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The Ivy Tree

Questions About The Ivy Tree

by Mary Stewart

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Answered Questions (4)

Isn't this the female version or very similar to Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey?
Karen A The book wasn't edited before it came out in paperback, it was edited before it was published in the US. The Ivy Tree was first published in England b…moreThe book wasn't edited before it came out in paperback, it was edited before it was published in the US. The Ivy Tree was first published in England by Hodder and Stoughton, with 20 chapters, which includes the mention of "Brat Farrar". there is also a mention of a possible pregnancy and a baby.
When it was published in the US, a year later, the book was cut back to 18 chapters. Chapter 2 in the UK version was eliminated and the story line worked into Chapter 2 of the US version ( which was chapter 3 in the UK version)
2 other chapters in the UK version were combined into 1 chapter in the US version. Thus the # of the chapters in the book went from 20 to 18.
The mention of "Brat Farrar" was edited out along with the mention of the possible pregnancy and baby.
Mary Stewart was probably asked to make these changes by the US publishing company--Mill and Morrow
The Gabriel Hounds was also edited before it was published in the US.
because marriage between first cousins is frowned upon.(less)
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In that the opening scene in the book is a real place - on Hadrian's Wall, just above Crag Lough - has anyone ever identified a possible "original" of Whitescar and Forrest ? The novel sets them near Bellingham, on a bend of the North Tyne river which forms a sort of peninsula and has a footbridge at the top of the "peninsula" leading to the opposite bank.
Galowa I love The Ivy Tree. I've read it multiple times and every time I've asked myself exactly this question. I've gone so far as to build a list of place …moreI love The Ivy Tree. I've read it multiple times and every time I've asked myself exactly this question. I've gone so far as to build a list of place cues from the text (actual place names, references to specific geographic features, places/ locations relative to known landmarks, etc.) with an open tab on my laptop set at Google Earth. With this approach I've been able to locate almost all her geographic references in current time. However, a possible location for Forrest Hall/ WhiteScar has not emerged.

The setting is Ms. Stewart's own youthful stomping ground - Durham/ Newcastle/ Hexham - so I've come to the conclusion that the exact setting of WhiteScar is a fictional composite pulled from the sum of her experiences in that area and greater environs. I found all sorts of "close but not quite" place names and locales, but the problems emerging in this exercise of mine are always traceable to inconsistent/ missing/ incomplete information. Even so, I still enjoy speculating about it. If nothing else, my investigations have given me a richer appreciation for the Northumberland countryside - particularly its history, immense scale, and the rich, fertile beauty of the land. What a truly beautiful setting.(less)
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I am at the halfway mark and Adam Forrest has just made his first appearance. I assume he's older than Con and "Annabel," but does anyone know his age? It's really bugging me.
Galowa If you read carefully, and, more particularly if, as I always do, you RE-read, Adam's first "appearance" in the story comes as a mention on page TEN (…moreIf you read carefully, and, more particularly if, as I always do, you RE-read, Adam's first "appearance" in the story comes as a mention on page TEN (which is page TWO of Chapter One...)

As for Adam's age, I suspected he was roughly the same age as Connor Winslow - four to six years senior to Annabel. I attributed his grey hair to the stress and hardship of his life's disappointments as opposed to mere "wear and tear" over time. In fact, Annabel describes both the grey hair and her overall impression of him as being worn down and "shabby" in such a way that makes him seem more pitiable rather than "old."

Adam Forrest was the heir to Forrest Park, the holding of his family, whose fortunes had reversed over time. It was his responsibility to secure the family estate, and to do that he'd "married for money." I suspect a high likelihood that Adam's marriage was "arranged" to cement the family's hold on ancestral property, much as Mr. Winslow had pressured Annabel to marry her cousin Connor. For Annabel and Connor this pressuring had begun when she was in her teens and he in his early twenties, so I suspect it had been the same for Adam Forrest.

As heir, Adam would be the eldest son, conscientious and resigned to his responsibilities. His sense of responsibility was seriously tested by his love for Annabel, but once she'd rejected him and left, he resumed his role as heir and husband - even saving his suicidal wife from the fire she set, then caring for that unbalanced, unhappy woman until she died.

He earned the grey hair...(less)
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The December 4th 2011 version by HarperTorch is 400pgs and another version is 292pgs. What am I missing here?
Andy Olcott I think the Chicago Review Press version might be abridged, despite it being called unabridged on the front page. My wife was listening to an audioboo…moreI think the Chicago Review Press version might be abridged, despite it being called unabridged on the front page. My wife was listening to an audiobook version and it had several scenes that were not in my version. (less)
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