Customer Reviews

Stormswift

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Madeleine Brent" is a pseudonym for Peter O'Donnell, the author of the Modesty Blaise novels (and comics). As Brent he wrote a number of historical romances. This is one of the later ones, and a pretty good one.

Stormswift opens in Afghanistan in the 1880s. Jemimah Lawley, the spoiled daughter of a British civil servant who was killed in the Kabul massacre in 1979, has spent the past couple of years in an isolated "kingdom", at first as the "wife" of the local pacha, then as the slave of the local doctor, a Greek/English man who has himself been a captive of the local Kafirs for decades. After her rape by the pacha, who then discarded her after she failed to provide him a child, she has adapted well to being the doctor's assistant, and she is no longer spoiled. But then she is sold to another local pacha -- this one with a reputation for extreme sadism. She decides to escape, and the doctor arranges for her to go in the company of a peddler, Kassim.

Kassim, it turns out, is not what he seems. He hates Jemimah, out of resentment for his obligation to rescue her. But in the end she saves his life -- and she learns that he is actually a British spy posing as an Afghan. And she hears his mysterious delirious reference to "Melanie ... Stormswift ... bitch-goddess".

Jemimah returns to England, only to find that an imposter claiming to be her has taken over her home. She ends up touring the countryside in a Punch and Judy show ... the beginning of a journey that will lead her -- by a series of coincidences (mostly in the end reasonably well explained, I should say) -- to meet once again Kassim, and to learn the secret of Stormswift -- and to learn who her true love is -- and to even help another long lost friend ...

It is certainly in many ways quite preposterous. But it is also great fun. There is no point complaining about the contrivances involved -- they are part of the deal, and "Brent" embraces them thoroughly rather than trying to make this any sort of naturalist novel. I will say that the end is a bit unsatisfying -- Jemimah is put in a wrenching personal situation (there are, perhaps unusually, two quite worthwhile candidates to be her true love) which ends up resolved very conveniently -- the whole finish is a bit abrupt, really. Still, fun work.

This is another well written, intelligent novel about a young woman's adventures. For anyone who enjoys Madeline Brent's novels, you might be interested to know that this is the pseudonym of Peter O'Donnell, who wrote the "Modesty Blaise" novels and, as far as I know, still creates the comic strip of the same name, published in England. Although the subject material is very different - spy adventure rather than romance, the writing style has the same high quality, intricate plotting, and unexpected turns of events.

Madeline Brent wrote too few books for her avid readers. I've managed to get my hands on a copy of each of her novels, and I read them over and over. I re-read her novels when I want to be sure I will enjoy myself thoroughly and become totally wrapped up in good writing. I have always enjoyed the plots which move from foreign worlds such as Tibet and China to England, and then back to the foreign country to fulfill the destiny of the heroine. I first read Merlin's Keep when I was twelve and have been hooked ever since. I just wish there were more great Madeline Brent books out there.

Stormswift, perhaps the most readily available of all Brent novels, is also the most controversial. Brent/O'donnell (whichever makes the reader most comfortable) selects two primary Love Interests and presents them almost too equally. Every tragic flaw, each redeeming character value is so well balanced that the reader never knows who young Mim will find herself with. The suspense is almost maddening.

I've known many fans of Lord Henry Boot (one friend went so far as to name her fish so) and also known many whom root for troubled Caspar. This equidivision of loyalties has sparked many a debate, many an anguished hollar at the last few chapters. Personally, I find this gives Brent the most three dimensional of characters, breathes life into the cold, craggy hills of Afghanistan, and leaves the reader experiencing true emotion.

Whether you're for the brooding Caspar (with a Heart of Gold) or if you wave the flag for fun loving Henry, this quirky, fast paced novel is sure to leave an impact. It's sure to delineate one of two reactions; a grin or a grumble. And I, luckily, found myself grinning at the end.

Unlike most bodice rippers the heroine is intellegent, resourceful and courageous. The story is well rounded and satisfying and makes for entertaining reading. All Ms. Brent's stories exhibit intelligence and depth.

I discovered a couple Madeleine Brent books on a Free Books rack in the local library entrance hall. That was a lucky day for me! I immediately had to get my mitts on every other of her titles and have done so almost completely. STORMSWIFT was one of the best. I have never encountered a dull moment in any of her books and the heroine is always charmingly pragmatic. You love her personality in the beginning and are amazed to find you love her even more by the end. This one is set in Afghanistan, Pakistan and England. Our heroine suffers, perseveres, and encounters all sorts of interesting characters along her long journeys. Novels in recent years seem to be too well tailored to certain market tastes. You can almost picture novelists sitting with a list of the MOST POPULAR PLOT DEVICES given to them by their publishers before they even start their own story outlines. But Brent simply and consistently tells a ripping good yarn with lots of adventure and heartfelt romanticism. And every one of her novels is set in a totally different part of the world with a totally different adventure each time. You always get the well earned happy ending even though this particular book gives you a bit of a bittersweet one compared to her others I read.

I never felt drawn to the romance/gothic romance genre until I encountered this gem (I like popular fiction primarily). Late 19th British middle-East dwelling heroine gets abducted to Afghanistan to be the bride of an infertile and brutal ruler. The gets-real-spunky-real-fast heroine's rescue/counter-rescue, escape and subsequent life under the shadow of a love-to-hate-her anti-heroine kept me on the edge of my seat. (If you can't buy it, look for it in the library--it's worth it even if you have abandoned the library habit.)

This was a gripping novel. The plot took many unexpected turns making it difficult to put the book down. Madeline Brent writes intrigueing fiction with out the "trash". I just wish her books were easier to find!

I have owned this book for many years and recently reread it. (I've been doing that a lot lately with books sitting on my shelf trying to remember why I had saved them and to see if I still want to keep them.)

This is a good story ... a little hard to believe all the coincidences later in the book to bring it to its end, but still an engaging read. The language is a bit stilted but as you read you get used to it and the word phrasing seems to reflect the way a person of that era might write and speak.

The book is set in Afghanistan and England during the late 1800s. I enjoy history and found the use of actual historical events and cultural elements from that time period to be well done and very interesting. I recently read that this book is a historical romance written by Peter O'Donnell under the pen name of Madeleine Brent. It is certainly not the typical torrid romance novel and I would not compare it to, or even call it, a romance novel of the type they put out today.

Jemimah Lawley a spoiled English heiress is forced to grow up quick when she is faced with the harsh reality of being abducted in 1879 Afghanistan and sold into slavery to a cruel desert Pacha. As his wife she will endure untold horrors before she is declared unfit to be the wife of the local Pacha due to her inability to conceive a child. Once discarded she is given to the tribal doctor Sandru to work along side him as his assistance. Out of utter desperation Jemimah will make a 500 mile dangerous journey across the Afghanistan desert to safety. This decision will start her on the long road back to civilization and the life she once knew. Just when she believes her ordeals are over she will find herself alone and friendless once back in England, penniless and doubting her own identity.

I loved this book because it was totally unpredictable. The 3 men that will be instrumental in getting Jemimah home safely and help her to reclaim her identity are not what they appear to be upon initial introduction, each of them could star in a book of their own. Who Jemimah ends up with in the end is questionable.... I would have chosen the other guy. There are no sex scenes in this book although it is implied in the telling of Jemimah experience as a captive and slave. The heart and soul of this book is the story about survival through unimaginable hardship and the resiliency of a courageous woman. How the author ties everything together at the end will have you rolling your eyes but just go with the flow, you might need a tissue or two. If you like HR with a spoonful of mystery/espionage and a strong independent h you will enjoy Stormswift.