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The Stormy Petrel
The Stormy Petrel
Author: Mary Stewart
Rose Fenemore is taking a break from her Cambridge teaching post in an isolated cottage on the island of Moila. One evening, she is shocked to discover an attractive stranger, Ewen Mackay, in her kitchen, who claims to have grown up in the cottage. She is tempted to believe him, when another man seeks shelter from the storm. John Parsons also ro...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780688110352
ISBN-10: 0688110355
Publication Date: 9/1991
Pages: 189
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 9

3.3 stars, based on 9 ratings
Publisher: William Morrow Co
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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reviewed The Stormy Petrel on + 61 more book reviews
Mary Stewart was my favorite mystery/romance writer in my teens. This is a fairly straightforward and quick to read mystery. I enjoyed the descriptions of the rocky Atlantic coast. There are mentions of birds and other wildlife, too.
reviewed The Stormy Petrel on + 54 more book reviews
Very picturesque descriptions of the Highlands. Not as suspenseful as other books by Mary Stewart, but ok for a light read.
emeraldfire avatar reviewed The Stormy Petrel on
When Rose Fenemore travels to the island of Moila off the west coast of Scotland, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday with her brother Crispin in a paradise filled with seabirds and wild flowers. Remote and lonely, the secluded island seems to Rose to be the perfect place to relax and get away from it all. In fact, the isolated cottage she has rented - advertised as an "ivory tower" - promises to be the ideal retreat where Rose can finish writing her novel, and Crispin can commune with nature - walking, fishing and indulging in his passion for photography.

However, things don't turn out quite so idyllically. Her brother's arrival is delayed, and the island's peace is shattered by the arrival of two men, seeking shelter during a violent summer storm. Each man tells a remarkably different story - conflicting narratives that draw Rose into a web of menace and suspicion.

Rose's discovery of the stormy petrels - the fragile, elusive seabirds that nest ashore but spend the majority of their lives flying just above the waves - comes to symbolize for Rose her confusion about Ewen Mackay, the man known as the island's prodigal son, as well as the man who calls himself John Parsons - someone whose account of himself Rose has every reason to distrust.

I enjoyed reading this book - it was certainly interesting and a remarkably quick read for me. However, I must say that I didn't really find the plot all that suspenseful - at least not as suspenseful as some of Ms. Stewart's other work that I've read. Although I wouldn't say that this book is Ms. Stewart's absolute best - compared to some of her other books that I've read in the past - it still was quite good. I would give The Stormy Petrel by Mary Stewart an A!
reviewed The Stormy Petrel on + 2 more book reviews
This was a good book, I enjoyed the author's style and character development.
reviewed The Stormy Petrel on + 60 more book reviews
Good rainy day reading!
dpecoul avatar reviewed The Stormy Petrel on + 21 more book reviews
A short read, but delightful for a stormy night's entertainment. The book is quite old, but very readable.


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