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Stranger at Wildings
Here is a tale of charm and adventure-set in Europe around the turn of the century-whose colorful action ranges from a touring circus in Hungary to the fox-hunting society of the English countryside to the elegant circles of wealth and fashion in London. It is the story of a spirited young woman of eighteen who has left an unhappy, uncertain past in England and made a new life for herself as a trapeze artist in a small touring circus...But that forgotten past will stumble upon her one day, beside a stream in Hungary, where the circus has pitched its tents for a time. It will come in the form of a mysterious young man-handsome, appealing, yet curiously remote-whose appearance is the beginning of a strange, dangerous intrigue that involves deception, romance, disappearance and, in the end, the revelations of a family's darkest secrets.
382 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Madeleine Brent
31 books217 followersMadeleine Brent is a pseudonym used by Peter O'Donnell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 30, 2022
Kirkby's Changeling, also entitled A Stranger at Wildings is another great Gothic romance/adventure story from Madeline Brent. I enjoyed this tale of an orphan who starts out as a spoiled, rich aristocrat and then had to make her own way at thirteen. Chantal (a name she chose for herself after joining a circus) is on her way to an orphanage, but she runs away instead. This first step towards independence determines the course for the rest of her life.
Serendipitously, she meets a kindly old man who is a retired trapeze artist. After, she convinces him that she has no family or guardian, he takes her in and trains her along with his own young son and daughter for a trapeze act. Chantal has to work very hard to become a tumbler and then step by step graduates to the high wire. She will never be as good as Maria and Leo, but she has made herself employable through grit and hard work.
One day while walking, she encounters a handsome stranger who has been bludgeoned over the head and has amnesia. He has no money, baggage or identification, so Chantal has him come work for the circus. She is drawn to him, but fears his memory's return. One morning he vanishes without telling anyone goodbye and two strangers come to give Chantal some news that will turn her world upside down.
Serendipitously, she meets a kindly old man who is a retired trapeze artist. After, she convinces him that she has no family or guardian, he takes her in and trains her along with his own young son and daughter for a trapeze act. Chantal has to work very hard to become a tumbler and then step by step graduates to the high wire. She will never be as good as Maria and Leo, but she has made herself employable through grit and hard work.
One day while walking, she encounters a handsome stranger who has been bludgeoned over the head and has amnesia. He has no money, baggage or identification, so Chantal has him come work for the circus. She is drawn to him, but fears his memory's return. One morning he vanishes without telling anyone goodbye and two strangers come to give Chantal some news that will turn her world upside down.
October 7, 2021
Madeleine Brent retro romantic suspense time again! A GR friend reminded me of this one a few days ago, and I was all, oh yeah, that one I read half of and then got distracted and ... never finished? Maybe I'd better fix that! So even though I have a bunch of ARCs I should be reading, here we are.
I enjoyed this one a lot! Chantal is a young woman who's a reasonably good trapeze artist with a mid-sized traveling circus, back around the late 1800s or early 1900s, with a very complicated past personal history. She was raised as a spoiled orphaned heiress through age 13, when her wealthy British family found out that there was a baby switch and her heartless uncle tossed her out. Before she could land in the orphanage they intended for her, she ran away to this circus that happened to be in the area, and they took her in.
Now she's about 17/18 and realizes that her time with the circus will be ending soon. Chantal has plans and hopes for medical school, but things are interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, a near-death experience for Chantal on the high bar (looks like someone was trying to kill her ...), and two more strangers who whip Chantal away to a brand new genteel British family. Where more drama ensues.
It's a fun read if not terribly deep. As I've said before, Madeleine Brent/Peter O'Donnell is a pretty talented storyteller if not a Great Author. Yes, it's still that same formula that Madeleine Brent books follow over and over: intrepid young British woman in exotic places and deadly peril, and usually two men who are pursuing her romantically. One of them is true love and the other is secretly a dastardly villain, but the author tries very hard to hide the ball on which man is which.
I don't think it's a coincidence that my favorite Brent books were the two I read first, before I started seeing all the plot similarities in these books. But they're quite fun reads when you're looking for a beach book kind of thing, and this one is up there with the better ones of Brent's.
I enjoyed this one a lot! Chantal is a young woman who's a reasonably good trapeze artist with a mid-sized traveling circus, back around the late 1800s or early 1900s, with a very complicated past personal history. She was raised as a spoiled orphaned heiress through age 13, when her wealthy British family found out that there was a baby switch and her heartless uncle tossed her out. Before she could land in the orphanage they intended for her, she ran away to this circus that happened to be in the area, and they took her in.
Now she's about 17/18 and realizes that her time with the circus will be ending soon. Chantal has plans and hopes for medical school, but things are interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, a near-death experience for Chantal on the high bar (looks like someone was trying to kill her ...), and two more strangers who whip Chantal away to a brand new genteel British family. Where more drama ensues.
It's a fun read if not terribly deep. As I've said before, Madeleine Brent/Peter O'Donnell is a pretty talented storyteller if not a Great Author. Yes, it's still that same formula that Madeleine Brent books follow over and over: intrepid young British woman in exotic places and deadly peril, and usually two men who are pursuing her romantically. One of them is true love and the other is secretly a dastardly villain, but the author tries very hard to hide the ball on which man is which.
I don't think it's a coincidence that my favorite Brent books were the two I read first, before I started seeing all the plot similarities in these books. But they're quite fun reads when you're looking for a beach book kind of thing, and this one is up there with the better ones of Brent's.
August 6, 2022
Very much of the period it was written as much as the 1901 of the start. Overall, it held late Victorian sensibilities and overall principles.
It is one of his best. Circus encompassed first 100 pages doesn't hint all the varied situations that follow.
Better carved character cores and much slower progressions than the current century. Plus many more class conscious and manner directives.
The plot had enough surprises that it kept a rather unique set of composites for the period it was published. Self identity keys did NOT begin in 1950 or 1990 or any time since. They always held strong sway.
It is one of his best. Circus encompassed first 100 pages doesn't hint all the varied situations that follow.
Better carved character cores and much slower progressions than the current century. Plus many more class conscious and manner directives.
The plot had enough surprises that it kept a rather unique set of composites for the period it was published. Self identity keys did NOT begin in 1950 or 1990 or any time since. They always held strong sway.
December 3, 2022
The absolute best escapist romantic suspense writer in existence. Mary Stewart who? Brent surpasses her in character development, which was not her forte, and his descriptions of the exotic locales those characters move through are colorful and just as evocative as Stewart’s.
WOW. Straight to my favorites shelf and every other single novel written by him has been ordered.
WOW. Straight to my favorites shelf and every other single novel written by him has been ordered.
May 27, 2025
From 1976
A traveling European Circus in Edwardian times. This is good and very detailed. But then in turns out that Flying Trapeze artist Chantal is really Roberta from Britain. So then the book goes there then comes back again. Absurdly long but there were parts I loved.
A traveling European Circus in Edwardian times. This is good and very detailed. But then in turns out that Flying Trapeze artist Chantal is really Roberta from Britain. So then the book goes there then comes back again. Absurdly long but there were parts I loved.
October 27, 2018
4/5
Lovely adventure. The heroine was a mix of talent, fury, self loathing and hard work which made me admire her and sign in annoyance in turn. A worthy heroine overall and not without her heavy flaws which only helped to serve her determination to be better further.
Chantal has been with the circus since she ran away from a terrible situation in her English gentry upbringing at the age of 13. She is one of the famous Kayser's circus flying trapeze trio. Her temper always getting the better of her, the book starting with her fighting a losing battle with another circus member in defense of her fellow trapeze artist Maria who she mothers like a little vixen.
During their tour in Hungary, Chantal comes across a mysterious man called Martin, who half starved had been left for dead and suffering from amnesia. She helps him and he starts working as a groom with the circus. She begins to consider him a close friend yet she also notices strange and mysterious things about him, and their own fortune teller has a strange foreboding prophecy.
When an attempt is made on her life, Martin disappears suddenly and then soon after she is shocked by news from strangers who say that her family, whom she thought lost is still alive.
She moves back to England and her life is one completely different and confusing. With strangers all around her and sinister things at work, shes hard pressed to know who to trust and also adjust to this way of living.
The story could get a little convoluted at times but as usual the charm of the mystery and Chantal pulled it well for me. I really couldn't like her at times but she was as self aware and determined to improve which was very admirable, especially her desire to forge ahead to be a medical student and doctor at a time where it was very hard for women.
With her continuous confusion of the men in her life and adjusting herself, she had a lot on her plate.
The one thing that was pretty easy to tell was the culprit lol. Or at least partly.
Overall a decent suspense.
Lovely adventure. The heroine was a mix of talent, fury, self loathing and hard work which made me admire her and sign in annoyance in turn. A worthy heroine overall and not without her heavy flaws which only helped to serve her determination to be better further.
Chantal has been with the circus since she ran away from a terrible situation in her English gentry upbringing at the age of 13. She is one of the famous Kayser's circus flying trapeze trio. Her temper always getting the better of her, the book starting with her fighting a losing battle with another circus member in defense of her fellow trapeze artist Maria who she mothers like a little vixen.
During their tour in Hungary, Chantal comes across a mysterious man called Martin, who half starved had been left for dead and suffering from amnesia. She helps him and he starts working as a groom with the circus. She begins to consider him a close friend yet she also notices strange and mysterious things about him, and their own fortune teller has a strange foreboding prophecy.
When an attempt is made on her life, Martin disappears suddenly and then soon after she is shocked by news from strangers who say that her family, whom she thought lost is still alive.
She moves back to England and her life is one completely different and confusing. With strangers all around her and sinister things at work, shes hard pressed to know who to trust and also adjust to this way of living.
The story could get a little convoluted at times but as usual the charm of the mystery and Chantal pulled it well for me. I really couldn't like her at times but she was as self aware and determined to improve which was very admirable, especially her desire to forge ahead to be a medical student and doctor at a time where it was very hard for women.
With her continuous confusion of the men in her life and adjusting herself, she had a lot on her plate.
The one thing that was pretty easy to tell was the culprit lol. Or at least partly.
Overall a decent suspense.
August 14, 2018
Can't ever read these without thinking of my friend Julie Dean--always a fun adventure read with ridiculous turns that make it even more delightful. Trapezes! Imprisoned mothers! Amnesia! All my favorites!
March 1, 2014
Closer to 2.5 stars.
A bully slapping someone less vulnerable, an odd mixture of words while a strange prediction is muttered and a mysterious newcomer's sudden appearance are just three incidents found within the first few chapters of STRANGERS AT WILDINGS. It is about a potpourri of unusual characters that live and work with each other at a circus circa the early 1900s. And it is about Chantal -yes, only one name- and what brought her to this unusual 'family'.
First published in 1976, I had never heard of Madeleine Brent. 'She' was the pseudonym for Peter O'Donnell, a man more popularly known for writing the Modesty Blaise series of books with a female action heroine. He wrote nine gothic-like or historical romances before retiring Madeleine's name.
Regarding STRANGER AT WILDINGS, it is somewhat predictable: an attempt is made to murder the young woman. The first half of the story is devoted to Chantal's life with the circus. The second half is about her return to her old, or should I say new, life. Typical of the old-style gothic romances, it is about who to trust. If you like this genre, you should enjoy this is purely escapist fiction.
A bully slapping someone less vulnerable, an odd mixture of words while a strange prediction is muttered and a mysterious newcomer's sudden appearance are just three incidents found within the first few chapters of STRANGERS AT WILDINGS. It is about a potpourri of unusual characters that live and work with each other at a circus circa the early 1900s. And it is about Chantal -yes, only one name- and what brought her to this unusual 'family'.
First published in 1976, I had never heard of Madeleine Brent. 'She' was the pseudonym for Peter O'Donnell, a man more popularly known for writing the Modesty Blaise series of books with a female action heroine. He wrote nine gothic-like or historical romances before retiring Madeleine's name.
Regarding STRANGER AT WILDINGS, it is somewhat predictable: an attempt is made to murder the young woman. The first half of the story is devoted to Chantal's life with the circus. The second half is about her return to her old, or should I say new, life. Typical of the old-style gothic romances, it is about who to trust. If you like this genre, you should enjoy this is purely escapist fiction.
July 10, 2021
When we first meet eighteen year old heroine Chantal, soon after the turn of the 20th Century, she is a performer in a traveling European circus. How she got there and came by her name is part of the story that unfolds in Madeleine Brent's third gothic novel. Familiar characteristics of Brent's style are confidently deployed here: a determined, self-reliant heroine who will undergo a fish-out-of-water experience among English society, charismatic (and enigmatic) heroes, and family secrets and skullduggery that challenge Chantal's happiness. Improving upon Brent's earlier two novels ("Tregaron's Daughter" and "Moonraker's Bride"), the novel stays strong and suspenseful until its final pages, with no flagging of action. Enjoyable and accomplished from start to finish, "Stranger at Wildings" is a treat.
March 24, 2022
Yet another fun adventure from "Madeleine Brent"! I love the mystery and humor and the heartwarming relationships between characters. And of course, the happy ending:-D
March 28, 2013
This Brent book will always hold a special place in my heart since it was the very first one I read. Of course the title of it at the time was "Kirkby's Changeling" which I like MUCH better--it also has the same feel as other Brent book titles (Tregaron's Daughter, Moonraker's Bride). Oh well. :^) One of the things I like about this book is the hero shows up right away and is actually a likeable person from the very beginning...something that is somewhat rare in Brent's books. There are so many good plot reviews I'm not going to bother with that, but I did want to say for all the other Madeleine Brent fans out there, if you want a collection, don't feel like they're impossible to find...I now own all of them except A Heritage of Shadows. I actually just found a book on Amazon for 1 cent!!! And a copy of The Long Masquerade for a couple of bucks on eBay. So don't think that they're not out there anymore, you just have to keep looking until you find the deals. (Disclaimer, I did find most of mine in Australia, where they are probably more common.) Incidentally, isn't there someone we could all write to ask that they be put back in print again? And wouldn't they make great movies? :^)
September 7, 2013
This is pure gothic fun. It's Mary Stewart-like, so if you have read her books you will know what I mean. The story opens with Chantal, 17, making her living as a trapeze artist with the Flying Galettis. Then we discover that she ran away from her past and joined the circus at 13. THEN we discover the drama surrounding why she left, and what changed, unbeknownst to her, that will take her out of the circus and back to England to face her past and create a new life. But wait! There is a mysterious amnesiac to whom she is strangely drawn. There are a handsome couple (brother and sister) who want to help her...or do they? There are her extremely odd family members, whose motives she doesn't understand. WHAT is a girl to do?
This is a reread for me. and I don't know if you can even buy a copy of this book any more. I had it on my shelves at home and was motivated to revisit it after reading a new book about a girl who runs away to the circus (That Time I Joined the Circus, by J. J. Howard).
This is a reread for me. and I don't know if you can even buy a copy of this book any more. I had it on my shelves at home and was motivated to revisit it after reading a new book about a girl who runs away to the circus (That Time I Joined the Circus, by J. J. Howard).
November 2, 2018
This is the third "Madeleine Brent" novel I've read, to date. The first, Moonraker's Bride, I loved; the second, Merlin's Keep, was slightly less of a favorite, but I'd still give it 4.5 stars. Stranger at Wildings is another star down the ladder, for me.
I enjoyed parts of the book and the overall tone-- it's one of those books where you know everything will turn out okay and nothing too bad will happen to the main characters-- but there were also times when I couldn't suppress an eye-roll or even an inward groan. I don't remember feeling that way about Moonraker's Bride
Perhaps part of my problem with the book was that circuses and medical ambitions aren't exactly tailored to my personal literary sweet spots, though I did enjoy aspects of the circus element better than I would've expected. Also, while I knew to expect amazing coincidences, some of these were a bit much!
So, not a favorite, but a decent read. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre, but not as an introduction to the author.
I enjoyed parts of the book and the overall tone-- it's one of those books where you know everything will turn out okay and nothing too bad will happen to the main characters-- but there were also times when I couldn't suppress an eye-roll or even an inward groan. I don't remember feeling that way about Moonraker's Bride
Perhaps part of my problem with the book was that circuses and medical ambitions aren't exactly tailored to my personal literary sweet spots, though I did enjoy aspects of the circus element better than I would've expected. Also, while I knew to expect amazing coincidences, some of these were a bit much!
So, not a favorite, but a decent read. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre, but not as an introduction to the author.
August 18, 2019
In the 70s, Madeleine Brent was one of my favorite authors. Brent's books were set in exotic locales, and contained a mystery as well as a bit of suspense. I didn't know Madeleine Brent was a pen name of British writer, Peter O'Donnell until years later. I thought I'd read every Brent HR, but discovered I'd missed Stranger at Wildings. The read was a travel back to my twenties, and I loved this story as much as I loved the other Brent books. This one is set in a Victorian circus.
The voice and style is typical of a 70s historical romance, and I had a great time reading it.
The voice and style is typical of a 70s historical romance, and I had a great time reading it.
April 14, 2009
This book follows the patterns set in other books I have read by Madeline Brent: girl abandoned, wildly foreign locale (Hungary in this book), strengthening or recreation of personality based upon trying life circumstances, and an anti-hero love interest. There are two "foreign" locations in this novel: Hungary and the circus. The girl, Chantal, was abandoned when she found out she was switched at birth and not entitled to her inheritance, nor wanted by those who were due to her unpleasant personality. Chantal runs away and joins the circus--every child's dream at some point in their life. There are lots of plot twists in this story as it builds to its happy ending.
January 30, 2008
I have been shocked to discover that one of my favorite female authors of the romance/historical/adventure genre is a man! I have enjoyed all of her/his books for the places in history they have taken me. Historically based books are the best at bringing history alive for me. Even when I track the real events and find them different from the book, I still have a sense of the social, political, and emotional context of the event.
This is a story about a female who joins the circus in the 19th century.
This is a story about a female who joins the circus in the 19th century.
January 4, 2022
At the age of 13, to avoid going into an orphanage, Chantel runs away with the circus. Over the next six years, her circus friends become her family and she becomes part of the flying trapeze act. At 19, she catches the eye of a couple of strangers who visit the circus, and armed with information that her long lost family in England are looking for her and she makes the journey back. However, not all is as it seems
I found this on par with Madeleine Brent's other books, original story line and good pace. There's danger, excitement and romance. A thoroughly good read
I found this on par with Madeleine Brent's other books, original story line and good pace. There's danger, excitement and romance. A thoroughly good read
June 10, 2010
So, I read this when I was younger and loved it then. Well, I re-read it this past week and fell back in love with it. Madeleine Brent is a genius (and also a man! WHAT?!?! My mom just informed me of this, his pen name is Madeleine Brent.... crazy!) and this book was a very fun read. I forgot a lot of the twists so that made it even more fun to try to remember/figure out what happens...
May 24, 2014
I liked the main character in this book. Chantal was very likable, but others weren't well developed. The book was really slow plot wise and once the mystery came out, at the very end of the book, it resolved quickly. The mystery was pretty disappointing and seemed rather silly although to some people I realize it is very important. This definitely was not my favorite Madeleine Brent story.
June 15, 2016
The story kept me reading, but when I was asked what it was about I had a hard time categorizing it. Is it a romance, a mystery, what? I was 3/4 of the way through before I felt like all the pieces were finally fitting together. Having said that, I still enjoyed reading it and, besides, who doesn't like the circus?
March 18, 2008
This is my least favorite Brent book, but it's still fun to read, especially for those who wanted to run away and join the circus when they were kids. A lot of twists and turns in the plot, and as always, the main character is totally likeable and believable.
September 10, 2016
I really loved this book! I think it was my favorite of Madeleine Brent's. But I say that after every one I read. Even though this one still had that "same but different plot scenario, I enjoyed it - a lot!!
February 10, 2017
A tentative three. The story is enjoyable, Brent's depiction of circus life is detailed and impressive, the main character Chantal is really interesting; but the suspense and mystery could have been done better.
Want to read
December 30, 2013Buddy read with Diane Lynn. :D
September 21, 2016
Enjoyed this thriller very much. The title was way wide of appropriate, though. The Wildings section was only about a third. Still, that's a moot detail. Recommended to Mary Stewart fans.
June 9, 2023
I found this book after 45 years and tore through it on a blessedly rainy day and really enjoyed revisiting it. When it came out I was in high school and had no idea that "Madeleine Brent" was actually Peter O'Donnell, whom I would later know as the author of the Modesty Blaise comics and novels. In fact, gentle reader, when I first read the MB novels I was convinced that O'Donnell must actually be a woman, given the detailed descriptions of clothing, meals, furnishings, houses etc. which are standard in romance novels. I think I read this book back then because my closest friend in high school fed exclusively on chicklit of this type. I remembered the first part which deals with the MC as trapeze artist, but none of the rest of it. O'Donnell had been writing MB for about 10 years when this book came out, and you can see the influence in the "battle scene" and MC's detailed observation of the castle.
Set in about 1905, the time period is never actually expressed, but the author makes one huge mistake when the MC puts on her wristwatch--something that would not become common for women until after WW1. At the turn of the century women wore watches on brooches, pinned to their bodice or waist.
This can be considered a "clean romance" as there are only a couple of very chaste kisses and a couple of hugs.
Set in about 1905, the time period is never actually expressed, but the author makes one huge mistake when the MC puts on her wristwatch--something that would not become common for women until after WW1. At the turn of the century women wore watches on brooches, pinned to their bodice or waist.
This can be considered a "clean romance" as there are only a couple of very chaste kisses and a couple of hugs.
May 10, 2020
This book echoes closely the author's "Moonraker's Bride" in the broad outlines of structure. Both feature exotic settings, a feisty, capable orphan girl along with a cast of several questionable young men who rotate positions of good guy/bad guy through out the narrative. It was disappointing to me that the plot I so enjoyed in "Moonraker's Bride," was rehashed in this story. These are the only two books I have read by this author, so I don't know if she (he) follows the same formulaic pattern in every book or just these two, but I am disillusioned enough now that I probably won't seek out any of
the others.
Also, not only does Madeleine Brent owe a lot to Mary Stewart in general, in this book, I felt I was reading a draft of "Airs Above the Ground!"
All that said, it was still enjoyable enough to keep reading and refreshing to remember that there used to be a time when romantic suspense did not automatically require explicit sex scenes and vulgar language, so thank you, Ms(r.) Brent, for that.
the others.
Also, not only does Madeleine Brent owe a lot to Mary Stewart in general, in this book, I felt I was reading a draft of "Airs Above the Ground!"
All that said, it was still enjoyable enough to keep reading and refreshing to remember that there used to be a time when romantic suspense did not automatically require explicit sex scenes and vulgar language, so thank you, Ms(r.) Brent, for that.
Read
December 26, 2020I read this book in the 70's Under the title Stranger at Wildings and loved it. I've read 3 Madeleine Brendt books and loved them all. I'm planning to read some more of them and also include a couple of the Modesty Blaise books.
Mr. O'Donnell is, a marvelous storyteller. Even if credulity is stretched, and patterns are followed the tales themselves are fascinating to me. Eventhough sometimes I want to shake the heroine or smack the hero I still find myself doubting my own instinctas to who's the bad-guy.
I felt like I was in a revolving door on this one when I could not trust my inclination toward Martin as the good-guy, and Gideon as bad. The Main Characters are realistic and, to me, easily believable. The Supporting Characters, not so much. Chantal back-slides into her past behavior (even though she didn't like herself as a lazy, shrewish, harpy). We don't get to know much about Martin, because of his amnesia, but a few tidbits would have been nice.
Never the less Kirkby's Changling is a good story and well written all in all.
Mr. O'Donnell is, a marvelous storyteller. Even if credulity is stretched, and patterns are followed the tales themselves are fascinating to me. Eventhough sometimes I want to shake the heroine or smack the hero I still find myself doubting my own instinctas to who's the bad-guy.
I felt like I was in a revolving door on this one when I could not trust my inclination toward Martin as the good-guy, and Gideon as bad. The Main Characters are realistic and, to me, easily believable. The Supporting Characters, not so much. Chantal back-slides into her past behavior (even though she didn't like herself as a lazy, shrewish, harpy). We don't get to know much about Martin, because of his amnesia, but a few tidbits would have been nice.
Never the less Kirkby's Changling is a good story and well written all in all.
January 28, 2022
I found the story gripping enough, though not once of his better stories. The usual stamp of genius is there from the author, but for me, Stranger at Wildings seems untenable. Still, the book will please.
Madeleine Brent is an alias for Peter O'Donnell. He was British & died in 2010 while I was in the middle of reading all his 'Madeleine Brent' series after having discovered him. His books are best read in order of publication. I found each book a great experience, and a lesson in authorship. It is impossible to favor any one book. His settings and situations are so piquant and unique, that you are taken in to yet another totally believable world.
My imagination finds his characters and scenes effortless, and I always fail to identify the villain.
All of the 13 Madeleine Brent Books are a gripping experience.
Madeleine Brent is an alias for Peter O'Donnell. He was British & died in 2010 while I was in the middle of reading all his 'Madeleine Brent' series after having discovered him. His books are best read in order of publication. I found each book a great experience, and a lesson in authorship. It is impossible to favor any one book. His settings and situations are so piquant and unique, that you are taken in to yet another totally believable world.
My imagination finds his characters and scenes effortless, and I always fail to identify the villain.
All of the 13 Madeleine Brent Books are a gripping experience.
February 28, 2023
I don't usually like Gothic stories, but this has all of the best elements and largely avoids the pitfalls of the genre (helpless TSTL female protagonist). The main character here is tough and practical with an interesting backstory that is fully realized in her demeanor and outlook in life. How often do you have a relatable character who ran away to join the circus?? And this story has two of my favorite themes - competence and found family.
Yes, there are some very unlikely coincidences, but they are used to set up some very original action sequences and tricky plot twists. The hero is nicely complex and depicted with flaws, but they are fully explained in his background reveal. The 'happy ending' is original and brings together or heroine's found family with her future family in a satisfying way.
Yes, there are some very unlikely coincidences, but they are used to set up some very original action sequences and tricky plot twists. The hero is nicely complex and depicted with flaws, but they are fully explained in his background reveal. The 'happy ending' is original and brings together or heroine's found family with her future family in a satisfying way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews