When Lucy’s sister Phyllida suggests that she join her for a quiet holiday on the island of Corfu, Lucy is overjoyed. Her work as an actress has temporarily come to a halt. But the peaceful idyll does not last long. A series of incidents, seemingly unconnected – but all surrounded in mystery – throws Lucy’s life into a dangerous spin, as fear, danger and death – as well as romance – supplant the … the former tranquillity.
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Mary Stewart is my all-time favorite. Her books are literary, well-written, suspenseful, and romantic. This novel, set on beautiful Corfu, makes continual reference to Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST (As does the title), and those literary touches are satisfying, but even if you haven’t read Shakespeare’s play you will still enjoy the rich descriptions of setting, the plucky heroine, the mysterious man in the big old secluded estate, and the dark and handsome love interest. Oh, and there’s a friendly dolphin. 🙂
5 Stars A lovable main character who gets into scrapes & wins everyone’s heart, especially the hero. Set in exotic Greece.
My favorite of Mary Stewart’s romantic suspense novels (and that’s saying something!)
I first found this at my grandmothers as a kid, and it holds up as pretty much any Mary Stewart book does. She was the master of romantic suspense. My four star rating may be partly due to nostalgia.
This one takes place on Corfu in the mid 50s, and the story and the location are immersed in Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It’s as much an introduction to the island as it is a mystery/suspense. This book and My Family and Other Animals give a such a beautiful glimpse of what sounds like a gorgeous island.
PLOT:
The veddy British Lucy is visiting her sister on Corfu to relax from a failed season in London as an actress. Swimming on the beach she’s enchanted by a dolphin that plays in the bay. She’s shocked when someone tries to shoot at the dolphin and jumps in the water to drive it away. In fury, she races to confront the person she thought was taking shots at it.
From there the book pulls in two male interests, a damaged Shakespearian actor of epic proportions a la Olivier or Gielgud, more of the dolphin, and the death of a Corfiote that sets the suspense in motion.
I just finished listening to the audio which was well done overall, but the narrator was a little too breathy which made Lucy sound a little weaker than she is.
Except for one very, very stupid damsel in distress decision that Stewart has Lucy do for an exciting plot point, she’s a pretty cool heroine with a nice head in her shoulders. There is romance and for the time their clinches were steamy, but more steamy in intent rather than anything explicit on the page.
There is an awesome rescue by a unforeseen, almost magical hero, and I use the term hero as in rescuer rather than love interest. I don’t want to spoil it if anyone decides to read it as it’s a nice whimsical touch in a well done book.
It would be worth it to have daughters so I could pass them this book and just say, “Trust me.”
Mary Stewart is a favorite of mine. Truly astounding author.
This Rough Magic is set in Corfu with an incredible cast of characters. As you meet each one, you quickly find yourself liking or disliking them. There are many surprising twists and turns on this journey as the mystery unfolds. The plot line is both entertaining and addictive. Although I had read this story years ago, I still found myself having difficulty putting the book down.
Grab a glass of wine or cup of coffee and get cozy while you explore the wonders of Greece and it’s people, while journeying along with the main character as she learns who she can trust and who she can’t.