The Trembling Hills

by Phyllis A. Whitney

Dark-eyed Sara Jerome is bright, passionate and indomitable, but her nights have been tormented since childhood by dreams of a candlelit figure glimpsed in a mirror and a sensation of evil so strong she can barely fight herself awake. When she decides to follow her beloved Ritchie Temple to San Francisco, her mother is violently opposed but will not explain why. Sara, however, is determined not to lose him and hopes to find her father's family and be raised to a station in life that will allow Ritchie to marry her. When her wealthy, domineering great aunt seeks Sara out, she's given the chance to fulfill her ambitions, but the price is high -- and in the towering old Varady Mansion she finds herself forced to confront her childhood nightmare turned into reality.

Genres: Mystery, Gothic, Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Gothic Romance

518 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".

She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to finish this in one sitting. It was that good. What I enjoyed about the story the most, was how Whitney tied the San Francisco fire into the narrative.

Also, I am a bit of a sucker for Gothic novels.

[C. (Comment, don't blank click reviews). · Rating 5 out of 5]

I set the scene about character tested in the most epic manner possible. Phyllis's classic entails: a missing Father, outcast Grandmother, and a recurring dream so strong... it may be a real memory.

Sara and her Mom join an old friend in San Francisco, USA. All her life she has tried to solve a childhood nightmare that ends before it shows the conclusion. Encountering her birth home in this city, she thinks she might be able to trigger the whole dream to play out. But it is April 1906 and disaster hits! The characters of this enthralling story deal with the earthquake and fire of true history!

The characters captivate you immediately, on an adventure with such dynamic threads you predict none. The protagonist is direct, intelligent and others develop superbly, so you come to root for them all. After 56 years, this remains in print with good reason! It's at the top of Phyllis's adult work. Her youth titles are even better. If you can, find "Mystery Of The Green Cat" and "Mystery Of The Haunted Pool".

[Christine PNW · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just all right - the suspense/gothic part of the book is very limited and only really appears at the very end of the book. I liked the main character, and the setting - during the 1906 earthquake & fire, was interesting, but the actual gothic part of "gothic romance" was seriously lacking.

This cover is awesomesauce, though.

[Carla Remy]

From 1956
I have loved Whitney Gothics from the 70s. This is more I'm going to write a Victorian (or, here, Edwardian) novel but easy in a later 20th century style. Valid and this is very well done. But I'm not in the mood for sachrine simplicity.

[Mike Garzillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great San Francisco Gothic romance set before and after the 1908 earthquake and fire. Her insight into the insurance industry and its role in the drama is unique. She turns The City's mood into a character. If you're into Gothic romances and/or San Francisco you should read this one.

[Terri Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Whitney winner! Such a wonderful author, with a sense of place and atmosphere and a smooth, flowing writing style. Whitney made writing seem effortless!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than anything else I've read, fiction or non, this made me feel the most like I was actually there for "the big one." The quake, rather than being just the backdrop, is actually a character. Odd, frightening, but a very vivid -- and, all in all-- likable book.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first Phyllis Whitney novel and is still probably my favorite. I've always been a sucker for historical fiction. She only did a few in that genre. Most of them are contemporary romantic mysteries. Still, I believe I've read and enjoyed everything she's written.

[BobaFett114 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the great Phyllis Whitney. I have read some of her books many times, this one included. Often I get tired of a genre and I just need something different to read and I grab one of her novels. This one is set in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake and fire. Her descriptions of these events are so intense that you feel like you are there. Excellent story.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Set in San Francisco during the Great Quake, this is a story of how personal experiences change how we perceive our lives. Sarah is the main character who learns that prestige and having the finer things in life aren’t as important as they seemed. Nice story from beginning to end.

[Kclark · Rating 4 out of 5]

More mystery then romance... It was the story surrounding the grandmother and what had occurred in the past. I really enjoyed it. This is my first Phyllis Whitney novel, and I will definitely read more...

[Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all like her other books. It was interesting though. I thought I had read this but I realized I hadn't. It's like another of her books about the Earthquake.

[Deidra Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book kept me wanting to come back for more. there was always something changing and leaving you hanging I loved it.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

kept hoping there would have been a sequel. Once I started reading I could not put it down.

[Rena Holcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story and great writing blend with history of San Francisco in 1906. Thought I had read all of Whitney's book years ago, but turns out, I had not.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember loving this book when I first read it in the early 80s. I am surprised at how much I still enjoyed it all these years later. I was also surprised at parts of the book I had forgotten so that rediscovering certain scenes was always a pleasant surprise.
Sara Jerome is the daughter of a housekeeper for a wealthy family in Chicago. But the matriarch of the family has died and her son, Ritchie—Sara's love since childhood—has left for San Francisco, apparently forgetting his promise to marry Sara. When Sara's mother is offered a chance to become housekeeper for the family Ritchie has moved in with, Sara jumps at the chance. But the mother is extremely reluctant to go. It's where Sara was born and where something terrible happened. Could this be the source of the terrifying dreams Sara has had since childhood?
But California here they come. Before long Sara discovers who "true" identify - much to her mother's dismay. And then the great earthquake of 1906 hits and everything changes overnight.
Is it silly? Yes. It was written in the 1950s in a genre known as "Romantic Suspense." But it is also thoroughly enjoyable to see Sara change from the impoverished young woman who thinks all she needs is the man she loves to one who only hopes for material wealth to one who finally decides what the true value of things are. That ages well.

[Mary Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat better than average romantic suspense story, set during the San Francisco fire, in which Sara grows from girl to young woman and finds who she really is and what's important in her life.
I didn't love this but the author's writing made it readable and kept my interest even though I knew where it was heading.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last book that I wrote down as having read in 1969. I'm sure I read
many more books that year but I must have gotten too busy to write them down after this one.
I don't remember the book but I was definitely into romantic suspense along the lines of
Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart and Dorothy Eden. However, looking back, my favorite of these
authors was definitely Daphne du Maurier.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend, but I must admit the ending to the storyline with Hester Varaday/Geneva/Leland felt unsatisfying to me. I did admire Sara's growth, although her thoughts near the end about how she must serve Nick first (while he poured every part of himself into the insurance business) did take me out of the story for a moment so I could roll my eyes. Parts of the book are very dated, I must also admit.

[Rebecca]

This was so bad I can’t figure out how to rate it. The writing was juvenile (I don’t think it’s YA), the heroine was really immature for her age and there was way too much navel gazing and soul searching and agonizing over Ritchie. I ended up skipping around to figure out the plot.

Extra negative points for the racism.

No rating because I didn’t finish it but I didn’t finish it because it was bad. Dilemma.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Varady moves to San Francisco, falls in love, and survives the San Francisco fire. She also learns the truth about her past that she has forgotten.

It was okay, but not that memorable. I was a little worried because of the 'trashy romance' cover, but I trusted the women in my book group. It wasn't trashy - it was actually a nice story with not much romance at all.

[Rachel Clifton · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good...but i don't know...i was just expecting something different when i picked the book up.

[Delissca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phyllis Whitney is always enchanting for me. Her mysteries are not deep, but they do resonate. It kept me turning the pages and took me to another America, a new America. Very pleasant read.

[Mary DiGrazio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite Phyllis Whitney book. I can't tell you how many times I've read it because it is a book I get in the mood to read nearly every fall since I was a teenager.

[Julie Martin]

This was the book that got me hooked on Phyllis A Whitneyand the first one of hers I read it is still one of my favourites!

[Diana McMinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

not my favorite but still very good!!!!

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before segueing into contemporary romantic suspense, where she soon became the American rival to Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney wrote historical novels about strong young women who came into their own as adults, amidst trappings of mystery and secrets. Although the suspenseful elements are there, "The Trembling Hills," like others Whitney wrote in the 1950s, is more about characters changed by the events they live through. Here, that event is the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Sara Jerome has returned to her native San Francisco, from which her widowed mother fled years before. Sara is hungry for life--for love, for luxury, for excitement, for belonging--and the novel follows her attempts to get what she wants, as she discovers her past and navigates the present. Whitney creates believable, fully realized characters, whom the reader comes to care about. The events of the Earthquake and its aftermath are vividly described and integral to the plot, but it's ultimately the various characters' arcs that will linger after the final chapter in this enjoyable visit to early San Francisco.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sara's childhood has been haunted by dreams of a candlelit figure glimpsed in a mirror. She now decides to follow her true love, Ritchie Temple, to San Francisco. But Sara could not know about the terrors that were in store for her.

When lovely young Sara Jerome moves to San Francisco, she is filled with anticipation. Not only does the man she has loved since childhood live there, but her father, who left mysteriously so many years ago, came from San Francisco. She feels certain that now she will finally fulfill her dreams of marrying Ritchie Temple and finding out what happened to her father.

But Sara has another dream as well, a terrifying nightmare that has haunted her all of her life. Once in San Francisco, it is clearer and more frightening than ever. What does it mean? And what does it have to do with the stormy night her father disappeared? The answers are waiting for her, as is true love, if she just knows where to look

[Robert Fontenot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just might be my favorite Whitney book. It's not strictly a gothic romance although it does contain elements of the genre (strange dreams, buried memories, mysterious origins, ominous houses) and it offers a clear through-line to the more formulaic works she would later write.

This novel has one of the best female leads in a Whitney book, strong, smart, determined, and flawed. The historical setting is well realized and provides the heroine a fairly restrictive society to rebel against. The earthquake and subsequent fire is only a small portion of the book but it is handled beautifully and provides a jolt to the characters that feels completely organic. None of the characters are grotesques and the author lets most of them be well rounded in a way usually lacking in her work.

I guess I need to read more of her early work.