This Rough Magic (urspr publ 1964; utgåvan 1967)

Lucy Waring, a young actress from London, decides to visit her wealthy sister living on the Greek island of Corfu just miles from the Albanian mainland. Her sister is married to a wealthy Italian who owns several homes and a castle compound on Corfu. The castle is rented out to a famous English actor who is recovering from a nervous condition. The actor's son is a musician. The other home is being rented by a photographer. The first night on Corfu, a local young man named Spiro, who works for the photographer, falls overboard the photographer's boat and is lost at sea. Lucy spends a lot of time on the beach in a secluded cove where she meets a friendly dolphin. But someone starts shooting at the dolphin and Lucy. Something odd is happening on Corfu, and Lucy ends up involved as an innocent bystander. Mary Stewart wrote is book in 1964, but it stands up quite well. She is more descriptive than I prefer, and the dialogue is a bit stilted by today's standards. But, the story moves a a fairly fast pace. All in all a quite satisfying read. ( )

3.5/4! Overall I really enjoyed This Rough Magic! I had originally not known much of anything going into it and incorrectly assumed by the title that magic would be somehow involved, it definitely is not. That being said, the characters were lovely, the descriptions of the beautiful Greek locations were very vibrant!
For context, this is the fourth book I’ve read of Mary’s and her writing, per usual, did not disappoint. Would definitely recommend! ( )

An enjoyable read in Mary Stewart's usual tense but highly readable style. Lucy is the narrator, Corfu the setting, and 'The Tempest' the source of literary quotations and inspiration for this novel.

There's excitement, a low key romance, a stowaway in a boat, and a most unpleasant villain whose identity I had guessed fairly early on. There's also a delightful dolphin, plenty of swimming, and a pregnant sister married to a wealthy (but absent) man.

I don't think I'd read this before, and found it extremely difficult to put down once I was about half way through. Definitely recommended. This would make a great introduction to Mary Stewart's mid-20th century 'romantic thriller' style of novel. Suitable for older teenagers - I first discovered this author in my teens - but probably enjoyed more by adults of my era.

Full review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2019/11/this-rough-magic-by-mary-stewart.ht... ( )

I was in the mood for a romantic suspense novel and who better to turn to than Mary Stewart? This Rough Magic was totally new to me; I found myself wrapped up in the story. It takes place in the early 1960s and the attitudes are obviously part of that time period. As it is part of my past, I didn't mind it at all. There are also theater people in the book and I loved both of them.

For me, this quotation resonated: "It seems to me you can be awfully happy in this life if you stand aside and watch and mind your own business, and let other people do as they like about damaging themselves and each other." For the good people in this book, they cannot stand aside and let the bad people win. They take action, knowing the consequences could be deadly. As for me, I cared about the characters. When the action started, I wolfed down the book.

If you like romantic suspense, this book needs to be on your list to read. ( )

Why don't my vacations turn into murder mysteries? I mean, gosh, I've been vacationing for decades now and it's never happened! This Rough Magic, published in 1964, is part of Mary Stewart's large catalog of romantic mystery books. It's more heavy on mystery than romance, which suited me just fine.

The location is dreamy - Corfu, an island off Greece. The characters are engaging, especially Lucy our heroine who has a good heart and a strong sense of justice. The prose is detailed and has a style characteristic of Stewart and the writers she inspired. Pacing is great - there's never a dull moment in nearly 400 pages. However, like other books of the era, I found the plot somewhat predictable. The bad guy was a bit too easy to identify, although his motivations weren't obvious at first.

I read this for BookRiot's Read Harder challenge category, "from the decade you were born." The character's attitudes (both male and female) were typical of that era. The contrasts and similarities to today added another layer to my enjoyment, or alternately, my frustration.

All in all, an enjoyable interlude in another place and time not so long ago. ( )