The Perfect Book. Period. | Nine Coaches Waiting

Angieville: NINE COACHES WAITING | Nine Coaches Waiting | Mary Stewart

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	• Nine Coaches Waiting Mary Stewart Chicago Review Press, 2006 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 41 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beautiful writing

On the back cover of the book, the publisher categorizes it as "Romance/Suspense/Literature"; after reading it I have to agree it is indeed all three, and that Mary Stewart has melded all of these together in a way that few writers can.

This is romance in the "old style", which is the way I like best; no graphic sex scenes, in fact no graphic details at all. And yet Stewart manages to conjure all the emotions that come with falling in love. Every time Raoul appeared my heart started racing! No modern writer can top that, no matter how titillating they try to be.

And thanks to Mary Stewart's remarkable use of language, this book is "literature" as well. Her style of writing is so evocative and lyrical that it is almost poetic. Her characters' manner of speaking is slightly dated, but is still remarkably readable, especially considering that this book was written over 50 years ago.

The "suspense" is the weakest element of this book, which is why I am giving it 4 stars rather than 5. The identity and motive of the culprits are obvious right from the start, the plot is unoriginal, and there are no surprises along the way. Stewart includes many small elements and issues that could have been developed further to make the plot more intriguing and engrossing, and indeed, in every case I was led to believe they were going to become significant parts of the story. But Stewart just leaves them and moves on without ever mentioning them again, which made me wonder why she even included these little tidbits at all? Although Stewart does try to throw out a red herring about 3/4 of the way through and get the reader off on a different track, it is weak and not very convincing. The plot and outcome are just as the reader predicted by the end of chapter 2 or 3.

Nevertheless, Stewart does create some gripping passages that will keep you turning the pages and unable to put the book down. Linda's flight with Philippe was one of the best parts of the book, and Stewart managed to sustain the suspense and tension not just for a paragraph or a page, but for several chapters.

All in all this is a very enjoyable read. A sympathetic heroine in an exotic and romantic locale, with a handsome heartthrob and a smidgeon of suspense thrown in -- what's not to like?! I look forward to reading more of Mary Stewart's work. Probably not her Merlin books, since I'm not into Arthurian stuff, but I will definitely give more of her romantic suspense works a try.

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The Perfect Book. Period.

I am an English teacher and avid reader. I love Mary Stewart's romantic novels and this is the best one. Moody French setting, charm of a big country house and money, the rakish dark handsome man that the heroine falls helplessly in love with and then he has to convince her that yes, it is her that he loves. The love story is paramount over the mystery, which is what I prefer. When I embark on a re-read of this book, I cannot. put. it. down. I love 'Nine Coaches Waiting.'

Angieville: NINE COACHES WAITING

I guess mysteries have always been a part of my life. Ever since my mom handed me that first Nancy Drew--The Hidden Staircase--that thirst for the clues, the search, the not knowing has stuck with me. That, combined with the fact that they are very nostalgic for me, and you get to read about a lot of them. Mary Stewart is my very favorite when it comes to romantic suspense and her many mysteries are serial re-reads for me. In the best of times and the worst of times, she comes through with an unrivaled spirit of adventure, panache, and wanderlust. I will forever have my mom to thank for finding her first Mary Stewart in a small town library when she was in high school, painstakingly collecting lovely used copies over the years, and reading them over and over again so that one day I would grow up and want to do the same. If you ask my mom which one is her favorite she'll probably tell you Airs Above the Ground. It takes place in her beloved Austrian Alps and features a dangerous fire, a missing husband, and a legendary horse. It's definitely the one I saw her re-reading most often. If you ask me, I get "that look" on my face and dither around about the virtues of this one and that one. Which is exactly what I did trying to decide which one to post on today. I ended up with NINE COACHES WAITING because it may be the most potent combination of every element I love about Ms. Stewart's novels. It's certainly one of the ones I re-read most often.

Belinda Martin (Linda for short--or for pretty, as her mother used to say) lands in Paris on a cold, gray, and rainy day. She is on her way to her brand new post as a governess to the young Count Philippe de Valmy. Having lost both his parents in a tragic accident, the nine-year-old little boy lives with his aunt and uncle in the vast and ornate Château Valmy in the French countryside. Léon de Valmy, Philippe's uncle, runs the estate on behalf of his underage nephew until he comes of age and arranged for a proper English governess for his charge. When Linda arrives at the imposing manor, she is at once enchanted by its beauty and history, but is also immediately struck by the sense of menace and doom surrounding the land and its inhabitants. Léon is a charismatic force of nature and quite charming with it, and when Linda meets his reckless and rakishly handsome son Raoul, she understands a bit more about the Valmy heritage and what makes this family tick. As she becomes closer to Philippe and Raoul, Linda draws ever nearer to putting her finger on the source of the threat. But the layers of danger and darkness run deeper than any of them guessed and she may not be able to trust those she wants to, no matter how innocent or attractive they may seem. Soon it is up to the shy young governess to beat the clock in order to save Philippe's life as well as her own.

This is the kind of heady, romantic, foreboding tale that wraps you up in its elegant wings and carries you off for parts unknown. Linda is immediately sympathetic, with her loneliness wrapped around her like a threadbare cloak, her fierce protectiveness of Philippe, and the way she verbally spars with Léon de Valmy and manages to emerge unscathed. She is what this darkly glorious place needs and there are wonderful little touches here and there of the Jane Eyre and Rebecca about this novel. And the entire story winds on in that delicious vein. The exquisite suspense lingers to the very last and the relationships between the characters are real, romantic, and wholly delightful. Every time I read it I fall in love all over again with lovely Linda, dangerous Raoul, adorable Philippe, and beautiful, haunting Valmy. And I get chills at the same parts every time single time. NINE COACHES WAITING showcases a master storyteller at her very best. Highly recommended.

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Here's one for Masterpiece Theater!!!

This would be a wonderful three part-er for Masterpiece Theater, eh? The reason i think so is because the descriptions are so delightful. The reader does not skip ahead to "get on with the story". How lucky you are if you have not yet read this book.

The Best Romantic Mystery Ever Written

This is The Book for me. If you only read one romantic mystery your whole life -- skip Jane Eyre and Rebecca -- read this one! From the first pages where the lonely but determined young woman (with the wry sense of self-deprecating humor) grabs your heart to the final pages where the young man "who was raised in a house that was not for children" chases her down (literally), it is as fine a work of literature as you will ever read. Mary Stewart comes out of the old days of classical liberal arts education, where poetry was essential and Shakespeare mattered. Her writing reflects this -- with an artist's' eye for detail and a hiker's love of nature and topography. As "Linda" arrives in 1950's France, so do we. Ah, l'amour!

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A governess in a French château encounters an apparent plot against her young charge's life in this unforgettably haunting and beautifully written suspense novel. When lovely Linda Martin first arrives at Château Valmy as an English governess to the nine-year-old Count Philippe de Valmy, the opulence and history surrounding her seems like a wondrous, ecstatic dream. But a palpable terror is crouching in the shadows. Philippe's uncle, Leon de Valmy, is the epitome of charm, yet dynamic and arrogant?his paralysis little hindrance as he moves noiselessly in his wheelchair from room to room. Only his son Raoul, a handsome, sardonic man who drives himself and his car with equally reckless abandon, seems able to stand up to him. To Linda, Raoul is an enigma?though irresistibly attracted to him, she senses some dark twist in his nature. When an accident deep in the woods nearly kills Linda's innocent charge, she begins to wonder if someone has deadly plans for the young count.

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