The Moon-Spinners

by Mary Stewart

When beautiful Nicola Ferris chose the remote island of Crete for her vacation, all she desired was to experience the ancient and brooding land on her own.

But one day her impulse led her on a little-used path into the foreboding White Mountains. And there she found a man in hiding--for reasons he could not explain.

Warned to stay away, Nicola was unable to obey. And before she realized what she had uncovered, she found herself thrust into the midst of an alarming plot in which she would become the prey . . . .

"Here is magical writing . . . . A story of breathless excitement . . . seasoned with spirit and humor." — Los Angeles Times

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Gothic, Romantic Suspense, Greece

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Librarian 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/.

Reviews

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became smitten with Mary Stewart’s writing just two years ago when I fell completely under the spell of her enchanting writing in the Merlin trilogy. That series will remain a favorite and one of the most memorable reading experiences ever. I knew then that I would eventually read all of Stewart’s work. I was in no hurry to quickly gobble down everything right away, as it is my wish to not reach the bittersweet end too soon. The Moon-Spinners will also sit proudly on my shelf of treasured books. I was enthralled with this mystery/adventure/splash of romance novel! Reading Stewart’s captivating prose had much the same effect on me as described in this moment by her twenty-two year old main character, Nicola Ferris:

"I am still not quite sure what happened at that moment. For some reason that I cannot analyse, the sight of the big white bird, strange to me; the smell of the lemon-flowers, the clicking of the mill-sails and the sound of spilling water; the sunlight dappling through the leaves on the white anemones with their lamp-black centres; and, above all, my first real sight of the legendary White Mountains… all this seemed to rush together into a point of powerful magic, happiness striking like an arrow, with one of those sudden shocks of joy that are so physical, so precisely marked, that one knows the exact moment at which the world changed."

I have come to realize that Mary Stewart always manages to stimulate all of your senses! It’s as if you are right there with her heroine gazing upon the majesty of nature, listening to a myriad of sounds, and inhaling the wonderful scents all round. You may even get the feeling you are sitting down to a soothing pre-dinner cocktail before sampling the local cuisine. Stewart’s settings are truly stunning, and no less so in this novel where we are transported to the island of Crete with a magnificent view of the White Mountains and the sparkling sea.

Nicola is a junior secretary at the British embassy in Athens and has decided to meet up with her cousin Frances for a relaxing holiday in Crete. From the start, we know that this little respite will be anything but peaceful. Even before reaching her hotel, she finds herself on the little footpaths along the wild ridges and cliffs before reaching the small village of Agios Georgios. I, for one, would not be okay with being dropped off to make my own way towards ‘civilization’! Nicola, however, seems to have no qualms. She quickly finds herself in the thick of danger after bumping into a couple of mysterious men and hearing an unnerving story involving a dreadful crime. I can’t reveal any more than this or it will spoil the excitement of the story which you should really explore on your own.

Stewart’s characters are always a pleasure to meet. Nicola is adventurous and sometimes a bit impulsive. You may feel you want to restrain her ever so slightly, but the story wouldn’t be half as much fun if she didn’t get herself in some tight situations. Her cousin, Frances, is a great sounding board and a bit more practical. She too is interesting in her own right with her enthusiasm for the local flora. I learned a little more about some of the beautiful plants and flowers native to the region as a result. And I mustn’t forget the bad guys. Even they are entertaining and somehow you might even find yourself rooting for one or two of them! And then there’s the romantic interest – but don’t get me wrong! I would not classify this as ‘romance’. I don’t read romance novels. But there is just a little whiff of it that is by no means overdone or cheesy, so I beg you not to go running in the other direction!

Mary Stewart also weaves in an otherworldly story about the moon-spinners that seemed to fit in quite nicely with both the plot and the mythology and lore of the area. She ratchets up the suspense as you near the end and you can’t help but want to start all over again! If you want to step into another world that will leave you breathless and perfectly content, then I urge you to give this author a try. I dare you to defy the allure of her magic!

"There was one startled moment in which everything seemed very clear and still. I thought, but not believing it: the impossible really has happened; this is danger."

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

October 2018 buddy read with the Mary Stewart group, just starting now!

In the early 1960s, Nicola Ferris is vacationing in a remote area of the Greek island of Crete when she stumbles into unexpected trouble. Hiking in the hills, she comes across two men, one of whom, Mark Langley, is critically injured. She spends the night taking care of him while the other guy is off doing Other Stuff, and helps him fall asleep by telling him the story of the moon spinners:


"Night after night, you can see the moon getting less and less, the ball of light waning, while it grows on the spindles of the maidens. Then at length, the moon is gone, and the world has darkness, and rest, and the creatures of the hillsides are safe from the hunter".

The next day she is shooed off by the men, who don't want her to get involved in their troubles. If only they knew that by sending her to the small hotel in the nearby village of Agios Georgios, they're sending her from the perimeter of the dangerous plot right into the heart of it...



This was the first Mary Stewart novel I ever read, back when I was a high school sophomore. In fact, this book is responsible for my getting a crush on a cute senior who had a Greek last name and a great head of hair just like Stewart lovingly describes in the book: "... that black pelt of hair, thick and close as a ram's fleece, which is one of the chief beauties of the Greek men." Good times!

So anyway, I've got a soft spot for this book, like I seem to have for most of these old Mary Stewart romantic suspense novels, because memories, so it's probably getting a bit of a rating bump because of that. It's lightweight perhaps, but still it's a fun, suspenseful adventure with just a little romance. Stewart is a wonderful author who gives even light novels a nice literary touch. Nicola is a can-do kind of girl, and her sarcastic cousin Frances is one of the joys of the book.

"All right, what's his name?"
"How d'you know it's a he?"
"It always is. Besides, I assume it's the one you spent the night with."
"Oh. Yes... He's a civil engineer. His name's Mark Langley."
"Ah."
"It isn't 'ah' at all! As a matter of fact," I said, very clearly, "I rather detest him."
"Oh, God," said Frances, "I knew this would happen one day. No, don't glare at me, I'm only teasing. You've spent the night with a detestable engineer called Mark. It makes a rousing start. Tell all."

Another delightful romantic suspense novel from Mary Stewart set (as usual) in an exotic location.

Art credit: "Spinning Moonlight" by David Wyatt

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It was the egret, flying out of the lemon-grove, that started it. I won’t pretend I saw it straight away as the conventional herald of adventure, the white stag of the fairy-tale, which, bounding from the enchanted thicket, entices the prince away from his followers, and loses him in the forest where danger threatens with the dusk. But, when the big white bird flew suddenly up among the glossy leaves and the lemon-flowers, and wheeled into the mountain, I followed it.”

This is the opening of Mary Stewart’s The Moon-spinners, an adventure suspense story from 1962. It is an enticing opening for those who want to immerse themselves in a fantasy world; one full of mystery and romance. Egrets and lemon-groves … and someone promising us a tale of danger and adventure. Where can this be, this exotic location, and who is confiding their enchanting flight of fantasy to us? We are hooked. We read on …

“What else is there to do when such a thing happens on a brilliant April noonday at the foot of the White Mountains of Crete; when the road is hot and dusty, but the gorge is green, and full of the sound of water, and the white wings, flying ahead, flicker in and out of deep shadow, and the air is full of the scent of lemon-blossom?”

Mary Stewart’s powers of description are mesmerising; gradually enfolding us in a world of sensation. The book is redolent with scenes of great beauty; shimmering colours, heady aromas, the bewitching magic of the exotic and strange.

“I could smell verbena, and lavender, and a kind of sage. Over the hot white rock and the deep green of the maquis, the judas trees lifted their clouds of scented flowers the colour of purple daphne, …

Silence. No sound of bird; no bell of sheep. Only the drone of a bee over the blue sage at the roadside. No sign of man’s hand anywhere in the world, except the road where I stood, the track before me, and a white vapour trail, high in the brilliant sky.”

It might read like a travelogue, except that the scenes it describes are picture postcard perfect. This is her skill. Mary Stewart dazzles and draws you in with her glorious descriptions; impressions that are so sublime that they seem unreal. In this Mary Stewart novel, it is not the handsome young stranger who is so ravishing; it is the island itself which captivates and seduces.

“The trees were spindly, thin-stemmed and light-leaved; aspens, and white poplars, and something unknown to me, with round, thin leaves like wafers, that let the sun through in a dazzle of flickering green. Between the stems was a riot of bushes, but mostly these were of light varieties like honeysuckle and wild clematis …

A little stir of the breeze lifted the tree-tops above me, so that the sun-motes spilled dazzlingly through on to the water, and shadows slid over the stones. A couple of butterflies, which had been drinking at the water’s edge, floated off like blown leaves, and a goldfinch, with a flash of brilliant wings, flirted its way past me into some high bushes in an overhanging piece of cliff.”

There is romance, and there is also mystery. Mary Stewart was one of the most prominent writers of romantic suspense novels: a blend of romantic fiction and mystery novels. However her noticeable writing skills, and her references to classical mythology in this novel, put her above the mainstream. Critics consider her work to be superior to those of other acclaimed romantic suspense novelists such as Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. I cannot comment on this, never having read those authors, but I am seduced by her writing. Her powers of description are impressive—within their narrow parameters. Do not expect to find anything undesirable, grubby or ugly within these novels. Mary Stewart somehow manages her breathtaking thrills, scaring her readers with nail-biting suspense, without cracking the surface of her perfectly divine vistas.

“The water was smooth and gentle, but with an early morning sting to it, and a small breeze below the salt foam splashing against my lips. The headland glowed in the early sunlight, golden above the dark-blue sea that creamed over the storm-beach at its feet.

Here, where I swam, the water was emerald over a shallow bar, the sunlight striking down right through it to illumine the rock below. It threw the shadow of the boat fully two fathoms down through the clear green water.”

We have the sparkling heroine Nicola, who at 22 years of age, bright, competent and attractive, is destined to find true love in this most romantic of destinations. Combining the two genres, developing a full mystery story while also gradually increasingly the strength of the attraction between two people, enables the author to provide a focus. Mary Stewart herself said that the process of solving the mystery “helps to illuminate” the hero’s personality, thereby also helping the heroine to fall in love with him. It is a neat trick, and once you have read one Mary Stewart novel, you can see how adept she is at manipulating her readers with it. She does it exceptionally well—and they love her for it. Many a Mary Stewart fan will cry, “I didn’t want this to end!” And what greater accolade can there really be, for a teller of tales?

“It was already hot. On this stretch of the hill there were no trees, other than an occasional thin poplar with bone-white boughs. Thistles grew in the cracks of the rock, and everywhere over the dry dust danced tiny yellow flowers, on thread-like stalks that let them flicker in the breeze two inches above the ground. They were lovely little things, a million motes of gold dancing in a dusty beam, but I trudged over them almost without seeing them. The joy had gone; there was nothing in my world now but the stony track, and the job it was me to do. I plodded on in the heat, weary already. There is no-one so leaden-footed as the reluctant bringer of bad news.”

Mary Stewart’s heroine, Nicola Ferris, is portrayed as a typically independent young woman for the time. She is a junior secretary at the British Embassy in Athens, Greece. She knows the country, its language and culture very well, but yearns for tranquillity and solitude when she is on holiday, and knows exactly where to find it: in a small village called Agios Georgios, on the beautiful island of Crete. By a series of unforeseen circumstances, she ends up in a remote area, with nobody knowing exactly where she is, or expecting to see her for another day or so.

This does not faze her at all. Rather, she makes the most of this opportunity for immersing herself in the isolation, greedily absorbing the stunning natural environment. Exulting as she finds another idyllic spot, she scrambles to another unique viewpoint, and achieves another ambitious climb. Nicola feels it is simply perfect, and looks forward to the next day, when she will be able to share it all with her older cousin Frances, who is a keen photographer and botanist. The two get on well well together, and Frances has been tempted to join Nicola, because of her descriptions—from earlier holidays—of the wonderful landscape, and proliferation of indigenous wild flowers. Nicola and Frances, coming from different destinations, are each then due to arrive at a small village hotel in Agios Georgios. It is run by a friend of a friend, and although very modest, said to promise excellent and authentic Greek cuisine.

It is, of course, all too perfect. Nicola’s impulses to be entirely alone quicken our pulse rates, as we realise the very real danger she is in. All of a sudden, having ventured up a little-used path into the White Mountains, she finds herself, a tourist, in the tight grip of one of the country’s inhabitants, with a knife at her throat.

The story which follows is a tale of greed, family feuds, blood vengeance, passion, murder and crime. It is full of suspense, and the reader switches between suspecting one character, and then another. In addition to Nicola and Frances we have Lambis and Mark, Stratos Alexiakis and Tony, Sophia and Josef, and the youngsters, Georgi, Ariadni and Colin. There are Greeks, Cretans and English, here, and it is not clear until the end who are the culprits and who the victims. Is it either of the two hiking companions? Is it one of the hotel proprietors? Is it one of the villagers? We root for some characters of course, willing the villain not to be the young man Mark, whom Nicola (despite her protestations of independence) is well on the way to falling in love with, nor can we bring ourselves to believe that the eminently sensible and likeable cousin Frances has anything to do with it.

So why is someone in hiding? Why is it so necessary that she not become involved? What are the secrets which, at all costs, Nicola must not discover? As the plot dramatically unfolds, both Nicola and the reader begin to gradually piece together the clues. The net is closing in, with Nicola and her loved ones caught in the middle. In mortal danger, Nicola must find solutions which not only demand all her ingenuity, but also necessitate more and more daring feats of physical skill.

The story cranks up to a very exciting ending, with thrills and spills a-plenty. For all her claims to independence, and the many episodes in the novel where it is Nicola herself who works out the mystery, and saves one of the others from certain death, in the end we have a knockabout scene where her hero shows that he is a manly man at heat, with the temper and strength any wimpish heroine could desire.

We are reminded that this in 1962. Females are on their way to becoming accepted as strongly authoritative figures, but are not yet empowered; they still have a tendency to go weak at the knees on occasion. On the other hand, a distinction is drawn between the more emancipated English females, and their Cretan counterparts, which is probably quite authentic.

Another jarring note is the description of a clearly gay character, Tony. It feels very much here as if Mary Stewart is investing Frances with her own attitudes. Frances calls Tony “Ceddie”, or “Little Lord Fauntleroy” behind his back. For one character to relate to another in this way would be acceptable as part of her personality, but when the author herself writes Tony’s speech as such a camp caricature, it becomes rather distasteful.

It is also a bit of a cheat for the characters to keep referring to later events as “Boy’s Own stuff” when actually that is exactly how the reader feels they are coming across! Having three children in the book, one of whom is an impressionable young teenager, is quite enough for us to have scenes of derring-do seen from their point of view, without drawing attention to the unrealistic and far-fetched nature of the adventures.

Incidentally, there is a 1964 film based on this novel, starring Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach and Peter McEnery. It is a Walt Disney production, and apparently the plot diverges widely from Mary Stewart’s book. The visuals are good, with no expense spared in the production. It was filmed on location in Crete, where Disney rebuilt a war-damaged village and hired local people as the background players. But it is only very loosely based on Mary Stewart’s novel.

If we take The Moonspinners at face value, as one of the better popular novels from 1962—rather than an all-time classic, with concerns and insights above and beyond its time—then it’s a ripping yarn, and most enjoyable. Mary Stewart draws from the classics in every chapter, always beginning with a quotation from one of the Romantic poets, or a particularly lyrical poetic quotation from an earlier or later poet. Many of these are poems which relate to Greek mythology. Setting the scene in this way, as well as the accuracy of her references to the indigenous flora and fauna, ensures that Mary Stewart’s novels are always just that little bit above the ordinary. To go back to the very beginning, preceding her opening are these words from Keats’s “Endymion”:

“Lightly this little herald flew aloft …
Onward it flies …
until it reach’d a splashing fountain’s side
That, near a cavern’s mouth, for ever pour’d
Unto the temperate air …”

which set the mood and atmosphere perfectly for what is to follow. And that title, so romantic in itself? It is from an old Greek legend, as Nicola explains:

“They’re naiads – water nymphs. Sometimes, when you’re deep in the countryside, you meet three girls, walking along the hill tracks in the dusk, spinning. They each have a spindle, and onto these they are spinning their wool, milk-white, like the moonlight. In fact, it is the moonlight, the moon itself, which is why they don’t carry a distaff. They’re not Fates, or anything terrible; they don’t affect the lives of men; all they have to do is to see that the world gets its hours of darkness, and they do this by spinning the moon down out of the sky. Night after night, you can see the moon getting less and less, the ball of light waning, while it grows on the spindles of the maidens. Then, at length, the moon is gone, and the world has darkness, and rest, and the creatures of the hillsides are safe from the hunter, and the tides are still …

Then, on the darkest night, the maidens take their spindles down to the sea, to wash their wool. And the wool slips from the spindles into the water, and unravels in long ripples of light from the shore to the horizon, and there is the moon again, rising above the sea, just a thin curved thread, re-appearing in the sky. Only when all the wool is washed, and wound again into a white ball in the sky, can the moon-spinners start their work once more, to make the night safe for hunted things …”

Mary, was in truth “Lady Stewart”, although she never used the title. She also had the beautiful maiden name of “Rainbow”, and her writing feels not only English, but also very restrained in its passion. If you are an unashamed romantic, and like plenty of literary allusions; and if, in keeping with the author, you prefer your romance to be a variety of high-quality lyricism, rather than erotica, then this novel may well make you swoon.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody writes heroines like Mary Stewart, they are always quite able to save themselves, thank you very much, and need no man to do it for them. They are all capable, efficient and athletic and can get along on their own, but a handsome, capable man is nice to have around. Written in the 1960s, and set mostly in that era, her romance novels sing in triumph of the modern woman as girl scout, hardy and tenacious and tough. Moon-spinners was another great one, but my favorites by her are The Ivy Tree and My Brother Michael.

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“But, as a form of exercise, I cannot recommend carrying a suitcase for a mile or so along sand and shingle at the dead of night, and then edging one's way along a narrow path where a false step will mean plunging into a couple of fathoms of sea that, however quiet, is toothed like a shark with jagged fangs of rock.”

An intrepid heroine, insta-love, nylon underwear, cigarettes, &, above all, gorgeous, beautifully described Cretan scenery - this Stewart suspense novel has it all! I could hardly tear myself away from it's pages.

If I wanted to, I could pick some nits - the hero & heroine have very little time together, one crucial plot point makes very little sense & after all the action was over, our admittedly brave young couple forgot all about Nicola's cousin Frances who was sitting on a beach at night time with a twisted ankle - but I'm not going to. Let yourself go back to a Crete that has now mostly vanished & enjoy wonderful scenery with beautifully described flora. maybe sip on a tsikóthia (raki) while reading this novel - sitting on the edge of your seat is the best way.

Most highly recommended

[mark monday · Rating 3 out of 5]

the hills and pools of Crete are beckoning and fair, all the better to entice an American abroad into perhaps unwise exploration. the island is full of flowers, growing out of packed dirt and blanketing the countryside, dazzling the eye; the island is also full of women, shy, eyes downcast, clad in black, working from dawn to dusk. the village, the homes, the mill, the church... all eager to be opened for inspection, for those tourists armed with both camera and money. the villagers are likewise armed, with pride and gossip, knives and rifles, quick to stab and to shoot, to turn friend into foe. fishing spears and crab buckets can be used in surprising ways! Mary Stewart writes like an enlightened traveler, ready to stay on a while, as careful to withhold judgment as her heroine is quick to judge. happily, that judgment is often sound, encouraging her to help a man in need, to search for a boy that has vanished, to render sympathy towards a downtrodden woman. even in a place as lovely and open as a Cretan village in the spring, a life can be made small, if that life is ruled by a small and closed mind. in Crete, and elsewhere, sometimes it is better for a husband to be dead; perhaps then his wife can finally live.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Stewart always brings out the wanna-be traveler in me. I cannot think how anyone could read her gorgeous descriptions of the White Mountains of Crete and not be wishing to board the next plane out for Greece. Of course, one would hope not to encounter any of the diabolical characters she plants in the way of her heroine, but then it wouldn’t be a Mary Stewart novel if they weren’t there, would it?

I knew I was going to be in love with this novel when I read the opening paragraph.

I saw it straight away as the conventional herald of adventure, the white stag of the fairytale, which, bounding from the enchanted thicket, entices the prince away from his followers, and loses him in the forest where danger threatens with the dusk.

My mind threw back immediately to Arthur pursuing the white stag to find Excalibur in her masterpiece Merlin trilogy, and I settled down to love every word yet to come.

Who can resist a man in trouble? No Nicola Ferris, evidently, for despite the imminent danger, she links her fate with a wounded stranger she finds in the remote mountains of a Cretan village. Perhaps I have always loved Stewart so much because she paints the kind of witty, fearless, adventurous women that all young girls secretly long to be. I certainly did. Nancy Drew for a slightly older crowd? Whatever it is, I seem to sink into her world and never wish to exit until I have reached the last page, and I find them just as much fun at my advanced age as I did when I was in my teens and devouring them for the first time.

Lest you think Mary Stewart a simple, unsophisticated romance writer, allow me to assure you that she writes with wit, and with a knowledge base that shows at every turn. She brings her settings to life, she stirs in some mythology and classical references, and she gives you a bit of classic poetry to start off every chapter head.

They’re not fates, or anything terrible; they don’t affect the lives of men; all they have to do is see that the world gets its hours of darkness, and they do this by spinning the moon down out of the sky. Night after night, you can see the moon getting less and less, the ball of light waning, while it grows on the spidles of the maidens. Then, at length, the moon is gone, and the world has darkness, and rest, and the creatures of the hillsides are safe from the hunter and the tides are still...Then in the darkest night, the maidens take their spindles down to the sea, to wash their wool. And the wool slips from the spindles into the water, and unravels in long ripples of light from the shore to the horizon, rising above the sea, just a thin curved thread, reappearing in the sky.

I’m not sure I will ever look at the full or waning moon in the same light again. If that image doesn’t grab you, you have no romance in your soul, and this isn’t the author for you. If, like me, you would like to exercise your ability to suspend your disbelief and stroll in a land you might never see in reality and come away feeling you have been there and walked its streets...well, dive in...Mary Stewart and Crete are waiting.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to GR friend Tadiana Night Owl, I was able to read this book with the Mary Stewart group. I am fairly certain I had never read it before, or at least if I did I could not remember anything about it, even as the pages turned.

I have read a couple other Stewart titles recently and was somewhat disappointed, but The Moon Spinners more than made up for those. Nicola Ferris is off for a vacation in Crete, to meet her cousin Frances, who has been delayed for a day or two. (This sort of thing seems to happen frequently in Stewart novels, and it certainly gives the main characters time to get into mischief!) Which of course is exactly what Nicole does. She decides that she has a day given to her by the gods, and she takes a hike up into the mountains of the island, following an impulse to follow an egret that was flying that way.

And not long after that mischief is met in the form of a large Greek man who makes Nicole go with him to an old shepherd's hut. What she finds there sets the entire story in motion, and proves that Nicole is not only impulsive but brave, daring and resourceful as well. I am sure I would have turned into a sniveling, blithering idiot under the same circumstances.

I sometimes scolded Nicole for her choices, but mostly I liked her very much. Cousin Frances does show up eventually: I liked her a lot too. I'm glad to have had the chance to read this classic Stewart mystery, and sharing it as a group buddy read made it even more fun.

AND I learned a secret for Someday in the kitchen. Nicola is wandering the village at one point, just looking around (okay, looking for clues to her mystery). She sees a fisherman beating an octopus and says to herself that his family will eat well that night. Beating an octopus?! I had to Google to find out why you would need to do that. Turns out the the meat of a freshly caught octopus needs to have help to make it tender. Hence the beating. Which I will remember should that infamous Someday ever come when I plan to cook a fresh octopus. (Easily available in the shops here but I very greatly doubt one will ever slither its way into my kitchen!)

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Stewart always starts her adventure novels in the most delightful spots--and then twists of fate lead her heroines and us into peril.


Nicola Ferris is on vacation from her job as a secretary at the British Embassy in Athens. She's planning a week in a quiet spot on the south coast of Crete with her older cousin, Francis, a horticulturalist who runs a successful business specializing in rock gardens. They've found the perfect locale--a new B&B with a gourmet, London-trained chef in an unspoiled village by the sea.

Lots of hiking in the hills looking at wild flowers


Checking out ruined Byzantine churches


Enjoying quiet dinners on the terrace


And swimming in the wine-dark sea.


What could possibly go wrong? Here...where the wild White Mountains plunge towards the sea and craggy, rock-strewn hills hide cut-throats and killers?



Plenty can go wrong and does, right from the very first chapter, as Nicola finds herself following a wild, white bird in flight into the hills towards adventure, insta-love and a fight for her life.

Lots of action, literary references, wonderful supporting characters (especially the acerbic and sensible, Francis, and a talented and very amusing chef and interior decorator, Tony). There's is plenty of local color, lots of humor and even more terror than usual in the closing chapters.

PG for some violence.

[Allison Tebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

How very satisfying.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written, utterly charming romantic thriller kept my heart pounding in terrified suspense, even though my original copy of the book is falling apart because I’ve read the story so many times. When I was twelve or thirteen, Mary Stewart was a favorite author of everyone I knew who loved to read--my mother, her friends, me, and eventually my younger sisters--and of all Stewart’s books it was The Moon-Spinners that siren-called me back to its pages again and again.

Nicola Ferris is on holiday in Crete, surrounded by age-old ruins, sunny skies, and colorful wildflowers. While hiking among fragrant lemon groves on the craggy hills of the White Mountains, she impulsively follows the path of flying egret and runs into an Englishman who’s been shot, yet won’t tell her what happened and just wants her to go away and forget she ever saw him, though he obviously needs help. But as Nicola continues her vacation, enjoying the beautiful scenery and relaxing with her cousin, she can’t help noticing details that draw her back to the mystery and into danger.

I’m not normally a reader who enjoys a lot of description in books, but in The Moon-Spinners it’s so gorgeous and transporting I relish every word and image. While the story is set firmly and very compellingly in the all-too-real world, Stewart’s writing is laced with ancient myths and literary allusions.

The novel was written in the early 1960’s and Nicola shares some of the attitudes of that era, a time when men were leaders, male superiority was casually accepted by just about everyone, and the ideal for women was to be safely put up on a pedestal, but Nicola strains against those strictures too because she’s observant, quick-witted, and independent. It had been decades since my last reading, and delving back into The Moon-Spinners was like going on an archaeological dig through layers of my own worldview, helping me remember, even re-feel, some of my earliest understandings of life and love and the kind of person I wanted to be, since I was brought up surrounded by those early 60’s assumptions too, before everything started changing just a few years later in the decade.

[Jill Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if my review of this book would be the same if I was just reading it for the first time. This is one of my favorites from when I was younger, so I don't know if that's skewed my perception of it. It does have a few slow parts and it may be a bit old-fashioned, but it's just a fun read. I think I originally read it after seeing the Disney movie version with Hayley Mills that was made in the 60s. I generally liked Hayley Mills movies as a kid and I liked this movie okay, but frankly they changed a lot of the plot and Hayley just wasn't cute enough for the lead actor, who I had a huge crush on. The movie had a bit more action than the book, but I like the heroine better in the book. (Sorry, am I reviewing the book or the movie? I digress.)

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my 2020 Social Distancing Read-a-thon

My first choice from the stacks of unread books on my shelves while the public library is closed. Actually, I think I probably read this book 30 years ago, but I didn't remember a thing about it.

Nicola is a great main character, very independent, especially for the early 1960s when this book was first published. She has an excellent example on this, as her cousin Frances (who raised Nicola) is single and highly competent. Even the Greek men that they encounter, pretty macho guys, admit that these two women are forces of nature. Or maybe mythological figures, considering the location of the novel.

As one of my friends has pointed out, Stewart doesn't state at any point that Nicola is an independent woman, she just shows us Nicola's actions and lets us come to our own conclusions. In many ways, this is a book with stereotypical plot lines, but it is well written and enjoyable. I especially appreciated Stewart's addition of accurate bird and botany details.

This novel reminded me of M.M. Kaye's Death in Cyprus. If you enjoyed this book, you will probably like her novels as well.

[MomToKippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give Stewart 2 stars but this is just not working for me. Read over 250 pages and it is so tedious. Stewart's powers of description are there in full force but we also have a lot of telling-not-showing going on here too. There is lack of character development (well not her strong suit anyway) and a not too mysterious mystery. It is all a bit discombobulated.

[Christine PNW · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know those books that you are pretty sure you are really going to love, so you buy it and wait to read it because once you read it, you won't be able to look forward to reading it anymore? This was one of those books for me. I picked up a paperback copy of The Moonspinners donkeys ages ago, at either the UBS or a library sale, & I've been holding onto it since then. I finally decided that life was too short to not read this book, and there were other Mary Stewarts for me to read, so I should just do it already.

This is a near perfect romantic suspense novel.

I loved everything about this book. The setting is divine - it is set on the island of Crete, primarily in a small fishing village. Mary Stewart has tremendous respect for her settings, and she works hard to incorporate details of the lives of the inhabitants that lend a great deal of richness to the setting. The main character, Nicola, is a junior secretary at the British embassy in Athens, and she has taken the time to learn Greek.



I love this detail. I think that this is a really important little piece of character development, especially given that this book was initially published in 1962. Mary Stewart not only gives her main character enough personal agency to go abroad to Greece and take a job on her own - something that is intimidating and noteworthy in 2017 - but that same heroine has enough intellectual curiosity and engagement to learn the language while she is there, which shows tremendous respect for the local culture.



While Nicola did, at times, engage in some pretty silly behavior, overall this is a heroine who is genuinely independent. All too often we see authors who claim that their heroes are "independent," but whose behavior doesn't reflect that independence. In this book, Stewart never uses the word "independent" to describe Nicola, she just shows us a young British woman who IS independent without constantly having to try to convince the reader of that aspect of her character.



Stewart also references other relationships that Nicola has been involved in, and there is a clear implication that she is a frankly modern young woman with a "past" which is treated as totally normal and not something shameful. It's really difficult to overstate the importance of this element - again, this book was written in 1962. There is no slut-shaming here, and in fact, Nicola's prior experiences with men is just taken for granted and referenced lightly and matter-of-factly. Of course a young single woman has had prior experiences.

So, the setting is delightful and the main character is likeable. The male love interest is also a likeable young man, although he is much less the focus than the heroine. Stewart's descriptions of the native flora and fauna are absolutely lovely, even as she manages to avoid allowing her narrative to devolve into a travelogue. I don't really have any complaints about this book, just minor quibbles that aren't worth delving into here.



This book could be categorized as "New Adult," and when I compare it to the crap that is being published right now under that label, I laugh. Mary Stewart is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. I foresee a future in which I've tracked down and read every single thing she's ever written.

[Misfit · Rating 5 out of 5]

...on the darkest night, the maidens take their spindles down to the sea, to wash their wool. And the wool slips from the spindles into the water, and unravels in long ripples of light from the shore to the horizon, and there is the moon again, rising above the sea....Only when all the wool is washed, and wound again into a white ball in the sky, can the moon-spinners start their work once more...."

Can this woman write or what? Nicola Ferris takes a vacation from her job at the British Embassy in Athens and plans on meeting her cousin Frances in a small village on the island of Crete. Arriving a day early, she decides to traipse through the White Mountains, and in true Stewart fashion soon finds herself in the thick of danger, mystery and of course a hero in need of feminine assistance. Mark Langley and his younger brother Colin had been attacked after witnessing a crime, Mark was wounded and they assume Colin is murdered or been taken hostage. Nicola spends a night tending to Mark as Lambis goes for supplies and she is then forcefully sent on her way to forget what she’s seen and continue her holiday. But of course it’s not quite as simple as that, and once settled into her hotel she recognizes Mark’s attackers from the description he gave her and the adventure begins.

And that’s all I’m going to tell. What follows is a darn-near unputdownable tale of mystery, cat-and-mouse intrigues and unexpected plot turns all leading up to one incredible nail-biting finish (I must get hold of the film now). I loved Nicola and Mark, they had just the right spark and spunkiness to play off of each other and add a perfect light-heartedness to the story (lol, his comments at the end where she’s had to wear his brother's slightly too tight pants), and I loved the way Stewart can set up her scenes – everything on the island literally came alive for me from the tiniest flower, to the windmills, the mountains as well as those treacherous rocks alongside the bay. Don’t miss this one.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another young, attractive British bachelorette traveling about, uncovering murders and deeds most foul! And yes, of course, there's a young boy in danger, and plenty of picnic lunches being packed by the hotel and eaten in the ruins of a church! Mary Stewart knew what worked for her mysteries, and she stuck with it, bless her!

Sidenote: I seriously did not know that a) the Hayley Mills movie they used to advertise all the time on the original Disney Channel was based on a book and b) that book was written Mary Stewart!

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in high school, I discovered these Gothic romances, and they sustained me for several years. After plowing through the ones that were already published, I watched for each new book to arrive. My 5 stars reflect how much I loved them when I was 15! Eventually, Mary Stewart turned to the Arthur saga, about which she wrote some captivating (and captivatingly long) novels, but they couldn't capture my soul like the romances did.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this in the "New Books to be Shelved" cart at my library. It's not a new book at all - it was originally published in 1964 - but apparently it has been re-published as a "rediscovered classic." I had never read the book, but loved the movie with Hayley Mills as a child. So - decided to give it a go.

"The Moon-Spinners" is a mystery/romance set in Crete. It's one of those books written so lovingly about its location that you fall in love with the place. The book is old-fashioned but in a charming way. It was fun revisiting this story and, to the best of my recollection, the movie is pretty faithful to this book. Nicola Ferris is on vacation with her aunt Frances in Crete. She stumbles upon a young man secreted away in a shepherd's hut. The young man, Mark, has been shot and his younger brother, Colin, has gone missing. Something sinister is a-foot and it's up to Nicola to discern what it is and to save Mark and Colin.

Recommend, especially for the gorgeous descriptions of Crete's flora, rocky mountains and the ocean.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 Review
Started slower than I remembered but worth sticking with it. Lovely adventure with a strong heroine and exciting conclusion.

2019 Review
Murder...Greece...an intrepid heroine.
I love Mary Stewart and this one is definitely up there as a favorite. The romance is slower too which works wonders for an otherwise foreseeable story. I love almost all her books and this one is up there even among my favorites.

[Katie Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for a delightful, old-fashioned adventure story.

I'll be honest: I really had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. I wasn't sure if it was going to fall under the category of murder mystery, whodunit, romance, thriller . . . Turns out, it encompasses a LITTLE of each, but upon completing the whole, I would place it most solidly in "adventure." Yes, there's a murder and other illegal activities, but there's not much mystery/puzzle about who did it, the conflict more revolves around staying out of harm's way while bringing the obvious criminals to justice. It's kinda like Nancy Drew WITHOUT the "mystery" element, if that makes sense.

Nicola Ferris is a young British woman on holiday in Greece in the early 60s. Her very first day, she stumbles upon some fellow Britishers who are hiding out because they accidentally witnessed a murder . . . and it All Goes Downhill From There, in the most splendid and glorious fashion. :D

There's so much to love about this book, and I think it all starts with Nicola's character. For me, her POV was tremendous fun, because she has just enough spunk & rambunctiousness to push her down the path of all these adventures, but not so much that she became completely unrelatable & incomprehensible. Cause, y'all know me, I am not an adventurous person. At all. But I can understand the thirst for adventure in SMALL doses ;-) Nicola is also straightforward, frank, and fairly calm under pressure, all qualities I muchly admire. She's also very observant, so she is constantly noticing neat little details about the Greek countryside, and in turn relaying those to us, the readers.

Which brings me to my next point: THE DESCRIPTIONS. IN THIS BOOK. ARE. SO GOOD. GOSH. This is not praise I often give out, as I'm one of those folks who really really struggles with visualizing what I read: but not here. Mary Stewart paints Nicola's surroundings with such vivid energy and thorough skill that I saw everything she saw, and it was gorgeous, let me tell you. I don't think I've felt so thoroughly transported to a foreign country through a book since I read "Heidi" at age 6; and that's sayin' something, folks. There was one bit where Stewart described the ocean waves as "dark silk," and I know I for one will not forget that, because it was #perfect.

Let's see, what else? Oh yes! The romance! Nicola and Mark (the British dude who sees the murder an' all) have this hilarious relationship that consists almost ENTIRELY of yelling at each other for the other's perceived lack of responsibility & foresight in the face of danger . . . UNTIL Mark just casually says "so you're my girl now," and Nicola's like "yup." It was so matter-of-fact and entirely lacking in mushiness, it seriously cracked me up :D I do ship them, though. Although I didn't find Mark terribly attractive for myself (I'm not a big fan of the short-and-blunt-and-dark type), I thought he and Nicky make a lovely pair. And it's sweet how he's so protective of her, especially in that last scene they have together. *giggles thinking about it*

I gotta say, though, I didn't approve of Mark's decision to go after the criminals, at the very end. I get how mad he is because they hurt Nicola, but still. HE DIDN'T PLAN FOR THAT PROPERLY. And Nicola was still RIGHT THERE on the boat with him and if the attack went badly, she could've been hurt worse. Fortunately she wasn't. If I had been in Nicola's shoes that would've made me feel less protected, not more. She seemed to like it, though . . . to each their own, I guess . . .

Mark's relationship with his little brother Colin was A++++++++++++++. Good sibling relationships in fiction are hard to come by, but this book certainly delivers.

Nicola's cousin Frances was probably my favorite character, overall. Can we please have more middle-aged, no-nonsense, sarcasm-loving, eminently-skilled-problem-solving ladies in our stories???? PLEASE???? I love the Mom Friend trope, and Frances is like the Mom Friend Extraordinaire. She's the bomb. Also, it was kind of adorable how she saw right through Nicola being all like "I detest Mark! He's so annoying!" ;-)

My only real complaint, tbh, is the fact that the only Turkish/Muslim character we see in the story is bad, and bad in a kinda stereotypical way; we have balance between good Brits and bad Brits, good Greeks and bad Greeks; but nope, we get only one Muslim and he's bad. I understand that this is the 1960s and all, and all; but still, you know, we have a responsibility to further good interracial relations in an increasingly diverse & complex world, and this kind of thing Doesn't Exactly Help. *frowns*

That's quite a minor thing compared to all the lovely loveliness of the rest of it, though :D

oOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH AND CAN I JUST SAY: The "moonspinners" metaphor, once I understood it, was deliciously perfect. *clutches heart* This isn't a terribly emotion-heavy book, overall--it's not intended to be--but that one bit did make me #feel feelings. Plus, it's such a breathtakingly beautiful image. Highly approve.

Content-wise: This is fairly clean, but not entirely so, and there were a few things that could potentially Raise Some Eyebrows. I think in general it's a mistake to equate "old-fashioned" with "clean," and The Moonspinners is not really an exception to that rule: Nicola spends the night curled up with Mark at one point to avoid dying of exposure, which is FINE and he's a perfect gentleman about it . . . but she says a few things (both at the time and afterwards) which suggest she's not unfamiliar with "spending the night" with a man in less innocent fashion. Like she keeps making jokes about it when she doesn't Need To, if you get my drift. Furthermore, in the final scene, Nicola has to swim out to a boat and doesn't have a swimsuit, so she strips down to her underwear--again, totally fine, except the author dwells a little more than she needs to on the fact that she's basically naked and that there's a guy she likes on the boat in question. Um. Okay. :-P

Also, there's two mentions of a herb that's used (and I quote) "for everything from snakebite to abortions."

On the other hand, there's zero kissing, so it has THAT going for it in the cleanliness department. ;-)

And please understand, I'm not trying to be hypocritical: I don't consider MYSELF a "clean" writer and I include certain things in my own stories which some readers might well prefer I'd leave out. I only wanted to be clear about the content level in this particular book because it's a 50+ year old story and we do tend to expect those to be cleaner [whether consciously or unconsciously]. I just don't want anybody taken by surprise, is all. ;-)

Conclusion: I had so much fun reading The Moonspinners! I really can't wait to find & read more adventure stories by Mary Stewart. :D :D

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first fell in love with this story as a little girl when I saw the movie, starring Haley Mills, on the Wonderful World of Disney. A few years later I discovered Mary Stewart's stories, and at some point realized she'd written the basis for the movie. I haven't watched the film in decades, but I do enjoy rereading MS's books every so often.

My favorite Stewart books are Romantic Suspense, with intelligent young women, often in exotic locales like the Greek Islands, living their own quiet lives until somehow they stumbled into a dangerous mystery. They're resourceful but not superwomen, there's always a nice amount of action and some light-hearted romance. All of that makes a fun story, but what I really love Stewart for is her description.

When I read a Mary Stewart Book, I travel to the setting myself. In this book I've tramped the hills of Crete with Nicola, watched the birds and smelled the greenery. In my mind's eye I've seen the ruined church, the hotel she stays at, and I could sketch the rocky shoreline as it curves away from the small bay. The author knew the places she writes about and her details take me there with her. I just love that! This is one of my favorite of her books, and it was great fun to revisit it.

NB - My other top favorites are My Brother Michael, Airs Above the Ground, Madame Will You Talk? and Nine Coaches Waiting. But I think they're all worth reading - and rereading, too.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this as a movie, one of Hayley Mills' first adult roles. I never actually saw it, having been too young to go by myself, and my usual movie companion, Sheveney Dilley was not into Hailey Mills.

It is the story of a young British girl on holiday in Crete who stumbles upon another Brit, this one a young man, wounded, hiding in a hut from some men who are trying to kill him after he and his companions witnessed a murder.

Of course, she helps him, gets drawn in to the intrigue, falls for him and he got her.

There are no car chased in this one. Will a boat chase do?

Rather innocent and dated, but a good representation of its genre.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great fun to read in an easy day, a long way from the European history and politics I've been reading for the last few weeks.
A young Englishwoman holidaying in Crete stumbles across a crime and a wounded young man. Many adventures, climbing up and down mountains she solves the crimes, wins the day and, of course, the young man.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 3.5 star read, and boy was it a wonderful trip of the imagination to sun-soaked Crete on a bitterly cold day! This one had some interesting, suspenseful twists to go along with the obvious ones. I don't consider it a bad thing that some of the twists are obvious, because any genre novel has to abide by the structures of the genre, and some of the joy of reading a suspense novel is knowing what's coming and being unable to stop reading until it does. So, for example, when Nicola swims out to the boat thinking to find Mark, and we know she'll actually find Stratos, that adds to the tension rather than diminishing it.

If there had been a better romance in this one, it would have joined my other favorites Touch Not the Cat and Madam, Will You Talk? (though I don't think it quite reaches the pinnacle of Nine Coaches Waiting). And this had so much potential along those lines. But too much of the romantic subplot was just...pushed into the background, maybe. I kept waiting to fall in love with Mark, and it never happened. Sigh.

I did like the characters in this one, Mark's brother Colin and Nicola's cousin Frances and even poor Sofia. And the descriptions are just divine. I don't know which Stewart novel I'm on to next--I have three arriving this week and I may just read them as they come.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m wondering if I ever really say anything different about Mary Stewart’s books. They’re fairly formulaic, really: fairly independent young woman meets young man who may or may not be her cousin, there is some dramatic problem to be resolved, and they resolve it while falling in love, often improbably fast or due to some supernatural intervention (as in Touch Not the Cat and Thornyhold). They’re better than they sound, though: the atmosphere Stewart produces is amazing, and quite a lot of her female characters are actually quite strong and certainly have agency. The main character here, for example, spends most of the story getting pushed to one side by the male characters who don’t want her to get involved — but she’s the one who really sorts everything out.

This isn’t my favourite of Stewart’s books by far, but I think I enjoyed it more this time than I did the first time. Partly because yay, familiar comfort read, no doubt. Nothing wrong with that.

Originally posted here.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Stewart has combined mystery, suspense, and romance in this novel set in Greece. Nicola, a secretary at the British Embassy at Athens, is meeting her cousin for a holiday in a small village in Crete. As she is exploring the beautiful countryside on her way, she comes upon a man and his injured friend. The men were exploring the trails and ruins, and had unintentionally witnessed a murder. They are now in hiding from the violent man and his friends, and don't want Nicola to get involved in the situation. But she could not just ignore someone who needs help.

Wonderful descriptions of the mountains, the rocky coast, and the ruins of Crete were woven into the suspenseful story as Nicola tries to discover the identity of the murderer. Nicola and her cousin are likable, interesting characters. Written in the 1960s, the book has a retro feeling about it with Nicola hiking up the rocky mountainside in a dress, and using her petticoat as a bandage for the wounded man. It's a charming book that was later made into a film. 3.5 stars.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed it. But it was not an even/equable pleasure. There were moments of a great thrill that made me hold my breath, but there were also moments when I was almost bored (e.g. about flowers) and I can't imagine how they could forget about someone (in one of the last scenes).

Nonetheless, I admit it was hard to put it down - I just skipped the part that I was not interested in.

The precious was also the humour (mostly at the end, especially Nicola's stages).

Summarizing, it was a splendidly written example of the genre, Mary Stewart was a genius writer. Still, I did enjoy it a bit less than Nine Coaches Waiting and This Rough Magic.

[Nisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Arthurian Arthurian series (The Crystal Cave) and The Moonspinners Now I'm a fan of her. I would love to read all of her books.

I wasn't sure if I can love The Moonspinners after reading Arthurian series because of both of them just seems so different genre. I thought myself as a person who doesn't like long descriptions of a story but I love how Mary Stewart work her magic and draw you in. :))) I won't say much about its because I don't think I can stay away from spoilers. If you didn't read Mary Stewart book yet I can say you miss a lot.

[Andrea]

Dramatic and quick paced.

If ever I feel my characters fall in love too quickly, I'll remember that Mary Stewart's average is about 7 hours.