition: she must marry him. Her life takes a dramatic turn after those vows are taken. She is returned home to England to live with a wealthy English family, where she is at a lose to their strange ways. But there is a secret working all around her and she is eventually caught up in the adventure. I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions are vivid and the storytelling is compelling. By the end of the book you really feel you know these people. I would recommend this one. Most libraries carry Ms. Brent's books if you can't find them elsewhere. I have read all but one of her books and found them to be equally enjoyable reads.

Excellent adventure with an English girl trapped in China. Loveable and brave heroine who makes it back to her strange homeland of England. This book is full of adventure and great writing and characters. You reorient your point of view to that of the heroine's, feeling like an ugly foreigner in China. Then confused by sudden culture shock in England and by being surrounded by lots of interesting characters with complex histories and agendas. Who is her friend and who is her enemy? This was the first Brent book I read and I LOVED it. Can't recommend it highly enough.

This has been one of my favorite books since I first read the condensed version in a magazine. It's one of those delightful easy-to-read books that you like to visit ever few years...like an old friend. I've read it many times and would recommend it.

Moonraker's Bride is a fantastic story. It's a classy love story that develops in unexpected ways. It's out of print, currently, but would do well with modern publishing companies. I, personally, enjoyed this book because Peter O'Donnell (Madeleine Brent), knows how to tell a good story without overdoing the sappiness in the romantic aspect. This has been my favorite story for several years now.