Customer Reviews

The Stormy Petrel

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Well-described settings and realistic dialogues almost transport readers into a vacation complete with mystery and romance. Suitable for any age reader, this novel could breeze through a mind, freshening like the sea air itself. Mary Stewart was my first and still favorite novelist, beginning with the first edition of her first book, _Madam Will You Talk?_ which I have kept in my personal library. Most of my reading is of a scientific or utilitarian nature these days, but when I need renewal, a book like _The Stormy Petrel_ does it every time.

Mary Stewart, one of the finest romantic suspense novelists of all time, has written a novel without any romance or suspense. This whisper of a book contains the lovely scenic descriptions of her earlier novels but the "mystery" amounts to a break-in at an empty house and the "romance" amounts to a semester together at Cambridge in the fall. The heroine is an emotionless school-marm who is so stern and prim that she is bascially an 80-year-old masquerading as a "dish." After enjoying such great mysteries as The Moon-Spinners and This Rough Magic, I thought for sure that something was going to happen. But the only excitement was the occasional sighting of a petrel (a very shy bird). Whoa! It is clear that Miss Stewart, in her dotage, lost all interest in love and danger, and was captivated only by nature and wildlife. This is not a bad thing but she should have stopped writing ficton and become an author of travel books.

Dear Friends,
Ordinarily I do write my thoughts on a novel but the previous contributors have done so with such grace that I can only add one thing.
I am new to Mary Stewart despite fifty years of reading. How is that possible? I very much appreciated this tightly organized and the playful thoughts and conversations. I intend to read Stewart's earlier works.
As ever, Finn

I was delighted to discover new novels by Mary Stewart, who had long delighted me with her beautifully done mystery/romance novels. However, many of her books from the 1980s and '90s, while having the same wonderful flavor and verbiage, are weak on plot. I knew who the love interest would be far too long in advance, for example. And the "big mystery" turned out to be much ado about nothing. Might want to check it out of the library before purchasing a copy. Stewart's Thornyhold, however, was much better -- more like her old writings.

I think of this book as the beginning of the end of Mary Stewart's skill as a top-notch writer. There is nothing obviously wrong about this book, and it is an enjoyable read, but it does not have quite the skill, power and plotting of her earlier mystery suspense novels.

It's still an enjoyable read however, and a veritable masterpiece compared to the books she wrote after this one, proving once again that people ought to know when to retire gracefully.

I read this novel for the first time in spanish in the Reader's Digest Condense Books. Loved it so much I decided to read it in english too. IT makes you feel part of the novel.

First Sentence: I must begin with a coincidence which I would not dare to recount if this were a work of fiction.

Rose Fenemore is a Professor at Cambridge, and a published author of poetry and science fiction. Just as soon as she wished for an ivory tower, she sees one advertised for lease on a small island in the Hebrides--a perfect vacation spot for her and her brother. With the rise of a storm, she is awakened by hearing someone in the kitchen. Rather than it being her expected brother, it is a man claiming he grew up in the house. Another man arrives, clearly falsifying his identity, and Rose is in the middle of trying to find out who these men are and their attraction to the big house up the way.

It was fascinating reading this book, published in 1991, immediately after reading "The Ivy Tree" published in 1961. The 30 years difference was significant. The quality of writing was definitely still there. Her ability to create a scene and set you in it is wonderful. What was lacking was suspense--that feeling of impending threat--and romance. Oh yes, it's hinted at, but hint is all and in the future. I still enjoyed reading the book but it wasn't one of my favorites.