The Stormy Petrel [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

Rose Fenemore is taking a break from her Cambridge teaching post in an isolated cottage on the island of Moila. One evening, she is shocked to discover an attractive stranger, Ewen Mackay, in her kitchen, who claims to have grown up in the cottage. She is tempted to believe him, when another man seeks shelter from the storm. John Parsons also rouses Rose's skepticism...and more tender feelings as well. And as the truth about the two men unfolds, the stormy petrels, fragile elusive birds who fly close to the waves, come to symbolize Rose's confusion and the mystery of her future....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A professor vacationing in the Hebrides is discomfited by two unexpected guests in this charming tale.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

By the English author of Thornyhold (1988), etc., more atmospheric romance, but here in a slight, mere wisp of a novel set in Scotland's Western Islands. The scenery, however, is grand. Rose Fenemore is a tutor of English at one of the Cambridge colleges; she also writes poetry and now needs an ``ivory tower'' retreat. Brother Crispin promises to join her for a holiday on the Scottish island of Moila but is delayed. Alone in her cottage, Rose is at first terrified, then angry and puzzled, by the night arrivals--separately--of two men. Both are strangers to her. Ewen Mackay, who lets himself in with a key, claims that the cottage was his childhood home and hints that he was the love-child of the now- deceased Colonel Hamilton, owner of the nearby ``Big House.'' But the man who calls himself John Parsons turns out to be the Hamilton heir. There are curious break-ins at the Hamilton house, and odd movements of Ewen's boat, the Stormy Petrel. As Rose puzzles, and enjoys the scenic wonders of the island, others arrive--including two of her students; Crispin; a Mr. Bagshaw (ex-con and developer!); and, at the finale, two policemen. Before the crowd thins, the island is saved from development, and a romantic interest is hinted. But all this is a mere puff beside the cries of birds, boom of sea, and ancient artifacts. For Stewart's many followers, a pleasant armchair holiday in a wild and lovely landscape. (Literary Guild Dual Selection for Fall) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449220850
• ISBN-13: 978-0449220856
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,581,777 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

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stewart Goes Environmental, June 14, 2002

By 

Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Stormy Petrel (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are expecting the usual holiday-impulsive heroine of one of Ms Stewart's earlier tales to star in this short novel, you will not find her here. Rose Fenmore, professor of English Literature at Cambridge is like Ms. Stewart herself, a poet and a spinner of fantasy--for Rose in the form of Science Fiction novels under a nom de plume. Stewart does a more than adequate job of portraying Rose's inner calmness in her choice of vacation, her penchant for wordplay and in the merging of the two: her gift for describing the tableau she sees before her with such detail, the reader can actually feel the breeze move strands of hair, hear the slightest stirrings of the night birds and sense the awe in which all characters become eventually humbled by nature's majesty.

Rather than create a story of treachery as she has in the past,in the "Stormy Petrel", Stewart weaves a simple story which acts as a vehicle for her true love and the story's ultimate theme of preservation of nature's natural beauty. With every quiet word, her love of Scotland and its lovely vistas are pronounced loudly and clearly. Her description of her own writing process as outlined poetically while Rose attempts to inch her scifi plot foward is a magnificent insight into Ms Stewart's own love of her craft. I believe, the impact of the story's "mystery" and "romance" disregarded by the other reviewers, is all there---only it is as subtle and perfect as a bird's song and quite as easy to overlook when compared to the gun-in-the-back terror readers of Ms. Stewart (and her current crop of wannabees)have come to expect.

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by Isla Blair. She does a wonderful job of conveying Rose's inner quietude and does justice to Stewart's lyrical descriptions of Rose's most monumental moments on the isolated island in the Scottish Hebrides: the evenings of seals' song and the nocturnal flight of the stormy petrel.

This is recommended to anyone who has a love of nature, of beautiful language and who promises to regard the story and its soft cadences as a wise and truly loving tribute to nature.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars --A Scottish Island filled with foggy atmosphere--, October 28, 2003

By 

Judith Miller (Bluemont, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Stormy Petrel (Mass Market Paperback)

THE STORMY PETREL takes place on the Scottish Island of Moila. Rose Fenemore who is an English professor rents a cottage on the remote island for a two-week vacation. During her first stormy night there, a man (Ewen Mackay) enters the cottage with a key, and seems surprised to see Rose. He tells her that the house was his boyhood home. Shortly after that, another man (John Parsons) shows up at the door and says that he is lost and seeking shelter from the rain. The men don't seem to know one another and although Rose is annoyed, she agrees to let both men wait out the storm. The triangle of the three people, and who they are is the focus of the story that is mostly mystery with a touch of romance.

My favorite parts of the book were the descriptive passages about the gorgeous scenery and various types of sea birds. I was unfamiliar with a Petrel, but since they played a part in the story, I looked them up and found a picture of a delightful and very interesting bird.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ivory Towers are hard to find, November 10, 2004

By 

TinTinKyrano "stoicflair" (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stormy Petrel (Paperback)

This book was more suspense and I liked it that way, yes there are two possible suiters for Prof Rose Fenemore, but what kept this read going was the how the whole island mystery would work out for all the characters. Fenemore may be a don, but I liked her inner quips about herself and that the idea of bird watching with her brother would actually be considered an enjoyable vacation.

A quick and enjoyable read on a gloomy day, midges not required.