review ´ E-book, or Kindle E-pub Ó Anya Seton
Tation from the upstate New York estate of her distant relative the intriguing Nicholas Van Ryn Her passion is kindled by the icy fire of Nicholas the last of the Van Ryns and the luxury of Dragonwyck and a way of life of which she has only dreamed Dressed in satin and lace she becomes part of Dragonwyck with its Gothic towers flowering gardens acres of tenant farms and dark terrible secrets This compelling novel paints a marvelous portrait. 199 on Kindle TODAY 1 NOVEMBER 2019I plucked this off my mother's shelf in oh let's say 1973 ish before reading Green Darkness anyway She uirked an eyebrow at the choice but as was her habit made no demur to the borrowing I'd had some well sulphrous things to say about Taylor Caldwell The term snoozer biddy might have been bandied about However much I was unimpressed by later forays into these 40s icons of sudsy historical loosely fiction I was captivated by this readMiranda the Plucky Lass is very clear sighted look at the name no one said Ma Seton was subtle which makes her a lovely change to the dimwitted slow moving Johanna in the eyes of her husband Nicholas the cold and calculating Master of Dragonwyck The absolutely bog standard plot of Wicked Man does Bad Things to get his filthy lustful paws on Innocent Maiden succeeds but not for long and Kind Decent Man whose presence isn't subtly heralded let me just say Rrrescues Herrr from A Fate Worse Than DEATH Being married to a Bad Man is worse than death sighI lapped it up Seton's strength as a writer is the facility with which she wraps her ordinary stories in well chosen words and richly textured imagery Would I love it again forty five years on Probably not anywhere near as muchbut I'd give it a go which is a lot than I'd do for most stuff I read in 1973 ish
Anya Seton Ó 9 Summary
DragonwyckFirst published in Dragonwyck was a national bestseller that was made into a major motion picture starring Gene Tierney and Vincent Price in A classic gothic romance the story features an year old Miranda Wells who falls under the spell of a mysterious old mansion and its eually fascinating master Tired of churning butter weeding the garden patch and receiving the dull young farmers who seek her hand in marriage Miranda is excited by an invi. This Semi Gothic book set in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York during the 1840's is a combination Cinderella and Jane Eyre a poor girl reaching for the brass ring somehow grasping it in her hand and a mysterious frightening master married yet she falls madly in love transported from Europe to America by a clever writer Anya Seton Our story begins as all good fairy tales do a pretty young woman girl than the former through a distant connection a cousin she has never met is invited to live for a while as an unofficial governess to the illustrious Nicolas Van Ryn's daughter Katrine age six MrVan Ryn dominates the novel his so evil nature brings life to an ordinary yarn the delicious well described man now the term anti hero gives him the proper alias the book is fun when he is on the page so smooth elegant he drips wickedness but always remains the suave gentleman we love to hate nevertheless his wife is the obese lady Johanna she loves to eat The grand estate Dragonwyck is two hundred years old the ancient Dutch family owns a large section of the valley and Mr Van Ryn rules like a medieval prince not a charming prince The Patroon his tenant farmers are resentful this a republic after all Miranda Wells at 18 still has plenty of growing up though the family potato famers barely surviving yet they will never starve unlike city folks Miranda is dominated by her hard working mother with five other children Abigail the father Ephrain mostly ignores the daughter she neglects the chores daydreaming reading novels that transport the girl to exciting adventures not this dull land of Connecticut Arriving finally she inevitably and immediately is enad by the handsome aristocratic Mr Van Ryn a longing impossible she knows but cannot stop from thinking about day or night and this new existence seeing the rich and famous meeting great writers politicians including a former president and wealthy businessmen Feeling uncomfortable is she a relative of the aristocrats or just a poor servant Being a certain kind of genre spirits inhabit the palatial manor but only in one room voices and images seen Naturally murders revenge accidents passions flow hate revolts and even for furher excitement a couple of riverboat races engulf the narrative This may not be taken uite seriously still a fascinating I know an overused word but what else fits here look at a never never land we wished was real For anyone with a smile on their face I am searching for a mirror