Nine Coaches Waiting Paperback – 31 May 2006

This is my first by Mary Stewart. A random pick. Loved the gothic romance, intriguing elements in the book. It's very well written and a favourite comfort read. The French setting, plot is quite riveting.

There is nothing special but entertaining enough. It is an easy reading book, especially on the rainy days. Linda is a brave young lady. I quite like her.

This book was one of the greatest surprises to me. The plot sounded interesting, and the blurb says that Mary Stewart is an English classic - yet I had never heard of her. I started reading and I couldn't stop. This book took several nights of sleep from me ;-)! The characters are extremely interesting, be it the villain, the villain's wife, the child, the love interest, the protagonist, other minor characters - everyone is interesting. It feels like they are real people, not cardboard stereotypes. The plotline has been created with perfection! It's so perfectly paced you really cannot stop reading. Nearing the end, the suspense was so unbearable I felt like I was going to implode. The writing style is beautiful, sometimes poetic, sometimes simple, yet always very pleasant to read. The setting mirrors the horrible events beautifully. This was really the best book I have read in 5 years, a very enjoyable and thrilling read. On top of the beauty, the suspense, the fascination, this is an intelligent book with many interesting thoughts.Personally, I can find no fault in this book, it's one of the best I've ever read. Mary Stewart has immediately become one of my favorite authors, and I know I'm going to read all of her books. It's been years since I've so thoroughly enjoyed reading a novel!

I read this book when I was 10 years old and still love it 50 years later. It is a testament to this author that even though written in 1958, with no cellphones or texting, this story stands the test of time. Mary Stewart is one of my favourite authors and I re-read her books every couple of years. Now, on to the next one... The Moon-Spinners or Madam, Will You Talk? ... difficult choice.

How wonderful it is to be so gripped by a book that you forsake all else to finish it. There is mastery on all fronts. The plot is intelligent, believable and twisty. The characters utterly convincing. The setting wonderfully described. “Gallant” Linda Martin, half French, half English, takes a job as governess to nine year old Philippe de Valmy, who is in the care of his crippled uncle Leon and elegant wife Heloise prior to becoming the Comte. Philippe and Linda have both lost parents to airplane crashes. Before long Linda suspects that two near miss accidents were in fact attempts on Philippe’s life. Her life is complicated by the fact that she falls head over heels in love with Raoul, Leon’s son by his first marriage. Unfortunately, she is forced to consider that Raoul may be part of the plot. Desperate to keep Philippe alive, she absconds with him and there follows a nail-biting flight to the safety of Villa Mireille, home to Hypolite, Leon’s archaeologist brother, who’s expected home from Greece.I can’t recall ever reading a book where the characters’ complicated thoughts and motives are so clearly delineated and this, as well as the Savoyard setting close to Geneva were the main fascination. Linda is a likeable hero: she’s conscious of her own Cinderella fantasising and wryly talks herself out of it, having a chin up, look to the future mentality combined with a clear ethical stance. The English forester William Blake who becomes a friend and helper is in no danger of becoming an alternate love interest. Since this book withstands the test of time, what will now follow is a Mary Stewart binge.

Non conoscevo Mary Stewart, ed è stata per me una gradevole sorpresa. Davvero non mi aspettavo di trovare un romanzo che costituisse un mix tra il gotico, il thriller, la storia d'amore