The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart

[Penfeather]

I've just finished this book and will add my review to yours, Penfeather. It was an interesting story, but somehow I didn't feel like the author spoke to me. I keep thinking that Mary Stewart must be somewhat arrogant. She evidently loves language and wants to show off her knowledge of it, but has no consideration for the reader who may not be able to follow along. Perhaps she should have become a poet instead of a storyteller, as I think she's surely lacking in skills in the latter department. She has good ideas and a well formed storyline, but she puts no effort in drawing her readers into the story by using straightforward and compelling language. Can you imagine Mary Stewart sitting at a campfire and keeping her audience enthralled by telling riveting stories?
Neither can I.

I suppose in this particular book she was handicapped also by her plan that the reader should not know the heroine's own identity: is she the true claimant or is she an impostor? Therefore we never learn what the heroine thinks: we can deduce from her actions and her words, but we're not sure she's not lying either. So there's not much to make the reader like our heroine. In fact, most of the people weren't very likeable, although I loved Donald....

So it's funny to see how for you, Penfeather, (whose language skills far surpass the average reader's, I've no doubt) this book won points for its "elegant, pitch-perfect prose", and for me this prose was the thing that let me down.

Back to the story. It's been done before, of course, lots of times. Even the book's conspirators refer to the Tichborne case, the prisoner of Zenda and Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar. It's a great plot, an instant winner I should say. Nonetheless, I found myself bored quite often. Several scenes were drawn out to the limit. Conversations went on forever, and even the descriptions of surroundings, nature and such, took double the sentences they should have taken, in my opinion, of course.

My final criticism is directed at the legal issues concerning the grandfather's Will. It was discussed a lot, but in the end I think the author either messed up a bit or failed to clarify a few things.

My verdict: a 6 out of 10

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the book. I suppose that's why they make cars in so many models and colors!

I don't find Mary Stewart's prose hard to follow at all; can you give me a couple of examples of passages where she is in danger of leaving the reader behind?

This brings up an interesting, if inexhaustible, subject. Namely, what the reader brings to a book. I admit that I think of reading a book as a collaboration between reader and author; we both must bring something to the experience. Where does one draw the line? How does an author gauge the limitations of the "average reader"? It is also possible that reading levels have changed (for the worse) since Mary Stewart wrote her books.

In many gothics, especially those written by Stewart and Holt, there are references to things like classical mythology, literature, poetry, history . . . things which require a certain amount of education on the part of the reader. The author assumes that she addresses an audience with a certain amount of reading background. Perhaps nowadays this is a dangerous presumption. I know that in today's marketplace, in which books are constantly competing with any number of forms of instant gratification, publishers are wary of challenging the reader with any word, phrase, or concept with which he may be unfamiliar. If today's "distracted" reader encounters a word or turn of phrase he doesn't understand, he has -- at any time and place -- his iPad, iPhone, iPod, iWhatever, to turn to (not to look up the word or phrase, but to provide him with less challenging entertainment).

I don't mean this is you. Your own writing level is far above average. But if you really found Stewart's prose impenetrable, her tone arrogant, her storytelling faulty, I can't argue with that. That's your personal reaction, and simply a matter of taste and opinion. I do admit that I value style in an author more than most readers seem to, and can forgive certain mechanical flaws if I am seduced by the sensuous verbal surface.

As for not being able to imagine Mary Stewart telling stories around a campfire, I can't imagine James Joyce doing that either (although maybe here I'm defeating my own argument -- bad example!). I guess what I mean is that I did find The Ivy Tree straightforward, and I do find Mary Stewart to be a good storyteller. Sure, her prose is elegant, but I don't think it's affected or "purple."

At any rate, I hope you won't completely give up on Stewart. Have you read any other books written by her? Nine Coaches Waiting is very popular still, and you might find that it redeems her to you.

Happy reading!