What do you think?
Rate this book
Airs Above the Ground
The original writer of romantic suspense, Mary Stewart leads her readers on a thrilling journey across mid-century Europe in this tale of adventure and deception, sure to be loved by fans of Agatha Christie and Barbara Pym.
Vanessa March's husband Lewis is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm - so why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband, inadvertently becoming involved in a mystery that spans three countries... and the famous dancing stallions of the Spanish Riding School.
The moonlight flooded the meadow, blanching all colours to its own ghostly silver. The pines were very black. As the stallion rose in the last magnificent rear of the levande, the moonlight poured over him bleaching his hide so that for perhaps five or six seconds he was no longer an old broken-down piebald, but a haute école stallion of the oldest line in Europe.
Vanessa March's husband Lewis is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm - so why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband, inadvertently becoming involved in a mystery that spans three countries... and the famous dancing stallions of the Spanish Riding School.
The moonlight flooded the meadow, blanching all colours to its own ghostly silver. The pines were very black. As the stallion rose in the last magnificent rear of the levande, the moonlight poured over him bleaching his hide so that for perhaps five or six seconds he was no longer an old broken-down piebald, but a haute école stallion of the oldest line in Europe.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1965
About the author
Mary Stewart
92 books2,992 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
Lady Mary Stewart, born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow, was a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years.
She was one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for young readers, she was admired for both her contemporary stories of romantic suspense and her historical novels. Born in England, she lived for many years in Scotland, spending time between Edinburgh and the West Highlands.
Her unofficial fan site can be found at http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews
December 5, 2018
This is another enjoyable Mary Stewart suspense novel (sorry, I'm never going to stop talking about her books. They're just so much fun). Airs Above the Ground, written in 1965, may not be her best novel, but it's set in Austria, a lovely country and one of my favorite places in the world, so between the wonderful setting and the pivotal role in the plot played by Lippizaners, who are based in Austria, I have a massive soft spot for this novel.
Vanessa March, who's been married for two years, has had a rousing and bitter argument with her husband Lewis, who was inconsiderate enough to go on yet another out-of-the-country trip for his work, cancelling a long-planned vacation with Vanessa to southern Italy. He heads off to Stockholm, or at least he tells Vanessa that's where he's going, but then she sees him in a newsreel about a mysterious circus fire in Austria that caused two deaths. And Lewis' arm is around a pretty, blond Austrian girl.
Vanessa is not one to take this sort of thing lying down. So, using the excuse of escorting a divorced friend's 17 year old son Timothy to his father in Vienna, she takes off to Austria to hunt down the circus and her husband. And from there the plot goes in some interesting directions that I wouldn't have expected when I first read this book.
This book is unusual for Mary Stewart in that the main characters are already married, so it lacks the developing romance plotline that's so charming in most of her other novels, but you do get some pretty funny light sexy banter between Vanessa and Lewis, so it's a fair trade-off. Plus, no insta-love! Timothy, Vanessa's teenage friend, is a charming addition to the cast. Timothy is a little older than the boys that show up in several of Mary Stewart's other novels, but he's just as delightful as Philippe, David and William. (Extra points to any Stewart fans who can name all of the novels those three boys are in.)
The "airs above the ground" are the beautiful, traditional dance moves that the trained Lippizaner stallions do, including the levade, where the horse rears up and holds his pose:
Stewart circles back around to the "airs above the ground" theme in a couple of interesting ways, including a terrifying chase across the rooftops and battlements of an old Austrian castle.
There are a few slow spots and a few unlikely turns in the plot (especially at the end, when Hello, Lewis?), and occasionally the descriptions of scenery and places get a little too detailed, which further stalls the pace of the novel. It's also a bit, well, 1960's in its view of men and women and their roles, although it earns back several of those lost points by having Vanessa be a qualified veterinarian whose use of her skill is a relevant plot point. Still ... Austria! and Lippizaners!! These pretty much outweigh any of my objections. There are a couple of scenes with a horse in chapters 9 and 10 that are among my favorite scenes in any Mary Stewart novel, and the ending of the book is so touching.
4 solid stars.
Reread/buddy read with the Mary Stewart group.
Vanessa March, who's been married for two years, has had a rousing and bitter argument with her husband Lewis, who was inconsiderate enough to go on yet another out-of-the-country trip for his work, cancelling a long-planned vacation with Vanessa to southern Italy. He heads off to Stockholm, or at least he tells Vanessa that's where he's going, but then she sees him in a newsreel about a mysterious circus fire in Austria that caused two deaths. And Lewis' arm is around a pretty, blond Austrian girl.
Vanessa is not one to take this sort of thing lying down. So, using the excuse of escorting a divorced friend's 17 year old son Timothy to his father in Vienna, she takes off to Austria to hunt down the circus and her husband. And from there the plot goes in some interesting directions that I wouldn't have expected when I first read this book.
This book is unusual for Mary Stewart in that the main characters are already married, so it lacks the developing romance plotline that's so charming in most of her other novels, but you do get some pretty funny light sexy banter between Vanessa and Lewis, so it's a fair trade-off. Plus, no insta-love! Timothy, Vanessa's teenage friend, is a charming addition to the cast. Timothy is a little older than the boys that show up in several of Mary Stewart's other novels, but he's just as delightful as Philippe, David and William. (Extra points to any Stewart fans who can name all of the novels those three boys are in.)
The "airs above the ground" are the beautiful, traditional dance moves that the trained Lippizaner stallions do, including the levade, where the horse rears up and holds his pose:
Stewart circles back around to the "airs above the ground" theme in a couple of interesting ways, including a terrifying chase across the rooftops and battlements of an old Austrian castle.
There are a few slow spots and a few unlikely turns in the plot (especially at the end, when Hello, Lewis?), and occasionally the descriptions of scenery and places get a little too detailed, which further stalls the pace of the novel. It's also a bit, well, 1960's in its view of men and women and their roles, although it earns back several of those lost points by having Vanessa be a qualified veterinarian whose use of her skill is a relevant plot point. Still ... Austria! and Lippizaners!! These pretty much outweigh any of my objections. There are a couple of scenes with a horse in chapters 9 and 10 that are among my favorite scenes in any Mary Stewart novel, and the ending of the book is so touching.
4 solid stars.
Reread/buddy read with the Mary Stewart group.
November 20, 2016
Airs Above the Ground is a stimulating adventure through the Austrian landscape of the 1960s. If you are looking for a quick and entertaining diversion from some of your more demanding literary reads, then this book may be just the ticket. I became a devoted fan of Mary Stewart this year when I discovered her Merlin and King Arthur series and am determined to read everything she ever wrote… no matter how long that may take! This book is completely different from that treasured series, but was gratifying in its own way.
Vanessa March and husband Lewis have been married for just two short years when it seems perhaps the honeymoon is over. Vanessa and Lewis have had a bit of a row. Lewis leaves for Stockholm on business while Vanessa stays behind in London to lament the fact that they have had to postpone a much needed vacation to the shores of Italy. Shortly thereafter, however, Vanessa discovers that perhaps his leaving was much more reprehensible than she had believed – a glimpse of a newsreel clearly reveals Lewis with another woman at the scene of a circus fire in Vienna. Vanessa is determined to uncover just why Lewis is nowhere near the city of Stockholm! It just so happens that Timothy, a young family friend in search of his father, needs a chaperone to accompany him to Austria. Vanessa and Timothy pack their bags and off they go on a somewhat reckless jaunt. This pair quickly find themselves smack dab in the middle of a mystery. The circus, the famous Lipizzaner horses, an ancient castle set in the middle of a rugged terrain, and some dramatic tension and a chase with the baddies add to the appeal of this book. "Possibly the very fairytale atmosphere of the castle – the lonely valley, the turrets, the moonlight, the battlements, this door with the griffin handle – the trappings of childhood’s dreams and of romance, once become actual, were seen to be no longer dreams but nightmare."
I didn’t know much about the Lipizzaner horses prior to reading this, but the bit of history regarding this graceful creature provided here was very interesting. There are some lovely passages illustrating the beauty and majesty of this horse, and more specifically the ‘airs above the ground.’ "For one superb moment he was poised there, high in the air, caught and lit dazzlingly white by the great lights, all four legs tucked neatly under him, all his jewels flashing and glancing with a million colours, but not, it seemed, more brilliant than the gleam of the muscles under the white skin or the luster of the steady dark eye. One looked for his wings."
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the writing of Mary Stewart, those that want an entertaining mystery free from gruesome descriptions, and readers interested in a 'crash course' on the background of the legendary Lipizzan stallions.
Vanessa March and husband Lewis have been married for just two short years when it seems perhaps the honeymoon is over. Vanessa and Lewis have had a bit of a row. Lewis leaves for Stockholm on business while Vanessa stays behind in London to lament the fact that they have had to postpone a much needed vacation to the shores of Italy. Shortly thereafter, however, Vanessa discovers that perhaps his leaving was much more reprehensible than she had believed – a glimpse of a newsreel clearly reveals Lewis with another woman at the scene of a circus fire in Vienna. Vanessa is determined to uncover just why Lewis is nowhere near the city of Stockholm! It just so happens that Timothy, a young family friend in search of his father, needs a chaperone to accompany him to Austria. Vanessa and Timothy pack their bags and off they go on a somewhat reckless jaunt. This pair quickly find themselves smack dab in the middle of a mystery. The circus, the famous Lipizzaner horses, an ancient castle set in the middle of a rugged terrain, and some dramatic tension and a chase with the baddies add to the appeal of this book. "Possibly the very fairytale atmosphere of the castle – the lonely valley, the turrets, the moonlight, the battlements, this door with the griffin handle – the trappings of childhood’s dreams and of romance, once become actual, were seen to be no longer dreams but nightmare."
I didn’t know much about the Lipizzaner horses prior to reading this, but the bit of history regarding this graceful creature provided here was very interesting. There are some lovely passages illustrating the beauty and majesty of this horse, and more specifically the ‘airs above the ground.’ "For one superb moment he was poised there, high in the air, caught and lit dazzlingly white by the great lights, all four legs tucked neatly under him, all his jewels flashing and glancing with a million colours, but not, it seemed, more brilliant than the gleam of the muscles under the white skin or the luster of the steady dark eye. One looked for his wings."
I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the writing of Mary Stewart, those that want an entertaining mystery free from gruesome descriptions, and readers interested in a 'crash course' on the background of the legendary Lipizzan stallions.
August 27, 2020
A tale that sees married 24 year old Vanessa March espies her husband in a newsreel from Austria (he said he was working in Stockholm) alongside a beautiful young women at a circus fire, where an elephant run loose for awhile! Her nephew, Timothy, a 17 year old supposed mummy's boy, wants to go to Austria to reconnect with his father he hasn't seen in many years. The pair end up going to Austria together, and end up getting caught up in an adventure centred around the circus and Lipizzan horses used by the famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
(Lady) Mary Stewart well known in her day for more rounded and intelligent female heroines dropped this wonderful adventure on me out of nowhere, and got me reading this entire book in day. A cracking 1960's take set in 'old' European Austria with a surprisingly assertive and multi dimesional heroine that carries this book with her juggling the line of what is deemed ladylike behaviour and being a smart pragmatic modern woman. The story is weakened when the heroine's husband gets a more prominent role towards the end of the book. 6 out of 12.
(Lady) Mary Stewart well known in her day for more rounded and intelligent female heroines dropped this wonderful adventure on me out of nowhere, and got me reading this entire book in day. A cracking 1960's take set in 'old' European Austria with a surprisingly assertive and multi dimesional heroine that carries this book with her juggling the line of what is deemed ladylike behaviour and being a smart pragmatic modern woman. The story is weakened when the heroine's husband gets a more prominent role towards the end of the book. 6 out of 12.
August 8, 2018
Upping this to four stars on re-reading. How could I have forgotten how much fun this is? A classic Mary Stewart blend of action, adventure, travel and a dash of romance. Plus this one has all of my favorite things....
Gorgeous Austrian scenery....
Horses!
And not just any horses....The noble, ancient Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna are part of the story.
There are all sorts of wonderful details about the school, the horses, their well-documented lineages and the way they are trained. This horse lover was in ecstasy. I could practically smell the manure (very mild and delightful in a well run stable); the oats and warm horses; hay and saddle soap.
I re-learned so much about the art of dressage, which dates back to Xenophon. Many of the movements horses are taught in dressage were used in war-time cavalry maneuvers. The Haute Ecole airs above the ground might have been originally designed both as defensive and offensive cavalry techniques and are familiar to anyone who has ever admired statues and paintings of great warriors from the Greeks and Persians to Napoleon.
This is the Levade, which (in theory) puts the horse's body between the hapless foot soldier and the noble and ever-so-valuable cavalry rider.
Then there are the offensive moves like the capriole, croupade and ballotade I'm not sure which this is about to become but it gives you a sense of how high these horses can leap.
And if you think horses don't do this sort of thing naturally you have not spent enough time with the beasties.
Oh! Uh oh....I'm supposed to be reviewing the book...?
*Hana takes deep breath*
Yes, the book is really fun. There is a proto-feminist female vet who's really charming (and hot, especially in nylon nighties); and a neglected teenager who wants to join the Spanish Riding School; and a missing hubbie who might or might not be a bad guy. There's a circus (with HORSES!) There are amazing chase scenes across mountaintop castle roofs...
Awesome and scary moments with a cog railway...
And a very satisfying denouement.
Buddy read summer 2015--thanks for sharing the fun! https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Gorgeous Austrian scenery....
Horses!
And not just any horses....The noble, ancient Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna are part of the story.
There are all sorts of wonderful details about the school, the horses, their well-documented lineages and the way they are trained. This horse lover was in ecstasy. I could practically smell the manure (very mild and delightful in a well run stable); the oats and warm horses; hay and saddle soap.
I re-learned so much about the art of dressage, which dates back to Xenophon. Many of the movements horses are taught in dressage were used in war-time cavalry maneuvers. The Haute Ecole airs above the ground might have been originally designed both as defensive and offensive cavalry techniques and are familiar to anyone who has ever admired statues and paintings of great warriors from the Greeks and Persians to Napoleon.
This is the Levade, which (in theory) puts the horse's body between the hapless foot soldier and the noble and ever-so-valuable cavalry rider.
Then there are the offensive moves like the capriole, croupade and ballotade I'm not sure which this is about to become but it gives you a sense of how high these horses can leap.
And if you think horses don't do this sort of thing naturally you have not spent enough time with the beasties.
Oh! Uh oh....I'm supposed to be reviewing the book...?
*Hana takes deep breath*
Yes, the book is really fun. There is a proto-feminist female vet who's really charming (and hot, especially in nylon nighties); and a neglected teenager who wants to join the Spanish Riding School; and a missing hubbie who might or might not be a bad guy. There's a circus (with HORSES!) There are amazing chase scenes across mountaintop castle roofs...
Awesome and scary moments with a cog railway...
And a very satisfying denouement.
Buddy read summer 2015--thanks for sharing the fun! https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
September 6, 2015
I have read this book a gazillion times over the years, and I never get tired of it. I like the fast pace, the horses, the circus, the mystery (even though that part is admittedly not all that mysterious), the horses, the relationship between Vanessa and her husband, the way young Timothy becomes more of who he is supposed to be, and the horses.
The chase across the top of the castle never fails to leave me breathless, but I must admit that I can never picture things like 'the northwest corner' or 'the southern turret'. Left, right, forwards, backwards.....these words make sense to me, but compass directions in such situations leave me lost and confused.
But oh, those horses!
The chase across the top of the castle never fails to leave me breathless, but I must admit that I can never picture things like 'the northwest corner' or 'the southern turret'. Left, right, forwards, backwards.....these words make sense to me, but compass directions in such situations leave me lost and confused.
But oh, those horses!
February 10, 2023
An interesting mystery, set in Vienna, with Lipizzan horses being mentioned frequently... so, in many ways, an ideal book for me to read! I've always been drawn to any mention of Lipizzaners, perhaps because they are such an ancient breed, who came close to dying out several times. They aren't as central to the plot as I would have wanted, but I enjoyed the story nonetheless.
Mary Stewart's characters were engaging and fun, and it was nice to follow along. I'll be reading more of her books!
Mary Stewart's characters were engaging and fun, and it was nice to follow along. I'll be reading more of her books!
August 21, 2018
Airs Above the Ground has every single element that is needed to make a marvelous Mary Stewart novel work: an enchanting and somewhat exotic setting, a plucky heroine navigating dangers under her own steam, a handsome and strong man just when you need him, an evil antagonist and one of Stewart’s charming boys. Add to that the charm of a traveling circus and a glimpse into the beauty and elegance of the Lipizzaner stallions, and what could you do but settle back and enjoy the ride.
I always feel as if I am there with Stewart’s characters, in an exact place--not a general place, a specific one.
Sacher’s Hotel was all that I had imagined, with its brilliantly lit scarlet and gold drawing rooms, the Turkey carpets, the oils in their heavy frames, the mahogany and flowers and spacious last-century atmosphere of comfortable leisure. The Blue Bar, where we were to meet Graham Lacy and his lady, was a smallish, intimate cave lined with blue brocade and lit with such discretion that one almost needed a flashlight to find one’s drink.
I swear if I close my eyes, I can smell the slightly musty, ancient upholstery, see the heavy, masculine woods in the bar, smell the richness of the clientele. And, in the following quote, I can see this woman’s constant scowl and look of disdain. Which of us has not known someone of exactly the personality she describes?
This, it seemed, was one of those angry natures that feeds on grievance; nothing would madden her more than to know that what she complained of had been put right. There are such people, unfortunates who have to be angry before they can feel alive. I had sometimes wondered if there were some old relic of pagan superstition, the fear of risking the jealousy and anger of the gods, that made such people afraid of even small happinesses.
There is a sense of adventure that one envies, and a sense of danger that one obviously does not, that permeates the story from beginning to end. There are multiple mysteries to keep you guessing and a few red-herrings that have to be dealt with. I would go anywhere with Mary Stewart, but I’m so glad she took me to Vienna in the springtime this round.
Airs Above the Ground is a marvelous romp and a delicious read, as every Mary Stewart novel is. I’m sure I shall dream tonight of strong men rescuing me from imminent danger with panache and wit--just as I must have done when I was a teenager and this novel was new. I hope I do not call Lewis’ name in my sleep--that would take some explaining.
I always feel as if I am there with Stewart’s characters, in an exact place--not a general place, a specific one.
Sacher’s Hotel was all that I had imagined, with its brilliantly lit scarlet and gold drawing rooms, the Turkey carpets, the oils in their heavy frames, the mahogany and flowers and spacious last-century atmosphere of comfortable leisure. The Blue Bar, where we were to meet Graham Lacy and his lady, was a smallish, intimate cave lined with blue brocade and lit with such discretion that one almost needed a flashlight to find one’s drink.
I swear if I close my eyes, I can smell the slightly musty, ancient upholstery, see the heavy, masculine woods in the bar, smell the richness of the clientele. And, in the following quote, I can see this woman’s constant scowl and look of disdain. Which of us has not known someone of exactly the personality she describes?
This, it seemed, was one of those angry natures that feeds on grievance; nothing would madden her more than to know that what she complained of had been put right. There are such people, unfortunates who have to be angry before they can feel alive. I had sometimes wondered if there were some old relic of pagan superstition, the fear of risking the jealousy and anger of the gods, that made such people afraid of even small happinesses.
There is a sense of adventure that one envies, and a sense of danger that one obviously does not, that permeates the story from beginning to end. There are multiple mysteries to keep you guessing and a few red-herrings that have to be dealt with. I would go anywhere with Mary Stewart, but I’m so glad she took me to Vienna in the springtime this round.
Airs Above the Ground is a marvelous romp and a delicious read, as every Mary Stewart novel is. I’m sure I shall dream tonight of strong men rescuing me from imminent danger with panache and wit--just as I must have done when I was a teenager and this novel was new. I hope I do not call Lewis’ name in my sleep--that would take some explaining.
January 30, 2023
I can’t think how to categorize Mary Stewart. She deserves a genre all of her own. I suppose I would liken her writing to the charm of D.E. Stevenson with the uncanny eerie atmosphere of Celia Fremlin and Shirley Jackson... but sort of.. all squashed together. Like everything is so quaint and gentle and pretty and colourful, but there is a dark undertone where no one is really as they seem. I love Mary Stewart and am so so glad I have many more of her back catalogue to work through.
December 1, 2014
This is the first adventure-thriller of Mary Stewart that I read. The milieu is the Alps, woods and castles of Austria in the 1960s. The main subject is a horse, and the history of the Lipizzaner horses. I found this part of the story really interesting. Around the mystery and beauty of these magnificent horses and their traditional dressage training at the Spanish Riding School, dating back hundreds of years, are a young married veterinary surgeon, her husband Lewis, a family friend, Timothy, and the members of a circus. The action is reminiscent of James Bond but thankfully devoid of all the gadgets and toys he charmed the world with. The heroine is still a silly girl, so fashionable in the literature of that era.
The fictional castle, Schloss Zechstein, which becomes the main action arena in the story is based on the Weesenstein Schloss, situated on the borders of Hungary and the Czech Republic. The author recreated the beauty of the surroundings in picturesque words and winds a suspenseful, dramatic story around the ancient landscapes of the area.
A really enjoyable read, but a little bit too concentrated on action-packed events, stretching out the ending over too many pages. But for a book written in the 1960, it is working well.
Not the most exciting book I have ever read, but certainly not a bad one either. It was a good introduction to this author's work.
I have ordered several of her books and look forward to read them, simply because it celebrates the old-fashioned decency and grace of the Sixties women's literature. Yes, this author is part of the golden oldies I have chosen to read.
The fictional castle, Schloss Zechstein, which becomes the main action arena in the story is based on the Weesenstein Schloss, situated on the borders of Hungary and the Czech Republic. The author recreated the beauty of the surroundings in picturesque words and winds a suspenseful, dramatic story around the ancient landscapes of the area.
A really enjoyable read, but a little bit too concentrated on action-packed events, stretching out the ending over too many pages. But for a book written in the 1960, it is working well.
Not the most exciting book I have ever read, but certainly not a bad one either. It was a good introduction to this author's work.
I have ordered several of her books and look forward to read them, simply because it celebrates the old-fashioned decency and grace of the Sixties women's literature. Yes, this author is part of the golden oldies I have chosen to read.
July 25, 2014
I hadn't read Mary Stewart since she was contemporary fiction; a couple of titles maybe, of which the only one I (dimly) remember at, urk, 50 years distance was Madame, Will You Walk? (Later: Talk, not Walk. Remembered it even less well than I thought...) Interesting to revisit both the writer and the times.
I'd call this thriller-lite perhaps, rather than romantic suspense as such -- there wasn't much romance, as our heroine/1st-person-narrator is two years married at the start, to a man whom she turns out to know less well than she'd thought. (Or perhaps the extreme emotional restraint is due to the protags -- or the writer -- being British.) Major points for the heroine being a veterinary surgeon, and respected as such, a skill-set she gets to deploy to good effect in the plot. Good horse values.
A while back I read a couple of the Dorothy Dunnett then-contemporary romantic suspense/mystery titles; these two echo each other in some subtle stylistic fashion, though I like Stewart's voice better. In both cases, the writers spend a lot of time painting word-pictures of their exotic locales, being of an era when their readers weren't expected to be able to obtain such visuals in any other way.
This was originally published in the midst of the original James Bond craze, and it plays consciously with some of those tropes, not very reverently. (For one thing, the female characters end the book still alive.) I liked that aspect.
Enjoyable and intelligent.
Ta, L.
September 13, 2015
3.5*
Set in a favourite country (Austria) & a favourite time period (the sixties) but even so this for me wasn't one of Stewart's best.
I don't think Stewart felt completely comfortable with the whole espionage thing. The story worked best for me at the times the hero Lewis wasn't present. Vanessa & the engaging Tim managed very well! Part of the story felt a bit confused & I had to go back for a reread.
The trademark heroine in peril bit was thrilling & I was on the edge of my seat. & as always, Stewart captures the locale very well.
Also a lot less smoking (thank heavens!) but also a lot more chauvinism - a dated term for some dated attitudes.
For example;
Something about his voice as he spoke made me shoot a glance at him. Not quite authority, not quite patronage, certainly not self-importance; but just the unmistakable echo of that man-to-woman way that even the nicest men adopt when they are letting a woman catch a glimpse of the edges of the Man's World
This is a teen boy & the woman is a veterinarian. Blech!
I prefer Stewart's more self reliant heroines. But at least this one wasn't smoking like a train.
Set in a favourite country (Austria) & a favourite time period (the sixties) but even so this for me wasn't one of Stewart's best.
I don't think Stewart felt completely comfortable with the whole espionage thing. The story worked best for me at the times the hero Lewis wasn't present. Vanessa & the engaging Tim managed very well! Part of the story felt a bit confused & I had to go back for a reread.
The trademark heroine in peril bit was thrilling & I was on the edge of my seat. & as always, Stewart captures the locale very well.
Also a lot less smoking (thank heavens!) but also a lot more chauvinism - a dated term for some dated attitudes.
For example;
Something about his voice as he spoke made me shoot a glance at him. Not quite authority, not quite patronage, certainly not self-importance; but just the unmistakable echo of that man-to-woman way that even the nicest men adopt when they are letting a woman catch a glimpse of the edges of the Man's World
This is a teen boy & the woman is a veterinarian. Blech!
I prefer Stewart's more self reliant heroines. But at least this one wasn't smoking like a train.
January 28, 2024
2024 Review
More satisfying than I remembered.
2019 Review
Vanessa March quarreled with her husband and now feels dreadful about it. But he's off on a business trip in Stockholm so there is no use fretting to death...
Until she sees a newsreel at the local theater of him at a fire in Austria clutching a very pretty girl. Then all bets are off. Vanessa is going to Austria to find her man.
My biggest complaint with Mary Stewart novels usually centers around the lightning fast romances. I thus appreciated the 'married couple' element of this book. The strong attachment made sense. And it is always delightful to read about happily married couples. (It gives one hope, you know!)
This novel attempts a bit more mystery than the other books by her I have read but still falls heavily in 'suspense.' If something gets mentioned at the beginning of the book, you know it will tie in at the end so not very many surprises there.
But overall, an exciting, adventurous novel with romance and mystery and murder. I especially delighted in the undercurrent of feminist sensibility as Vanessa mentally makes cracks about the men around her asking if she can 'keep up' and then expecting her to anyway. And she can. Because she's tough and while a fellow about helps, she will find a way to rescue herself from the most pressing danger.
More satisfying than I remembered.
2019 Review
Vanessa March quarreled with her husband and now feels dreadful about it. But he's off on a business trip in Stockholm so there is no use fretting to death...
Until she sees a newsreel at the local theater of him at a fire in Austria clutching a very pretty girl. Then all bets are off. Vanessa is going to Austria to find her man.
My biggest complaint with Mary Stewart novels usually centers around the lightning fast romances. I thus appreciated the 'married couple' element of this book. The strong attachment made sense. And it is always delightful to read about happily married couples. (It gives one hope, you know!)
This novel attempts a bit more mystery than the other books by her I have read but still falls heavily in 'suspense.' If something gets mentioned at the beginning of the book, you know it will tie in at the end so not very many surprises there.
But overall, an exciting, adventurous novel with romance and mystery and murder. I especially delighted in the undercurrent of feminist sensibility as Vanessa mentally makes cracks about the men around her asking if she can 'keep up' and then expecting her to anyway. And she can. Because she's tough and while a fellow about helps, she will find a way to rescue herself from the most pressing danger.
August 17, 2022
I haven’t read a Mary Stewart book in a very long time. I picked this one up because it took place in Vienna, Austria, a place I will be visiting in September.
This book reminded me of a grown up version of Nancy Drew mysteries. Vanessa, our “spunky” heroine, her cool, spy husband, Lewis and 17 year old Timothy, happy to be part of this sleuthing adventure.
I found this to be a very average light read but it did give me a feel for Austria, with the beautiful descriptions of the place.
Published: 1965
This book reminded me of a grown up version of Nancy Drew mysteries. Vanessa, our “spunky” heroine, her cool, spy husband, Lewis and 17 year old Timothy, happy to be part of this sleuthing adventure.
I found this to be a very average light read but it did give me a feel for Austria, with the beautiful descriptions of the place.
Published: 1965
September 27, 2016
When I saw that the 100th anniversary of Mary Stewart’s birth fell last weekend I knew that it was time for me to read another of her books.
I had always liked the look of ‘Airs Above the Ground’, and so off the shelf it came.
The story is set up beautifully.
Vanessa March is shocked to see her husband on a newsreel item about a circus fire in Austria, because she had believed him to be in Sweden on business. An old family friend saw the same newsreel and called Vanessa, asking her to escort her young relation – Timothy Lacey – to Vienna to visit his father. Vanessa hadn’t quite decided what to do, she was a little annoyed by the lady’s assumptions, but she seized the opportunity; because she really did want to find her husband and understand what was going on.
In Austria, seventeen year-old Tim admitted that his father wasn’t expecting him – that was only a story for his grandmother – and that what he really wanted was to see the country and to visit The Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And so he and Vanessa formed a plan to find the circus, to reunite Vanessa and her husband, and then to have a wonderful holiday.
Things don’t go entirely to plan.
They are caught in a web of intrigue that has been spun around the circus. And – in particular – around an old piebald horse.
This is a classic Mary Stewart story of romance and suspense; with all of the elements you might expect and with enough to make it feel a little different to her other books.
Vanessa was bright, capable and resourceful young woman, and I found it very easy to like her and to understand her feelings and her actions. I was sorry though that she had put her career as a vet (which was integral to the story) to one side to be a housewife, and that when her husband appeared she was rather too ready to put all of her trust in him. It was a nice change, having a married leading lady, and I liked her relationship with her husband, but I didn’t see enough of him to understand why she had married him.
Her relationship with Tim was much more interesting; an initial wariness grew into friendship, and they became a wonderful team. I suspected that they were only children who were discovering that it would be rather nice to have a sibling.
The settings were beautifully evoked and described: I loved visiting the countryside, the circus, the mountains, the villages and a wonderful gothic castle.
There were some wonderful moments. My favourites were the time in a meadow when Vanessa made a wonderful discovery about that old piebald house; and a dramatic chase around the battlements of the castle.
But I have to say that I don’t think this is Mary Stewart’s best book, and that this story didn’t hold me as it should have.
Some of that was down to me.
This might not have been the right book at the right time, and I might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
But some of it was down to the book.
Having a married heroine was a lovely variation on a theme, but it diminished the romance and the suspense, and there wasn’t enough in the rest of the story to make up for that.
The pacing was uneven, with the story slow to start and over-filled with action in the later stages; there was one sequence in particular where Vanessa and Tim did not belong. I can’t say more than that without revealing too much of the plot.
And, though the story of the old piebald house was very well done, there was much less of horses and of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna that I had expected.
None of these flaws were fatal though. I found much to enjoy, and I was always going to follow the story to the end.
Mary Stewart is still a favourite author; and I’m hoping that this was a wobble rather that a sign that I’ve outgrown her books.
I had always liked the look of ‘Airs Above the Ground’, and so off the shelf it came.
The story is set up beautifully.
Vanessa March is shocked to see her husband on a newsreel item about a circus fire in Austria, because she had believed him to be in Sweden on business. An old family friend saw the same newsreel and called Vanessa, asking her to escort her young relation – Timothy Lacey – to Vienna to visit his father. Vanessa hadn’t quite decided what to do, she was a little annoyed by the lady’s assumptions, but she seized the opportunity; because she really did want to find her husband and understand what was going on.
In Austria, seventeen year-old Tim admitted that his father wasn’t expecting him – that was only a story for his grandmother – and that what he really wanted was to see the country and to visit The Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And so he and Vanessa formed a plan to find the circus, to reunite Vanessa and her husband, and then to have a wonderful holiday.
Things don’t go entirely to plan.
They are caught in a web of intrigue that has been spun around the circus. And – in particular – around an old piebald horse.
This is a classic Mary Stewart story of romance and suspense; with all of the elements you might expect and with enough to make it feel a little different to her other books.
Vanessa was bright, capable and resourceful young woman, and I found it very easy to like her and to understand her feelings and her actions. I was sorry though that she had put her career as a vet (which was integral to the story) to one side to be a housewife, and that when her husband appeared she was rather too ready to put all of her trust in him. It was a nice change, having a married leading lady, and I liked her relationship with her husband, but I didn’t see enough of him to understand why she had married him.
Her relationship with Tim was much more interesting; an initial wariness grew into friendship, and they became a wonderful team. I suspected that they were only children who were discovering that it would be rather nice to have a sibling.
The settings were beautifully evoked and described: I loved visiting the countryside, the circus, the mountains, the villages and a wonderful gothic castle.
There were some wonderful moments. My favourites were the time in a meadow when Vanessa made a wonderful discovery about that old piebald house; and a dramatic chase around the battlements of the castle.
But I have to say that I don’t think this is Mary Stewart’s best book, and that this story didn’t hold me as it should have.
Some of that was down to me.
This might not have been the right book at the right time, and I might have enjoyed this book more when I was younger.
But some of it was down to the book.
Having a married heroine was a lovely variation on a theme, but it diminished the romance and the suspense, and there wasn’t enough in the rest of the story to make up for that.
The pacing was uneven, with the story slow to start and over-filled with action in the later stages; there was one sequence in particular where Vanessa and Tim did not belong. I can’t say more than that without revealing too much of the plot.
And, though the story of the old piebald house was very well done, there was much less of horses and of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna that I had expected.
None of these flaws were fatal though. I found much to enjoy, and I was always going to follow the story to the end.
Mary Stewart is still a favourite author; and I’m hoping that this was a wobble rather that a sign that I’ve outgrown her books.
February 19, 2023
Vanessa March has had a fight with her husband, and he has gone off to Stockholm for work. Or so she thinks, but a friend. Mrs. Lacy, tells her she saw him on a newsreel report about a fire in a traveling circus in Austria. Vanessa checks out the newsreel and sure enough, there’s her husband, comforting a pretty blonde in front of the disaster.
Mrs. Lacy has asked Vanessa to escort her seventeen-year-old son, Timothy Lacy, to Vienna, and in her rage at her husband’s apparent deception, Vanessa agrees. Timothy turns out to be a sweet young man, and there is some very poignant stuff about him, caught between two parents who don’t really care about him. He has an ambition to become a trainer at the famous training school for Lipizzaner horses in Austria, but first he and Vanessa get caught up in the search for her husband, which draws them inevitably into adventure. The husband’s situation is not what it appeared to be on the newsreel, and he becomes part of the action. The hero of the story may be one of my favorites in Stewart’s books, and at least the heroine doesn’t have to go running off into danger alone.
The dynamics of this story are unusual—married heroine instead of single woman trying to decide between two suspect men; young male sidekick instead of a female one; the circus setting; and the horses. It is slow to pick up suspense but I didn’t mind at all: I loved the setting and the characters, and there’s enough of the horse-mad little girl in me to adore a touching and magical horse story. The last half of the book gets busy enough with villains and chases and powerful cars, the sort of excitement Mary Stewart fans are looking for, all of which I enjoyed all the more because it was well grounded in likable characters who trusted one another. I came away fully satisfied.
Mrs. Lacy has asked Vanessa to escort her seventeen-year-old son, Timothy Lacy, to Vienna, and in her rage at her husband’s apparent deception, Vanessa agrees. Timothy turns out to be a sweet young man, and there is some very poignant stuff about him, caught between two parents who don’t really care about him. He has an ambition to become a trainer at the famous training school for Lipizzaner horses in Austria, but first he and Vanessa get caught up in the search for her husband, which draws them inevitably into adventure. The husband’s situation is not what it appeared to be on the newsreel, and he becomes part of the action. The hero of the story may be one of my favorites in Stewart’s books, and at least the heroine doesn’t have to go running off into danger alone.
The dynamics of this story are unusual—married heroine instead of single woman trying to decide between two suspect men; young male sidekick instead of a female one; the circus setting; and the horses. It is slow to pick up suspense but I didn’t mind at all: I loved the setting and the characters, and there’s enough of the horse-mad little girl in me to adore a touching and magical horse story. The last half of the book gets busy enough with villains and chases and powerful cars, the sort of excitement Mary Stewart fans are looking for, all of which I enjoyed all the more because it was well grounded in likable characters who trusted one another. I came away fully satisfied.
January 27, 2023
I loved this book! Set in Austria, featuring the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a delightful heroine and her husband who has an air of mystery about him. It's one of my favourite romantic tropes: too married people who find trust in their romance once secrets are unravelled and this is a humorous delight. I loved the relationship between Lewis and Vanessa and I LOVED the innuendo. Stewart excels at closed door scenes expertly placed and this was just wonderful.
Aces, I tell you!
Also, Austrian set romances are my jam.
Aces, I tell you!
Also, Austrian set romances are my jam.
March 13, 2013
"Hi, honey, I've been lying to you throughout our relationship and I'm ."
"Oh my god, that is so sexy. If we weren't married I'd marry you again."
"That guy hit you? I'll burn his hand until he screams."
"Oh my god, that is so sexy. Let's have babies."
Basically. Vanessa's husband Lewis was meant to be going with her on a trip and then he had to cancel for unexplained work reasons and a quick trip to Stockholm -- and then she sees him in news footage from a disaster in Vienna... with his arm around a pretty blonde girl. I wasn't sure I could stick with that plot, but fortunately it didn't turn out to be the main attraction: that mystery, at least, was relatively swiftly solved.
What remains a mystery to me, even after finishing the book, is how a woman who is perfectly prepared to indulge in car chases and tote a gun around -- in a pretty kickass style for someone who thought she was dealing with an extra-marital affair, not violence -- can still be full of the Mary Stewart novel-esque thoughts about how fragile and sweet womanhood is and how it's so wonderful when men treat women like they're delicate and -- I can't even go on. That's the worst part about Mary Stewart heroines: I knew that going in, but it really got on my nerves this time.
Which is too bad, because I rather enjoyed the plot otherwise. The side plot about the horses was quite touching, in a way, and all of that stuff came together very well. The atmosphere that you'd expect from a Stewart novel is there in spades, and aside from the bit about the charming little gypsy carriage, which wasn't too bad, there's not too much of the colonialism that so grates when reading Stewart.
Two Mary Stewart novels in a day -- I'm being positively decadent. I only have one of her mystery/romances left to read, The Ivy Tree, and I'm a little disappointed at that. I doubt they're very rereadable, either. So now I must look for a new equivalent to Mary Stewart novels for my bathtime light reading.
"Oh my god, that is so sexy. If we weren't married I'd marry you again."
"That guy hit you? I'll burn his hand until he screams."
"Oh my god, that is so sexy. Let's have babies."
Basically. Vanessa's husband Lewis was meant to be going with her on a trip and then he had to cancel for unexplained work reasons and a quick trip to Stockholm -- and then she sees him in news footage from a disaster in Vienna... with his arm around a pretty blonde girl. I wasn't sure I could stick with that plot, but fortunately it didn't turn out to be the main attraction: that mystery, at least, was relatively swiftly solved.
What remains a mystery to me, even after finishing the book, is how a woman who is perfectly prepared to indulge in car chases and tote a gun around -- in a pretty kickass style for someone who thought she was dealing with an extra-marital affair, not violence -- can still be full of the Mary Stewart novel-esque thoughts about how fragile and sweet womanhood is and how it's so wonderful when men treat women like they're delicate and -- I can't even go on. That's the worst part about Mary Stewart heroines: I knew that going in, but it really got on my nerves this time.
Which is too bad, because I rather enjoyed the plot otherwise. The side plot about the horses was quite touching, in a way, and all of that stuff came together very well. The atmosphere that you'd expect from a Stewart novel is there in spades, and aside from the bit about the charming little gypsy carriage, which wasn't too bad, there's not too much of the colonialism that so grates when reading Stewart.
Two Mary Stewart novels in a day -- I'm being positively decadent. I only have one of her mystery/romances left to read, The Ivy Tree, and I'm a little disappointed at that. I doubt they're very rereadable, either. So now I must look for a new equivalent to Mary Stewart novels for my bathtime light reading.
October 1, 2017
Airs Above the Ground was a good read once it got going. Unfortunately or the first 200 pages it was a rather dull story with no real mystery or suspense. The prospect of a woman seeing her missing husband on a newsreel and setting out to find him is what I found interesting about this book and it was probably the main draw, other than the fact that it's written by Mary Stewart and I generally like her writing. However the book's description isn't very accurate. The book's description makes it sound like Vanessa's husband is missing, but he really isn't. He's just seen somewhere other than where he told her he was, or at least someone that looks like him, and Vanessa sets out to Austria to find out if it's really him.
As always Mary Stewart's descriptions are wonderful and there is a lot about the Lipizzaner horses in the book as well which is interesting up to a point. I found myself skimming through the description after a while. The main reason for that is I wanted to get to the meat of the story. Once we finally got there it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on or who the bad guy was and that was disappointing to me. The best part of the book by far was the chase across the castle rooftop. Other than that this one fell flat for me.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
As always Mary Stewart's descriptions are wonderful and there is a lot about the Lipizzaner horses in the book as well which is interesting up to a point. I found myself skimming through the description after a while. The main reason for that is I wanted to get to the meat of the story. Once we finally got there it wasn't hard to figure out what was going on or who the bad guy was and that was disappointing to me. The best part of the book by far was the chase across the castle rooftop. Other than that this one fell flat for me.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
August 7, 2016
I misremembered this one somewhat, as I’d expected more time spent in the castle that actually only comes in about halfway through. It does speak well of Stewart’s usual ability to evoke an atmosphere; the castle/hotel works perfectly, and so does the circus. There’s not as much of a sense of landscape, though; it feels like it could be set anywhere, at least until the ending with the night time chase and the train lines on the mountain.
I remembered all too well why the romance in this bothered me. The couple are already married, and not estranged, but it turns out that he’s been keeping a big secret. I did like that she played along, didn’t blow his cover — Stewart’s heroines are often better at this sort of thing than you’d expect, even if it is in a rather ‘I’ll do anything for my man’ sort of way. I don’t like that he’s hidden all this from her and she thinks that’s okay, that they barely talk about it before he’s forgiven; I hate that suddenly he gets to beat people up ‘for’ her and that’s romantic. Gah. Bad taste in my mouth. And worse because she likes it.
Not my favourite Stewart romance at all; it lacks a lot of the charm. The saving grace is the horses: that story is poignant and enough to get invested in. The ending is, thus, perfect. Just keep the main couple out of it and finish with the horse.
Originally posted here.
I remembered all too well why the romance in this bothered me. The couple are already married, and not estranged, but it turns out that he’s been keeping a big secret. I did like that she played along, didn’t blow his cover — Stewart’s heroines are often better at this sort of thing than you’d expect, even if it is in a rather ‘I’ll do anything for my man’ sort of way. I don’t like that he’s hidden all this from her and she thinks that’s okay, that they barely talk about it before he’s forgiven; I hate that suddenly he gets to beat people up ‘for’ her and that’s romantic. Gah. Bad taste in my mouth. And worse because she likes it.
Not my favourite Stewart romance at all; it lacks a lot of the charm. The saving grace is the horses: that story is poignant and enough to get invested in. The ending is, thus, perfect. Just keep the main couple out of it and finish with the horse.
Originally posted here.
October 27, 2019
I absolutely loved this. (I’m slightly shocked still.) It’s got all the classic Mary Stewart gothic suspense elements, except the couple is already married, and I loved them; there’s the added bonus of a coming-of-age angle, and I loved Timothy; the writing is clever, deliberately vague in places, humorous, and beautiful. It’s dated, sure, but in a way that feels like historical fiction. All of it just worked for me.
I’m off to buy it right now, and that almost never happens.
I’m off to buy it right now, and that almost never happens.
January 24, 2018
Having read all of Mary Stewart's opus (except for two of the children's books), I would rank this particular story among my top five favourites. The title refers to the classical dressage movements performed by the famous Lipizzaner stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Mary Stewart's books is her thorough research. I am particularly well qualified to say that, in this novel, the equestrian theme is impeccably and satisfyingly accurate and Lady Stewart's passion for horses really shines through.
The story opens on the tragic aftermath of a fire and follows a troupe of circus performers travelling through the Austrian countryside and, here again, Stewart's descriptions are a delight, and the reader is transported into a world so vividly drawn that it is difficult to imagine its modern counterpart.
The other usual elements of Mary Stewart's writing are all here: intelligent narrative, a gripping plot with many twists and turns, superbly drawn characters and more than a dash of humour. One of the pivotal scenes toward the end of the book is pure comedy, coming on the heels of a rather robust Bond-style chase.
If you have read and enjoyed other Stewart novels, this is one of the best. For those who are new to her work, it would be a very good place to start.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Mary Stewart's books is her thorough research. I am particularly well qualified to say that, in this novel, the equestrian theme is impeccably and satisfyingly accurate and Lady Stewart's passion for horses really shines through.
The story opens on the tragic aftermath of a fire and follows a troupe of circus performers travelling through the Austrian countryside and, here again, Stewart's descriptions are a delight, and the reader is transported into a world so vividly drawn that it is difficult to imagine its modern counterpart.
The other usual elements of Mary Stewart's writing are all here: intelligent narrative, a gripping plot with many twists and turns, superbly drawn characters and more than a dash of humour. One of the pivotal scenes toward the end of the book is pure comedy, coming on the heels of a rather robust Bond-style chase.
If you have read and enjoyed other Stewart novels, this is one of the best. For those who are new to her work, it would be a very good place to start.
August 13, 2019
Mary Stewart's Gothic mysteries are always a treat.
They're literate - she throws in allusions with abandon - and eventually fast paced. I say eventually, because they build steam as she goes, often beginning somewhat slowly and not immediately "hooking" the reader ... in fact not hooking you until late in the game when you absolutely lose an afternoon to finishing the book.
That was the case here with Airs Above the Ground. There are multiple plots here woven together to create red herrings, general confusion for her characters (not to mention readers), and interest. The horses are important, the circus is important, location is important, the relationship between characters is important, even the gems are important.
It's a tidy finish, but not a wrapped up finish. The lives of the characters continue on, but with tracks down the road that you can't see for the tunnels.
Our heroine might be confused, but she is never thoughtless or incapable of rational thought. That's always nice to see.
There seems to be a sense of the need for solid footing in this book - being able to do the Airs Above the Ground exercises of the Lipizzaner horses requires training, understanding, and foundations. The young wife Vanessa is seeking the foundations of her marriage; young Tim, her travel companion is seeking the foundations of adulthood; Lewis, her husband, is seeking a foundation too - but I'll let you find it. They're all looking to be who they are - fitted to their own skin. When they're on firm footing, they, too, can perform feats to bring about safety and a right end.
The Countess is so saddened by their reduced circumstances, they aren't what they once were, and she hasn't her feet under her:
and has become angry with nowhere to land:
Her identity was not fitted to her own skin, but to the trappings of wealth. I feel bad for the Count.
There's a a slow chase across Austria, a spectacular roof-top chase scene, a car chase, a train chase to bring the story to conclusion.
I'm not saying that everyone should read Mary Stewart. This is absolutely light reading - but a thoughtful light read. I've downloaded Thunder on the Right to read next.
They're literate - she throws in allusions with abandon - and eventually fast paced. I say eventually, because they build steam as she goes, often beginning somewhat slowly and not immediately "hooking" the reader ... in fact not hooking you until late in the game when you absolutely lose an afternoon to finishing the book.
That was the case here with Airs Above the Ground. There are multiple plots here woven together to create red herrings, general confusion for her characters (not to mention readers), and interest. The horses are important, the circus is important, location is important, the relationship between characters is important, even the gems are important.
It's a tidy finish, but not a wrapped up finish. The lives of the characters continue on, but with tracks down the road that you can't see for the tunnels.
Our heroine might be confused, but she is never thoughtless or incapable of rational thought. That's always nice to see.
There seems to be a sense of the need for solid footing in this book - being able to do the Airs Above the Ground exercises of the Lipizzaner horses requires training, understanding, and foundations. The young wife Vanessa is seeking the foundations of her marriage; young Tim, her travel companion is seeking the foundations of adulthood; Lewis, her husband, is seeking a foundation too - but I'll let you find it. They're all looking to be who they are - fitted to their own skin. When they're on firm footing, they, too, can perform feats to bring about safety and a right end.
The Countess is so saddened by their reduced circumstances, they aren't what they once were, and she hasn't her feet under her:
‘Ah, yes. I am afraid the best of the portraits are no longer here. We have to live as best we can, in ways which we would once have considered impossible.’ She lifted her shoulders, solid under the frilly blouse. ‘The best of everything is gone, Mrs March.’
and has become angry with nowhere to land:
This, it seemed, was one of those angry natures that feeds on grievance; nothing would madden her more than to know that what she complained of had been put right. There are such people, unfortunates who have to be angry before they can feel alive. I had sometimes wondered if it were some old relic of pagan superstition, the fear of risking the jealousy and anger of the gods, that made such people afraid of even small happinesses. Or perhaps it was only that tragedy is more self-important than laughter. It is more impressive to be a Lear than a Rosalind.
Her identity was not fitted to her own skin, but to the trappings of wealth. I feel bad for the Count.
There's a a slow chase across Austria, a spectacular roof-top chase scene, a car chase, a train chase to bring the story to conclusion.
I'm not saying that everyone should read Mary Stewart. This is absolutely light reading - but a thoughtful light read. I've downloaded Thunder on the Right to read next.
September 13, 2021
Vanessa March gets conned into taking a family friend's young son to Europe to meet his father. The boy hasn't been very truthful about the arrangements with his father, and Vanessa is telling her own lies: despite her husband cabling her from Stockholm, he's seen in a newsreel with his arm around a young blond woman in Austria! LEWIS HOW COULD YOU?
Like all of Stewart's heroines, Vanessa is educated and very capable. A veterinary technician, she is more than up to the challenge when they encounter a circus with an injured horse, a pretty young circus performer who seems to be hiding a secret, a strange and vicious acrobat, and Vanessa's wayward husband.
Like all of Stewart's heroines, Vanessa is educated and very capable. A veterinary technician, she is more than up to the challenge when they encounter a circus with an injured horse, a pretty young circus performer who seems to be hiding a secret, a strange and vicious acrobat, and Vanessa's wayward husband.
September 20, 2025
This is a fun Stewart book that over time has become one of my top favorites. A family friend spots Vanessa's husband in a newsreel, with an attractive young girl in Austria when he's claiming to be in Sweden! Circumstances allow her to travel to Vienna without looking too suspicious, and events spiral out from there. This story includes a circus, Lipizzaner horses, and the gorgeous scenery that Stewart is so good at describing.
Vanessa is a likable 1960s heroine, a product of her times but brave and intelligent and not afraid to be either. I also liked that she's married and they have a strong relationship, even with a few ups and downs.
I love the scene at night with Vanessa and Their relationship was fun to read.
Young Tim is such a great character, I'm not sure I'd enjoy the book much without him. He really adds liveliness, some humor and feeling. He's a good example of someone in that almost-grown up stage - so good at so many things that sometimes I doubt he's real, then he says or does something awkward, and I go, "Oh, yes, there's that young boy peeking through!"
I should explain that I've never been very fond of horses. We had a golden palomino when I was growing up on the farm, and I probably didn't ride him more than 40 times in my life. They just don't interest me much. But that magical scene in the alpine meadow - I got shivers. Stewart is so good at description, I felt I was sitting there with Vanessa listening to the faraway sounds of the circus. And I've read this book a few times before. But the power of good writing never lessens for me, and that's really good writing!
Stewart's books were my introduction to Romantic Suspense many decades ago, and they are great fun to reread when I'm in the mood for some adventure and a strong sense of place. I always feel like I've just returned from a vacation when I finish one of her books.
Vanessa is a likable 1960s heroine, a product of her times but brave and intelligent and not afraid to be either. I also liked that she's married and they have a strong relationship, even with a few ups and downs.
I love the scene at night with Vanessa and Their relationship was fun to read.
Young Tim is such a great character, I'm not sure I'd enjoy the book much without him. He really adds liveliness, some humor and feeling. He's a good example of someone in that almost-grown up stage - so good at so many things that sometimes I doubt he's real, then he says or does something awkward, and I go, "Oh, yes, there's that young boy peeking through!"
I should explain that I've never been very fond of horses. We had a golden palomino when I was growing up on the farm, and I probably didn't ride him more than 40 times in my life. They just don't interest me much. But that magical scene in the alpine meadow - I got shivers. Stewart is so good at description, I felt I was sitting there with Vanessa listening to the faraway sounds of the circus. And I've read this book a few times before. But the power of good writing never lessens for me, and that's really good writing!
Stewart's books were my introduction to Romantic Suspense many decades ago, and they are great fun to reread when I'm in the mood for some adventure and a strong sense of place. I always feel like I've just returned from a vacation when I finish one of her books.
March 21, 2018
The Austrian placements here are splendid- the visuals and the actions both would make an excellent film. Very expensive film!
It's closer to a 3.5 star but I rounded it up for the character nuance developed early between Timothy and Vanessa. You do not fine a dynamic duo often that quite equates to that mature married woman/ 17 year old boy turned man on his "own". Not as a traveling or work or any type of companions' escapade- it's an odd and rather interesting pairing. I loved it- they both brought out the best in each other and NOT in a sexual liaison way either. Not a jot of that. But in all the action and social radar arenas that needed improving for both of their rather odd and uncomfortable situations.
It was overlong- especially in the first 200 pages. But those parts would also be good in a movie too, and probably better than all the explaining for the missing husband and alternative identities portions. After page 200 it would be a superb action film (different pacing than all that former circus surrounds) with chase and elevator scenes perfect for the visuals. Not to mention the train, mountain, Mercedes and phenomenal horse dancing sequences. Especially that one with the "piebald" in the alp's wood.
Mary Steward did the descriptive hotels, venues, events, natural habitats and the styles of fashion extremely well. Yet I never read her in this genre type before and was surprised at the quality of the "case". It wasn't shabby or trite. Ones I had read before tended toward the Gothic or Romance genre that I knew was her forte and huge success.
Very entertaining and of a time/era when sharp characterizations in a chronological progression form were tops. And so appreciated by this reader as opposed to the flip flopping narrator, time and questionable source for this genre presently.
It's closer to a 3.5 star but I rounded it up for the character nuance developed early between Timothy and Vanessa. You do not fine a dynamic duo often that quite equates to that mature married woman/ 17 year old boy turned man on his "own". Not as a traveling or work or any type of companions' escapade- it's an odd and rather interesting pairing. I loved it- they both brought out the best in each other and NOT in a sexual liaison way either. Not a jot of that. But in all the action and social radar arenas that needed improving for both of their rather odd and uncomfortable situations.
It was overlong- especially in the first 200 pages. But those parts would also be good in a movie too, and probably better than all the explaining for the missing husband and alternative identities portions. After page 200 it would be a superb action film (different pacing than all that former circus surrounds) with chase and elevator scenes perfect for the visuals. Not to mention the train, mountain, Mercedes and phenomenal horse dancing sequences. Especially that one with the "piebald" in the alp's wood.
Mary Steward did the descriptive hotels, venues, events, natural habitats and the styles of fashion extremely well. Yet I never read her in this genre type before and was surprised at the quality of the "case". It wasn't shabby or trite. Ones I had read before tended toward the Gothic or Romance genre that I knew was her forte and huge success.
Very entertaining and of a time/era when sharp characterizations in a chronological progression form were tops. And so appreciated by this reader as opposed to the flip flopping narrator, time and questionable source for this genre presently.
January 12, 2018
I read Mary Stewart's Airs Above the Ground for the Austria stop of my Around the World in 80 Books challenge. I adored the last Stewart book which I read, Nine Coaches Waiting, and always have high hopes when beginning one of her novels. I was in two minds about Airs Above the Ground however; whilst Vienna is one of my favourite cities to visit, I am not at all a fan of horses, which this plot features quite heavily.
As ever, the sense of place here is built so strongly, and many of Stewart's descriptions are nothing short of beautiful. The narrative voice felt authentic, and the dialogue worked well on the whole. I guessed both threads of mystery before they were revealed, but this did not diminish my enjoyment of the novel at all, and there was still a surprising twist at play. Whilst the storyline appealed to me the least out of the huge stack of Stewart books which I purchased last year, I found myself enjoying it regardless. Stewart is a comfortable and comforting author to read, and that is no different with Airs Above the Ground; I found it difficult to put down, and was still surprised by how perfectly Stewart paces her novels.
As ever, the sense of place here is built so strongly, and many of Stewart's descriptions are nothing short of beautiful. The narrative voice felt authentic, and the dialogue worked well on the whole. I guessed both threads of mystery before they were revealed, but this did not diminish my enjoyment of the novel at all, and there was still a surprising twist at play. Whilst the storyline appealed to me the least out of the huge stack of Stewart books which I purchased last year, I found myself enjoying it regardless. Stewart is a comfortable and comforting author to read, and that is no different with Airs Above the Ground; I found it difficult to put down, and was still surprised by how perfectly Stewart paces her novels.
September 13, 2021
Lately I've been reading a few books I adored as an older child or young adult. Now as I re-read them I think, "Wow, my tastes have changed." A span of fifty years will do that to a person. But happily this particular book has passed the test of time.
It is a simple mystery that the reader knows will have a happy ending. The plot involves a new wife searching for her husband who shows up in a news reel from Austria when he's supposed to be in Switzerland. The action includes a circus, castles, the Lipizzaner stallions, a train nearly squashing a person caught in the tracks, and plenty of foot and car chases. And lots of prowling around. What really made me chuckle was the sexy banter between the young couple when they reunited - that part went right over my head when I first read this.
Mary Stewart was a NY Times bestselling author back in the 1960s. In the later part of the decade I read her books every chance I could get. If I remember correctly her series of books about Merlin were fantastic. I think I'll pass re-reading any of these others. This was enough of a nostalgia trip of her works for me.
It is a simple mystery that the reader knows will have a happy ending. The plot involves a new wife searching for her husband who shows up in a news reel from Austria when he's supposed to be in Switzerland. The action includes a circus, castles, the Lipizzaner stallions, a train nearly squashing a person caught in the tracks, and plenty of foot and car chases. And lots of prowling around. What really made me chuckle was the sexy banter between the young couple when they reunited - that part went right over my head when I first read this.
Mary Stewart was a NY Times bestselling author back in the 1960s. In the later part of the decade I read her books every chance I could get. If I remember correctly her series of books about Merlin were fantastic. I think I'll pass re-reading any of these others. This was enough of a nostalgia trip of her works for me.
September 6, 2024
A romantic suspense story set in Austria, the plot is exciting enough but is almost secondary to the lyrical descriptions of the beautiful and brilliant horses of the Spanish riding school in Vienna, and the lovingly detailed descriptions of their dancing. The heroine, Vanessa, finds herself reluctantly accompanying an aloof teenage boy, Tim, to Vienna, while hoping to find her husband, Lewis. She discovers Tim has a passion for horses, and wants to be one of the haute ecole riders at the Spanish riding school. She and Tim find their way to a circus, where Vanessa, who just happens to be a vet, is able to help an injured old horse, who turns out to be no ordinary horse. As Lewis turns out to be no ordinary husband. The adventures of Vanessa and Tim are exciting, but it is the horse who is the real stars of this story. "round he came, the dancing steps made even more beautiful by their silence; the beat of the music hid even the muffled thudding in the sand, so the high floating movements of the hoofs seemed to take the stallion skimming as effortlessly as a swan in full sail.”
February 16, 2021
Now that I've read a few, I realise there is a distinct similar pattern to all of Mary Stewart books which I can understand some readers might find repetitive or predictable. I, however, continue to just find them comforting and charming.
We always get the story from the first person point of view of the heroine. This time around it's Vanessa, a vet, who is fairly newly (two years) married to Lewis, a salesman who frequently travels abroad for work. Lewis is supposedly in Stockholm when Vanessa sees him on a newsreel item of a circus fire in Austria, the footage showing him seemingly a little too chummy with a gorgeous blonde girl. So when a family friend needs someone to accompany her teenage son, Timothy, to Vienna, Vanessa obviously agrees, with the plan of finding the circus and Lewis.
After previously putting Crete and Corfu on readers’ bucket list, Stewart’s descriptive passages this time bring Austria to life. There’s castles and mountains and quaint villages and steam trains and far too many baked delights to assist with keeping my diet on track.
The title comes from the book’s focus on the Spanish Riding School of Austria where the stallions are trained in strict dressage including a jump with all four legs off the ground, thus creating ‘airs above the ground’. I read where Stewart actually consulted with and received permission from the director of the riding school, so these scenes and the mentions of the school’s history should be accurate. I’m not a huge horse fan myself but with Stewart making them dance across the page, she easily coaxed me into wanting to see the Lippizzaners perform in real life.
Stewart’s heroines are always able to look after themselves and usually they are the ones who need to rescue the men in their lives. Vanessa had her moments to shine but, out of all Stewart’s heroines I’ve ‘met’ so far, I did find her a little more reliant on the male characters than the others.
Even though Stewart changes things up in this book by having Vanessa and Lewis already married, I really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book. It seemed a more mature romance and there’s a lot of almost an additional sexiness to some of the scenes.
Stewart too writes action so effortlessly. There’s a couple of her usual car chases, which are always done uniquely so that they still remain interesting, along with a tense and entertaining rooftop chase. This is probably where my rating dropped a little -- there seemed to be too much action. Rest assured, it's easy to follow and reads as if you're watching a movie. (I’ll repeat what I say every time I review one of Stewart’s book -- I’m so confused as to why Hollywood never adapted any of them other than The Moonspinners.)
There were signs of the book’s age now and then. I wouldn’t say it’s completely politically correct when it came to Vanessa’s reaction to certain circus members, for example. Timothy’s naivete also felt crazy compared to what a 17 year old would know these days. He’s a good character still though. Stewart also has a knack of making me like the kids she includes in her books.
As I said, this book follows Stewart’s strict pattern for a romantic suspense. But (apparently) that isn't a pattern I’m not going to complain any time soon. 4 1/2 out of 5
We always get the story from the first person point of view of the heroine. This time around it's Vanessa, a vet, who is fairly newly (two years) married to Lewis, a salesman who frequently travels abroad for work. Lewis is supposedly in Stockholm when Vanessa sees him on a newsreel item of a circus fire in Austria, the footage showing him seemingly a little too chummy with a gorgeous blonde girl. So when a family friend needs someone to accompany her teenage son, Timothy, to Vienna, Vanessa obviously agrees, with the plan of finding the circus and Lewis.
After previously putting Crete and Corfu on readers’ bucket list, Stewart’s descriptive passages this time bring Austria to life. There’s castles and mountains and quaint villages and steam trains and far too many baked delights to assist with keeping my diet on track.
The title comes from the book’s focus on the Spanish Riding School of Austria where the stallions are trained in strict dressage including a jump with all four legs off the ground, thus creating ‘airs above the ground’. I read where Stewart actually consulted with and received permission from the director of the riding school, so these scenes and the mentions of the school’s history should be accurate. I’m not a huge horse fan myself but with Stewart making them dance across the page, she easily coaxed me into wanting to see the Lippizzaners perform in real life.
Stewart’s heroines are always able to look after themselves and usually they are the ones who need to rescue the men in their lives. Vanessa had her moments to shine but, out of all Stewart’s heroines I’ve ‘met’ so far, I did find her a little more reliant on the male characters than the others.
Even though Stewart changes things up in this book by having Vanessa and Lewis already married, I really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the book. It seemed a more mature romance and there’s a lot of almost an additional sexiness to some of the scenes.
Stewart too writes action so effortlessly. There’s a couple of her usual car chases, which are always done uniquely so that they still remain interesting, along with a tense and entertaining rooftop chase. This is probably where my rating dropped a little -- there seemed to be too much action. Rest assured, it's easy to follow and reads as if you're watching a movie. (I’ll repeat what I say every time I review one of Stewart’s book -- I’m so confused as to why Hollywood never adapted any of them other than The Moonspinners.)
There were signs of the book’s age now and then. I wouldn’t say it’s completely politically correct when it came to Vanessa’s reaction to certain circus members, for example. Timothy’s naivete also felt crazy compared to what a 17 year old would know these days. He’s a good character still though. Stewart also has a knack of making me like the kids she includes in her books.
As I said, this book follows Stewart’s strict pattern for a romantic suspense. But (apparently) that isn't a pattern I’m not going to complain any time soon. 4 1/2 out of 5
June 18, 2025
Mary Stewart is probably the best Arthur/Merlin chronicler out there.
This book ? Not so much. She has 3 good characters - the main ingenue, her husband (basically Mr and Mrs Smith) and a scrappy Robin sidekick. Some of the dialogue is promising.
The mystery/thriller/whatever is one note, however, and starting at 60% the ENTIRE rest of the book is a chase. ZZZZZskim.
Some interesting things about the Lippizaner horses.
This book ? Not so much. She has 3 good characters - the main ingenue, her husband (basically Mr and Mrs Smith) and a scrappy Robin sidekick. Some of the dialogue is promising.
The mystery/thriller/whatever is one note, however, and starting at 60% the ENTIRE rest of the book is a chase. ZZZZZskim.
Some interesting things about the Lippizaner horses.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 568 reviews