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The Pride of the Peacock
Victoria Holt demonstrates her mastery once again in her most exciting novel set in turn-of-the-century England where a young woman grows up in the shadow of the great estate - and privileged way of life - that was once her family's birthright. But a unique inheritance compels Jessica Clavering to marry the owner of a fabled opal mine and leads her to faraway Australia. There she will discover the mysteries - and evil - surrounding the greatest opal ever found. There she must confront the danger that lust for the stone has aroused even in her own husband - and there she must find love.
281 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
291 people are currently reading
1568 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Holt
371 books1,375 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
March 13, 2013
A re-read of a story I first read back in the 80's in my teen Victoria Holt phase. Unfortunately it's one of her books that dwells too much on the heroine's childhood and family. The hero doesn't even make an appearance until page 100. The first 1/2 of the book was dedicated to the sad story of the heroine's mother and the history of the famed Green Opal and of opal mining. The heroine (her real name is Opal) has more scenes with the codgy old opal miner than she ever gets with the hero. I got totally bored with opals and the endless conversations about past events. And opals.
With this set up, the hero would have to be something really special to redeem this book. Unfortunately he just ... wasn't. He's proud all right, feels rejected by the heroine who insists on a marriage-in-name-only, but his flirting with the OW for spite is just childish. He actually gifts her a valuable opal under the heroine's nose. The Green Opal turns out to be missing, but the whole opal-opal-who's-got-the-opal mystery was a bore. VH throws in a murder of course, but it occurs too late in the book to really spice things up. And the murderer turns out to be a crazy bat, driven crazy by the Green Opal. Natch.
I did not feel any passion in the romance. There wasn't even any passionate kissing. And the ILY's at the end were hard to believe. So overall it's a dud for me. And I'm avoiding opals from now on.
With this set up, the hero would have to be something really special to redeem this book. Unfortunately he just ... wasn't. He's proud all right, feels rejected by the heroine who insists on a marriage-in-name-only, but his flirting with the OW for spite is just childish. He actually gifts her a valuable opal under the heroine's nose. The Green Opal turns out to be missing, but the whole opal-opal-who's-got-the-opal mystery was a bore. VH throws in a murder of course, but it occurs too late in the book to really spice things up. And the murderer turns out to be a crazy bat, driven crazy by the Green Opal. Natch.
I did not feel any passion in the romance. There wasn't even any passionate kissing. And the ILY's at the end were hard to believe. So overall it's a dud for me. And I'm avoiding opals from now on.
January 21, 2023
I remember simply adoring Victoria Holt's historical romance novels when I was a lonely and often supremely miserable teenager who desperately wanted to "go back in time" and marry (or at least meet and perhaps even rescue and reclaim) some haunted, misunderstood British monarch or Lord of the Manor. And I was thus rather sure I would likely still at the very least be willing and able to appreciate The Pride of the Peacock when I decided to reread in order to post a review.
Now The Pride of the Peacock was actually the very first Victoria Holt novel I ever did read, at around age thirteen or so, and in German translation, where it is titled Der Fluch der Opale (and thus a bit of a differently translated heading than the English original, basically having the meaning of the curse of the opals). And I literally snuck it out of my mother's bookshelf, as I was at that time desperate to read something, anything, in German, and had read and reread ALL of the German language children's literature I had taken along to Canada when we immigrated in 1976. But while this time around, I did still at least somewhat enjoy The Pride of the Peacock, by the end of the story, the woefully formulaic writing, the fact that I basically knew almost from when Jessica first arrived in Australia who the guilty party, the person responsible for the strange occurrences that were happening would be, that Jessica would not only get her man, but that her first born would also and of course be a son (a longed for heir), all of this did kind of begin to grate more than a bit (for Victoria Holt is in many ways like cotton candy, fluffy, sweet, but too much of the same is sticky and will tend to give you either a tooth or a stomach ache). Two and a half stars, rounded down from my original three star rating, as The Pride of the Peacock, while still mildly enjoyable, also does now leave me rather cold and somewhat annoyed and textually frustrated.
Now The Pride of the Peacock was actually the very first Victoria Holt novel I ever did read, at around age thirteen or so, and in German translation, where it is titled Der Fluch der Opale (and thus a bit of a differently translated heading than the English original, basically having the meaning of the curse of the opals). And I literally snuck it out of my mother's bookshelf, as I was at that time desperate to read something, anything, in German, and had read and reread ALL of the German language children's literature I had taken along to Canada when we immigrated in 1976. But while this time around, I did still at least somewhat enjoy The Pride of the Peacock, by the end of the story, the woefully formulaic writing, the fact that I basically knew almost from when Jessica first arrived in Australia who the guilty party, the person responsible for the strange occurrences that were happening would be, that Jessica would not only get her man, but that her first born would also and of course be a son (a longed for heir), all of this did kind of begin to grate more than a bit (for Victoria Holt is in many ways like cotton candy, fluffy, sweet, but too much of the same is sticky and will tend to give you either a tooth or a stomach ache). Two and a half stars, rounded down from my original three star rating, as The Pride of the Peacock, while still mildly enjoyable, also does now leave me rather cold and somewhat annoyed and textually frustrated.
November 2, 2008
I am currently re-reading this book. It's an old favorite for sentimental reasons. My Grandma Georgianna once gave me a stack of books she had finished and this was among them. I have read it several times. The protagonist, Jessica, is a headstrong young lady born around 1880, and as she comes of age she discovers much of what she knew about her family was not the truth. The story moves between a family estate in England and the opal mines of Australia. It's a neat story and an easy read - kind of a classic romance with lots of little twists and turns. Every time I read it, I think about how much I would love the movie!
February 2, 2014
My review will be posted on Romancing the Book Blog.
September 16, 2019
There are slow burn books and then there is this one where nothing of importance happens for a good 70 percent of the book and then you just have an ineffectual heroine through most of the story who somehow saves herself in the end by talking. Definitely not one of Holt's best. With a hero that I was rooting against and then the setting moving to Australia, this book just had too much that in the end didn't work for it.
"The Pride of the Peacock" follows Opal Jessica Clavering (known as Jessica) as she slowly unravels her personal history when one of her neighbors she has been forbidden to talk to, Ben Henniker who somehow ended up purchasing her family's ancestral home and land leaving her family living in a small home and much impoverished. When Ben pressures Jessica into marrying his son in order for her to restore her family's home to them and also give him grandchildren, she agrees to the deal though she doesn't care for Josslyn Madden (otherwise known as Peacock or Joss by Jessica).
Jessica is self-absorbed I thought. She finds out that Ben had a connection to her family and to someone else in her family that she never knew about. He seems obsessed with Jessica and Jessica just goes, well Ben loves me. I don't know. It was vaguely creepy to me. Also the way that Jessica talks to her mother I can't see happening and things going well for her. This book is supposed to take place in the 1800s and the way that Jessica acts at times is too modern. I did like how she stood up for her sister and pushed her brother to marry though. I didn't like Jessica's relationship with Joss at all. He taunts her and keeps pushing her for things she doesn't want to give and frankly I don't blame her. There is nothing redeeming about his character in this book.
Honestly, I didn't much care for any man that is discussed in this book. As I already said, Ben is creepy and obsessed and I loathed how he ends up in the end forcing Jessica to go along with his determination to see her married to Joss. Joss is a philandering ass and treats Jessica terribly through most of the book until he doesn't. I think we are supposed to see him a changed man, but I didn't.
The other characters we meet when Jessica and Joss get to Australia feel very one dimensional.
The plot was not that great. We hear about the Green Flash opal being stolen from Ben decades earlier, and then find out it wasn't stolen, but then it gets stolen again. And of course there's a supposed curse linked to the opal. We do eventually get a murder but it was very confusing when you find out the why behind it. It didn't help that the villain reveal was so anti-climatic and didn't make a lot of sense (at least to me).
The writing was so-so. Some things I wish had been discussed more and not glossed over. I know this book is written in the Victorian era, I have a really hard time with the fact that both Jessica and Joss are "bastards" and nothing was said by the community at large about it. I guess in Australia (where the story moves) it didn't really matter, but I am shocked that no one said anything in the area where Jessica was born. Especially since people had to know about it. I thought the whole book was so repetitive after a while though. We had to hear about opals, peacocks, and the Green Flash throughout.
The setting of this book I thought should have been a later period in time. I also didn't feel like the book had enough of the Gothic elements that I enjoy. I mean we had a murder, and I guess a curse with that stupid opal, and even some madness in the end. I just wish that the love/romance side had been better and we had actually had a haunted home or something else.
"The Pride of the Peacock" follows Opal Jessica Clavering (known as Jessica) as she slowly unravels her personal history when one of her neighbors she has been forbidden to talk to, Ben Henniker who somehow ended up purchasing her family's ancestral home and land leaving her family living in a small home and much impoverished. When Ben pressures Jessica into marrying his son in order for her to restore her family's home to them and also give him grandchildren, she agrees to the deal though she doesn't care for Josslyn Madden (otherwise known as Peacock or Joss by Jessica).
Jessica is self-absorbed I thought. She finds out that Ben had a connection to her family and to someone else in her family that she never knew about. He seems obsessed with Jessica and Jessica just goes, well Ben loves me. I don't know. It was vaguely creepy to me. Also the way that Jessica talks to her mother I can't see happening and things going well for her. This book is supposed to take place in the 1800s and the way that Jessica acts at times is too modern. I did like how she stood up for her sister and pushed her brother to marry though. I didn't like Jessica's relationship with Joss at all. He taunts her and keeps pushing her for things she doesn't want to give and frankly I don't blame her. There is nothing redeeming about his character in this book.
Honestly, I didn't much care for any man that is discussed in this book. As I already said, Ben is creepy and obsessed and I loathed how he ends up in the end forcing Jessica to go along with his determination to see her married to Joss. Joss is a philandering ass and treats Jessica terribly through most of the book until he doesn't. I think we are supposed to see him a changed man, but I didn't.
The other characters we meet when Jessica and Joss get to Australia feel very one dimensional.
The plot was not that great. We hear about the Green Flash opal being stolen from Ben decades earlier, and then find out it wasn't stolen, but then it gets stolen again. And of course there's a supposed curse linked to the opal. We do eventually get a murder but it was very confusing when you find out the why behind it. It didn't help that the villain reveal was so anti-climatic and didn't make a lot of sense (at least to me).
The writing was so-so. Some things I wish had been discussed more and not glossed over. I know this book is written in the Victorian era, I have a really hard time with the fact that both Jessica and Joss are "bastards" and nothing was said by the community at large about it. I guess in Australia (where the story moves) it didn't really matter, but I am shocked that no one said anything in the area where Jessica was born. Especially since people had to know about it. I thought the whole book was so repetitive after a while though. We had to hear about opals, peacocks, and the Green Flash throughout.
The setting of this book I thought should have been a later period in time. I also didn't feel like the book had enough of the Gothic elements that I enjoy. I mean we had a murder, and I guess a curse with that stupid opal, and even some madness in the end. I just wish that the love/romance side had been better and we had actually had a haunted home or something else.
August 6, 2016
4 and ½ Stars! Mystery, Opals and Love with a Peacock in Victorian Australia
Set in the Victorian era (about 1880), beginning in England, this is the story of Opal Jessica Clavering, the youngest daughter in a family that treats her as if she doesn’t belong. At one time the family was wealthy, but now they live in the Dower House next to the estate, Oakland Hall, they once called their own.
When she is 16, Jessica makes friends with the owner of Oakland Hall, Ben Henniker, an opal miner who made his money in the mines of New South Wales. Ben offers her the chance for a new life and Jessica takes it even though it includes a marriage of convenience to his illegitimate son, Josslyn Madden (“Joss”), called “the Peacock” for his pride and his home, Peacocks, in Australia.
Once married, Joss returns to Australia with Jessica, who begins to wonder if her husband isn’t planning to kill her. The famous jewel called the Green Flash at Sunset goes missing and there are no clues as to who took it. And then someone is murdered.
Holt is a great storyteller and immediately had me deeply involved in Jessica’s life. Jessica is a woman who has a curious mind, an adventurous spirit and is courageous to the core. I liked her very much. Joss is arrogant, like a peacock, but he also has depth. Since we are never in his mind, his thoughts remain a mystery except for what he tells Jessica. The fact he wants to see how Jessica changes as she “grows up” suggests he might like her after all.
The characters are richly drawn, the story absorbing and the excitement subtle as Jessica takes on the mystery of the missing jewel, the murder and her husband.
Set in the Victorian era (about 1880), beginning in England, this is the story of Opal Jessica Clavering, the youngest daughter in a family that treats her as if she doesn’t belong. At one time the family was wealthy, but now they live in the Dower House next to the estate, Oakland Hall, they once called their own.
When she is 16, Jessica makes friends with the owner of Oakland Hall, Ben Henniker, an opal miner who made his money in the mines of New South Wales. Ben offers her the chance for a new life and Jessica takes it even though it includes a marriage of convenience to his illegitimate son, Josslyn Madden (“Joss”), called “the Peacock” for his pride and his home, Peacocks, in Australia.
Once married, Joss returns to Australia with Jessica, who begins to wonder if her husband isn’t planning to kill her. The famous jewel called the Green Flash at Sunset goes missing and there are no clues as to who took it. And then someone is murdered.
Holt is a great storyteller and immediately had me deeply involved in Jessica’s life. Jessica is a woman who has a curious mind, an adventurous spirit and is courageous to the core. I liked her very much. Joss is arrogant, like a peacock, but he also has depth. Since we are never in his mind, his thoughts remain a mystery except for what he tells Jessica. The fact he wants to see how Jessica changes as she “grows up” suggests he might like her after all.
The characters are richly drawn, the story absorbing and the excitement subtle as Jessica takes on the mystery of the missing jewel, the murder and her husband.
November 4, 2008
Victoria Holt is one of my favorite authors! I first fell in love with her when I was in 6th grade and read "Mistress of Mellyn." In fact, as soon as I finished the book, I started reading it again. Since then I have probably read it 6 or 7 times. Through the years I have read most of the books by Mrs. Holt.
May 28, 2014
3.5 stars
This book is broken into two parts. In the first half, the setting is England and the reader is introduced to Jessica Clavering. Her family used to own the big manor house, but most of the family's money was gambled away and they were forced to sell the home and lands to some upstart miner from Australia, and they move into the Dower house and carry on their pouty grievances on their sad lot in life. One day Jessica meets the new owner (sorry, I've forgotten his name) and they become fast friends. Eventually the son comes from Australia and they're off to OZ to solve the mystery of the missing Opal (that part of the story is too hard to explain and I still have more reviews to write today).
This was fun, although it did take a bit too long for things to start happening - would have preferred to get to Australia sooner rather than half-way through. The mystery of the missing Opal (and the curse that went with it) was fun, even though I was pretty sure I guessed it. Not Holt's best, but still a fun read for Holt fans.
Dead tree copied obtained via FOL sale, kindle copy via library loan.
This book is broken into two parts. In the first half, the setting is England and the reader is introduced to Jessica Clavering. Her family used to own the big manor house, but most of the family's money was gambled away and they were forced to sell the home and lands to some upstart miner from Australia, and they move into the Dower house and carry on their pouty grievances on their sad lot in life. One day Jessica meets the new owner (sorry, I've forgotten his name) and they become fast friends. Eventually the son comes from Australia and they're off to OZ to solve the mystery of the missing Opal (that part of the story is too hard to explain and I still have more reviews to write today).
This was fun, although it did take a bit too long for things to start happening - would have preferred to get to Australia sooner rather than half-way through. The mystery of the missing Opal (and the curse that went with it) was fun, even though I was pretty sure I guessed it. Not Holt's best, but still a fun read for Holt fans.
Dead tree copied obtained via FOL sale, kindle copy via library loan.
May 9, 2013
My mom's friend recommended that I read this book, and I am glad that I did. It takes place in the 1800's in England when social class matters. Jessica is only sixteen when her world is turned upside down. A rich opal miner named Ben, from Australia moves in next door and opens her eyes to what her family has been hiding from her. After she confronts her mother, who is actually her grandmother, about the lies, Ben falls ill and arranges for her to marry his only son, Joss also known as " The Peacock" around the mining camp. Joss is arrogant and Jessica hates him but agrees to marry him. Once they are married they sail back to Australia to run Ben's Mining company. Once there Jessica is thrust into a completely different world than she is used to. A close friend of Joss's is murdered. Was it because of the green flash? I enjoyed this book. I think any girl who likes era romance novels would really enjoy this book.
November 16, 2020
The premise of his this book was good , but halfway into the story it became rather dull.
None of the characters stood out.
None of the characters stood out.
November 9, 2021
After a loveless childhood, Opal Jessica Clavering is delighted to make friends with the elderly man who lives in her family's old home. When he passes away, she finds out that he has left her a great part of her fortune - but only if she weds his son Joss.
This was a fun read, full of high adventure and soap-worthy drama. Jessica is a sympathetic main character, and though I did guess at the various twists and turns fairly easily, they were well-written. However, despite the author's attempts at a Gothic tone, I never was convinced that Jessica was in danger from her husband and so lost a lot of the tension.
This was a fun read, full of high adventure and soap-worthy drama. Jessica is a sympathetic main character, and though I did guess at the various twists and turns fairly easily, they were well-written. However, despite the author's attempts at a Gothic tone, I never was convinced that Jessica was in danger from her husband and so lost a lot of the tension.
January 19, 2008
This is the very first long novel that I have read in full, when I was just a teenager way back in high school. I read it through the 1974 Reader's Digest Condensed Books copy of it. It was really wonderful!
February 29, 2008
This was the first book I read by Victoria Holt. I was in 8th grade-and fell in love w. the intrigue the author is famous for. I still love all her books to this day...some I have read 2-3 times.
June 13, 2015
Reading this book is like opening a door to another time full of charm and romance. The mysteries drew me in from the start and kept me guessing right up to the end. Everything about the enigmatic "Green Flash" had me mesmerised. I have a strong connection with "Pride and Prejudice", the reasons are quite obvious to those who are familiar with this novel, so finding "The Pride of the Peacock" was somehow like a gift to me. I could meet again my dear Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett reincarnated as Joss and Jessica. It's a pity I had to wait nearly until the second half of the book to hear about the arrogant and handsome Joss.
The first half takes place in rural England. The second half is set in the heart of Australia. This book has the perfect ingredients for a successful story: mystery, an arranged marriage, love, exotic locations, cursed jewels, an adventurous heroine, a brooding hero and a happy ending.
One warning to impatient readers is that this book is slow paced so it might not be your cup of tea. However, the story picks up steam in the second half.
October 7, 2011
I am a closet Holt lover. She is who I turn to when I need a fast, pick me up. I usually hide the cover of the book somehow especially since some covers are quiet embarrassing. I don't read for the "love" but the suspense. I love how their is always a mystery that takes you on a great journey. The Pride of the Peacock is by far my favorite. It might have started that way from the time my sister told me the story when I was quiet a bit younger. She was great at reading a book and then retelling me the whole story while we did chores and such. My happy spot is still somewhere in Austriala with a beautiful house and gorgeous opals. Love the story and the magical places.
May 22, 2008
One of my favorite Victoria Holt romances, this introduced the land of Australia to me long before Bill Bryson had me in stitches reading about it. the main characters are spirited and fascinating, even likable. You're kept guessing up til the very end, which did not disappoint me. Even though I last read this book years ago, I still remember it fondly as something I really enjoyed and read again and again.
March 21, 2009
I had read lots of Victoria Holt as a teenager and wanted to check her out again. Looking at it again from an adult perspective, it seemed predictable, but I don't remember thinking that then.
June 8, 2015
Reviewed by Julie
Book provided by NetGalley
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
I loved this story as I do most all of Victoria Holt’s novels. The elements for a good Gothic Romance/Mystery are all here. The big mansion, the strange family secrets, arranged marriages, madness, murder, and of course romance.
Jessica happened upon a disabled man named Ben and helped prevent him from having a nasty accident. As a result the two of them forge a friendship. It has to stay a secret because Ben now owns the house that once belonged to her family. Because of gambling debts her family has come down a notch or two financially and there is a great deal of bitterness directed towards Ben. Jessica continues to visit the grand home until she is given a letter written by the mysterious “Jessica” buried on the property. What she finds out will rock her entire universe. Once she knows the truth about her family she never views the world the same way again and doesn’t keep her visits to Oakland Hall a secret any longer. But, when Ben becomes ill, he sends for his son, Joss and makes a proposal to Joss and Jessica they know they can’t refuse, although they desperately want to.
The motive behind Ben’s ultimatum has to do with a rare opal that has been an obssession for him many, many years. This jewel however, is rumored to be cursed and will bring back luck down on the person that holds it in their possession.
Now Jessica and Joss will be traveling to Australia and are supposed to be partners in business and as husband and wife. Jesscia and Joss aren’t in love and Joss apparently has a lover. This brings much fear to Jessica because she is afraid he will try to get rid of her so he can have the business all to himself and he will be free to marry whom ever he wishes….
The story is told from Jessica’s point of view. Jessica has always been a loner, so she has a fierece independent streak. I could understand everything she was going through. If I had been in her shoes I would have felt the same way. When Jessica was mad I was mad, when she was hurt, I felt her pain. I loved how she tried at least to prevent herself from being manipulated by the men in her life. Women weren’t give a lot of choice back then, so she had to accept some things weren’t going to go her way. Joss was a mystery to me for most of the time he was a part of the story. I was pretty sure he wanted things to be different with Jessica, but his pride wouldn’t let him just say what he was feeling. Instead he gives Jessica a few life lessons that are painful but eye opening to her. I don’t say I approve of his methods, but Jessica seems to respond in a way that helped them bridge the gap that was keeping them from really being a married couple.
Victoria Holt was one of the very best authors out there. She is one of my all time favorite writers and I really wish authors would write stories like this one again. There is no graphic language, nothing sexually explicit, and no graphic violence. The story is character driven and at times emotional . We are given insight into the sickness that is gambling, obsession and greed that leads people to commit crimes and hurt the people they are supposed to love and protect. This is just story telling at it’s finest. I am so glad some of Victoria’s novels are being released in digital format. While you can still find her novels in paperback swap stores or on Ebay or in the Amazon market place, they are becoming harder find and are usually expensive. These digital copies are very affordable and are well worth the price!
Book provided by NetGalley
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
I loved this story as I do most all of Victoria Holt’s novels. The elements for a good Gothic Romance/Mystery are all here. The big mansion, the strange family secrets, arranged marriages, madness, murder, and of course romance.
Jessica happened upon a disabled man named Ben and helped prevent him from having a nasty accident. As a result the two of them forge a friendship. It has to stay a secret because Ben now owns the house that once belonged to her family. Because of gambling debts her family has come down a notch or two financially and there is a great deal of bitterness directed towards Ben. Jessica continues to visit the grand home until she is given a letter written by the mysterious “Jessica” buried on the property. What she finds out will rock her entire universe. Once she knows the truth about her family she never views the world the same way again and doesn’t keep her visits to Oakland Hall a secret any longer. But, when Ben becomes ill, he sends for his son, Joss and makes a proposal to Joss and Jessica they know they can’t refuse, although they desperately want to.
The motive behind Ben’s ultimatum has to do with a rare opal that has been an obssession for him many, many years. This jewel however, is rumored to be cursed and will bring back luck down on the person that holds it in their possession.
Now Jessica and Joss will be traveling to Australia and are supposed to be partners in business and as husband and wife. Jesscia and Joss aren’t in love and Joss apparently has a lover. This brings much fear to Jessica because she is afraid he will try to get rid of her so he can have the business all to himself and he will be free to marry whom ever he wishes….
The story is told from Jessica’s point of view. Jessica has always been a loner, so she has a fierece independent streak. I could understand everything she was going through. If I had been in her shoes I would have felt the same way. When Jessica was mad I was mad, when she was hurt, I felt her pain. I loved how she tried at least to prevent herself from being manipulated by the men in her life. Women weren’t give a lot of choice back then, so she had to accept some things weren’t going to go her way. Joss was a mystery to me for most of the time he was a part of the story. I was pretty sure he wanted things to be different with Jessica, but his pride wouldn’t let him just say what he was feeling. Instead he gives Jessica a few life lessons that are painful but eye opening to her. I don’t say I approve of his methods, but Jessica seems to respond in a way that helped them bridge the gap that was keeping them from really being a married couple.
Victoria Holt was one of the very best authors out there. She is one of my all time favorite writers and I really wish authors would write stories like this one again. There is no graphic language, nothing sexually explicit, and no graphic violence. The story is character driven and at times emotional . We are given insight into the sickness that is gambling, obsession and greed that leads people to commit crimes and hurt the people they are supposed to love and protect. This is just story telling at it’s finest. I am so glad some of Victoria’s novels are being released in digital format. While you can still find her novels in paperback swap stores or on Ebay or in the Amazon market place, they are becoming harder find and are usually expensive. These digital copies are very affordable and are well worth the price!
September 3, 2016
With an almost painfully slow start that is purely expositional, this story took some time for me to become involved and actually care about the story: first wishing that the story would move past the child Jessica and get to the older woman and the tension promised in the description.
Starting in rural England, Jessica is the youngest child of a formerly ‘genteel’ family, and from her perspective it feels as if she is unwanted and her family is full of secrets. She cannot even use her given first name of Opal, and there is a secret intrinsic in that fact. In her 16th year, an old miner with one leg moves into the family’s former great house. Being a child used to following her own curiosity, she meets Herrick, and he slowly reveals her own family history and secrets to her.
Suddenly, she finds herself an heiress with a new husband that she isn’t sure she can trust, and is on her way to Australia in search of the opal, the “Green Flash” that has played a part in her family history and tragedies over the past several years. Nearly an obsession, the spell of this opal has entranced miners for years, and it just might be the cause of Jessica’s death.
As I stated earlier, this story was incredibly slow to start, with long passages that, while beautifully written and capturing the questioning nature and curiosity of a child, could have been shortened. They were slow to develop, and presented little challenge or action until Herrick moves into the family’s former great house. Even then, the forward motion of the plot doesn’t seem to take hold until after her arrival in Australia. I also didn’t find the romance/relationship between Jessica and Joss reasonable in terms of their ‘marriage of convenience transforms to love’. They had chemistry, of sorts, their frequent verbal battles and quick banter show that, but there wasn’t a solid development of the attraction between them that led to my believing in the relationship. This is a reprint of a book originally released in 1970, and it does carry that retro feel of one of the books that my grandmother would devour of an afternoon.
It was an enjoyable if not challenging or captivating read, with several gorgeous passages of descriptive prose and a character in Jessica that is cleanly voiced, if not the sharpest tool in the shed.
I received an eBook copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Starting in rural England, Jessica is the youngest child of a formerly ‘genteel’ family, and from her perspective it feels as if she is unwanted and her family is full of secrets. She cannot even use her given first name of Opal, and there is a secret intrinsic in that fact. In her 16th year, an old miner with one leg moves into the family’s former great house. Being a child used to following her own curiosity, she meets Herrick, and he slowly reveals her own family history and secrets to her.
Suddenly, she finds herself an heiress with a new husband that she isn’t sure she can trust, and is on her way to Australia in search of the opal, the “Green Flash” that has played a part in her family history and tragedies over the past several years. Nearly an obsession, the spell of this opal has entranced miners for years, and it just might be the cause of Jessica’s death.
As I stated earlier, this story was incredibly slow to start, with long passages that, while beautifully written and capturing the questioning nature and curiosity of a child, could have been shortened. They were slow to develop, and presented little challenge or action until Herrick moves into the family’s former great house. Even then, the forward motion of the plot doesn’t seem to take hold until after her arrival in Australia. I also didn’t find the romance/relationship between Jessica and Joss reasonable in terms of their ‘marriage of convenience transforms to love’. They had chemistry, of sorts, their frequent verbal battles and quick banter show that, but there wasn’t a solid development of the attraction between them that led to my believing in the relationship. This is a reprint of a book originally released in 1970, and it does carry that retro feel of one of the books that my grandmother would devour of an afternoon.
It was an enjoyable if not challenging or captivating read, with several gorgeous passages of descriptive prose and a character in Jessica that is cleanly voiced, if not the sharpest tool in the shed.
I received an eBook copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
July 17, 2016
Oh how I loved this book when I was in my teens. And oh how long ago that was (some 35 years) when I read this in a Dutch translation, secretly borrowed from my mother's collection. A while ago this appeared as one of the choices of the monthly selection of my book club; I found a copy in English and anxiously put it on my bookshelves. Would I still like it as much as I did then?
Well, I did and I didn't.
I didn't like the part where this isn't a romance by today's standards. The hero isn't even on the page till page 100 or so, there is only one kiss, no sexy scenes anywhere (so gladly also no bodice ripping) and more words are spend on explaining the opal mining business, then spoken between the two leads. So look at it as a women's fiction instead.
I liked the slow build-up and I also remembered just why I loved, and why I still like large parts of this book: the setting in the second half: Australia. Some of you who have been following my reviews may have read I have a thing for all things Arctic... well, as a sort of opposite, I also have a thing for Australia: Captain Cook is to blame for that and this book fed (and feeds) right into that. I fantasized how it would be to travel there, to see the strange trees that are described so well. Now, after I have been there many times (my brother immigrated to Sydney many years ago and I visit regularly) I also see where the description failed the true New South Wales: no kookaburra and wouldn't that have been a great addition!
I also didn't care much for the heroine in the end when she went from an interesting, self-assured, outspoken and questioning-the-world-around-her character to a simpering miss afraid of everything and everybody and keeping all her questions and frustrations bottled up inside and drawing the wrong conclusions.
So, all in all I am happy to have found this book again. And as with the Georgette Heyer books I am discovering, more books by Victoria Holt are definitely in my future, but better when used sparingly, I think.
Well, I did and I didn't.
I didn't like the part where this isn't a romance by today's standards. The hero isn't even on the page till page 100 or so, there is only one kiss, no sexy scenes anywhere (so gladly also no bodice ripping) and more words are spend on explaining the opal mining business, then spoken between the two leads. So look at it as a women's fiction instead.
I liked the slow build-up and I also remembered just why I loved, and why I still like large parts of this book: the setting in the second half: Australia. Some of you who have been following my reviews may have read I have a thing for all things Arctic... well, as a sort of opposite, I also have a thing for Australia: Captain Cook is to blame for that and this book fed (and feeds) right into that. I fantasized how it would be to travel there, to see the strange trees that are described so well. Now, after I have been there many times (my brother immigrated to Sydney many years ago and I visit regularly) I also see where the description failed the true New South Wales: no kookaburra and wouldn't that have been a great addition!
I also didn't care much for the heroine in the end when she went from an interesting, self-assured, outspoken and questioning-the-world-around-her character to a simpering miss afraid of everything and everybody and keeping all her questions and frustrations bottled up inside and drawing the wrong conclusions.
So, all in all I am happy to have found this book again. And as with the Georgette Heyer books I am discovering, more books by Victoria Holt are definitely in my future, but better when used sparingly, I think.
June 16, 2014
This is a good way of chilling out for me, apart from a little irritation in places, there is no effort involved in reading Victoria Holt's books, and I always enjoy her storylines.
Her writing is mediocre and she has a tendency to promote melodrama at the expense of logic within the narrative. However, I don't set my expectations high and when I feel like an easy, unchallenging read, she is one of the authors that I can return to, knowing exactly what to expect.
Her writing is mediocre and she has a tendency to promote melodrama at the expense of logic within the narrative. However, I don't set my expectations high and when I feel like an easy, unchallenging read, she is one of the authors that I can return to, knowing exactly what to expect.
July 10, 2011
I learned about Victoria Holt from a friend who has loved them for many years. Her specialty is mystery novels in historical settings. I had a lot of fun with this book. It is a pretty light, easy read and has suspense and romance all mixed up together. I like the historical settings and the fact that they are romantic and yet clean. I will read more from this author.
April 3, 2016
Books written by Victoria Holt are so cheesy, but sometimes that's exactly what you need. I've read a loooot of her books when I was 14/15 years old..that was the last time I've read them. I absolutely loved them at the time. I'm thinking of reading one of her books just for the old times sake! =)
May 31, 2008
Classic romance and suspense! Victoria Holt is wonderful and any book by her will be a delight to read!
September 20, 2008
one of my favorite books
October 16, 2008
I borrow this book for Brooke this summer and it was such a fun read. It is Brookes favorit book and her moms as well.
June 13, 2009
I read this as a teenager and still remember it so I must have liked it.
September 8, 2012
One of my favorite books as a child, strangely enough. Inspired my love of opals! I keep the copy from my great-grandmother's house displayed in my living room.
January 7, 2013
If the last 20 pages would not have been so crappy, this book could have been more likeable.
Unfortunatley I can not give it a rating of 2,5 stars, 'cause that is how I really feel about it.
Unfortunatley I can not give it a rating of 2,5 stars, 'cause that is how I really feel about it.
August 10, 2017
New Gothic. A bit dated, but still enjoyable.
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