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Touch Not the Cat
by
Mary Stewart
Bryony Ashley knows that her family's grand estate is both hell and paradise -- once elegant and beautiful, yet mired in debt and shrouded in shadow. Devastated by her father;s sudden strange death abroad, she is nonetheless relieved to learn the responsibility of running Ashley Court has fallen to a cousin. Still, her father's final, dire warning about a terrible family c
...moreHardcover, 336 pages
Published
by Morrow
(first published 1976)
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A re-read from several decades ago, the suspense novels of Mary Stewart never fail to please. In this offering, penned during the groovy 1970's, Stewart was no doubt making Touch Not the Cat more relevant for the time period by adding the gift of telepathy to her heroine Bryony Ashley, and Bryony's mysterious telepathic lover.
Who is this mind-melding hero? Is it one of her cousins: Emory, James or Francis Ashley? Admittedly, for most American readers, this is a pretty icky coupling, but apparent...more
Who is this mind-melding hero? Is it one of her cousins: Emory, James or Francis Ashley? Admittedly, for most American readers, this is a pretty icky coupling, but apparent...more
Originally published on my blog here in March 2001.
This was the last thriller written by Mary Stewart for quite a considerable length of time, as she concentrated on her series of Arthurian novels. It belongs with the novels she wrote later, rather than with the earlier ones, being lighter in tone (more a romance than a thriller), set in England, and with the paranormal playing an important role.
Bryony Ashley comes from a family with a long history, a beautiful ancient house, and no money. They...more
This was the last thriller written by Mary Stewart for quite a considerable length of time, as she concentrated on her series of Arthurian novels. It belongs with the novels she wrote later, rather than with the earlier ones, being lighter in tone (more a romance than a thriller), set in England, and with the paranormal playing an important role.
Bryony Ashley comes from a family with a long history, a beautiful ancient house, and no money. They...more
I am SO pleased that these wonderful Mary Stewart books are being re-issued! Mary Stewart's romantic suspense novels were my first 'grown up' books that I devoured when I was in my early teens. I loved them then and I love them just as much now, I must re-read them all every year or two. I love the gorgeous vintage covers on these latest editions in particular!
Touch Not the Cat is one of my favorite Mary Stewart's. Bryony Ashley has for as long as she can remember been able to communicate telepa...more
Touch Not the Cat is one of my favorite Mary Stewart's. Bryony Ashley has for as long as she can remember been able to communicate telepa...more
You've got to love a book that dives into melodrama so completely from the very first sentence: "My lover came to me on the last night in April, with a message and a warning that sent me home to him." The "lover" in question is an unknown person who has a telepathic connection with our heroine. She doesn't know who he is, but she feels he is part of her and has loved him intensely from childhood.
With that, my 13 yr old self was hooked! I finally re-read this book, one of my favorite books from m...more
With that, my 13 yr old self was hooked! I finally re-read this book, one of my favorite books from m...more
A gothic romance/thriller set in the 1970s. Byrony Ashley (what a name!) is a young 20-something who descends from an ancient, if impoverished, aristocratic family whose ancestral home is Ashley Court . When her father is killed in a hit and run accident, a chain of events is set in motion which will bring danger both Byrony and her secret telepathic lover. “Telepathic lover?” you exclaim. WOT? Let me explain. This is the Ashley gift, brought in to the family when some 16th century Ashley marrie...more
Nov 25, 2011
Lori McD
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
british-lit,
chick-lit,
classic,
cozy-mystery,
easy-read,
paranormal,
thriller,
romance,
suspense,
2011_read
3.5 stars (wishing there was a way to indicate half-stars!)
I'm sure I must have read this in grade school or middle school... and while the book still has its appeal, it's interesting to me to see how far we've come from the 70s. As a young girl, this book held mystery, thrills, romance, and a bit of the "woo woo" in the ESP sense.
It's still a fun book to read, but to my jaded, much older self, not as much of a mystery, suspense, or thriller. But that's not because there's anything wrong with th...more
I'm sure I must have read this in grade school or middle school... and while the book still has its appeal, it's interesting to me to see how far we've come from the 70s. As a young girl, this book held mystery, thrills, romance, and a bit of the "woo woo" in the ESP sense.
It's still a fun book to read, but to my jaded, much older self, not as much of a mystery, suspense, or thriller. But that's not because there's anything wrong with th...more
So, let me explain the absence of a star. :) This mystery was one of my favorites-- I loved the intrigue and the way it was set up. The telepathic connection that Byrony had (sounds so corny if you don't read the book, but it was EXTREMELY well done and believable!) was so good.... the deep love it portrayed. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole mystery of it. Her cousins, Emory and James, were also likable in their own scary sense, and in the middle of the book I had NO idea what was going to happen,...more
Apr 28, 2008
Kelly R
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-for-bethany-to-read
I really did like this book. The ending wasn't very strong, but I had a great time reading it!
Definitely not as good as Nine Coaches Waiting, but (I'm keeping it ambiguous so as to avoid spoilers) the relationship at the end between two of the characters was completely sweet and satisfying and everything I could have asked for!
Definitely not as good as Nine Coaches Waiting, but (I'm keeping it ambiguous so as to avoid spoilers) the relationship at the end between two of the characters was completely sweet and satisfying and everything I could have asked for!
Bryony Ashley's father is critically injured by a hit and run driver, and he's only able to live long enough to leave a cryptic warning that she's in danger, the rest of his words seem to make no sense at all. Or do they? Devastated, she returns to her cottage near Ashley Court, the family's ancient estate in England, which cannot be sold or broken up without the approval of all members of the Ashley family. As she tries to sort the puzzle left by her father, Bryony also has a secret of her own...more
7 likes · like · see review
I first read Mary Stewart when I was in high school, and rediscovered her just last week. Reading books by her is like a blast from the past of the paranormal romance, wherein the worst thing that happens is an accidental hit-and-run accident (okay, and some accidentally-falling-in-the-river-and-drowning, but really, what else was she going to do with the villainous twin brothers? Clearly it was their just reward!), and in the end, everyone happily discovers Roman archeological ruins which solve...more
Reread this one for the umpteenth time...every few years I have to reread all the Mary Stewart books I loved as a teenager. My copies are all dog-eared! Bryony has a secret friend, someone she has been close to all her life but cannot identify, since she only communicates with him through thoughts. Her telepathic connection to this person enables him to transmit to her in Madeira, somehow, the awareness that her father, in faraway Bad Tolz, is terribly injured and on the brink of death. It soon...more
Mar 04, 2009
Alyson
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone, especially mystery lovers or Mary Stewart fans
Recommended to Alyson by:
Sofie
I just adore this book. I love the way it unwinds, I love the characters, I love the peril—which seems so real, and ties into the past so well—and the story-within-the-story at the end of each chapter. Mary Stewart doesn't always allude to another story to tell the current one, but this is one of the books in which she does that, in which the tale of Romeo and Juliet—already familiar to the reader—serves as framework and comparison and contrast to what is taking place on the page. The heroine is...more
Pure nostalgia. I first read this book when I was 13 or 14 so when I saw a battered paperback copy on the swap rack waiting for the ferry (having just finished the book I brought with me) I couldn't resist.
I loved this book, partly because it reminds me of my childhood reading with my sister! I had to get it through interlibrary loan for the Cornflower Book Group, and I read it very quickly and with great pleasure. Mary Stewart is one of the oldies and goodies: this novel does show some of the supernatural themes she develops in her later works, but her deft characterization, vivid description, and fast-moving plotting remain strong and enjoyable. I realized, also, that I had very little memory of...more
Mary Stewart is one of my all-time favorites. This is an old-fashioned thriller: well-written, witty, with interesting characters and a plot with unexpected twists and turns.
Nov 18, 2011
Tammy Golden
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romantic-suspense
Doesn't hold up well in today's fiction market
I ran across this book recently at the library. I had a strong memory of reading it years ago and enjoying it. The main thing I recalled was that I'd really liked the premise of a telepathic connection between two lovers who had never physically met. Unfortunately, as I read it again, after years of exposure to fast-paced movies, novels and TV shows, I found myself really impatient for the hero and her phantom lover to actually meet. For me, as a rom...more
I ran across this book recently at the library. I had a strong memory of reading it years ago and enjoying it. The main thing I recalled was that I'd really liked the premise of a telepathic connection between two lovers who had never physically met. Unfortunately, as I read it again, after years of exposure to fast-paced movies, novels and TV shows, I found myself really impatient for the hero and her phantom lover to actually meet. For me, as a rom...more
Not my favorite Mary Stewart but just under the top tier. Bryony Ashley (great name) is the damsel in distress this time, and she comes with a not-imaginary but never-met friend destined to be her true love, with whom she has been communicating telepathically all her life. It is a tribute to Stewart's ability that this does not come across as weird or laughable--she writes it very well. And the plot, involving the death of Bryony's father, who left her a cryptic warning, and her return to the En...more
Ah, another fun mystery/romance by Mary Stewart.
Oh, this was good. I've never forgotten it.
Mary Stewart...enough said!
The thing about Mary Stewart's books that I love is the atmosphere, and the beautiful descriptions. Even though I'm usually not a fan of too detailed ones, I enjoy them when they are done well and don't feel unnecessary.
Mary Stewart is doubtlessly a very skilled and talented author when it comes to writing about feelings, describing landscapes and buildings, and creating dark, foreshadowing and gloomy atmospheres. And the main characters are always more or less likeable as well.
What she doesn't...more
Mary Stewart is doubtlessly a very skilled and talented author when it comes to writing about feelings, describing landscapes and buildings, and creating dark, foreshadowing and gloomy atmospheres. And the main characters are always more or less likeable as well.
What she doesn't...more
I read this a long time ago and reviewed on my blog.
An author I enjoy reading for mindless entertainment is Mary Stewart. I have a few of her books picked up at various book sales on the cheap, but have really only read those as our library doesn't have many others. I found Touch Not the Cat at a recent library sale and snatched it up.
Mary Stewart writes romantic suspense books, but clean. Think Mary Higgins Clark that are not as dark or scary. I also think Mrs. Stewar's a better writer. I enjoy...more
An author I enjoy reading for mindless entertainment is Mary Stewart. I have a few of her books picked up at various book sales on the cheap, but have really only read those as our library doesn't have many others. I found Touch Not the Cat at a recent library sale and snatched it up.
Mary Stewart writes romantic suspense books, but clean. Think Mary Higgins Clark that are not as dark or scary. I also think Mrs. Stewar's a better writer. I enjoy...more
I am pulled into the story right away with the description of Bryony's connections with her elusive 'lover'. Then, when Rob first comes in, it is apparent right away that he is special, 'simple' seeming, but deep underneath. He seems more desirable than the 'elegant' Ashley cousins, who are rather unpleasant from the start.
The Ashley Court is an intriguing setting, as is Nick's side plot. Sometimes Stewart's characters are described more by what they seem and have shown themselves to be than wh...more
The Ashley Court is an intriguing setting, as is Nick's side plot. Sometimes Stewart's characters are described more by what they seem and have shown themselves to be than wh...more
One of the best Mary Stewart's I've read. It has all of her usual elements - an exotic and interesting location, a young woman with a problem, romance, danger, and some suspense. In this book, Stewart aded an additional element, which was that the heroine has a kind of extrasensory perception. That gave the story an extra twist, which Stewart handled very well - it comes across as entirely believable and not tacky or ridiculous. This was another really fun book by this writer.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Davina Porter's voice was a bit too precious for my taste. She sounded very '60s/70s British television, and while that worked in the context of the actual book (which I believe was published in the mid-1970s), I found it made the book feel even more dated. In some ways that was soothing, but in other ways that was actually very distracting (I had to keep reminding myself that I was not listening to an old episode of classic Doctor Who)!
Worse still, was her hero! I was disappointed by her interp...more
Worse still, was her hero! I was disappointed by her interp...more
I found this book slow to get started. Bryony Ashley is a 22 year old woman who has communicated with her mind all her life with another person, a male, and she assumes it's one of 3 three cousins, as the Ashley family has had this talent for hundreds of years. She is woken one night by her "lover", the name she gives her secret friend, and told that her father is very ill. Since she's in Portugal and he's in Germany, the father has died by the time she arrives, but his last words were recorded...more
If someone had told me this was Lois Duncan for grown-ups I would have read it sooner! The main character is a telepath and grew up in an old gothic manor. Stewart pokes fun at Gothics within her own gothic story.
When I met Stewart O'Nan, he mentioned the title of this book. His mother was a Stewart fan, which is where he got his name.
A pleasant enough plane read, but not as enthralling as, say, Kate Morton's contemporary Gothic novels.
When I met Stewart O'Nan, he mentioned the title of this book. His mother was a Stewart fan, which is where he got his name.
A pleasant enough plane read, but not as enthralling as, say, Kate Morton's contemporary Gothic novels.
Re-read this after a number of years. I'm a big Mary Stewart fan and she never disappoints. Love how she incorporates her characters' psychic communication into the mystery/love story. It's subtle; she never hits the reader over the head with it, and it cleverly adds to the tension. Didn't give it five stars because it's just a little too neat at the end in the way she dispenses with the "bad guys."
This is a bit of fluff that was hard to put down. Mary Stewart is such a good writer that even this silly bit of romance and mystery was a joy to read. Years ago I fell in love with her Merlin books, and when I came across this one at my favorite thrift shop, with such a curious title, I had to take it home with me. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a brief but compelling escape from the distractions of the world around them.
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Lady Mary Stewart is a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years, but has now retired.
She is one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for...more
More about Mary Stewart...
Lady Mary Stewart is a popular English novelist, and taught at the school of John Norquay elementary for 30 to 35 years, but has now retired.
She is one of the most widely read fiction writers of our time. The author of twenty novels, a volume of poetry, and three books for...more
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