felinity's review
4.0
4 stars
As Susan returns to her former home with her new husband to restart her life and new adult identity, her South African rediscovery opens her eyes to more than just the incredible landscape around her and the growing realization that her memories may be more than just a little faulty. She immerses herself in the culture, surrounding the reader with evocative descriptions that capture the senses even while the racial overtones surfacing through the veil of apartheid raise awkward questions.
It did scratch my Mary Stewart itch too, though the action wasn't as fast-paced, as a growing sense of looming fate starts to take over, and as Susan tries to piece her memories together to solve the mystery. I can see myself reading more of these!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As Susan returns to her former home with her new husband to restart her life and new adult identity, her South African rediscovery opens her eyes to more than just the incredible landscape around her and the growing realization that her memories may be more than just a little faulty. She immerses herself in the culture, surrounding the reader with evocative descriptions that capture the senses even while the racial overtones surfacing through the veil of apartheid raise awkward questions.
It did scratch my Mary Stewart itch too, though the action wasn't as fast-paced, as a growing sense of looming fate starts to take over, and as Susan tries to piece her memories together to solve the mystery.
Spoiler
Some of that may be from the juxtaposition of apparent hero and villain, as their actions reveal their true nature.Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
nadoislandgirl's review
3.0
This book is pretty over-the-top cheesy suspense with strong caricatures of characters. But it gets three stars for a strong sense of place. I loved reading about all the places I had visited in Capetown—Long Street, Table Mountain, Camp’s Bay, etc. Written in the 60s, this book had some things to say about apartheid.
quietjenn's review
4.0
I tried a few Phyllis Whitney a while ago, when they were recommended as Mary Stewart read-a-likes, and was pretty underwhelmed by them. I think though that they were latter-career offerings and I'm thus I'm once again so grateful that Open Road exists and has re-issues some of her earlier titles. In a lot of ways, this is a very typical 60s/70s Gothic / Romantic Suspense. Innocent but knowing young girl, foreign (kind of) setting, long-buried secrets, the good guy who is really bad and the bad guy who is really good, terrible decision-making, etc. And I'm such a sucker for all of it. But I also found this really interesting on a historical level, just because it takes place is 1960s South Africa, before apartheid, but you can see it coming and it's really evocative of that. (And also, really easy to tell which guy is the better pick. When in doubt, go for the man who doesn't want to beat and control the natives.)
biblioventurer's review
2.0
I saw where this one was going from the first chapter. I felt like the characterizations were flat, the author referenced the political issues but never really explained anything about apartheid, the romance was unbelievable, and there wasn't any of the suspense I had hoped for. Not my favorite of Whitney's books by a long shot.
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