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The Glass Castle
"Out in the East they say that the mind of a woman is a jungle, and it is the one jungle in which a man should never get lost." That was the code by which Edwin Trequair professed to live. Why then had he asked Heron to marry him? More to the point, why had she accepted? True, he had much to offer her -- money and his fascinating house, the house that had meant so much to Heron all her life, the Glass Castle -- but Heron was not the type to marry for mercenary reasons. Yet her feeling for him was of fear and curiosity more than any other emotion. Could she ever understand such a strange, arrogant man? Or still less, make him a successful wife?
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
14 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
175 books140 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 4, 2024
I’d like love to be like a shock of lightning; a bolt from heaven; an eagle-like thing, tearing my heart and feeding on my soul.
Heron, the heroine of Violet Winspear's The Glass Castle soon regrets that rather savage wish for love when Edwin Trequair materializes in front of her. He is a ruthless bird of prey and she is his delicate quarry.
Your mouth is like Kate’s-scornful and scorning. Your slim neck has never bowed to a punishment or a pleasure-you’re a wild bird, cool as water.
Despite her efforts to escape his clutches, Edwin effortlessly gets his claws in. Heron is both repelled and utterly fascinated by him.
You know, it’s rather dangerous to dislike someone at first glance… as dangerous as loving someone at first sight.
And it is true that she has visualized "love as a pleasure close to pain… a passion near to tears… a joy with its heels in hell and its hopes in heaven."
The wild seashore where Heron grew up has a "tang of sea mud and curling weeds and creatures in washed-up shells" and she loves to watch the horizon with her eyes that are "silvery grey like the sea, and her hair tossed in the breeze like a bright banner."
The City of London, on the other hand, is "disfigured, like a charming woman ravished of her grace" , its modern flats "concrete geysers... designed in dark rooms, by men who dislike the human race." If Paris has the "tang of wine and dark bread and love in long filmy stockings" , poor London never smells clean, even after the rain, which only manages to make it "smell like an old dog."
Edwin offers Heron an escape from all that grimness into his own, enchanted castle, whose glass turrets overlook Heron's beloved seashore.
When she enters his lair, the first thing she notices is the iron-cage newel that stands agape at the foot of the stairs, as if waiting for her, for "it was high enough for someone of Heron’s height to stand in.”
This lovely, unusual story played out like a dark fairy tale: Bluebeard, or The Robber Bridegroom. References to the heroine’ slim, white neck, abound so it is with much trepidation that the reader watches the hero cut the "virginal wedding cake" with a jeweled kris sword, a weapon designed to follow the natural curve of a human neck. Though Edwin drapes gorgeous rubies around Heron’ soft, ivory neck, do they denote his passion for her or symbolize the blood sacrifice that is intended to take place?
Alternatively, the entire story might not even be reality but just a Freudian nightmare. Throughout the story, Heron is battling with repressed memories stemming from a traumatic, near-drowning that occurred when she was a child, living in her parents' estate named "Memory." The night that she meets Edwin, she is a young woman who long ago moved to the city and is now merely visiting "Memory". She feels the inexorable pull to revisit the scene of the accident. As she stands in the garden of "Memory", by that very pond filled with the lotus flowers that had lured her there as a child, Edwin magically appears, forcing her to confront reality.
At its core though, this is an ultra-romantic love story. Heron tries to shrug off the importance of love, telling Edwin that "love isn't everything" but as always, he never lets her off the hook and replies immediately:
-“It isn’t love if it isn’t everything.”
Heron, the heroine of Violet Winspear's The Glass Castle soon regrets that rather savage wish for love when Edwin Trequair materializes in front of her. He is a ruthless bird of prey and she is his delicate quarry.
Your mouth is like Kate’s-scornful and scorning. Your slim neck has never bowed to a punishment or a pleasure-you’re a wild bird, cool as water.
Despite her efforts to escape his clutches, Edwin effortlessly gets his claws in. Heron is both repelled and utterly fascinated by him.
You know, it’s rather dangerous to dislike someone at first glance… as dangerous as loving someone at first sight.
And it is true that she has visualized "love as a pleasure close to pain… a passion near to tears… a joy with its heels in hell and its hopes in heaven."
The wild seashore where Heron grew up has a "tang of sea mud and curling weeds and creatures in washed-up shells" and she loves to watch the horizon with her eyes that are "silvery grey like the sea, and her hair tossed in the breeze like a bright banner."
The City of London, on the other hand, is "disfigured, like a charming woman ravished of her grace" , its modern flats "concrete geysers... designed in dark rooms, by men who dislike the human race." If Paris has the "tang of wine and dark bread and love in long filmy stockings" , poor London never smells clean, even after the rain, which only manages to make it "smell like an old dog."
Edwin offers Heron an escape from all that grimness into his own, enchanted castle, whose glass turrets overlook Heron's beloved seashore.
When she enters his lair, the first thing she notices is the iron-cage newel that stands agape at the foot of the stairs, as if waiting for her, for "it was high enough for someone of Heron’s height to stand in.”
This lovely, unusual story played out like a dark fairy tale: Bluebeard, or The Robber Bridegroom. References to the heroine’ slim, white neck, abound so it is with much trepidation that the reader watches the hero cut the "virginal wedding cake" with a jeweled kris sword, a weapon designed to follow the natural curve of a human neck. Though Edwin drapes gorgeous rubies around Heron’ soft, ivory neck, do they denote his passion for her or symbolize the blood sacrifice that is intended to take place?
Alternatively, the entire story might not even be reality but just a Freudian nightmare. Throughout the story, Heron is battling with repressed memories stemming from a traumatic, near-drowning that occurred when she was a child, living in her parents' estate named "Memory." The night that she meets Edwin, she is a young woman who long ago moved to the city and is now merely visiting "Memory". She feels the inexorable pull to revisit the scene of the accident. As she stands in the garden of "Memory", by that very pond filled with the lotus flowers that had lured her there as a child, Edwin magically appears, forcing her to confront reality.
At its core though, this is an ultra-romantic love story. Heron tries to shrug off the importance of love, telling Edwin that "love isn't everything" but as always, he never lets her off the hook and replies immediately:
-“It isn’t love if it isn’t everything.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2014
4.75 STARS
I don't know what is going on, but it seems most people are reviewing a different book. Alas, It would have been a 5 star if the ending was not so abrupt. I enjoyed the overall language of this book, It was quite eloquent and it created a cloud of mystery. This book is an example as to why I so enjoy older romance novels with no or very minimum physical contact. When the modern authors have to dedicate a minimum of 2-3 chapter to the actual sex scenes and therefore they concentrate their efforts there to make the book different from others, the previous generation of authors concentrated on the overall language, plot line, and building the characters well and the end result in this case is a beautifully written book with a level of sophistication that you seldom find in the newly published romance books.
I don't know what is going on, but it seems most people are reviewing a different book. Alas, It would have been a 5 star if the ending was not so abrupt. I enjoyed the overall language of this book, It was quite eloquent and it created a cloud of mystery. This book is an example as to why I so enjoy older romance novels with no or very minimum physical contact. When the modern authors have to dedicate a minimum of 2-3 chapter to the actual sex scenes and therefore they concentrate their efforts there to make the book different from others, the previous generation of authors concentrated on the overall language, plot line, and building the characters well and the end result in this case is a beautifully written book with a level of sophistication that you seldom find in the newly published romance books.
November 26, 2020
My lovely Heron, I’ve loved you ever since the moment I brought you out of the lake at Memory, howling like a little banshee, wet and bedraggled as a little goldfish. But I was a mere boy of sixteen and I had nothing—and I wanted everything so that I might give it all to you.
"The Glass Castle" is the story of Heron and Edwin.
A whimsically beautiful May December romance.
A very unsure but beautiful orphaned heroine meets her suitor in a very distant but obviously persistent hero. He slowly courts his way into her life, offering her all the riches in the world and the home she has always wanted to have, filled with nature's beauty and all the comforts. While she longs for freedom and love, he seems to be hiding an important secret from her. However, when it is revealed, it becomes a tale of unrequited love which is finally granted its HEA.
I really enjoyed this! I adore romances with a smitten brooding hero and this checked a lot of boxes for me.
Safe/ SWE?
4/5
"The Glass Castle" is the story of Heron and Edwin.
A whimsically beautiful May December romance.
A very unsure but beautiful orphaned heroine meets her suitor in a very distant but obviously persistent hero. He slowly courts his way into her life, offering her all the riches in the world and the home she has always wanted to have, filled with nature's beauty and all the comforts. While she longs for freedom and love, he seems to be hiding an important secret from her. However, when it is revealed, it becomes a tale of unrequited love which is finally granted its HEA.
I really enjoyed this! I adore romances with a smitten brooding hero and this checked a lot of boxes for me.
Safe/ SWE?
4/5
August 22, 2012
3.5 stars. Most of the reviews on goodreads are for a totally different book, don't be confused by them. I'm reviewing the HP by Violet Winspear. This was very old-fashioned, as it was written in 1974. Only two extremely chaste pecks, and the characters sometimes spoke like they were almost on drugs or something, but I think it was supposed to make them whimsical and interesting. The heroine reacted very dramatically to everything, which creates most of the tension. Still, I was definitely compelled to read on to the finish, and was happy for the HEA.
March 26, 2021
Violet Winspear has done something in this book that is unusual and compelling. Despite the fact that the H with his scarred face and dark visage gives the appearance of arrogance and cruelty, VW enables the reader to see the human side of this man. He gives a few hints that he is lonely, that he wants friends and even that he would like to be part of a family. I loved the way the H spouted appropriate and engaging lines from literature and from Eastern mythology.
VW makes the reader understand why a girl would marry with out love because she too is lonely and subtly insecure. This was beautifully written and one the few Harlequin romances I’ve ever given 5 stars.w
VW makes the reader understand why a girl would marry with out love because she too is lonely and subtly insecure. This was beautifully written and one the few Harlequin romances I’ve ever given 5 stars.w
February 23, 2016
*i think there is a mistake, most of the other reviews here are for a different book.
I am reviewing Violet Winspear's "The Glass Castle".
A dark mysterious stranger arrives in the town where Heron, our heroine, grew up. He pursues her, without revealing too much of his past and proposes marriage. Heron is torn, since she leads a lonely life in the city and hungers for her home town beach and the security of a comfortable home. Since the hero is a wealthy man and can offer her all the material security she seems to seek, she accepts his proposal. That is essentially the sum total of the story with a lot of introspection on the part of the heroine. The mystery of the heroes past is partly revealed midway and completely at the end however it can be guessed at. There was a very gothic feel to this story.
I am reviewing Violet Winspear's "The Glass Castle".
A dark mysterious stranger arrives in the town where Heron, our heroine, grew up. He pursues her, without revealing too much of his past and proposes marriage. Heron is torn, since she leads a lonely life in the city and hungers for her home town beach and the security of a comfortable home. Since the hero is a wealthy man and can offer her all the material security she seems to seek, she accepts his proposal. That is essentially the sum total of the story with a lot of introspection on the part of the heroine. The mystery of the heroes past is partly revealed midway and completely at the end however it can be guessed at. There was a very gothic feel to this story.
December 17, 2016
It was a cute book but I had some issues with it. For one, it was simply way too easy to read into. I mean, I knew what was going to happen before it happened and that ruined it a bit for me. Also, they cut off the best part and made the ending, end quickly. I wanted to know about their future now that they discovered the truths about each other. It was really a rather sweet love story though, all things considered.
January 16, 2021
There was a time when HPs had heroines say crazy, nonsensical almost hysterical dialogue to evoke a gothic atmosphere. It became just a little much here. I am sad as it tainted the whole book. I have read much better books from that circa. The hero was fascinating I will admit ...the heroine was one of the worst I have encountered.
September 24, 2016
Heron and Edwin. Lovely book with the small beach town backdrop and the Glass Castle with an interesting history. This book is more than 40 years old so it was interesting to read about life at that time in England...the jobs women had, if any, and how they dressed and what they ate. Amongst all the Violet Winspear books this might be my favourite because Heron has had an interesting life story. I kind if guessed right at the start who Edwin was but it was a lovely way for her to discover at the end. Again I hated the abrupt ending of VW's story. It's almost always I hate / an afraid of you then SUDDENLY I love you TheEnd. It's really interesting to read these older category romances to see how far the genre has come. I'll still say my 2000s Lynne Grahams are my fave Mills & Boons.
March 22, 2019
A woman's mind is a jungle
Heron Brooks recalled Edwin Trequair's words and what he'd said afterward. "It's the one jungle in which a man should never get lost."
Why, then, had he asked her to marry him? And why had she accepted? True, she'd be living in the fabulous house she had loved all her life... but there had to be more to a marriage than mere comfort.
Yet her feelings for him were more of fear and curiosity than any other emotion. How could she hope to make him a successful wife?
Heron Brooks recalled Edwin Trequair's words and what he'd said afterward. "It's the one jungle in which a man should never get lost."
Why, then, had he asked her to marry him? And why had she accepted? True, she'd be living in the fabulous house she had loved all her life... but there had to be more to a marriage than mere comfort.
Yet her feelings for him were more of fear and curiosity than any other emotion. How could she hope to make him a successful wife?
April 22, 2008
She may have lived in cars and shacks all her life, but her parents who were too consumed with themselves to provide the most basic necessities somehow managed to convey to their daughter that anything is possible. A true story of how believing in yourself can lead you away from what others may feel is your destiny.
January 6, 2022
Reasonably good but odd.
January 18, 2021
I'm so glad that I could finally finish this book.. ..It's basically a story where each moment between the leads can be savoured for the very subtle sensual romance inherent in their exchanges (verbal most of the time). The romance between the protagonists is without doubt extremely slow in my opinion. The slow gradual courtship of the heroine and their slow deep intellectual association takes you right through, almost to the end, when the wedding finally occurs. Unfortunately I was under the impression, after reading the back description, that the wedding would be somewhat before but it all seemed too drawn out and boring in certain aspects. And as for its being sexually explicit, I think I can recall about one or two kisses- that too after the engagement, after reaching over half the book .......
March 14, 2025
Regarding Violet Winspear’s The Glass Castle - the idea of a little boy falling in love with a little girl of the same age (or thereabouts) on the playground and carrying that love over into adulthood could be sweet. The idea of a 16 year old teenage boy becoming infatuated with a little girl more than a decade younger and then continuing to ‘love her’ until she is of age is NOT sweet or romantic. It is CREEPY and disturbing. I do not understand why authors of vintage harlequins normalized this trope well into the 90s. Here there is even mention of the hero having desired the then-child h and not her mother. Ugh. Any enjoyment of the story was ruined. A resounding yuck!
February 2, 2023
Rather a silly story of a man twice the age of Heron...he had saved her when a child as she reached for a water lily and fell into the lake....she would have drowned if Edwin hadn't saved her....he eventually gets her to marry him...and why not? He is very rich, gives her very expensive jewelry but she is terrified about the wedding and the wedding night...but all ends well on the last page.
February 22, 2024
One of VW 's best , richly and beautifully described to the last and/or least details , the Lady of modern gothic romance hands down. R.I.P Violet Winspear for such dedication to writing romance, I strongly recommend reading it without reading the blurb .
August 17, 2019
This was a cute fantasy story! I liked the characters and the storyline. I like it is a little mystical and drama. Cute, fast read.
May 9, 2022
The dates didn’t really add up. So he fell in love with a child? Left at 16 and is now about 40 but she is 22?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2009
a friend suggest this book to me, insisting i would love it. i didn't. perhaps if i had known it was a romance novel when i started i wouldn't have felt so tricked. the ending was obvious from the start of the book and the only reason i finished it was half out of not wanting to insult my friend and half because i honestly believed there had to be more to the book and a series of dates and being nervous for said dates. there wasn't.
i think i was supposed to really like the main character because she put up a bit of a fight before caving completely but i really [obviously, maybe obnoxiously so:] didn't feel that way at all.
i'm sure it is a lovely story, if you're a fan of the genre to begin with then maybe it is a classic. i do not know. it certainly wasn't my favourite book ever.
i think i was supposed to really like the main character because she put up a bit of a fight before caving completely but i really [obviously, maybe obnoxiously so:] didn't feel that way at all.
i'm sure it is a lovely story, if you're a fan of the genre to begin with then maybe it is a classic. i do not know. it certainly wasn't my favourite book ever.
March 8, 2008
I only gave this book two stars because I cannot remember much about it. I read it a while ago. I don't have any bad thoughts about it, so I must have enjoyed it. But at the same time, I don't remember much about it at all....
March 30, 2008
This book had such vivid descriptions of the squallor the main character lived in. It was a page turner, wondering if things would ever get better for her. An interesting and frustrating read. You definitley get to know the characters well.
May 29, 2025
Esse é um antigo romance de VW, intenso, denso ... Gótico. Eu amo a escrita deste, a história em si, pois foge do normal, é estranho... Mas vale exatamente pela estranheza, pelo impacto que ele causa. Não é um livro comum, não há um romance com flores...lembre-se, é VW.
December 3, 2025
I see this is a highly rated book. But I found it unreadable. The language is too much to get over or around. It is stilted, unnatural and just odd. To me, it renders the story incomprehensible. I have tried other books by this author and sorry, she's a no go for me.
February 15, 2008
This was a book club choice. True story about a family where the parents don't feel they need to be in control or even provide for their children.
It makes me glad I had the family I had!!!!!
It makes me glad I had the family I had!!!!!
Read
February 22, 2008Good twist and easy to read. Couldn't put it down.
February 25, 2008
Any thoughts on this one?
February 26, 2008
Great!
February 27, 2008
I thought that this book presented an interesting perspective from someone whose life is vastly different than mine. The insights and comments about her life were both thoughtful and appreciated.
Read
March 2, 2008reading for March book club
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews