Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

The buddy read of Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart begins October 15, 2025. One of my favorite authors. Enjoy!

Thanks, Sara! So far we have interest from Janelle, Wobbley, Luffy, Terris and me — a solid group!

I read this is June, so won’t be reading it this month, but am interested in seeing what others have to say about it.

Heather, please feel free to jump on with comments. Quite a few people are joining this Buddy Read so it should be a lively discussion.

Sara, am I correct in presuming that the discussion is scheduled to last until mid-November?

There isn't any time limit, Brian. You guys can just discuss until you feel you have all finished. The threads remain open indefinitely. I will probably remove it from the schedule at the end of the month, since anyone who had planned to join will probably have done so by then, but that won't affect this thread.

I have just barely started and am excited to get into the story! :)

I hope to start in a few days.

Terris wrote: "I have just barely started and am excited to get into the story! :)"

My copy is in a box, I need to dig it out in the next couple of days so I can start, too. It will be a fun fall read.

I read the first 2 chapters yesterday (oops), but I'll try to wait until the 15th to read more ;)

Teri-K wrote: "Terris wrote: "I have just barely started and am excited to get into the story! :)"

My copy is in a box, I need to dig it out in the next couple of days so I can start, too. It will be a fun fall ..."

Find that box so you can start reading with us! ;)

Wobbley wrote: "I read the first 2 chapters yesterday (oops), but I'll try to wait until the 15th to read more ;)"

It's OK, Wobbley, go ahead and read (I just read the first two chapters, like you!). Just don't give away too much before the 15th. I want to savor the mysteriousness that this book will surely bring to us :)

I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shall put down a passage here tomorrow... I don't suppose that that would be called a spoiler remark ? It's so difficult not to share the stunningly lovely description(s) with everyone 🤗 ! And , from Wobbley's remark , the story continues to captivate !
This is my first Mary Stewart, and I am just loooving it !

That sounds okay to me, Savita.

Savita, I don't think anything that happens in the first couple of chapters can reasonably be considered a spoiler. So share away!

You're right, her descriptions of setting are very evocative, somehow managing to make you feel as though you are there without getting bogged down in detail. I think this is one of her strengths as a writer.

This isn't my first Mary Stewart, but it's the first of her gothic novels I've tried. (I've also read My Brother Michael, which was wonderful and will be hard to top; and I've read The Crystal Cave, which I liked alright but didn't love the way others in the group love it.)

Savita wrote: "I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shall put down a passage here tomorrow... I don't suppose that t..."

Sounds fine to me, Savita! I'm looking forward to the passage you will share! :)

Okay, it's the 15th in some time zones ;)

I did manage to stop myself from reading more before the 15th. Here are my thoughts from the first 2 chapters:

- As Savita has mentioned, the descriptions of setting are stellar.
- At first I found the main conceit (the telepathy) a bit hard to swallow, probably because I generally prefer gothics that don't rely on fantasy/mysticism. But I decided to just go with it and already I'm totally fine with it.
- I really like the main character so far. She is calm and strong.
- I'm trying to memorize the last words of her father, so I can watch the obscure hints they contain be unmasked as the book goes along.
(Beware Spoiler: Because of the mention of the library, I'm wondering whether "William's brook" is actually "William's book"; the William Ashley she mentions from the last century was a scholar... End of Spoiler)
- Overall so far, I'm feeling hopeful that I will enjoy this book.

I've loaded it onto my kindle :)

Thank you 😊 .. Terry , Wobbley and Terris ! Yes , there's really no spoiler element in the descriptions. But , Wobbley , since you've finished the first two chapters ➡️ [ preceeding a bit of a spoiler remark by Beware Spoilers, and following it by End of Spoiler, because Terry has some technical issue with opening spoiler tags ] Beware Spoilers This telepathy described has got me quite intrigued 🤔😲 .. I thought the author described the mystical occurrences very well .. .. thought transference , ... sudden blocks of intelligence that are thrust into one's mind ... . If you have read Jane Eyre , the telepathy described there seems to transform the concerned relationship into one blessed with spiritual power , where kind Heaven itself has stopped by to lend a helping hand 🤔🕯! It may not be so poignant in this Mary Stewart 's story .. but I am kind of hoping that it may .. although both the stories are only fictional 😒 . End of Spoiler
I have reached page 15 , and, at least of now , this book in unputdownable!

Terry, let us know if you need us to avoid using spoiler tags, and instead do a "Beware Spoilers"/"End of Spoilers" section as Savita has done. If so, I can rewrite my spoiler above in this format, so you'll be able to read it when you are ready.

Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shall put down a passage here tomorrow... I don't..."

So sorry , Terris , actually there are 3 passages that I want to post because their beauty is so breathtaking, but , though I have got the passages marked down , it's too late night here , so I better leave it till tomorrow 😏 ! Actually, really the book is to blame .. it's so unputdownable.. .. just have to read another page , and
another .. and there , there's no time left to post the intended passages 🤭 !

Annette wrote: "I've loaded it onto my kindle :)"

Welcome, Annette ! Looking forward to your thoughts!

Thanks, Wobbley. I would rather read a spoiler than miss it entirely, so I like the “Beware” warnings.

I am still a few days seat from starting, but am pushing to get through The Gift of Asher Lev first, tonight at maybe 60%.

Annette, I am do glad you ate joining this read!

Terry wrote: "Thanks, Wobbley. I would rather read a spoiler than miss it entirely, so I like the “Beware” warnings..."

Sure thing Terry, I'll make that change to my spoiler above.

Savita wrote: "Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shall put down a passage here tomo..."

I feel the same, Savita! At the beginning I thought it was going to be a little bit hard to get into. But by the second chapter it seems much easier to read and follow. So, it makes me want to keep reading!
And I will say that I am noticing the beautiful descriptions much more now that you have remarked on them! Thanks for that :)

Mary Stewart is one of my favorite authors. I read Touch Not the Cat in 1989! I found this book The Spell of Mary Stewart: The Ivy Tree/This Rough Magic/Wildfire at Midnight at a library book sale and discovered her. Any of her novels are fun.

Sara wrote: "There isn't any time limit, Brian. You guys can just discuss until you feel you have all finished. The threads remain open indefinitely. I will probably remove it from the schedule at the end of th..."

I presume you mean the end of this month, October. I understand that the discussion will last until people stop talking and that anyone can jump on board anytime but knowing the 'planned' discussion period affects my decision making on which book to start when. I also dislike coming in to a discussion after its already been discussed. Yes, people are nice enough, especially moderators, to come back to chat about the book but its like showing up to a party at 11 pm and finding that everyone was there from 8 pm until 11 pm and were all talked out and left. So any discussion offered by the host feels like a "Pity Discussion" similar to a "pity invite."

So this one is from October 15th to October 31st. Got it. Due to the timing of other reads, such as deciding to add in Cousin Bette, I will still likely wait and start reading in early November. I will then accept whatever pity discussion is offered.

I've read a couple more chapters. The book is quite captivating. The only part that isn't doing anything for me is the bit from 1835 at the end of each chapter. But of course it's early days for that side story, since it makes so little progress each chapter.

I will leave Savita to write in her favourite descriptions of Madeira, and I will include my favourite parts from Bryony's return to her home in England.

Wind-flowers and pale blue speedwell sprinkled the grass, hazing the green as delicately as a breath misting glass.
...
The young leaves overhead, just unfurling, showed as transparent as stained glass against the light.
...
The rose garden with its mouldering statues was an impenetrable Sleeping Beauty affair, and the woods beyond the Pool had long since engulfed the orchards, with the exception of one stand of apple trees beside the water, where the cottage stood that was now my home.
...
Ahead of me the church showed only as a looming shadow against the furred and shifting shadows of the trees. The yews flowed upwards in the breeze like smoke.

Just lovely, and it so effectively creates the image of the place. It feels almost like seeing it yourself, but with eyes that already love it.

Wobbley wrote: "Just lovely, and it so effectively creates the image of the place. It feels almost like seeing it yourself, but with eyes that already love it...."

What a great way to express it. I just got my copy out of the box, will start reading today as I don't have any other commitments on Thursdays.

One of my favorite elements of Stewart's books is her descriptions. I finish them feeling like I've tramped the hills of Greece smelling the thyme beneath my feet or driven through the French countryside. In fact, I just finished a reread of Airs Above the Ground, and there's a description of a meadow in Austria that still gives me chills, no matter how many times I read it! And I enjoy her feisty but imperfect heroines - so fun to read about. I'm super happy that folks are enjoying this so far. :)

Yes, I like this heroine quite a lot so far. I really resonated with the part where she said that she wouldn't take on a pointless hatred. So wise, and such a practical way to approach what's happening.

Hey so I completed the first 2 chapters. Is there dual timelines in this book?

What of Briony's father?

What do you friends know so far about this confusing and understated book?

I would also like to praise the sometimes literally FLOWERY prose. The bee was weirdly 'shown' by the author.

I will go ahead and post the intended quotes first before I make any other comments on this interesting book and the enjoyable conversation thread , and also a silly mistake I made about the location of Madeira !

I agree with Terri-K about Wobbley 's comment on the quotes posted in message 29 . Beautiful quotes and beautiful manner of appreciation of the quotes ! I want to say a few words about the first quote , but after I've looked up about the wind flower ... wind flower !! .. Gosh , what a quaint kind of name ! .. like as if it was drawn from an Enid Blyton world, as if it came from a country of the little folks with magical wands 🔮🪄....

Quote from chapter 1 with which I fell in love : Madeira, an Atlantic island : ... the town is still small and charming, it's steep alleys tumbling down the lava slopes of the island 's mountain spine , it's streets full of flowers and trees , it's very pavements made of patterned mosaic which glistens in the sun .....
It would be difficult to leave such an out of this world town for all the pots of gold offered elsewhere 🤔 .. not a very wordlywise thought , I suppose, but I am not going to change it !

Quote from chapter 1 .... my mesmerized love affair with quaint and lovely Madeira continues! ... ... the quintala ( country estate ) ...... where the pinewoods slope down the mountains towards the sea .... you reached the place by a lane which led off the Machio road , a steep grey ribbon of lava setts ( lava stones ) , bordered in summer with blue and white agapanthus standing cool against the pinewoods , their stems vibrating in the draught of the running water in the levada at the road edge .... ....
I don't think I am wrong in saying that at least once in a lifetime we should each grab a chance to walk down a serpentine , now disappearing ..now appearing , mountain road , with the cold , bracing wind on our faces , and let the enormously powerful , but yet so very , very gentle and kind presence of the silently beautiful mountain slopes sink into our jaded hearts! God , here , seems not so very far away after all 🤔

One more quote left , again from chapter 1 , and then a silly confession about where I thought Madeira was located , the meaning of levada that I found on Google , along with lovely photos of a levada and of Madeira, and then stumbling , quite accidentally , on a Hindi ( India's main language ) word whose root is obviously derived from the famous Madeira wine ! .. Hmm , it's really quite a small world after all 🤔 . But all this tomorrow, and after I've pushed my reading a bit more forward .. still , it's comforting to know that Terry and Brian haven't yet started the book .. at least I am not , yet , the very last person !

Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shall put down a pa..."

Thanks for your nice remark , Terris 😊 ! Glad you're enjoying the book , too ! I think everyone is , but I have a doubt about Luffy ? Maybe Luffy is not too much into nature appreciation?
You're right about the two time lines , Luffy , maybe it will get resolved later .

Lynn wrote: "Mary Stewart is one of my favorite authors. I read Touch Not the Cat in 1989! I found this book [book:The Spell of Mary Stewart: The Ivy Tree/This Rough Magic/Wildfire at Midnight|62..."

Are you rereading with us , Lynn ? It would be fun ! 1989 is quite a long way back .

Brian E wrote: "Sara wrote: "There isn't any time limit, Brian. You guys can just discuss until you feel you have all finished. The threads remain open indefinitely. I will probably remove it from the schedule at ..."

Brian , I think the book discussion could well carry on into November. Terry also hasn't started yet , and I, myself , am quite a slow reader .
I remember, for the seagull thread , April put in a comment many months after the discussion had been finished. Actually , many members may not be able to remember details of a book if another member comments after too long a gap .

Windflowers are Anemones. I think of them as specifically Anemone blanda, a small plant with daisy-like flowers. They can be purchased as bulbs and tolerate poor rocky soils.

https://www.colorblends.com/wp-conten...

Agapanthus africanus is also known as Lily of the Nile and they are like a ball of florets. They are a larger plant with strappy leaves.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/im...

Both plants come in white and shades of blue to bluish purple. You can grow them both in Mediterranean climates such as in Southern California, but of the two, only Anemone blanda will grow in Chicago.

Luffy Sempai wrote: "Hey so I completed the first 2 chapters. Is there dual timelines in this book?

What of Briony's father?

What do you friends know so far about this confusing and understated book?

I would also l..."

Not really two timelines, just sometimes glimpsing that past, which will tie up later. Stewart's novels sometimes have Gothic overtones, so there will be questions you have to wait to have answered and elements you aren't sure about. This book especially does that.

I always think the reader's lack of certainty matches Bryony's. She knows, or thinks she knows, some things, is unsure about others and mostly is still in the dark - as are we. Like her, we have to wait and watch things unfold.

The psychic/ESP element was pretty popular in books when this came out in 1976, I remember reading it fairly often in those days. I know some folks don't like the descriptions, but I love them. I can see the flowers climbing and blooming on the wall, etc. I miss that sense of place with some other writers, who don't bother.

Luffy Sempai wrote: "Hey so I completed the first 2 chapters. Is there dual timelines in this book?
What of Briony's father?
What do you friends know so far about this confusing and understated book?..."

Luffy: Yes, the book has 2 timelines.

Story 1: The main story, in the 1900s, follows Bryony. In the first 2 chapters she finds out that her father has died, and we find out that ESP (psychic ability) is common in her family. Her father left some ominous last words, and I suspect a big part of the plot will be figuring out the mystery of what he was talking about.

Story 2: There is a second story that we so far see for about 1 page at the end of each chapter. It takes place in 1835, and so far we don't know the identity of the man it is about.

We don't yet know what the connection is between the two stories, but we'll probably find out as the book progresses.

I hope that helps.

Thank you Terri-K and Wobbley and everyone else for shining a light on this book. The author is new to me. Will read more today.

Savita wrote: "Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "Terris wrote: "Savita wrote: "I have read the first few pages and was struck by exquisite beauty in the manner in which the author describes the mountain town ! I shal..."

You're right, I don't have a thing for nature. Part of it is the problem of knowing what English word - e.g. pinecone - is in the language of my country. I don't even know if there are pinecones where I live.

Luffy Sempai wrote: "You're right, I don't have a thing for nature. Part of it is the problem of knowing what English word - e.g. pinecone - is in the language of my country. I don't even know if there are pinecones where I live..."

I've found descriptions of nature the hardest sections for me to read in another language. I'm teaching myself to read in Spanish, and when I read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, a book I've read a few times in English, I found his beautiful descriptive passages so dense I just skimmed them. Lovely when you know the language, full of lesser used adjectives and nouns when when you don't. So, though many of us love that part of these books, you can safely skim them, too, I think, and just follow along with Bryony as she gradually figures out what's going on.

ETA - I find reading on an ebook can sometimes let me highlight a word and immediately see the translation or even a picture. But I'm sure you know that already - and it doesn't always work, even on ebooks.

Luffy, here is an image of various pinecones.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orna...

There are pines and other cone bearing plants (spruce, fir and others) that grow throughout the world, some even in the tropics and sub-tropics. For Example, Canary Island Pine is a subtropical plant. The tropical Sumatran Pine grows in limited ecoregions of Sumatra.

Most but not all cone bearing plants are evergreen.

Teri-K wrote: "Luffy Sempai wrote: "You're right, I don't have a thing for nature. Part of it is the problem of knowing what English word - e.g. pinecone - is in the language of my country. I don't even know if t..."

Hello Teri-K and happy reading this weekend. So I don't usually skip difficult paragraphs, even though my eyes might glaze over. The thing is there is no easily researched name for things commonly found in the rest of the world.

The closest I can come up a word with are the filao trees, but they are not pine cones I think.

Before the island I live in was populated it was covered with fine sturdy ebony trees. These, the Dutch felled and used them for their ships.

Terry wrote: "Luffy, here is an image of various pinecones.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orna...

There are pines and other cone bearing plants (spruce, fir and others) ..."

Thanks Terry for this link. What will they not cover on the internet right? Now I am certain this genus does not grow where I live, although I might be mistaken. There is a mini wannabe Kew Garden in my country called Jardin des Pamplemousses. I suppose pine cones could be cultivated there.

EDIT : I don't know if I can post links here. On GR I mean. I also want to say that I don't like to research much in anything bookish. That's because I'm trying to live on my wits and see if what I remember without research will tide me through. Dunno if that makes sense.

You all probably already know this bur I learned from my Natural-Resource-majoring daughter that looking at the pinecones is a huge clue when identifying a pine tree :)

Savita wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Mary Stewart is one of my favorite authors. I read Touch Not the Cat in 1989! I found this book [book:The Spell of Mary Stewart: The Ivy Tree/This Rough Magic/Wildfire a..."

Yes, I just decided I would. Now for searching my book shelves and a few boxes. It turns out that the book "The Spell of Mary Stewart" contains "This Rough Magic", "The Ivy Tree" and "Wildfire at Midnight".

Ok located. Kindle on Amazon is having a sale. I got the ebook for 99 cents, so that's good. There's also a nice Audible audiobook.

Lynn wrote: "Yes, I just decided I would."

Yay! Welcome Lynn!