Emergency in the Pyrennes

Julia Probyn #5

by Ann Bridge

In Julia Probyn's fifth adventure, first published in 1965, Julia moves to a remote French mountain village near the Spanish border, while her husband, a British Intelligence agent, is on a secret assignment. As always, adventures comes Julia's way. A sabotage plot is underway, with France's gas reserved being targeted. Julia is six months pregnant as the plot unfolds, and her early labor creates additional suspense.

Boy and man take to each other, and it becomes clear that Gerald will be an ideal stepfather. On his part, Gerald insists that she come to Ireland to see his modest home and meet his friends and neighbors before she makes up her mind, for his world is far different from the glamorous cosmopolitan one she is accustomed to.

Julia's quiet vacation is interrupted when she stumbles upon a plot by an unknown land speculator who, with the unwitting aid of an attractive American woman and an Irish poet, is surreptitiously buying a strip of land along the coast for the purpose of building a huge resort hotel and casino. The intrepid Julia is drawn in as a participant when she joins Gerald in his investigation of this devious scheme, which will destroy the wild beauty of the coast and disrupt the peace of the community.

Ann Bridge has woven a web of intrigue against the background of a remote Irish village, its people, and their customs. The unexpected denouement and happy ending will delight the author's many devoted readers.

Genres: Mystery, France, Romance, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Mid twentieth-century novelist [real name, Mary Anne O'Malley] who began by exploiting the milieu of the British Foreign Office community in Peking, China, where she lived for two years with her diplomat husband. Her novels combine courtship plots with vividly-realised settings and demure social satire.

She went on to write novels which take as the background of their protagonists' emotional lives a serious investigation of modern historical developments (such as the leap by which Turkey progressed from a feudal-style government to become a modern republic in which women enjoyed equality of rights and equality of opportunity).

Ann Bridge also wrote thrillers centred on a female amateur detective, travel books, and family memoirs.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is perhaps my least favorite Julia Probyn so far... though that's not to say it's bad. There is not much action. The sidelights on pregnancy and childbirth in 1950's (60's?) France are interesting and occasionally somewhat horrifying. Luzia, who played a wonderful part in the Portuguese Affair, reappears and is as beautiful and uniquely wise as ever. Julia does not do very much in this book, being preoccupied with other concerns; maybe it is her lack of activity that makes this story seem bland compared to the others.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julia is pregnant, and her husband Philip has decided she should spend the last months of her pregnancy in his remote country house in the Pyrenees where he likes to spend his summers. So while Philip is off on a mission, Julia is staying in a house with no telephone and no doctor nearby. Luckily she has her aristocratic Portuguese friend Luiza to help her, also in the neighbourhood are Lord and Lady Herlot and their twin sons Dick and Nick, who of course both fall in love with the charming Luiza. And there are some dodgy goings on with dubious characters being smuggled over the Spanish border.
The story is fairly interesting with some pleasant descriptions of the region,though Julia of course can’t really embark on an adventure in her condition and is more or less housebound throughout, having to leave any action to some of the other characters.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hard to classify. It is not really a mystery, though it has some mystery elements. There are also elements of romance. But somehow the story is mostly relaxing and comfortable — rather like Julia herself. Now married, Julia is pregnant, and Philip suggest she spend the summer at his family cabin in the Pyrenees. However, he doesn't take into account the somewhat isolated locations, or difficulty in getting local help. Luckily, Julia invites her young friend Luzia to stay, and it is Luzia who takes charge. But when the emergency arrives, she has gone to a party, and a local puts himself in danger to help Julia. Excellent characterization. Recommended.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this episode of Julia Probyn's adventures, her husband suggests she stay in a remote French mountain village near the Spanish border, while he is on a secret assignment elsewhere. Typically, adventure comes her way, although her cousin Colin takes the lead since she is 6 months pregnant. The book is richest in its secondary characters--the English family living in a nearby town with their optimist and pessimist twins, the village doctor, the local Izard hunter with his classic Bugatti--and in the setting, with all details of daily life in her retreat.

[Sandynj · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best of the Julia Probyn novels and Luzia.

[Carol Kerry-Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit slower to get going than some of the other Julia books, but once it was under way pace picked up.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia's pregnancy made her a bit of a minor character

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ann Bridge's usual entrancing narrative. She certainly does range the world and subjects. Appealing characters, and interesting situations.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was not quite as good as the previous books but was still enjoyable. Julia is pregnant and for some reason ends up in a remote village in France with her cousin Colin and Luzia, from The Portuguese Escape . Adventure ensues.

[Chrissie]

*********************

*Enchanter's Nightshade 4 stars
*The Dark Moment 4 stars
*A Place To Stand: A Novel 4 stars
*The Tightening String 4 stars
*Illyrian Spring 3 stars
*Peking Picnic TBR

*Julia Probyn Series:
1. The Lighthearted Quest 4 stars
2.The Portuguese Escape TBR
3.The Numbered Account TBR
4,The Dangerous Islands TBR
5.Emergency In The Pyrenees TBR
6.The Episode at Toledo TBR
7.The Malady in Madeira TBR
8.Julia in Ireland TBR