Green Darkness

Green Darkness

book data

347 ratings, 3.90 average rating, 55 reviews (more data...)

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published

April 1st 2005 (first published 1972) by Chicago Review Press

binding

Paperback, 608 pages

isbn

1556525761 (isbn13: 9781556525766)

description

This unforgettable story of undying love combines mysticism, suspense, mystery, and romance into a web of good and evil that stretches from 16th-centu...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 512)

All ratings | 5 stars (103) | 4 stars (137) | 3 stars (80) | 2 stars (20) | 1 star (6) | avg 3.90

all | this edition

Lisa

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0395139376)

04/13/08

I was really looking forward to reading this book. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed with it. I truly liked the idea of the book (reincarnation and karma- two things I strongly believe in), which is the only thing that prevented me from rating it with one star.

The characters were not real, I didn't felt as though I knew very much about how they were feeling and that some things were ridiculously elaborate (Julian is from Italy- we get it! I think that is mentioned at least 300 times. Yet...more

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Laura

Laura rated it:

08/16/07

bookshelves: borrowed-from-public-library

This wasn't as good as the other Seton novels I've read. Despite an interesting idea, the characters weren't very real to me, and I didn't care very much what happened to any of them. Specifically, I thought the main character's husband was a huge jerk, even if he WAS wrestling with demons.

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Sarah

Sarah rated it:

06/05/08

recommended to Sarah by: Mum
recommends it for: Diana Gabaldon Fans

This book was a hand me down from my mother when I was teenager, since she herself read it when she was around the same age. So I can admit right off that I have personal attachment to the novel.

The book is a bit dated, written in the 60's with several references that may not be picked up immediately by the modern reader, but Anya Seton sets a timeless pace with her compelling writing and accurate historical research. The basis of the story is a woman falls into a coma and re-lives a past l...more

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Myridian

Myridian rated it:

03/29/08

bookshelves: fiction, historical-fiction

Read in March, 2008

Seton couldn't make up her mind whether she was reporting something that really happened vs. writing a novel. In the introduction she pledges her allegiance to Theosophy and belief in reincarnation. She further says that she based the 1960s portion of the novel off of at least a real place, and that all of the historical accounts of the 1550s support the events she depicts in that portion of the novel. I wish Seton had either written us a flat-out exploration of someone's past lives or a comp...more

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Tara

Tara rated it:

01/17/08

recommended to Tara by: My MOM
recommends it for: Lovers of historical mysteries or Tudor England

I first read this book when I was about twelve years old. It was given to me by my mother, who also loved it. The copy was old, musty, and ancient; I think it was directly responsible for my love of that "old book smell." I'm sad to say that at some point, I lost it. Consequently, I spent the next 10 years frantically searching for another copy to no avail. It was out of print, and no used book store had it. Finally, one rainy afternoon, I came across a copy in an antique store in some...more

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maricar

maricar rated it:

(review of isbn 0340921099)

02/17/08

bookshelves: historical-fiction

Read in February, 2008

a vivid portrayal of Tudor England with all its drama, intrigue, and grisliness presented at the fore of the tumultuous story of passion doomed from the start, and reincarnated for redemption. Ms Seton has quite expertly maneuvered the love-hate relationship between the seemingly staid monk, Stephen, and the in-so-many-ways-as-yet naive and seductively beautiful, young Celia amidst the raging political and religious conflict following the death of Henry VIII.

England finds itself in dangerou...more a vivid portrayal of Tudor England with all its drama, intrigue, and grisliness presented at the fore of the tumultuous story of passion doomed from the start, and reincarnated for redemption. Ms Seton has quite expertly maneuvered the love-hate relationship between the seemingly staid monk, Stephen, and the in-so-many-ways-as-yet naive and seductively beautiful, young Celia amidst the raging political and religious conflict following the death of Henry VIII.

England finds itself in dangerous vacillation as the throne passes from the temperamental, protestant Edward, to the zealously catholic Mary, and then again to another protestant in the form of the wily Elizabeth--the people at turns changing their religion to suit the one reigning at court to save themselves from prosecution, and oftentimes, death.

In the center of the story is Celia, the "past self" of another Celia introduced in the beginning of the novel, set in the 1960s. The tale unfolds with the chilling narration to a group of modern-day aristocrats of an unidentified woman mercilessly walled-up alive in one of England's oldest dwellings. What follows then is the account of a dangerously alluring girl named Celia whose life in 16th century England is paved foremost with unbridled lust for a Benedictine monk, combined with hardships, despair, terror, and even witchcraft in the furor that is the Tudor dynasty. Her blind and fervent desire for Stephen has landed her often in dire straits as she becomes "fair game" for men drunk in lust at the site of her beauty, that which ultimately brings forth her demise.

I applaud Ms Seton as she brings closer to home the various political struggles that the court of England went through, the effects of which trickled down to the masses, in due course defining their way of life. Yet, she managed to stray away from lengthy (and what, to some, may become boring) descriptions of far-reaching political cause and effects, whilst heaping her prose with lively, often subtly menacing, sometimes edge-of-your-seat scenes. Her characters have depth and realistic emotional conflicts they themselves have had to go through--even so far as giving the English monarchs a different dimension precluded from the history books--without overshadowing the real premise of the story, and without veering away from the main character of Celia. I dont think she could have made her novel work if it was any shorter or longer--it had the perfect take off point to set down the events that led to the violent death of the young woman. Even her approach on reincarnation was believable, and was, in fact, instrumental in adding vibrancy to the deep-seated turmoil some of the characters felt and had to overcome.

on par with philipa gregory, anya seton is definitely a master storyteller. Green Darkness is a wonderful historical fiction with a deft mix of drama, love, and suspense. a satisfying read......less

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Ana T.

Ana T. rated it:

(review of isbn 0340178574)

02/07/08

bookshelves: keeper

After a steady diet of mysteries and romantic suspense novels I thought I needed something totally different.

I've had this book in my TBR pile for more than a year. I had picked it up because I loved Katherine and I wanted to read more books by Seton. Also this book has a theme that fascinates me - reincarnation, karma, good and evil... - even if I'm not sure if I believe it or not. Maybe it was my feelings toward it that kept me from picking it up for so long but now I'm really happy that I...more After a steady diet of mysteries and romantic suspense novels I thought I needed something totally different.

I've had this book in my TBR pile for more than a year. I had picked it up because I loved Katherine and I wanted to read more books by Seton. Also this book has a theme that fascinates me - reincarnation, karma, good and evil... - even if I'm not sure if I believe it or not. Maybe it was my feelings toward it that kept me from picking it up for so long but now I'm really happy that I did.

The book starts in the sixties of the XX century. Celia Marsdon, a young american girl, married Richard a british gentleman and his fascinated by british history. They are having some problems as Richard's behaviour becomes strange. During a weekend house party Celia plans a visit to a nearby estate and feels strangely disturbed especially after hearing mention of a young woman being walled up alive 400 years previously. It's soon obvious that unknown forces are affecting both Celia and Richard who both display uncharacteristic behaviour who will lead them to a brutal scene that leaves Celia in a coma and Richard with a death wish.

A interested and active participant in all this is Dr Akananda, a hindu medical doctor, friend of Celia's mother, who believes in reincarnation and how past lifes may affect your present one. He starts an unconventional healing treatment trying to save Celia by making her relieve her past.

So a big part of this book, I should actually say the bigger part, is set in Tudor times during the reign of Henry VIII's children. As the drama unfolds we soon identify most of the present day characters in the historical ones.

I think one of Seton's strong points is how well she makes characters come to life both by good characterisation and vivid settings' descriptions. After we jump to the past I was totally immersed in the reading and didn't want to have to interrupt it when real life called. I have only one thing to mention regarding the story in the past, I think we had a lot of build up and then the actuall tragic event happened too quickly and with little detail, I also realise though that to deal with it differently would probably evoke too much anguish in the reader so maybe that was a good thing. After the action returns to the XX century Celia is already recovering and it's ultimately her who takes Richard through the final steps of the healing process.

Although we could consider this book an historical romance because there is a love story that takes centre stage, this is much more complex than just the love story. According to the Author's note in the beginning: The theme of this book is reincarnation, an attempt to show the interplay - the law of cause and effect, good and evil - for certain individual souls in two english periods.

Also fascinating to me is to know that most characters and places truly existed.

My book is a 1974 edition and I was unable to find the cover online. However the one shown here seems almost as old and that's why I chose it. An A read!
...less

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Readerbean

Readerbean rated it:

07/26/07

bookshelves: historicalfiction

Read in October, 2006

Celia and Richard Marsden are recently married and living in England in 1968. During a weekend get together with friends Celia Marsden slips into unconsciousness and her mother's friend, Dr. Akananda, a doctor who believes in reincarnation, realizes the only way to help Celia is to have her relive her past life that is haunting her. Thus the reader is transported back 400 years ago, during the reign of King Henry VIII's children, a tumultuous time in England, and learns the story of a servant gi...more

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Amy

Amy rated it:

02/01/08

Read in September, 2007

recommended to Amy by: Mom?

Green Darkness is a historical romance (and when I say that, I don't mean romance as in smut novel. I can't stand those things - I usually end up yelling at them) with a supernatural twist. One of the main themes is reincarnation.

I'm reading this book and I keep having major deja vu. Parts of the book are so familiar to me, but I can't remember the plot or how it ends. So, I can't help but chuckle and think perhaps I read this book in another life?

In reality, I suspect I read it - j...more

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Jane

Jane rated it:

04/01/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: adults who enjoy historical fiction

I really enjoyed this book. It contained mystic moments involving reincarnation...opportunities to right past wrongs and it was also a historical novel set in England following the reign of Henry VIII. The book was well written (intelligent/believable dialog)and factual depictions of the social/physical time allowed me to transport myself to old England. The book begins in the 60's with a young couple whose marriage has taken a strange turn resulting in a physical/emotional threat to the husb...more

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Debbie

Debbie rated it:

06/25/08

bookshelves: historical-fiction

I just re-read this book over the weekend. I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed this book. It really is an engaging book but it's not a fast read. It draws you in slowly and can be a bit difficult to follow at times. The characters aren't always sympathetic and sometimes their motivations aren't clear. Then again when one considers the time in history in which this book is set, I guess survival was the primary motivation. Even churchmen were political animals and had agendas that went bey...more

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Recynd

Recynd rated it:

05/06/08

bookshelves: abandoned, hated-it, historical-fiction

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in April, 2008

There's something about the "pressure-cooker-steam-release" quality of the sex that pervades most books written in the late-60s/early-70s that I find so...quaint.

But in a hot sex sort of way.

*****UPDATE********

I can't do it. I just won't, and you can't make me. I made it to about page 127; Celia is still in her coma (though no longer stiff. Whatever.), and though the "former" Celia is much tolerable than "modern" Celia, she's annoying. And Richard/S...more

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Amy

Amy rated it:

01/28/08

One of my top ten favorite books. I first read this book when I was about 13. I have read it every year since. Great premiss. Love story, reincarnation...medieval backdrop!!! What more could you ask for? I have to admit, now that I am a "mature" reader....there are elements of the story I wish I could change. That being said, this is still a great story and Anya Seton has other splendid historical fiction books like Avalon, Katherine, etc. that are just as good if not better than G...more

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Misfit

Misfit rated it:

08/20/08

bookshelves: fiction-historical, one-time-read-only

Read in January, 2006

I enjoyed the book, especially the middle part (the majority of the story) about the first Celia and Stephen the monk. They had a truly sad ending, my heart especially broke for the fate of Stephen. Maybe it is just me, but the last part of the book just didn't flow well for me, but I can't put my finger on why. All in all an enjoyable read, but it definitely isn't Katherine, which all lovers of historical fiction should read -- that one deserves 10 stars at least.

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Jessica

Jessica rated it:

05/20/08

This book had an interesting theme: reincarnation. Not something I believe in, but it made for an interesting book. The book starts out in the 1960s and then moves to the 1500's where you find out that the characters from the 1960's have all been connected in a past life, and now must resolve a mysterious murder in order to go on with their current life (in the 1960s). I couldn't decide whether to give it 3 or 4 stars, but it is worth the read.

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Melani

Melani rated it:

04/04/08

Read in January, 2008

I didn't really like this book. It was okay. I love historical fiction, but this one was a little too out there. It's about a couple who have met in a past life. It's so hard to keep track of all the characters, and it is a whopper of a book to get through if you're not really into it in the first place. Most of the reviews i've read about this book were really positive. I just didn't care for it.

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V rated it:

02/01/08

bookshelves: prized-possessions

Read in March, 1993

recommends it for: those who like a good story & simple romance

I have a very treasured Hard cover 1972 edition of this book (which I'm not giving up), from back when I used to get old books at auctions. It was probably my greatest find, as I never would have sought it out on my own.

Lovely interesting story, about love, reincarnation.. that I've never seen in another novel.

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Bobbi

Bobbi rated it:

04/11/08

Read in January, 1968

I read this book in what was then junior high school (now middle school). I remember it as a good read and fascinating story about a character that has flashbacks into another life. I haven't read it since, so I may even remember it wrong, but I do remember enjoying it. One of those books I couldn't put down.

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Becs

Becs rated it:

08/06/08

bookshelves: time-travel

Read in January, 1971

recommends it for: history buff

I love books that just suck me in to the story, body and soul. This book did it for me. You'll never think of the Tudor age as smelling of potpourri and daring, good-hearted knights. But you will get a real feel for the times and the dangers involved. Forget Philippa Gregory - read Anya Seton!

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Annelise

Annelise added it

03/26/08

bookshelves: british-literature

I haven't started this one yet, but I have a feeling it will be good. Between the fact that it's about time travel and inner emotional and psychological struggles, it is sure to be a keeper. If you read Katherine and liked it, this will do the same...

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