Customer Reviews

Wind Off the Small Isles

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

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This "book" was originally written as a magazine short story. I have the original article which I tore from the magazine. That is why it is not complete as a book--- it was never intended to be one. If you read it with this in mind, it is perfectly complete and satisfying.

this is a great book with so much detail in it. I love all of the Mary Stewart books. This is one of the best!

This little book is classic Mary Stewart, just shorter. As other reviewers have noted, this book seems like it might have been written quickly, or to fulfill a contract. Or perhaps Mrs. Stewart was unable to finish out the story in her usual way due to illness or something. If you enjoy Mary Stewart novels, you will like "Wind Off the Small Isles" too, you'll just wish it was longer. When I finished the book I found myself wishing that all wonderful novelists were immortal, so they could go on writing good books forever.

I would consider this a short story rather than a novel It has the exotic local, great dialog, and wonderful descriptions as her other books but there is just not enough of it! I was left wanting, as was probably the case with the publishers, so I can understand why it didn't get released to the U.S.A.
I am glad I bought it for my collection, but not worth high prices some are asking for.
Definitely not for the first time reader as it is not Mary Stewart at her finest!