Wind Off the Small Isles [Hardcover]

Mary Stewart (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; First Edition edition (October 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340042923
• ISBN-13: 978-0340042922
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,508 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

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Rose in this Author's Vibrant Bouquet, December 4, 2001

By 

Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wind Off the Small Isles (Hardcover)

While this book was never published in the United States, it is well worth the search. At a mere 96 pages, it cannot be pigeon-holed as a novel of romantic suspense as Ms Stewart's other works. There is no grand mystery---no one tottering between life and death. However it contains all the other elements of the Mary Stewart novel in all its three-dimensional glory: a lovely Englishwoman, an exotic locale,and the quintessential hero, reeking of intrepid British charm. Here 23-year-old Perdita West is assistant to older whimisical Cora Gresham,a children's author. Research for a new book brings them both to Lanzarote, a volcanic island in the Canary archipelago where legend has it that two young lovers eloped during a night when the wind off the north cape brought with it the gas and ash from a volcanic eruption. The fabled couple was never seen again. Perdita is entranced with the story, particularly as she is attracted to Cora's son, Michael. As Perdita and Michael explore their mutual affection, their ultimate adventure parallels that of the legendary lovers and Perdita discovers that it matters naught whether love lasts forever or just for a matter of seconds. As in her other novels, Ms Stewart's descriptive gifts sparkle as they bring to life the paradise of Lanzarote with prose that is almost poetic in its cadence. If one was to consider Ms Stewart's other works as a lush and textured bouquet consisting of large jungle blossoms, this slim volume would be likened to one perfect rose. Look for it!

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of her best, June 25, 2002

By 

D. Cusick "scalloway" (Fleming Island, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wind Off the Small Isles (Hardcover)

I looked for a copy of this book for 30 years! It finally took the internet to find it for me, from a bookstore in Wales, and I am grateful for that. I'm glad to have it because I love Mary Stewart and wanted a copy for my Stewart Collection, but it does not live up to her full-length novels.

The setting is exotic and fascinating, but there are just not enough pages here to fully develop the heroine, the hero, or any of their motivation for why they do some of the things they do. I wish Stewart had taken the time to flesh this out into a full-fledged novel. At twice the number of pages, with all the additional detail that entails, it probably would have been a fantastic book. But at a scant 96 pages it is only an echo of Stewart's far better books, of which there are many.

If you are a rabid Stewart fan I would certainly recommend this one to round out your collection, but if you are new to Stewart this is not the book I would start with. Try some of her earlier wonderful books set in Greece, France and the UK.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really interesting novella, October 1, 2007

By 

LisaMC "Lover of Books" (East Central IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wind Off the Small Isles (Hardcover)

I finally got a copy of this book from Australia, of all places, and was glad to complete my collection of Mary Stewart books. I fell hard for her when I read The Crystal Cave at the age of 14, when it first came out, and was overjoyed when she wrote The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment. I credit her with the beginnings of my long term interest in the character of Merlin.

Anyway, I had read one of her suspense novels around the time of the Crystal Cave, and liked it pretty well. This past year or so, I have collected hardback copies of all her novels and have read them in order. It was interesting to read her progressing towards what I consider her major, master, work, The Merlin Trilogy.

Wind Off the Small Isles was published just before Crystal Cave, and, on reading it, I wonder if she wrote it to fulfill a contractual obligation for one more book, before she could let go and write what she wanted. This might explain why it is a novella, instead of a fully fledged novel, which it could easily have been. Even so, it is still great writing. She manages to condense the story into 96 pages, with her trademark beautiful prose and incisive characterizations. And the ending, which I won't give away, was quite chilling. Stewart is a master at creating atmosphere, and this little novel does not disappoint.

I gave it four stars instead of five because I truly wish she had fleshed it out to full length. But it is still worth reading as is. I wouldn't make it my first novel of hers to read, but it should be in there somewhere. I wonder why it has never been published in the US. A pity, because it is worth the effort to get it, even at such an abbreviated length.