Start reading The Ivy Tree on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
The Ivy Tree
 
 
Share your own customer images

The Ivy Tree [Kindle Edition]

Mary Stewart (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews) |
Print List Price: £6.99
Kindle Price: £4.49 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £2.50 (36%)
Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.
This price was set by the publisher

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £4.49   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £5.24   -- --
Audio, Cassette, Audiobook --   -- --
Unknown Binding --   -- --

Product Description

Review

'The Ivy Tree has the ideal thriller blend of plot, suspense, character drawing and good writing' (Daily Express )

'Mary Stewart harvests a rewarding field. Her credible heroines get caught up in credible adventures; her place is deceptively gentle; her atmosphere perfect' (Evening Standard )

'She set the bench mark for pace, suspense and romance - with a great dollop of escapism as the icing' (Elizabeth Buchan )

'A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors.' (Harriet Evans )

Review

'The Ivy Tree has the ideal thriller blend of plot, suspense, character drawing and good writing' -- Daily Express 'Mary Stewart harvests a rewarding field. Her credible heroines get caught up in credible adventures; her place is deceptively gentle; her atmosphere perfect' -- Evening Standard 'She set the bench mark for pace, suspense and romance - with a great dollop of escapism as the icing' -- Elizabeth Buchan 'A comfortable chair and a Mary Stewart: total heaven. I'd rather read her than most other authors.' -- Harriet Evans
See all Product Description

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 526 KB
  • Print Length: 404 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0380820749
  • Publisher: Hodder (28 April 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B004VF62A2
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #11,731 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    •  Would you like to give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Mary Stewart
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Mary Stewart Page

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?
See all 6 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Excellent service. I have wanted to re-read some of Mary Stewarts novels that I read and loved years. I was delighted to be able to find them again and shall use this supplier with confidence. Do try Lady Stewart novels they never disappoint and are always beautifully written. The are usually love stories but much, much more She writes usually with a mystic thread woven into the plot which makes for exciting reading.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"The Ivy Tree", first published in 1961, was written as a contemporary novel, but is now something of a period piece. I was immediately struck by how much the protagonist smokes! More subtly, the attitudes to the "place" of men and women, and the power [im]balances between them, make it impossible to forget that this is a novel of an earlier time.

There are plot elements that I can't refer to without revealing major spoilers, so I won't. But I found this a gripping story, with well-drawn characters and an intriguing plot. Towards the end, the tension is ramped up to the point that I almost became breathless at times.

The setting (near Hadrian's Wall) is attractively described, and Stewart manages to slip in some geology and Roman history without ever remotely overdoing it. She also appears to know a lot about horses; I enjoyed the horsey bits very much.

Whether or not the "mystery" remains mysterious (I unravelled it early on, but that did not spoil the pleasure of reading), this is a thoroughly good yarn.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
A very good tale 23 May 2012
By Dolphin
Format:Kindle Edition
To my mind, this is one of Mary Stewart's best works, although inevitably it reflects the views and attitudes of the time in which it was written, as well as some very deep-seated provincial prejudice that might surprise the modern reader. The novel opens on a sunny, warm day in spring with our heroine contemplating the beautiful panorama of fields and farms from somewhere along Hadrian's Wall (not far from Newcastle, in the north of England). However, the peace of this idyllic scene is very quickly shattered by the arrival of a voluble and compelling young man with a secret obsession. The story moves along at first at a leisurely pace, as connections are made and the blocks of a complex deception are carefully stacked into place. There is a clear reference to Brat Farrar and that is recommendation enough for me ... I have already bought a copy and will be reading it next.

Lady Stewart deftly incorporates archaeological and geological elements (on which subjects she is particularly well versed), and the descriptions of the Northumberland countryside are lyrically exquisite, but is it really always that warm and sunny in June? Apparently not, as the story, gradually building in pace and intensity, mirrors the development of a weather front which eventually explodes into a devastating summer thunderstorm and, suddenly, everything happens at once. From this point onwards, the book becomes a page-turner and I'm finding that even now, on my fourth reading, I can barely put it down.

Apart from the gripping plot, we are introduced to a group of very complex characters, by no means entirely likeable, in fact the whole reason why so many "extreme" events take place is directly related to the strong personalities involved and the way that they keep clashing at frequent intervals. Stewart is a master at turning the tables on any given situation and, even though we may have our suspicions, we are never quite sure of how things really sit until all the cards have been played and the score tallied. And, as in real life, the happy ending often entails a lot of compromise and a willingness to take responsibility for our mistakes. Superior fiction and intelligent entertainment.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Popular Highlights

 (What's this?)
&quote;
But if youve been hurt yourself, you can imagine it. You come alive to it. Its the only use I can ever see that pain has. All that stuff about welcoming suffering because it lifts up the soul is rot. People ought to avoid pain if they can, like disease . . . but if they have to stand it, its best use might be that it makes them kinder. &quote;
Highlighted by 3 Kindle users

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each title must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Privacy Statement Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Delivery Information Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Returns & Exchanges