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Winterwood
Hardcover book.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
218 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Eden
95 books167 followersAka Mary Paradise.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
Dorothy Eden was born in 1912 in New Zealand and died in 1982. She moved to England in 1954 after taking a trip around the world and falling in love with the country. She was best known for her many mystery and romance books as well as short stories that were published in periodicals. As a novelist, Dorothy Eden was renowned for her ability to create fear and suspense. This earned her many devoted readers throughout her lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
December 31, 2015
Winterwood by Dorothy Eden is one of those musty hardcovers that my mother owned and I read first when I was an impressionable twelve year old (or around there). The men are distant and square-jawed, but really kind and loving and usually they are saddled with crazy and/or bitchy wives. The romantic interest is always a well-bred, well-brought up young beautiful woman whose unfortunate family finances turned her into a governess or companion. The children are perhaps incorrigible, but that's just because mom is crazy/and or a bitch. Once the loving, beautiful and wise and kind governess is around, she tames their wildness and they become devoted to her. The husband, of course, falls in love with her. Unfortunately, the house is haunted or there's some weirdness going on or maybe the governess has a deep, dark secret that another bad man who improperly desires her is holding over her head: "Yield to me," exclaims the bad man, "or I'll tell Fred everything!"In the end, the bad man is foiled because Fred, the loving benefactor, always knew the governess's bad, bad secret. Oh, and the crazy and/or bitchy wife usually dies. In some sort of unfortunate accident. Or maybe suicide. That's always a good alternative.
Is this book formulaic? Oh, sure. But so are many of the books (romance genre or otherwise) published today. Quite frankly, I'll take a Dorothy Eden over almost any of the modern romance crap, paranormal romance crap, and all the other crap that is published now. Eden's prose, while not sparkling, is decent and enjoyable. Her story is interesting and the plot moves speedily along. Are the characters complex and well-formed? Not really, but that's why god created literary fiction.
If you're brewing a pot of tea and need a pleasant book to enjoy with it, Winterwood is the book for you. The dangers are just threatening enough, Lavinia the governess is likeable and smart, and the plot is entertaining. Everyone is happy and handsome in the end. Just how it should be.
Is this book formulaic? Oh, sure. But so are many of the books (romance genre or otherwise) published today. Quite frankly, I'll take a Dorothy Eden over almost any of the modern romance crap, paranormal romance crap, and all the other crap that is published now. Eden's prose, while not sparkling, is decent and enjoyable. Her story is interesting and the plot moves speedily along. Are the characters complex and well-formed? Not really, but that's why god created literary fiction.
If you're brewing a pot of tea and need a pleasant book to enjoy with it, Winterwood is the book for you. The dangers are just threatening enough, Lavinia the governess is likeable and smart, and the plot is entertaining. Everyone is happy and handsome in the end. Just how it should be.
February 14, 2018
Winterwood is a Gothic-ish mystery/romance, very much in the vein of Mary Stewart’s work. I think it rather reminded me of her Nine Coaches Waiting — though of course, I don’t actually read these books for originality. I wasn’t sure if I could root for the pairing, given that the main male character is married at the beginning and certainly affectionate and respectful with his wife, but it worked out fairly well with both halves of the potential romance keeping in mind the barrier between them. The characters are reasonably likeable — Flora is spoilt and willful, but also generous and capable of great affection, which redeemed her somewhat for me. Charlotte, Daniel’s wife, is obviously troubled and at times is rather transparently wicked, but there are also moments where Eden manages to get across some of the pathos of her character. Daniel is a little bland, though.
If you don’t expect too much of it, it’s a nice distraction. Eden’s writing isn’t bad, though she can’t quite evoke a sense of place the way Mary Stewart can — I didn’t ‘feel’ Winterwood the estate very much.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
If you don’t expect too much of it, it’s a nice distraction. Eden’s writing isn’t bad, though she can’t quite evoke a sense of place the way Mary Stewart can — I didn’t ‘feel’ Winterwood the estate very much.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
August 15, 2025
I read Winterwood in the dusty stacks of my high school library where I also discovered Georgette Heyer and Andre Norton's romantic suspense (she didn't just write SF!). I loved it at the time and find I cannot separate my now-opinion from my fondness for it 25 years ago. It's trope-y gothic romance of the 1960s that, weirdly enough, I keep coming back to. And yes, I've read Mary Stewart's no doubt much more literary and laudable gothic romances, but just one time each. Winterwood...I've probably read it a dozen times, and even so, I was up late on a weeknight finishing it yesterday.
Some books are kale pesto and others are nutrition-free chocolate cake, and sometimes I'm in the mood for the latter. So - beautiful young Lavinia Hurst is fleeing a scandal-laden past and trying to mold herself into the role of meek companion to a cousin. They're in Italy, and she happens to meet an English family with a daughter in a wheelchair. The latter takes a shine to her, and Lavinia is offered a role as a sort of governess / emotional support / PT to Flora as they head back to England with the family's wealthy, dying aunt. Flora's dad is hot, but her mom is an emotionally unstable wreck...who does not become more stable as the book goes on, I might add.
Then there's the house Winterwood, which is less of a gothic pile than you were probably imagining, but it does become the background for all sorts of secrets, intrigue, and drama. Lavinia starts off pretty unlikable (hot guy = 75% of the reason she takes the job) but becomes gradually more sympathetic as she actually warms to Flora and Winterwood and takes on an unexpected role as champion to a vulnerable young girl. There's all sorts of excitement ahead. Poison! Ghosts! Contested wills! Physical therapy gains!
It's not exactly good writing, but I get sucked in every time regardless. I'll even confess to liking the romance, though I think that's more 17-year-old Jennifer talking.
Some books are kale pesto and others are nutrition-free chocolate cake, and sometimes I'm in the mood for the latter. So - beautiful young Lavinia Hurst is fleeing a scandal-laden past and trying to mold herself into the role of meek companion to a cousin. They're in Italy, and she happens to meet an English family with a daughter in a wheelchair. The latter takes a shine to her, and Lavinia is offered a role as a sort of governess / emotional support / PT to Flora as they head back to England with the family's wealthy, dying aunt. Flora's dad is hot, but her mom is an emotionally unstable wreck...who does not become more stable as the book goes on, I might add.
Then there's the house Winterwood, which is less of a gothic pile than you were probably imagining, but it does become the background for all sorts of secrets, intrigue, and drama. Lavinia starts off pretty unlikable (hot guy = 75% of the reason she takes the job) but becomes gradually more sympathetic as she actually warms to Flora and Winterwood and takes on an unexpected role as champion to a vulnerable young girl. There's all sorts of excitement ahead. Poison! Ghosts! Contested wills! Physical therapy gains!
It's not exactly good writing, but I get sucked in every time regardless. I'll even confess to liking the romance, though I think that's more 17-year-old Jennifer talking.
August 26, 2021
I enjoyed this immensely. It is very much like Nine Coaches Waiting, but I found that to be extremely tedious (even though Mary Stewart is the better writer) while Dorothy Eden’s Gothic romance kept me glued to my seat. I think that the main difference between both novels is that Stewart truly excelled at evocative and descriptive “characterization” of the setting, while Eden managed to gift us with more fully realized (within the genre’s limitations, of course), complex and sympathetic characters.
August 17, 2021
It's been a while since I read this book. For a while I wasn't posting reviews. I really liked it, although it took me some time to warm up to the heroine, Lavinia. Lavinia was a very young woman and in the beginning she was very self-involved. She became the companion for a little crippled girl, Flora. Doctors had told Flora's parents that Flora's invalidism didn't have a physical cause, it was caused by her emotional state. Her mother clearly favored her brother. It was the classic narcissistic mother family dynamic: the brother was the Golden Child and Flora was the Scapegoat. Lavinia was very attracted to Flora's father, her employer. The wife was mentally fragile and took to her bed often. Winterwood was the name of the family estate. Something mysterious was going on with a man who had turned up out of nowhere claiming the be related to the wife. He and the wife spent a lot of time together, and to Lavinia it seemed as if they were up to something. The mystery turned out to be a real surprise, not something I would have guessed.
March 12, 2008
WINTERWOOD (Gothic Romance-Lavinia Hurst-Venice/England-Victorian) – Okay
Eden, Dorothy – Standalone
St. Martin’s Press, 1967, US Hardcover – ISBN: N/A
First Sentence: From the moment of leaving the hotel the enchantment of the night had grown.
Due to an event in her past, Lavinia Hurst is in Venice as companion to her jealous cousin. On a rare night at the Opera, Lavinia sees a family in the next box with an attractive man, Daniel Meryon, his wife, Charlotte, and their young daughter, Flora, who is crippled. They are there to take Charlotte’s wealthy, elderly and infirm great-aunt, Lady Tameson, back Winterwood, their home in England. With Flora’s developing attachment to Lavinia, and her attraction to Daniel, she travels, and stays with them as Flora’s companion. Aunt Tameson dies, after changing her will, witnessed by Lavinia and a maid, leaving everything to Flora. Is someone now trying to kill Flora in order to gain the money?
In general, I enjoy gothic/romantic/suspense and this was the first book by Dorothy Eden I’ve read. The first problem I had was with the attraction between the protagonist and a married man. Fortunately, they did not act on that attraction in a significant way. My greater problem was I felt Daniel let Lavinia down in two significant ways; first, in not supporting her in a couple of instances and, even more importantly, by not letting her know he was aware of her past and it didn’t matter to him. I also didn’t feel the author did a very good job of explaining why Jonathan was in the story until the very end. Where the author did excel, in my opinion, was creating a sense of place. Her descriptions of Venice and Winterwood were wonderfully evocative. There was some suspense and a very good twist at the end but not enough to make me love the book.
Eden, Dorothy – Standalone
St. Martin’s Press, 1967, US Hardcover – ISBN: N/A
First Sentence: From the moment of leaving the hotel the enchantment of the night had grown.
Due to an event in her past, Lavinia Hurst is in Venice as companion to her jealous cousin. On a rare night at the Opera, Lavinia sees a family in the next box with an attractive man, Daniel Meryon, his wife, Charlotte, and their young daughter, Flora, who is crippled. They are there to take Charlotte’s wealthy, elderly and infirm great-aunt, Lady Tameson, back Winterwood, their home in England. With Flora’s developing attachment to Lavinia, and her attraction to Daniel, she travels, and stays with them as Flora’s companion. Aunt Tameson dies, after changing her will, witnessed by Lavinia and a maid, leaving everything to Flora. Is someone now trying to kill Flora in order to gain the money?
In general, I enjoy gothic/romantic/suspense and this was the first book by Dorothy Eden I’ve read. The first problem I had was with the attraction between the protagonist and a married man. Fortunately, they did not act on that attraction in a significant way. My greater problem was I felt Daniel let Lavinia down in two significant ways; first, in not supporting her in a couple of instances and, even more importantly, by not letting her know he was aware of her past and it didn’t matter to him. I also didn’t feel the author did a very good job of explaining why Jonathan was in the story until the very end. Where the author did excel, in my opinion, was creating a sense of place. Her descriptions of Venice and Winterwood were wonderfully evocative. There was some suspense and a very good twist at the end but not enough to make me love the book.
May 17, 2020
best dorothy eden book i've read so far. the handling of disability isn't great but for a book written in the 60s and taking place in the 1800s, it could've been worse. the character development was good, atmosphere was well written, and the twists at the end were actually surprising and well done.
June 19, 2020
4.5 Stars! Love the Gothic Mystery/Romance Books!
June 8, 2022
Winterwood, Dorothy Eden, 1967
My favorite quote: “She had never felt so radiantly alive — nor so aware of potential danger and heartbreak.”
Notable characters: Lavinia, the beautiful, strong-willed, naive new governess; Daniel, the distant, broad-shouldered, square-jawed, brooding master of the house; Winterwood, the sprawling, mysterious manor that harbors more skeletons in one closet than most homes have in the whole house
Most memorable scene: Of Winterwood’s many memorable scenes, the opium poisoning situation stands out to me as the most unforgettable. Let it never be said that Dorothy Eden doesn’t like getting her hands dirty
Greatest strengths: The characters. I think that’s what really sets Dorothy Eden apart from her contemporaries. In a lot of old Gothic romances, the characters are just kind of … there. But Eden has a way of making her people pop a little more than most
Standout achievements: Dorothy Eden’s descriptions of Venice and Winterwood itself are sublime
Fun facts: This is the first Dorothy Eden book I ever read — and it made me want to keep reading her. Which I have. So stop nagging me about it. Jeez
Other media: N/A
What it taught me: There’s an effective device Dorothy Eden uses in this book that’s always stayed with me as a writer. Rather than having her main character, Lavinia, stand in front of a mirror and describe her own beauty to herself (because, seriously, who does that), Dorothy Eden sends Lavinia to an opera where she overhears a little girl exclaiming, “Look, Papa! Isn’t she beautiful!” So there. Now we know she’s beautiful without having to listen to her tell us she’s beautiful and making us hate her for being all, “Look how pretty I am, you guys!”
How it inspired me: I love old Gothic romances so much that I gave the same quality to Cade Colter, my main character in the Crimson Cove series. He, like me, harbors a love of what is widely considered a “feminine” genre. Unlike me, however, he’s a little embarrassed about it. Aside from that, Cade and I have little in common, but I wanted him to inherit his good taste in books from me (I mean, he DID spring forth from the loins of my own imagination -- he ought to get something from me, right?)
Additional thoughts: People can say what they want about how predictable and formulaic Gothics are (and they kind of are) but Winterwood kept me guessing. I think this is one of the reasons why Dorothy Eden is one of the standout writers of the genre
Hit or miss: Hit
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read Winterwood: https://tinyurl.com/yznfwzh9
My favorite quote: “She had never felt so radiantly alive — nor so aware of potential danger and heartbreak.”
Notable characters: Lavinia, the beautiful, strong-willed, naive new governess; Daniel, the distant, broad-shouldered, square-jawed, brooding master of the house; Winterwood, the sprawling, mysterious manor that harbors more skeletons in one closet than most homes have in the whole house
Most memorable scene: Of Winterwood’s many memorable scenes, the opium poisoning situation stands out to me as the most unforgettable. Let it never be said that Dorothy Eden doesn’t like getting her hands dirty
Greatest strengths: The characters. I think that’s what really sets Dorothy Eden apart from her contemporaries. In a lot of old Gothic romances, the characters are just kind of … there. But Eden has a way of making her people pop a little more than most
Standout achievements: Dorothy Eden’s descriptions of Venice and Winterwood itself are sublime
Fun facts: This is the first Dorothy Eden book I ever read — and it made me want to keep reading her. Which I have. So stop nagging me about it. Jeez
Other media: N/A
What it taught me: There’s an effective device Dorothy Eden uses in this book that’s always stayed with me as a writer. Rather than having her main character, Lavinia, stand in front of a mirror and describe her own beauty to herself (because, seriously, who does that), Dorothy Eden sends Lavinia to an opera where she overhears a little girl exclaiming, “Look, Papa! Isn’t she beautiful!” So there. Now we know she’s beautiful without having to listen to her tell us she’s beautiful and making us hate her for being all, “Look how pretty I am, you guys!”
How it inspired me: I love old Gothic romances so much that I gave the same quality to Cade Colter, my main character in the Crimson Cove series. He, like me, harbors a love of what is widely considered a “feminine” genre. Unlike me, however, he’s a little embarrassed about it. Aside from that, Cade and I have little in common, but I wanted him to inherit his good taste in books from me (I mean, he DID spring forth from the loins of my own imagination -- he ought to get something from me, right?)
Additional thoughts: People can say what they want about how predictable and formulaic Gothics are (and they kind of are) but Winterwood kept me guessing. I think this is one of the reasons why Dorothy Eden is one of the standout writers of the genre
Hit or miss: Hit
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read Winterwood: https://tinyurl.com/yznfwzh9
February 22, 2018
A very forgettable Gothic. I finished it not one hour ago and I'm having to stop and think what it was about in order to write this review. That's not a good sign.
It has all the hallmarks of a gothic: large manor in a bleak setting, tormented man of the house, unhinged wife, crippled little girl, an eccentric dying old lady smelling strongly of violets, lecherous "cousin", and of course the inevitable little bottle of laudinum.
The heroine is ravishing beautiful with a dishonorable history, basically her brother kills a man to, ironically, save her honor. He ends up in prison and she goes abroad to hide from the shame, which of course is where she meets her new situation.
The author saves the grand finale for the very last and for me it was too late and too "meh" to be satisfying.
Dorothy Eden can do much better than this.
CONTENT:
PROFANITY : Very mild
SEX: None, but the heroine does fall in love with a married man
VIOLENCE : opium poisoning
It has all the hallmarks of a gothic: large manor in a bleak setting, tormented man of the house, unhinged wife, crippled little girl, an eccentric dying old lady smelling strongly of violets, lecherous "cousin", and of course the inevitable little bottle of laudinum.
The heroine is ravishing beautiful with a dishonorable history, basically her brother kills a man to, ironically, save her honor. He ends up in prison and she goes abroad to hide from the shame, which of course is where she meets her new situation.
The author saves the grand finale for the very last and for me it was too late and too "meh" to be satisfying.
Dorothy Eden can do much better than this.
CONTENT:
PROFANITY : Very mild
SEX: None, but the heroine does fall in love with a married man
VIOLENCE : opium poisoning
December 20, 2013
Not quite as good as "Ravenscroft" but still an edge of your seat Gothic which keeps you wondering who the villain is. Recommended.
June 26, 2021
Not the best by this author but just a quick read that did keep me guessing.
June 14, 2022
4.5 starss
This was a beautiful beautiful story although I wished there were more scenes between Lavinia and daniel.it wasn't enough for me.the book ended too sooon.
I also wanted to know what happened to Jonathon after he left for Venice
The last part of CHP 15 made me soo surprised with my heart beating rapidly!! Itwas such a beautiful but such a short moment. I thought i never liked slow burn romance but it turns out I'm a sucker for these slow burn gothicish books...😭😵😩
UGH
I didn't like how Lavinia was very quick to judge people even though she was mostly right.
Idk why but i constantly found the word " my pet " very funny.😂
This was a beautiful beautiful story although I wished there were more scenes between Lavinia and daniel.it wasn't enough for me.the book ended too sooon.
I also wanted to know what happened to Jonathon after he left for Venice
The last part of CHP 15 made me soo surprised with my heart beating rapidly!! Itwas such a beautiful but such a short moment. I thought i never liked slow burn romance but it turns out I'm a sucker for these slow burn gothicish books...😭😵😩
UGH
I didn't like how Lavinia was very quick to judge people even though she was mostly right.
Idk why but i constantly found the word " my pet " very funny.😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2022
I'm not a fan of precocious children and this book has 2 of them. Just annoying. And I have no idea why Simon, an older child was included unless it was to up the word or page count. At 219 pages it wasn't that long of a read. Just one that felt like forever even though I read it in two days. Not the most awful read. More of a 2-1/2. It read more like a play than a story you'd read. It could have had more narrative and description of the settings to flesh it out.
May 1, 2023
Definitely a Gothic romance with its impoverished, wronged heroine, stalwart male protagonist who must endure a loveless marriage all set in one of those old English estates. Secrets and secret plots abound and two precocious children round out the plot.
October 28, 2017
This was written in 1967 by Dorothy Eden (1912-1982), who was born in New Zealand and moved to England in 1954. She was a popular writer of Gothic and romantic suspense, and, although somewhat dated, her novels hold up well for me as reads in 2015.
Eden wrote her books from 1940 to 1982 and was more or less a contemporary of Victoria Holt (1906-1993) and Mary Stewart (1916-2014). Of the three, Stewart was the superior romantic suspense writer, but I have a soft spot for the Victorian Gothics of Holt and Eden.
WINTERWOOD is a classic Gothic romance. Heroine pretty much adrift in life, penniless and homeless. In Venice, while companion to a rather unpleasant cousin, she meets a British family on vacation and is hired as companion to their young daughter, who is wheelchair-bound after a horse-riding accident.
Naturally, to follow Gothic guidelines, the hero is dark, somewhat brooding (not as much as is usual), and his beautiful (of course) wife is very emotionally unstable and erratic in behavior. There's an eccentric elderly aunt living in Venice who wishes to move back to Winterwood (the family's estate in England) with them to die there and her money is coveted by certain characters and her will, it is hoped, will favor them.
There are interesting dynamics between the elderly aunt and the disabled young girl, and between our heroine and the girl. There's also a mysterious cousin of the hero's wife who pops up in Venice and then again at Winterwood and the reader wonders at the relationship between him and the wife. Secrets seem to be abundant. Even our heroine has a past that she doesn't want revealed to anyone. There are possible attempts on someone's life, romantic entanglements, maybe a ghost, and a bit of a twist at the end. All good Gothic fun.
As is the case with this genre, the story is fairly predictable, but the settings (Venice and the English estate Winterwood) are interesting and well described and the Victorian time period makes one forgiving of any outdated storylines.
Eden wrote her books from 1940 to 1982 and was more or less a contemporary of Victoria Holt (1906-1993) and Mary Stewart (1916-2014). Of the three, Stewart was the superior romantic suspense writer, but I have a soft spot for the Victorian Gothics of Holt and Eden.
WINTERWOOD is a classic Gothic romance. Heroine pretty much adrift in life, penniless and homeless. In Venice, while companion to a rather unpleasant cousin, she meets a British family on vacation and is hired as companion to their young daughter, who is wheelchair-bound after a horse-riding accident.
Naturally, to follow Gothic guidelines, the hero is dark, somewhat brooding (not as much as is usual), and his beautiful (of course) wife is very emotionally unstable and erratic in behavior. There's an eccentric elderly aunt living in Venice who wishes to move back to Winterwood (the family's estate in England) with them to die there and her money is coveted by certain characters and her will, it is hoped, will favor them.
There are interesting dynamics between the elderly aunt and the disabled young girl, and between our heroine and the girl. There's also a mysterious cousin of the hero's wife who pops up in Venice and then again at Winterwood and the reader wonders at the relationship between him and the wife. Secrets seem to be abundant. Even our heroine has a past that she doesn't want revealed to anyone. There are possible attempts on someone's life, romantic entanglements, maybe a ghost, and a bit of a twist at the end. All good Gothic fun.
As is the case with this genre, the story is fairly predictable, but the settings (Venice and the English estate Winterwood) are interesting and well described and the Victorian time period makes one forgiving of any outdated storylines.
February 14, 2022
Written in the late 60's and set in the Victorian era, this is a little bit old fashioned, but still a great story! Lavinia is trying to re build her life after something bad happened that resulted in her brother going to prison. So while she's in Venice accompanying her cousin she goes to the opera and meets the Meyron family. She eventually goes back to England with them as a companion to their daughter who had an accident and was left in a wheelchair, and an elderly aunt who wishes to spend her last days at home.
When they are all back in the family home (winterwood) all sorts of strange things start to happen. Why is cousin Jonathan so keen to stay even though not welcome? And what is it that Charlotte is so spooked by? Attempted murder, bribery, blackmail, death by misadventure! And not forgetting Lavinia ends up falling in love with Daniel! Wow for an old fashioned book it's got it all! Oh and wait for the twist at the end!
When they are all back in the family home (winterwood) all sorts of strange things start to happen. Why is cousin Jonathan so keen to stay even though not welcome? And what is it that Charlotte is so spooked by? Attempted murder, bribery, blackmail, death by misadventure! And not forgetting Lavinia ends up falling in love with Daniel! Wow for an old fashioned book it's got it all! Oh and wait for the twist at the end!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2014
I have a very mixed review on this book – on one hand I hated the writing style, but on the other I really enjoyed the book. I decided to read this book because it was one I received from my grandma when she passed away.
As I started reading, the book was really slow to start - I kept thinking, get to the meat of the story. I also did not like the simplicity of the writing with complex wording woven throughout. But as I started to get into the book I realized that the writing is really a time stamp of the actual year - the book was written in 1967. Once I became aware of the evolution of writing I started to really enjoy the book. It was nice to go back in time when people were innocent and not corrupted by sexuality. It really was enjoyable to read about a pure love story without all the sex and cheating.
As I started reading, the book was really slow to start - I kept thinking, get to the meat of the story. I also did not like the simplicity of the writing with complex wording woven throughout. But as I started to get into the book I realized that the writing is really a time stamp of the actual year - the book was written in 1967. Once I became aware of the evolution of writing I started to really enjoy the book. It was nice to go back in time when people were innocent and not corrupted by sexuality. It really was enjoyable to read about a pure love story without all the sex and cheating.
November 14, 2017
I enjoyed this, though I it was low on the gothic element - some woo-woo stuff near the ending - was mostly about the dynamics of a dysfunctional family. Still, the characters were interesting, though at times I couldn't stand the children when they acted like total brats. And there was the Jack Favell-like character (from Rebecca) also in the story, stirring up trouble which added interest.
The story took place in Venice and England. The author was sufficiently descriptive that I was able to really sense both places, though neither had that foreboding atmosphere famous in gothics.
I think this is one of Dorothy Eden's better stories as I have read a few which I couldn't get through previously. I have quite a few more so I hope the others stand up as well as this one has.
The story took place in Venice and England. The author was sufficiently descriptive that I was able to really sense both places, though neither had that foreboding atmosphere famous in gothics.
I think this is one of Dorothy Eden's better stories as I have read a few which I couldn't get through previously. I have quite a few more so I hope the others stand up as well as this one has.
January 17, 2011
This was the first "grown-up" book I read, back in the late 60's when it was first published. I stole my mother's library copy one night while she was out and sat under bed covers with a flashlight till I was done and spent years hooked on all the gothics, reading all the same authors she did, Whitney, Stewart, Eden and then on to Heyer. Loved it! Descriptions of Venice and the gardens of Winterwood were the best.
October 17, 2012
It is nice to read a Gothic romance every now and then. The plot and settings are predictable, but the stories have strong female characters who overcome adversity. For 1967, the lead in the book, Lavinia, is not perfect but she is strong-willed. Two of the problems I had with the book:
1. frequent references about the "beauty" of the female characters,
2. frequent references to how the eyes of a character "shone"--whether in love, anger, drug-induced, emotionally upset, etc. etc.
1. frequent references about the "beauty" of the female characters,
2. frequent references to how the eyes of a character "shone"--whether in love, anger, drug-induced, emotionally upset, etc. etc.
July 21, 2010
I picked this up at Goodwill -- who can resist a Gothic horror novel with a cheesy 70s cover? OK, well I can't. It was a quick, enjoyable summer read with some well-written children (always a refreshing surprise).
September 8, 2011
Decent gothic fare...not as good as Ravenscroft...there are definitely varying degrees of 3 stars, 4 stars and 5 stars....Ravenscroft was absolutely on the higher end of the rating scale. I think Eden is a very good gothic suspense novelist and I will continue to read through her novels
February 13, 2017
My mother first introduced me to Gothic Romances when I was thirteen. Reading Winterwood brought back those memories of reading my first "adult" books. This novel didn't disappoint - a beautiful, maligned heroine; a handsome, layered man; and a dark mystery - a perfect guilty pleasure!
May 25, 2008
Quite good. I finished it quickly because it kept me guessing and interested. I'll be reading more in this genre by Eden if I can find them.
June 9, 2011
Another great quick read from Dorothy Eden. I was at first disappointed by this one as compared to Ravenscroft but found it just as interesting and exciting, after just a few pages was hooked.
February 5, 2018
Another good read by Dorothy Eden. Her characters are fleshed out and not stereotypes often found in Gothics from her era.
March 27, 2019
Just for fun, here's a read-against-the-grain interpretation of this well-written Gothic suspense novel. Romance being all about the reinforcement of normative heterosexual relations (although I'm well aware of good sociological analyses that debunk that--to some extent) why not think about Gothic suspense stories as anti-romances, romances that in fact show the perils of allegedly desirable domesticity for women? In this story in particular, danger from the domestic state itself is the source of all danger for the female characters. Danger for the protagonist Lavinia (her brother is in jail for good reason), danger for shrewd and devious little Flora, and danger for her troubled mother Charlotte, who after all didn't choose to have mental health problems and love her youngest beyond reason. When Flora and the little maid have a lively discussion in the dead centre of the book about how they don't intend to marry when they grow up (the little maid's father is an abusive alcoholic and Flora's money will make her the target of fortune hunters) you can't help but think the conversation is strategically placed. This was the genre that clever Dorothy Eden wrote all her life, but it is well to remember that clever Dorothy Eden never married.
September 14, 2020
This was my first ever "Gothic" read. It is a gothic thriller and I for my first ever "gothic" anything, I really enjoyed it! I honestly don't know what I was expecting from it but I'm glad I ended it with a promising liking for it. I enjoyed how bold Lavinia was. I don't know why I didn't expect her to be bold at all but I didn't and yet there she was defending herself left and right, solving strange predicaments, and standing her ground. I really enjoyed this book! I don't know whether or not I'll plan to pick up another Dorothy Eden book but I know I'll be trying to pick up another Gothic fiction. Whether it be romance, horror, another thriller, or all of the above piled into one! It was definitely a good starting point. And pretty easy to read so that's always a plus.
October 19, 2022
I found this book at a seccond-hand shop for very cheap and became drawn to it by the fantastic vintage cover it had. Upon reading the summary, the story intrigued me. I've never read a Modern Gothic Romance before, but I would have to say I throughly enjoyed this one! Such a big plot twist at the end and secrets are revealed! Set in the Victorian Era, this book was pretty cozy and perfect to read in fall as it starts off in Venice in the summer time then switches to England in the fall / winter. If you like books set with a historical period, lots of secrets, rich estates, romance, and drama, I think you might like this one! Happy reading!
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