Rating: 
Summary: Superb storytelling and narrative
Review: "A haunting novel of suspense and romance that mingles pungent description and vivid terror as only Mary Stewart can ... builds to a rousing finish" -Best Sellers (from back of book)"...rich in excitement and sheer narrative flow" - Anthony Boucher, The New York Times (from back of book) "Terror in the Hitchcock manner...a novel that terrifies as it entertains." -Columbus Dispatch (from cover of book) Lovely and overworked Gianetta has buried her emotional pain and heartbreak to such a degree that after a few years she longs to get "somewhere away from everything". Upon the advice of her mother, she takes her week or so at a hotel in Skye at the "back of beyond". In the midst of the timeless beauty, quiet and peace of this mountain haven come murder and evil rituals rooted in ancient beliefs. And so, too, does love come back into her life.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe its a little dated;
Review: But it is a great book. I enjoyed the whodunit atmosphere, and of course the sligh twang of romance in the air. Again, this book was written in the 60's I think ,so some of the feminine perspectives might be different, but I enjoyed this novel for all its minute details! Mary Stewart makes her characters come to life!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe its a little dated;
Review: But it is a great book. I enjoyed the whodunit atmosphere, and of course the sligh twang of romance in the air. Again, this book was written in the 60's I think ,so some of the feminine perspectives might be different, but I enjoyed this novel for all its minute details! Mary Stewart makes her characters come to life!
Rating:
Summary: Stewart's Homage to the Hebrides
Review: Gianetta Brook has had a rough go of it. Lovely, red-haired and seemingly a London jet-setter, she is actually a vulnerable young woman with a sterling set of ethics and lingering loyalties. Her romantic history, however, is disappointing. As a younger model, awash with the glow of new-found fame, she meets writer Nicholas Drury, 10 years her senior. Sardonic and handsome, he sweeps her away in a whirlwind courtship that ends in a swift marriage doomed to fail as she believes he only sees her slick model's veneer and not the innocent girl beneath the gloss. Four years later, Gianetta finds herself divorced, still modeling and utterly exhausted by her seemingly sophisticated life. A vacation to the isle of Skye in the Hebrides is recommended by her well-meaning parents. Especially as she wants to avoid the coronation throngs crowding London in May of 1953, Gianetta quickly accepts their advise. Within days she finds herself at the small Camas Fhionnaridh Hotel at the foot of the Cuillin where fishing and climbing is the order of the day and the fast pace of London is left far behind her. Or so she thinks. Instead of peace and quiet, she is first assaulted by the advent of her ex-husband, then by the fact that all of the company staying in the hotel are actually suspected of being a killer who has murdered a local girl in a bizarre ritualistic way involving the Old Religion's tradition of setting wildfire in honor of the Beltane. In the styple of a classic Agatha Christie drawing room police procedural, Gianetta's values are put to the test as the local police enlist her aid in creating their dragnet and the clues begin to point unerringly towards identifying Nicholas as the unknown murderer.
Ever present in this well-written story is Mary Stewart's evident love of nature and her uncanny ability to impose on the reader's mind's eye the majesty of the Scottish Hebrides--the towering mountains, the misty bogs and the glittering lochs. Her expert juxtaposition of the modern day coronation ceremony with the Highland lore of old is scintillating in that it evokes an intelligent Hitchcockian anticipation and delightfully squeamish dread of what is to come as one turns to the next page. Most of the romance takes place outside the bounds of the novel; the reader must conjur up his/her own imagery of the couples relationship before and after the actual storyline. For those who liked Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn, I think Wildfire at Midnight will equally enthrall.
Rating:
Summary: Stewart's Homage to the Hebrides
Review: Gianetta Brook has had a rough go of it. Lovely, red-haired and seemingly a London jet-setter, she is actually a vulnerable young woman with a sterling set of ethics and lingering loyalties. Her romantic history, however, is disappointing. As a younger model, awash with the glow of new-found fame, she meets writer Nicholas Drury, 10 years her senior. Sardonic and handsome, he sweeps her away in a whirlwind courtship that ends in a swift marriage doomed to fail as she believes he only sees her slick model's veneer and not the innocent girl beneath the gloss. Four years later, Gianetta finds herself divorced, still modeling and utterly exhausted by her seemingly sophisticated life. A vacation to the isle of Skye in the Hebrides is recommended by her well-meaning parents. Especially as she wants to avoid the coronation throngs crowding London in May of 1953, Gianetta quickly accepts their advise. Within days she finds herself at the small Camas Fhionnaridh Hotel at the foot of the Cuillin where fishing and climbing is the order of the day and the fast pace of London is left far behind her. Or so she thinks. Instead of peace and quiet, she is first assaulted by the advent of her ex-husband, then by the fact that all of the company staying in the hotel are actually suspected of being a killer who has murdered a local girl in a bizarre ritualistic way involving the Old Religion's tradition of setting wildfire in honor of the Beltane. In the styple of a classic Agatha Christie drawing room police procedural, Gianetta's values are put to the test as the local police enlist her aid in creating their dragnet and the clues begin to point unerringly towards identifying Nicholas as the unknown murderer.
Ever present in this well-written story is Mary Stewart's evident love of nature and her uncanny ability to impose on the reader's mind's eye the majesty of the Scottish Hebrides--the towering mountains, the misty bogs and the glittering lochs. Her expert juxtaposition of the modern day coronation ceremony with the Highland lore of old is scintillating in that it evokes an intelligent Hitchcockian anticipation and delightfully squeamish dread of what is to come as one turns to the next page. Most of the romance takes place outside the bounds of the novel; the reader must conjur up his/her own imagery of the couples relationship before and after the actual storyline. For those who liked Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn, I think Wildfire at Midnight will equally enthrall.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely my favourite ( so far)
Review: I have read a number of Mary Stewart's books and although I love them all, Wildfire at MIdnight is definitely my favourite. I love the setting of the book and Mary Stewart's description which is as beautiful and as real to the reader as in the other books I have read. I love her main character, Gianetta and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a great mystery with some wonderful description and a little romance as a bonus.
Rating:
Summary: One of her best(if not her best)
Review: I think this book along with 'This Rough Magic' and 'Nine Coaches Waiting' form her three best works and can be either classified as sensitive romances or well written suspense thrillers depending on the user's perspective.All you Mary Stewart fans(and even non fans) pleaase give these books a try.They're worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Very suspenceful and even sweet (for all it's violence)
Review: I would recomend this book to any of my friends, it's very good. I've already read it twice, and I've been really busy what w/ finals and semis. For all it's violence it is at heart a sweet romance, however the love story does not run the novel (guy'd like it, too) and the mystery is nail-biting. The descriptions are amazing, the ending frightening... Well, that's it. You should read it!
Rating:
Summary: My Favourite Stewart novel!!
Review: This is my favourite Mary Stewart Novel. Gianetta is getting away from a bad marriage. He thought her the perfect, mature spouse, instead she was a young, insecure woman in love and he betrays her. Getting away from it all, she takes a vacation to the Isle of Skye, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There she finds a mix of fellow guests, but her peaceful vacation meant to repair her soul is shattered when her ex husband arrives. It is as moody and atmospheric as the Isle itself, and grows darker as they soon discover there is a madman aloose in the group, killing people in ancient pagan fashion. As they near the Pagan Holiday of Beltaine (May Day) where bonfires were lit high in the hills, she fears that madman may be her exhusand. A super timeless read that you will never forget.
Rating:
Summary: My Favourite Stewart novel!!
Review: This is my favourite Mary Stewart Novel. Gianetta is getting away from a bad marriage. He thought her the perfect, mature spouse, instead she was a young, insecure woman in love and he betrays her. Getting away from it all, she takes a vacation to the Isle of Skye, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There she finds a mix of fellow guests, but her peaceful vacation meant to repair her soul is shattered when her ex husband arrives. It is as moody and atmospheric as the Isle itself, and grows darker as they soon discover there is a madman aloose in the group, killing people in ancient pagan fashion. As they near the Pagan Holiday of Beltaine (May Day) where bonfires were lit high in the hills, she fears that madman may be her exhusand. A super timeless read that you will never forget.
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