My Brother Michael (Rediscovered Classics) [Paperback]

Mary Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rediscovered Classics | Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Mary Stewart, author of many bestselling novels, has been often compared with the Brontë sisters. Her 1960 classic My Brother Michael, with its superb mingling of romance and suspense, its vivid descriptions and overtone of impending disaster, is further evidence that the comparison is richly deserved.

 

Perhaps Camilla Haven unintentionally invoked the gods that afternoon in the crowded Athens café when she wrote to a friend, “Nothing ever happens to me.” But a few hours later, an extraordinary train of events had dispatched Camilla to Delphi, to be in the company of a charming but quietly determined Englishman named Simon Lester. Simon told Camilla he had come to the ancient Greek ruins to “appease the shade” of his brother Michael, killed some fourteen years earlier on Parnassus. From a curious letter Michael had written, Simon believed his brother had stumbled upon something of great importance hidden in the craggy reaches of the mountainside.

 

And then Simon and Camilla learned that they were not alone in their search . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stewart's deft writing and plotting put her among the best of the adventure-suspense-romance novelists." —Library Journal

"A fast-moving suspense novel set against the background of Delphi, which affords the reader even more hair-raising nightmarish adventures than in earlier novels."  —Kirkus Reviews

"This detective adventure . . . is seen through the eyes of a characteristic Stewart heroine; and surely there are few more attractive young women in today’s popular fiction."  —New York Times

"Mary Stewart’s best novel to date . . . The villains are wonderfully ruthless, the people—major and minor—are alive and picturesque, and the treasure-hunt theme has perhaps never had such an awesome and uplifting object."  —San Francisco Chronicle

"A perfect blend of romance and suspense with a strong and charming heroine...Though written decades ago, it holds up beautifully." —Nora Roberts, bestselling author

About the Author

Mary Stewart is the author of 20 novels, including the Merlin trilogy, The Ivy Tree, Nine Coaches Waiting, and Thornyhold.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press; Reprint edition (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155652983X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556529832
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mart Stewart, one of the most popular novelists writing today, was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England. After boarding-school, she recieved a B.A. with first class honors in English Language and Literature from Durham University and went on for her M.A. Later she returned to her own University as a Lecturer in English. She married in 1945. Her husband is Sir Frederick Stewart, who is Chairman of the Geology Department at Edinburgh University, and a Fellow of the Royal Society.Mary Stewart's career as a novelist began in 1954 with the publication of Madam, Will You Talk? Since then she has published fifteen successful novels, including The Last Enchantment, the third book of the magical trilogy about the legendary enchanter Merlin and young Arthur. Her books for young readers, The Little Broomstick (1971) and Ludo and the Star Horse (1974), quickly met with the same success as her other novels. In 1968, she was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. In 1971, the Scottish Chapter of the International PEN Association awarded her the Frederick Niven prize for the The Crystal Cave. In 1974, the Scottish Arts Council Award went to Ludo and the Star Horse.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking!, January 6, 2002

By 

Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Brother Michael (Mass Market Paperback)

Mary Stewart's knack of taking an ordinary person and placing her in extraordinary circumstances works extremely well in this story of Camilla Haven's vacation to the Greek mainland. Camilla's desire to see the oracle city of Delphi is suddenly facilitated by the appearance of an already-paid-for rental car delivered to her complete with keys as she sits contemplating her boring existence in a cafe on Onomia Square in the heart of Athens. Even though she is not "Simon's girl" --- the person the car is intended for ---- she inpulsively takes the keys and rides off to the fabled city of her daydreams fully intending to meet up with Simon and deliver the car with her apologies. Instead she is drawn into the very personal pilgrimage of a man visiting his brother Michael's grave in a rough and foreign land. Here, on the wild and craggy foothills surrounding Mount Parnassus, the thorny history of Greece meets the present as a mystery surrounding Michael's death is brought to the surface through an earthquake of events in which Camilla finds herself fully entrenched.
As with all of Mary Stewart's novels, setting is a character in itself. The descriptions of the wild countryside, lush with wildflowers, yet harsh with both the climate and history transports the reader to the world of the narrator in a fully empathic manner where one actually experiences the book with all five senses.
This is a perfect story from start to finish--highly recommended.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary's prose has that effect!, February 19, 2001

By 

Eileen Page - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Brother Michael (Audio Cassette)

35 years ago, as a very young girl, I also dreamed of visiting Greece after reading this book and "The Moonspinners". I see that all this time later, Mary Stewart's wonderful stories are still working the same magic... I love all of her books - she will always have a special place among my favorite authors - for her dry and subtle sense of humor, great storytelling ability and of course... that rich descriptive prose (I can't think of anyone else who does it so well). The Merlin books are being reissued - so should all of the romantic suspense (or should they be in the travel section?) :)

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My Brother Michael (Mass Market Paperback)

I love all of Mary Stewart's early suspense novels and wish I could buy new copies of them because the battered old ones I have are 20-30 years old, yellowing, and falling apart from repeated re-readings.

I particularly loved the ones set in Greece which was a country that had always captured my imagination. This one in particular made me want to go to Greece and see Delphi and The Charioteer. Five years ago when I finally beheld The Charioteer myself and stood on the theater at Delphi and looked out over the mountains my first thoughts were of Mary Stewart. I recommend this book highly to anyone who can find a copy of it. It is well worth because it is a marvelous read as are all of Mary Stewart's earlier books.

Sadly it appears that most of her early wonderful books are out of print, and the only ones still available are mainly the later and less skillful novels - though a few of the good early ones are still available.

Look for this one. It's a winner.