Mary Stewart makes literary references feel like a genuine affection rather than a forced affectation. That’s a neat trick, and it’s one most writers simply can’t pull off. Reading This Rough Magic feels like she’s indulging herself—sitting on a hillside veranda overlooking the ocean, draped in one of those breezy, gauzy robes women wear on vacation. Much of the book has that relaxed atmosphere, as if Stewart took a trip to the Greek island of Corfu and almost accidentally turned out a novel whi...

2024 ReviewI want to be annoyed by the insta-love, but I was still grinning like an idiot by the time I finished This Rough Magic.2022 ReviewI'm not usually a huge fan of quotes before chapters, but the more familiar I become with this story, the more I appreciate how these lines from The Tempest foreshadow the upcoming events.2020 ReviewI thought I loved this book purely for the dolphin scene, so when I re-read it and didn't find it quite as romantic as I had built it up in my head, I felt a bi...

This Rough Magic is a classic novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1964. Stewart’s work is typically categorized as romantic suspense—mystery thrillers seasoned with a touch of romance. This Rough Magic is a quintessential example of her style: escapist, suspenseful, occasionally melodramatic, and filled with beautifully descriptive prose:“The trickle of the falling stream was cool and lovely, and light spangled down golden through the young oak leaves. A bird sang somewhere, but only one. ...

4.5 stars"I shuddered, and drank my coffee, leaning back in my chair to gaze out across pine tops furry with gold towards the sparkling sea, and surrendering myself to the dreamlike feeling that marks the start of a holiday in a place like this when one is tired and has been transported overnight from the April chill of England to the sunlight of a magic island in the Ionian Sea."I won’t make it to Corfu this summer, or anytime soon for that matter, so I have Mary Stewart to thank for my latest ...

The island of Corfu is golden, with blue skies overhead and sandy beaches underfoot, light dancing across the surface of the sea. Its waters have strange moods and deliver surprising gifts: a playful dolphin, a sort of treasure, and a body swept to its shores, bashed and broken. The island of Corfu is such a romantic place! Where better to find adventure and mystery, espionage and murder, and passionate embraces? Mary Stewart fully commits to this lovely location; her descriptions are vivid and ...

It's the 1960s, and Lucy Waring, a rather unsuccessful young British actress (played here in my imaginary movie by Natalie Wood) has traveled to Corfu, an island off the coast of Greece, to visit her sister after her London play closes following a short two-month run. If you need a place to hide and lick your wounds, Corfu is the perfect spot. In This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart, Lucy gets to swim in a private bay and play with a friendly dolphin: . . . she even trades lines from Shakespeare wi...

It has been such a personal pleasure to pull my Mary Stewart collection off the shelf and revisit them alongside friends for our group reads. This Rough Magic has long been a favorite I remembered fondly from decades ago, but as every avid reader knows, time and maturity can sometimes shift our perspective on the stories we loved in our youth. Thankfully, my memories held up; This Rough Magic is just as enchanting, suspenseful, and enjoyable to read today as it was back in the 80s. I may have ag...

For my last Mary Stewart group read, where I tackled Madam, Will You Talk?, I had a blast casting the book as a movie using glamorous fifties stars. Hannah asked if I’d do it again for this one, so here we are! Yay! I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did putting it together. Casting this book was a bit trickier than the last one, since This Rough Magic is set in 1964. I couldn’t reuse my previous cast—they just weren’t young enough. And, as always, they had to be British, because This...

First published in 1964, This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart is set on the sun-drenched Greek island of Corfu. The story follows Lucy Waring, an out-of-work English actress who travels to the island to stay with her sister, whose wealthy husband’s family owns a sprawling estate. Once there, Lucy finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the reclusive, legendary actor Sir Julian Gale, his brusque son Max, a photographer named Godfrey Manning, a cast of local islanders, a charming cat, and a tru...

How to create the perfect romantic suspense novel:1. Select a stirring and exotic setting, like the isle of Corfu in Greece, with caves and hidden grottos.2. Conjure up a castle in somewhat spotty repair.3. Add a plucky but somewhat naive heroine and a disdainful and gorgeous hero.4. Mix in a few blood-chilling dangers (with sports cars and fancy boats).5. Weave in a dolphin and a Persian cat.Then put all these ingredients into the hands of a wordsmith extraordinaire, and voila, you have a story...