The title of Mary Stewart's Madam, Will You Talk? comes from a folk song:
Her first novel was born, it is said, from the pain of being unable to have a child:
"I wanted four children. I even had the names chosen. However, there it is. I don't suppose I would have written books if I'd had them," she once said, a memorable admission from an intensely private woman.
Out of her personal heartbreak came our pleasure. Madam,Will You Talk?, telling the adventures of Charity Selbourne, was published in 1954.
And adventure is, basically what a Mary Stewart is all about. Action and suspense are guaranteed in any Mary Stewart and Madam, Will You Talk? is no exception:
... the intensity of the suspense, ... a young war widow who, while on vacation in Provence, stumbles upon a kidnapping and a murder plot. Madam also features two incredible car chases through the French countryside – the heroine learned to drive race cars from her husband – that were incredibly exciting and suspenseful.
Mary Stewart’s story starts out in Avignon and even includes its famous bridge as a setting of one scene. The heroine arrives in the medieval city at the best hotel
The Château d'If, small gothic revival house ordered by Alexandre Dumas in the gardens of "Monte Cristo" castle. He wrote here. Le Port-Marly, Yvelines, France.
Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons
A must-have if you're France bound. Pages such as Mary Stewart’s Marseille and Photo gallery: Madam, Will You Talk? will be handy should you decide to undertake a Madam, Will You Talk? yatra.
Relatively unknown today, Mary Stewart still finds avid fans. An added bonus in the novel are some tasty descriptions of French cuisine, based upon which a blogger has created a recipe:
Relatively unknown today, Mary Stewart still finds avid fans. An added bonus in the novel are some tasty descriptions of French cuisine, based upon which a blogger has created a recipe:
The dinner I had dreamed up proved to be every bit as good as the dream. We began with iced melon, which was followed by the famous brandade truffee, a delicious concoction of fish cooked with truffles. We could quite contentedly have stopped there, but the next course - small bird like a quail, simmered in wine and served on a bed of green grapes - would have tempted an anchorite to break his penance. Then crêpes Suzette, and, finally, coffee and Armagnac.
Crêpes Suzette. Madam, Will You Talk?
 |
| Mark Mitchell - Flickr: Lemon Blueberry Crepes, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32144988 |
It’s not just history that tantalizes the reader: in the first four pages, there are references to Alice in Wonderland, Shakespeare, Caesar’s Gallic Wars, Kipling, Norse epics, and the famous Chinese painter Ma Yuan. None of this is thrust in as awkward wodges.
Mary Stewart was a favourite when I was young. Her "anti-namby-pamby" reaction rang the bell for much needed change from the mush that was then the staple diet for women.
A Mary Stewart is generally set in an exotic location. The Alps figure high. As do Damascus, the Greek islands, Spain, France and Austria. Stewart’s ladies travel far from home, get embroiled in dangerous missions and are rewarded with such dour hunks as would set any maiden’s heart afire.
What would it be like to read a Mary Stewart today? By all accounts, women still enjoy her novels. At my local library, copies of her book are in circulation.
There are many reasons to enjoy a Mary Stewart and you can even find out which one you'd most enjoy.
I'll safely bet that a set or even just any one of her books will make a fine gift for any lady around the world. Indeed, I'll bet a non-lady would lap it up too. And it would be wonderful for a traveler, a convalescent trapped in bed and so on! Something to curl up cosily and relish.
No comments:
Post a Comment