Bibliothek BHAK & BHAS Bludenz

Mary Stewart

This Rough Magic

Buchbesprechung von Hannes Pichler

Biography

Mary Stewart (Florence Elinor) was born on 17 September 1916 in the United Kingdom. She is a very well-known and popular author, whose novels have been bestsellers in many countries. Several of her books are set in Greece, a country she knows very well and loves a lot.

Other books by Mary Stewart:

• Madam, Will You Talk? (1955)
• Wildfire at Midnight (1956)
• Thunder on the Right (1957)
• Nine Coaches Waiting (1958)
• My Brother Michael (1959)
• The Ivy Tree (1961)
• The Moon-Spinners (1962)
• This Rough Magic (1964)
• Airs Above the Ground (1965)
• The Gabriel Hounds (1967)
• The Wind of the Small Islands (1968)
• The Crystal Cave (1970)
• The Little Broomstick (1971)
• The Hollow Hills (1973)
• Ludo and the Star Horse (1974)
• Touch Not the Cat (1976)
• The Last Enchantment (1979)
• A Walk in Wolf Wood (1980)
• The Merlin Trilogy (1980)
• The Wicked Day (1983)
• Thornyhold (1988)

The plot

This Rough Magic takes place on the Greek island of Corfu. It tells us the story of Lucy Waring, an out-of-work actress, who tries to get away from the stress she has. She is not interested in mysteries and secret journeys by boat at night – until people begin to be hurt. First she meets a rude young man, Max Gale, who seems to have something to hide, but he is not the only mystery person on the island. Then there is a death by a drowning; its victim is Spiro, Miranda’s brother. This death and that of Yanny Zoulas, another young Greek man, keep Inspector Papadopoulos busy until the end of the novel.

My opinion

I think This Rough Magic is very interesting and exciting. I was happy reading it because it is not too long and it is not very difficult to understand. Mary Stewart describes the beautiful nature of the Greek island of Corfu with much detail, thus making it accessible. I would recommend the novel This Rough Magic to everybody.